The BBQ Thread

I'm not sure if this is worthy of its own thread but what vacuum sealers do you all prefer?

I started with all the entry brands like NutriChef and Nesco you see on Amazon for around $100. They worked well for a while but after a few months they lost sucking power.

I then reached out to Malcom Reed over at HowtoBBQRight and they suggested the FoodSaver brand. I bought their 4400 model for around $200 which was the bigger model similar to the older FoodSaver model that Malcom uses. I still was getting freezer burn though with the FoodSaver so I returned that one too. The biggest difference between Malcom's older version and mine is that my newer version did the auto seal when it thinks it's time to seal. His model sucked until you pressed the manual seal button.

I then bought the Weston Pro 2300 sealer for $400 but it has the auto seal feature and I'm still getting freezer burn so I returned that one yesterday. I'm wondering now if I got a lemon and should try the Weston Pro 2300 again. Pretty much all the BBQ forums say great things about the 2300 model and that it's the best you can buy before you move to the chamber sealers.

I don't want to spend $1,000+ for a chamber sealer since I would rather put that money to golf clubs or surf fishing gear, hence my post here.

Does anyone feel strongly about their sealer that they would like to share?
 
Ashburn Dave said:
I'm not sure if this is worthy of its own thread but what vacuum sealers do you all prefer?

I started with all the entry brands like NutriChef and Nesco you see on Amazon for around $100. They worked well for a while but after a few months they lost sucking power.

I then reached out to Malcom Reed over at HowtoBBQRight and they suggested the FoodSaver brand. I bought their 4400 model for around $200 which was the bigger model similar to the older FoodSaver model that Malcom uses. I still was getting freezer burn though with the FoodSaver so I returned that one too. The biggest difference between Malcom's older version and mine is that my newer version did the auto seal when it thinks it's time to seal. His model sucked until you pressed the manual seal button.

I then bought the Weston Pro 2300 sealer for $400 but it has the auto seal feature and I'm still getting freezer burn so I returned that one yesterday. I'm wondering now if I got a lemon and should try the Weston Pro 2300 again. Pretty much all the BBQ forums say great things about the 2300 model and that it's the best you can buy before you move to the chamber sealers.

I don't want to spend $1,000+ for a chamber sealer since I would rather put that money to golf clubs or surf fishing gear, hence my post here.

Does anyone feel strongly about their sealer that they would like to share?
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I've had great luck with the Foodsaver. Had one for almost 20 years before it gave up the ghost and I replaced it with an Anova Culinary Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro....which I couldn't return fast enough because it's a piece of shit. It wouldn't get all of the air out of the bag and, on the rare occasion that it did, it took forever. The vacuum pump seemed weak and it was inconvenient to cut bags....it was an overall piece of junk....so I replaced it with the model FM2900 which they had for a crazy discounted price at Costco a few months ago. I've never had an issue with freezer burn. The freezer burn thing doesn't make sense, unless you're using off-brand bags, or there's a tiny wrinkle in the bag when it seals...or even a dirty gasket. Even with the newer model, I think you can manually pull a vacuum then hit the seal button if you don't think that the vacuum is adequate, but I've never done that because the model that I have currently pulls a sufficient vacuum before it auto seals. I guess you could hit the "pulse" function until you it's sealed how you like it, then hit the "seal" button. Good Luck!
 
I had high hopes for the Foodsaver since Malcom loved his. My guess is that Foodsaver has made some changes to their machine recently for the worst since I'm starting to see bad reviews for them nowadays.

My bags are from Foodsaver so they shouldn't be the problem.

Here is one example which appears as though the suction isn't pulling out all the air pockets.

Thanks for you input!

1743519569042.jpeg
 
I've also got a FoodSaver. I've had it a long time. I don't really have any serious issues with it.
 
I'm breaking in the "new to me" WSM with a fatty butt. The guy who sold it to me said he only used it a few times, so a nice greasy cook is called for. Dry brined with kosher salt overnight and sprinkled a store-bought rub just before I put it on the smoker.
I make most of my rubs, but picked this one up at our last trip to the butcher at the recommendation of a friend. It's pretty damn good and locally made, (Manassas, Va).

