Yes plenty if your intent is just an occasional smoke for a few people and no not laughable at all. There are plenty of people that swear by the basic stand-up brinkman and you can pick one of those up for $50 or less. I have a few buddies whose smoker consists of three walls of cinder blocks and tin for the top and 4th wall. Redneck? Yes, but some of the greatest tasting hogs you will ever eat. Keep in mind though that they have the process dialed in and know what needs to be done to keep that constant 220ish. The cheap ones are made of very thin metal that does not hold heat so it is very difficult to maintain a constant temp. Because of this most novices choose to go with the electric or gas smoker. Same thin metal but a constant heat source that just needs smoke. The point is price means very little if you do it correctly and are dialed into your smoker, but doing it correctly and getting dialed in is more difficult the cheaper you decide to go. On the other hand it makes little sense to purchase a high price heavy gauge steel smoker if you are just going to use it a couple times a year. Nothing better than firing the smoker up in the AM and enjoying beer and friends throughout the day, the food is just a bonus:toast:
