99% of my life I have cooked on propane.
This summer my interest in cooking over charcoal and pellets has increased.
I have never used a
pellet grill size, but my brother-in-law swears by them - ease of use, cleaning, and perfect cooking.
My best friend swears by charcoal.
$300 and under is what the wife has agreed to.
I do like if I need to cook quickly propane is ready. I’m sure the others could be close with planning and time management, or am I wrong?
In my opinion, nothing can beat the taste, texture and smell of a long, slow smoked piece of meat whether pork, beef, chix, or any other. But it does take time and effort depending on the equipment used and the skill level. Typically requires a smoker of some sort, often a side or off-set fire box. Charcoal is great. Wood (sticks) is better, but much harder to control for the beginner (sometimes even for the pro's). Either/both can give great results, but be realistic and understand there's much more to learn than just the best fuel before providing great results and products.
Most quality units are pretty expensive and won't be the ones sold at Wal-Mart, Accademy, etc. Names like "Lang", "Jambo", "Yoder", "Franklin" and "Meadow Creek" will give you an idea of costs, but these are for later. Some sold at Wal-Mart etc can be used with some extra care and work. Like "Oklahoma Joe" for example. Their heavier pits (3/16" and better) will work fine, are less expensive than those above, but are more work in fire/heat management.
There are some brands of real smokers that cost a little less like the UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) made from food grade 55 gal drums. They work well but do require more work and watching. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just think about some lazy afternoon with you putting on a cook for a bunch of good friends who don't know anything about BBQ except how to eat it, and every 1/2 hour or so you get up and walk over to your cooker and pretend to be making some minor tweak or adjustment to the cooker while they all watch and want to know what you just did. Man, you can tell them such a story about how even a difference of one or two degrees over some certain amount of time makes the difference between just good BBQ, and great BBQ. And that you're doing everything righ today to make them some of the very best. They'll be amazed at your experience in the art/science of BBQ'ing, and appreciative the you're working so hard just for them ...... your special friends. Oh yeh, you can make up a whole book of tales to tell each time you get up and check on that cooker.
But in reality, don't make a habit of opening the door, just find some little thing to appear to be turning or tweaking. Remember this .... "If you're looking, you ain't cooking", and maintaining constant temps is critical to good Q.
Then there are electric, and even LP smokers that work well for the beginner and can provide some good results. They are convenient, fairly easy to learn, usually smaller foot print and easier to store and maintain. Costs are reasonable, but go for the best quality you can afford. They all do about the same thing, some just have a feature or two that another doesn't.
Then there's nothing quicker, faster or more convenient than a good gas grill. In nearly all my years of BBQ'ing, and regardless of what smoker I was using at the time, I always had at least a small gas grill handy for certain things. They're great for the backyard cookout with friends and neighbors (burgers/dogs) and should not be overlooked by anyone. But in gas grills especially, the quality of build, materials and construction is important. There are a few implements on the market today that can almost duplicate real BBQ, (smoked) on a gas grill such as 'pellet tubes', using offset/alternate burners, indirect heat, etc, etc. The cook (you) can even make a satisfactory smoke package with HD aluminum foil and wood chips. Even 'liquid smoke' can be effective under the right circumstances.
Pellet grills/smokers are about as convenient and effective and probably the most versatile as you can find. They do have some limitations, but if you learn to work around those, they can turn out some fine product. Just do some research on them and what they have to offer more than price. For example, some pellet cookers cannot reach real searing temps if you want a really good steak. Some require a considerable amount of conversion set ups to do various types of cooking, some not so much. And again, price is usually indicative of quality (but not in every aspect). But overall, pellet grills/cookers are probably the most versatile across the board. Keep in mind too that pellet grills/cookers in general will typically be more expensive than the average gas grill.
I'm not real certain just what info and/or advice you're looking for overall, but I'm willing to help if I can. I won't often make a specific recommendation of one brand over another, but in some circumstances I will based on my personal preferences. And in reality, the best fuel/heat source is often dependent on the experience level of the cook. Heat is heat, and all sources can and must be tended, even reinforced/augmented by other means at times. Quick example is using a pellet tube on a gas grill. It won't completely duplicate a true off-set smoker or even drum type, but it will make the finished product much closer to the real smoked product than a straight gas heat source.
Now, my only 'down side' to this whole post is that with a $300 budget you will be pretty limited. Research all you can, look every where for good deals like maybe a high quality used unit on "Craig's List", etc. Maybe you have a buddy who can weld and help you build one. And if you have more specific questions, I'll try to answer them for you. I'm sure there are a few others on the forum who will jump in with their knowledge and experience as well. I know there are a few on here very knowlegable and experienced.
I'm always happy to help any way I can a new prospect into the world of BBQ'ing. But I also try hard to help them understand, real Q'ing is a close relative to grilling, but it ain't the same thing for sure. I will tell you I have been BBQ'ing for more than 50 years, never commercially, and I'm still not sure I have it right. But I'm still trying!!! I don't Q as often as I used to, but when I do I still check the garbage cans after everyone else has left. I can always tell just how good a job I did by how much of my product has been thrown away. As the years have gone by, I'm pretty sure that has decreased by a considerable amount..................