20250403_084652.jpg


20250403_084945.jpg
 
Can’t beat the WSM - best smoker for the money out there imho…
 
Boone said:
Can’t beat the WSM - best smoker for the money out there imho…
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I'm looking at a new smoker in the next couple of years.

How much work do you have to do to keep the temp even? I long for the days when I could just lounge around and check temps and drink beer and watch meat cook. But that is not my life at the moment. I generally have to put something on in the morning and then trust it to do it's thing, create smoke and maintain temp until I get back hours later after dealing with work and kids.

Which is why (for now) I have an electric smoker.

But it's cheap and on it's last legs. The thing about electric smokers is there are a lot more pieces to break and wear out. I think I'll get one more season out of it. So I'm looking for what's next. I'm still going to need something which I can set and go, but considering all possible options.
 
I know it's not locally produced, and I often do my own rubs, but I found this one at Trader Joes and it's tasty:

1743686940282.png


You can find it at Trader Joes, but they also sell it online in a variety of places I believe. It's my "easy cheat" if I don't have time to get a rub.

I'm going to have to try the Dizzy Dust though. I like locally made stuff.
 
Boone said:
Can’t beat the WSM - best smoker for the money out there imho…
Click to expand...
Agreed. I still have one from the late 90's that's in pretty good shape. I'm giving it to our youngest son, who has proven pretty adept around grills and smokers.
 
It is extremely easy to use once you get used to it. One of the cooler things about the WSM is that it has a large water bowl that sits between the fire box and the cooking area. Water will help keep temps very stable
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
I know it's not locally produced, and I often do my own rubs, but I found this one at Trader Joes and it's tasty:

View attachment 10645

You can find it at Trader Joes, but they also sell it online in a variety of places I believe. It's my "easy cheat" if I don't have time to get a rub.

I'm going to have to try the Dizzy Dust though. I like locally made stuff.
Click to expand...
I looooove me some Trader Joe's! They have some pretty unique, and quality, stuff. That Coffee rub is very good. We keep a few of their seasoning blends in our pantry.
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
I'm looking at a new smoker in the next couple of years.

How much work do you have to do to keep the temp even? I long for the days when I could just lounge around and check temps and drink beer and watch meat cook. But that is not my life at the moment. I generally have to put something on in the morning and then trust it to do it's thing, create smoke and maintain temp until I get back hours later after dealing with work and kids.

Which is why (for now) I have an electric smoker.

But it's cheap and on it's last legs. The thing about electric smokers is there are a lot more pieces to break and wear out. I think I'll get one more season out of it. So I'm looking for what's next. I'm still going to need something which I can set and go, but considering all possible options.
Click to expand...
The WSM is pretty easy to use and not a lot of work. It takes a couple cooks to figure out. If you end up buying one, shoot me an IM and I'll offer any help that I can. They're pretty simple. My old one held temps between ~241- 250 all day long. Not sure about the new one yet, but this cook has been holding pretty steady at 250 for the the past couple of hours. Thing is with BBQ and smoking, there's no need to chase temperatures. I'd venture to say for 99% of the cooks, anything in the 225-275 range is fine. You're best bet is to snag one on FB Marketplace to try it out to see if you like it. The 18.5" is probably the best all-around size and can be found FB Marketplace for an average price of $150.00 around here, (Baltimore Metro Area). The 14.5" is too small and the 22" uses a shit-ton of charcoal. If you don't like it, stick it back on Marketplace where you shouldn't have any issues selling it. Make sure it's in Good or Like New condition and that they have both cooking grates, the charcoal grate & charcoal ring, (most of them I've seen do). If you go in that direction, feel free to reach out with any questions that you may have.

