British BBQ Society Forums

Hi im Josh from Cheshire, looking to buy a smoker and get into this pretty soon. I'm really into cooking, i also used to do al lot of homebrewing but gave up when i lost my brewbuddy. Looking to soak up some info from this forum and get making some pulled pork and brisket pronto!

Hi josh welcome to the forum, I'm also based in Cheshire (to the south). I currently smoke on Weber WSMs

that seems to be the smoker of choice. Might have to get saving for one. I wasnt planning on spending that much and also preffered the idea of an electric fridge door style smoker, but nobody seems to be too fond of those!

Cough.....ProQ

Just been looking at the proq. Whats the major difference? I'd rather not spend the extra money if its not worth it

josh2590 wrote:Just been looking at the proq. Whats the major difference? I'd rather not spend the extra money if its not worth it

I think in reality none, that said however no one has regretted buying the WSM but people often regret the ProQ, but I don't think there is a tangible reason, especially now the build quality if the ProQ units is much better. I had the WSM and it was great

Certainly in the past the opinion of people who had owned or used both was generally: ProQ = better features + cheaper WSM = better build quality and more stable temperatures. The guys who compete tend to favour the WSM over the Pro Q. I haven't looked at a Pro Q for a few years now so can't comment on whether the build quality is now on par with the WSM. If you're the sort of person who likes tinkering/making things then it may well be worth thinking about a UDS. The other thing to throw in is that a good kettle BBQ can also be used for low and slow smoking with the added benefit that you can grill on it as well. Things to think about are how often are you going to use it and how many people will you typically cook for. You're always welcome to pop round and have a look at the kit I've got if you want to see the weber stuff up close.

I'm pants at making things, i own no tools! The pro q description says you can use it as a grill if you remove the stackers. I think i'll go for the pro q. Seems to be a good option and i can just about afford it. Might look for used smokers too though

You can grill on a pro q and a WSM but it's very low down on the floor, so not the easiest to work with. If you think you are going to be doing more grilling than low and slow then you should consider a 57cm weber kettle.

i'll be doing mostly low and slow to be honest, but wouldnt mind the option of grilling.