Need smoker/ BBQ advice

I purchased the Pit Barrel last year, got the Junior.  Super easy and produced amazing BBQ I highly recommend and would definitely look into it.  I’ve made pulled pork, ribs, chicken, veggies, salmon and everything has been delicious.

I can't say enough about pellet grills. The quality of the BBQ is there, and they are just fucking easy! I can put a brisket on at 11 pm and confidently go to sleep, knowing I'll be woken up at 5:30 am by the smell of the meat. There are some great pellets now that are a mix of  charcoal and hardwood.

My recent upgrade was to the Camp Chef Woodwind, with the propane sear box. It has a lever that pulls the heat shield away, so that you can get direct flame if you want. The sear box can be a simple LP grill if you want.

I've done all the other smokers, and for me pellets are the way to go. I don't want to be up all night tending the fire. I can put on a few racks of ribs, mow the lawn, play a round of disc golf, go for a swim and not have to worry.

In a few weeks I'm having around 75 people over and I'll be smoking around 55-65 lbs of meat. The smoker going for around 20 hours, and I will be free to do other shit. I don't think that you trade quality, either. Pellet grills are allowed in competition, and often win. People often tell me that my BBQ is is good as anything they can get at a restaurant.

Here's what I recently upgraded to: https://www.campchef.com/wood-pellet-grills-and-accessories/all-pellet-g...

That looks amazing.  We have the Pit Barrel Jr. and while it doesn’t sound as easy at the pellet, it’s definitely pretty low maintenance to use.  Also fits prefect in the space we have for it.  I think we purchased a package that included a bunch of extras like gloves, veggie basket, sausage basket, turkey hanger, etc for around $350

After researching a lot of options and talking with people who own various grills, I bought the Weber Performer Premium.  The Weber kettle has come a long way since I last owned one. This model came with a really nice grill that hinges on either side so you can access your coals. The center of the grill is also removable for access to the coals or add wood for smoke. Weber also has many add ons that will fit in the center hole with the grill removed. The picture below of the chicken shows the removable center of the grill and the sides that open for access if you are using the coal baskets that come with the grill. I have been able to maintain temps as low as 225 for hours on end.  Thanks to youtube I have learned how to arrange either lump coal or briquettes so they burn for hours. I have done ribs that cooked for 5 hrs and I let the coals burn out and they went another 2 hours. While the lump burns hotter, I find it a little less predictable than using briquettes. 

The Weber probably needs more babysitting than a more expensive grill/smoker for temp control but we have had no issue with this one since purchasing in March. We have smoked ribs, tri-tip, wings, whole chicken, pork tenderloin. We also use it to grill the regular grill stuff as well. Veggies turn out great. The tri-tip and tenderloin were ridiculously tasty.  

https://www.weber.com/US/en/grills/charcoal-grills/performer/performer-p...

Hickory or mesquite in a seasoned metal trash can. Fruit woods for fowl. I'll probably never change that up. I admit there are easier methods, but none simpler.

Weber looks like a tidy setup, and a good compromise between the garbage can and the more blinged out rigs.

that's amazing Bk 55-65 pounds is an incredible amount of work 

>>55-65 pounds is an incredible amount of work 

Honestly, other than the prep, like trimming, injecting and dusting, it's not much more work than 15 lbs. The cooking time is easy. Economy of scale. It doesn't take any longer to make a gallon of mop or sauce as it does a quart.

my buddy is a green egg guy, nother dude just got the traeger. both seem good.

I had a Traeger bet went with the Camp Chef when I upgraded. Their quality isn't what it used to be.

Utah Jim, I have the same rig but in red. My last Weber Kettle lasted over ten years. Love the baskets for indirect cooking, it is almost impossible to fuck anything up when you cook like that. I like tending to the fire and checking, along with having a beer in my hand, so I have been thinking about a wood burning smoker too. Also had a small portable fold up Weber gas grill but just sold it when we sold the house. 

Here’s a link to the PBJ.  You can either run hooks through whatever you are smoking and hang from rebar or there is a grill that you can insert.  One half of the grill is hinged so you can hang and grill at the same time.  

https://pitbarrelcooker.com/products/14-pit-barrel-junior?variant=30314852483170