They do make fancy ATC, (Automatic Temperature Controllers), for them...which is an add on fan/blower assembly.....some folks like that kind of thing, but I've never seen the need because the smoker is so well designed. If you're at the point where you want a "set it and forget it*" type of deal, then a pellet smoker is the way to go. I don't have any experience with them and my knowledge is 2nd hand from what I've read on a few of the BBQ boards that I frequent. That said, Traeger pellet smokers are supposed to be really good. A Kamado type smoker, like a Kamado Joe, or a a Big Green Egg will hold rock-solid temps all day, and then some. The drawback is that they're ceramic, pretty heavy and, in the case of the Big Green Egg....very, very expensive. There's not a lot of cooking space on them either.

I do own a Kamado style grill....it's cheaper Chargriller Auto-Kamado.......it's ordinarily ~ $450.00 at Wal-Mart, but they go on sale once or twice a year for $232.00, shipped. It's metal, but seems to very well made. It has one of those ATC's that I mentioned, built in, and it's pretty much a "set it and forget it" type of cooker. I don't use it that often but, when I do, it works fine.

Good Luck!
 
I will only add that how you light and configure your charcoal makes a difference in terms of long cooks too. There are a lot of tricks. Because the WSM is a ‘component’ smoker where you can take it apart mid-cook, it is easy to add more fuel in the rare instances you might need to.

There is also a great website we have mentioned before specifically about the WSM, just search ‘virtual bullet’ … they gave a great forums section for help and recipes too.

One thing I like about the WSM is that is is designed to use plain old charcoal briquets which many smokers can’t use.
 
Boone said:
It is extremely easy to use once you get used to it. One of the cooler things about the WSM is that it has a large water bowl that sits between the fire box and the cooking area. Water will help keep temps very stable
Click to expand...
In all the years I've owned one...I've only used the water bowl once. One of the main differences that I noticed between the old-style and the newer one, is that the water bowl on the new one is huge. With today's cook, I'm trying out using a water pan set inside of the water bowl. I really don't want to clean up a bunch of greasy water.

Free tip of the day: Foil line the water bowl, (which you probably do). but put a few crumpled up balls of foil on the bottom of the pan and wrap the bowl with foil, which creates a small air-space between the bottom of the pan and the foil. This prevents dripped grease from scorching when it hits the dry pan.
 
I probably foiled my water pan for awhile but it’s a water pan and I stopped worrying about it over time. I don’t currently have a WSM but did have one for years. I used the water pan a lot.
 
I really love you guys.

It's nice to see so many men who cook; not just barbecue, but in the other threads also.

When I moved to the Dominican I'm going to have to build my own barbecue unless I'm able to find something decent down there, but I doubt that. It's all good. I can do the brick work and my girls father is a welder. All wood all day. But I will design/build it so I can also grill direct if I want to.
 
That sounds like an amazing project!
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
I'm looking at a new smoker in the next couple of years.

How much work do you have to do to keep the temp even? I long for the days when I could just lounge around and check temps and drink beer and watch meat cook. But that is not my life at the moment. I generally have to put something on in the morning and then trust it to do it's thing, create smoke and maintain temp until I get back hours later after dealing with work and kids.

Which is why (for now) I have an electric smoker.

But it's cheap and on it's last legs. The thing about electric smokers is there are a lot more pieces to break and wear out. I think I'll get one more season out of it. So I'm looking for what's next. I'm still going to need something which I can set and go, but considering all possible options.
Click to expand...

Pellet smokers along with gravity fed chimney type smokers (like a Stump's smoker) are pretty much zero effort after you start your fire. You won't get as much smoke with those but the convenience of them kind of offset that. The Stump's are expensive (Assassin's are same as a Stump's but cheaper).

I have both of those and 9 out of 10 times I'm satisfied with that method. That 1 time though, I would love a big offset for the smoke.

We had an small electric chest for my first smoker and loved it. It was small enough to take in the RV. When it died, I bought the Traeger 'Tailgater' which has folding legs so I could fit that in the RV.
 
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VoR - Why not add a blower to your WSM? That would maintain your temps consistently.

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