Lyfe Tyme smokers

I am about to purchase one, any feedback?

I love mine! I have about the largest non-trailer mounted, double door on horizontal pit with large vertical smoker along with fire box. Its a booger to move by oneself. It hold heat very well once you get it up to where you want it. Took some playing around with and a number of cooks to figure it out over similar style but smaller. Once you get it to the temp you want, start buttoning down the firebox flue and the smoker flue and it will hold for hours on one load of charcoal/wood. I have had mine for about 6 years and I need to do a little wire brushing/high temp painting on the fire box. I love mine! I can do about 8-10 briskets at once plus some other faster cooking stuff, like fajitas, sausage, stuffed jalapenos, etc.


different angle

Those are made in Uvalde aren't they? I bought one about 18 years ago, don't think mine is as big as the one PMK has. Very well made and still going strong, I do wish mine had a little larger firebox

I think mine is the largest model that is non-trailer model except the one on skids that's HUGE. For a long cook for like briskets or pork butts, I start with a full large size bag of Kingsford or HEB Mesquite charcoal until it starts to ash, then I feed in 6" to 12" dia x 12-16" long logs of live oak, pecan or mesquite, alternating for different flavors. Once I start adding in the wood, I button it up pretty tight and leave it alone for 3-4 hours before adding another log or two. Lets me go off to do other chores while laying down the smoke.

Go big as you can. If your Ina budget, you can not add the upright tube. But go big.

oh yeah, I bought my at Magnum trailer in Austin while having an axle replaced on my boat trailer ... they can haggle a bit on price of the LyfeTyme smoker.

Thanks guys!

Well we did it.... putting that thing in the backyard wernt no walk in the park!

what size did you get?

The biggest on wheels.... had a little buyers remorse at first (that's a lot a smoker) like to never have gotten it to the backyard!!!

Do yall mop?

yep, took me some time to get accustomed to that large of a pit to get temp up and hold it. If I am doing a long smoke for like brisket, I start off with a full large bag of charcoal as my base for heat, then add oak, mesquite and/or pecan every hour or so to maintain my vertical smoker in the 180* range.

mop sometimes, not mop others. My dad and his cooking buddies used to mop with a homemade concoction (tallow, vinegar, oil, Worcestershire, lemon, orange, pepper, salt, old German blacksmith family recipe) but we were cooking on open top pits and typically for feeding 200-5000 people. I have taken his recipe and added a few more things (beef stock, onion & garlic powder) to mop when doing brisket about half the time. usually mop every 30 minutes to an hour through a 8-14 hour smoking process. When I am mopping, I put in a metal pot and leave it in the smoker for that natural smoke flavor, then at the end of the smoking, I take the remainder of the mop sauce as the basis for a BBQ dipping sauce but add a little tomato paste to thicken and a little brown sugar for a little sweetness.

I'm always late. I have the same one as PMK and use it regularly. It did take a bit to get it down, but love it now. I keep mine on my "cooking" porch which is concrete. Can't imagine moving it around in grass or something. Here it is new, but I welded some add-ons to it, i.e., a big shelf in front of the vertical to work on:

Would love to have one of these!!! I have an Oklahoma Joe, before they went to thin metal, and really need more room!

good idea dfwroadkill, my only complaint with mine is the horizontal pit handles are too close to the shelf to put anything there as the handle will hit it when closed.

Yessir I agree. I wondered if I was the only one that had noticed that.

I added this bar with horse shoe to adjust the flue.


I added this shelf to be able to work better.


I added this thermometer.


I also added a couple of stars for looks.

I kinda like the shelf addition you made but think if I added one on mine I would leave as the same depth as the original or I'd be whacking myself in the nads evertime I did a left turn to check vertical smoker... LOL

the handle idea for the chimney flue is good too!

yep, I added a second thermometer down on the horizontal portion as it only came with the one on the vertical (or vice versa).

where did you place the stars?

with my last pit, it was much lighter than this one (same configuration but only 16" dia). I used to move the smaller one around depending on direction of the wind but this one hasn't been moved in 4-5 years. I have it set up with fire box towards the NW and smoker to the SE and it really doesn't matter which direction the wind blows as it drafts very well.

The shelf hasn't been a nad problem.

I put a star in the center of each horizontal door.

Anytime I smoke on the horizontal, I always put chickens in the vertical.

Good lookin smokers ! Nice "add ons" any other ideas!?

I should have washed it before I took pictures...

I do have a BBQ Guru temp control added. I do use it at times when I want to cook over night real low and slow. https://www.bbqguru.com/

What else do yall use the vertical for?

I've only hung chickens in there. Would enjoy hearing about and trying new ideas.

I use my vertical for virtually everything I want smoked, even burgers, before tossing down over the hotter end or directly over the charcoal/wood to cook. I drastically lower the temp in the vertical when doing thinner stuff, like down in the 150-160* range and shorten the time in there. example for burgers, get fire going then close the vents/damper on the fire box & top of vertical to just a sliver open, toss burgers (or Fajitas, sausage, etc.) in the vertical, let smoke for 10-30 minutes, then move to hotter area to cook for a few more minutes until desired doneness. My wife & daughter in law neither care for heavy smoke flavor, so I won't put theirs in the vertical, but merely in the hot area or direct over coals while I have others in the vertical. Once theirs are done over heat and pulled, I then move whatever is in the vertical down to the heat for a short period.

The vertical is great for brisket, pork roast/hams, turkey, chicken, etc. for much longer periods of time (thicker or more mass), then move to horizontal to cook.

Do y'all have a cover for yours? I built one that looks very similar to these and need a cover so it's not just out in the elements all the time.

Mine sets on a covered porch when I'm not cooking. I roll it out about 3 feet to cook. No cover. I clean it and repaint with high heat paint from time to time.

mine sits out under several medium size live oaks for summer shade 24/7/365. I put down a couple of rubber trailer mats to prevent mud during wetter times, never cover, just close damper and flue after done smoking/cooking, remove ash when cooled down. mine needs a good wire brushing with a coat or two of high temp paint after 6 years of use (as is evident by the pictures).

you might check the LyfeTyme website or contact them to see if they offer any type of covers.

LYFE TYME