Trad Gang
Main Boards => Recipes/Grilling/ Barbecuing/Smokers => Topic started by: Bullfrog on December 14, 2009, 02:16:00 PM
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What do you guys use and like? Thanks. BILL
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Neither, I would get a Weber Smoky Mountain. Uses charcoal and the best small smoker out there!
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You may have more temp control with elec.or propane but you will never beat charcoal for the flavor it adds to the wood.Charcoal is traditional you know what you must do!
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I use the barrel smoker, with charcoal add wood for the flavor, go light on the wood because you can over do it.
enjoy
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Electric (Cookshack) :thumbsup: : foolproof with delicious results. Of course, I like to eat more than I like to cook. :)
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nothing beats the results of doing it the real way, but in this wonderful day and age, I find it nearly impossible to devote the required time and attention to a wood/charcoal system.
Each has its plusses and minuses. An electric, like a Bradley is about as simple as it can get. Problem is that you are stuck with using pucks for wood. Propane is also in that "set it and forget it" system, and usually uses a water pan for moisture control. Both produce a good product.
It all comes down to what time you can devote, what features you are looking for, and what price range do you want to spend.
There are also hybrid systems like the Orion that is really a convection charcoal cooker that you can do some smoking in.
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>>nearly impossible to devote the required time and attention to a wood/charcoal system<<
Right on BobW.
What are these pucks? My Cookshack just uses small pieces of wood that I cut and dry. I usually use pecan, apple or hickory.
Nevermind, I went to the Bradley site and saw the pucks.
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I use a WSM and after adjusting the air inlets it will hold temperatures very close. I sometimes load it up and let it run all night while I'm asleep. Don't confuse the Weber Smoky mountain with other charcoal smokers.
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Bill, excellent topic as I am researching the same thing. We had a Luhr Jensen Big Chief but it is just far too limited in terms of temperature. It can only maintain temperature when it is 70 degrees or warmer!
I have been looking at the propane ones as well, Masterbuilt and Kenmore. I read a lot of reviews for the Masterbuilt electric and many negative reviews applied to the electrical unit burning out and not being replaceable. The propane Kenmore:
Kenmore Vertical Gas Smoker
Sold by Sears | Sears Item# 07115884000 | Model# 810-5525-0
Seemed well reviewed on both the Sears site and another. Basspro seems to offer the Masterbuilt in propane now as well.
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I was looking at an electric a couple years ago. In my case it wouldn't work. they recommend NOT using an extension cord and I didn't have an outlet outside or 6' from the garage door. I bought a propane one from Cabelas and have not had any problems with it.
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Charcoal and apple wood.
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Wood, Wood and more Wood
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Get an electic one....I have both a gas and wood and find it very hard to control temp. We smoke alot of everything from salmon, chicken and vension. And if your new at it you will enjoy and do more with it. It's just easy'er to use.
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PK grill smoker....
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The standard Bradley with a Auber PID is slick. 6 time and temp settings with 1-2 deq. accuracy control. Get pucks from Amazon when on sale 4 for 3 and fee shipping then they are much less to buy. The only thing about this set up is that in really cold weather it is hard to get the Bradley up to higher temps. When it is below freezing I have to smoke and dry down until the mess is done then finish off in the oven. That works fine, but I wish they had about double the wattage. Then it would be perfect. The pucks with feeder and putting them out in water makes for the cleanest smoke I have ever seen.
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WSM for me also. I added the BBQ Guru which is an electric vent control which really dials in the temperature and keeps the superior taste from charcoal. There is a reason no-one competes with an electric or propane smoker.
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Local dump now owns my electric smoker and if Santa is good to me I'll have a charcoal smoker soon.
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I second the Weber Smokey Mountain. Easy to use, great results. It doesn't take up much room, either. Temperature adjusments are simple, and there isn't a bunch of fluctuation.
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I found electric smokers to br too fragile if used out in real frigid weather or if you have some sort of miss-hap. as for the charcoal smoker,I had a couple and found that they don't get hot enough in cold weather and the charcoal don't last long enough for certain recipies. I have a recipie for venison hind quarter that takes 22-24hrs to cook and the propane can handle it with no problem in any weather.
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It's like so many topics lot's of opinions but I also like the cookshack it's simple and you can use whatever wood you want not pellets or pucks.
It's very well made and is insulated so cold temps no problem.
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I have an Offset Charcoal Silver Smoker tha I modified the exhaust on and it works OK. I would reccommend buying a remote digital thermometer to check the temps regularly (Like from inside the house under AC while watching TV). I like to smoke brisket and got lucky the first time. It got rainy so I double foiled the briskets and moved them into the oven to finish. and If it ain't broke don't fix it. I also like to smoke those Jimmy Dean sausages with some mustard and rub on them THey get done faster and keeps the Chef entertained.
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http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000328
If the link did not work go take a look at the thread about "Brisket" and then go build yourself a cooker. Nothing better than an all day BBQ and the food that comes off after 8-10 hours. Wood and Lump charcoal is the way to go IMO
Bob Urban
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I've got a propane smoker that has worked well for me. I plan on buying a Big Green Egg this year once I build my deck. It's big bucks buck everyone that has one loves it and it will last a life time. All you use is hard wood charcoal and a small amount at that.
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Traeger pellet grill.
The mid to upper range ones have thermostatic control.
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I am a propane fan.. Easy and simple. Fine tune to correct temp and walk away for 6-8 hours. Plus no matter the weather, storms, power outage ect. ect. I am smoking!
Even my homemake smoker (for sausage) is propane.
John III
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Well, there are different kinds of smoking. I have a WSM but I only use it for hot smoking (i.e. BBQ) where temps are between 225 and 250. Those temps are too hot for cold smoking cured meats like summer sausage, ham, fish, bacon, etc. For that you need to be able to do temps between 120-160 degrees, in which case electric gives you more precise control, in my opinion. I see John III's point about power outages, but I'd also be concerned about tank outages, unless you've got bulk propane you use for other things at your house (I don't).
Doug
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Look up smokin tex if you want a great smoker....thermostat, electric, it is the best!
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I've got an Oklahoma Joe smoker grill that I use for everything from brisket or burgers to jerky and love it. It's the horizontal barrel shape with an offset firebox on one end.
When making jerky I use some home made wire racks that are simply wood 1x2's stood on edge and nailed together like big picture frames that just fit my cook area. I then covered one side with 1/4" wire mesh. I take the racks out of the smoker and fill the home made trays with jerky meat and just sit them down inside the smoker body in a stack three trays high. It holds a LOT of jerky. Get the charcoal going well in the fire box, add the smoking wood of my choice and then dampen it down pretty far to drop the temp and walk away.
All the talk of temperatures and keeping things within 1 to 3 degrees just makes me laugh. This stuff is NOT rocket science. I don't even have a temp gauge on my grill any more. Some of the best BBQ joints I've ever eaten in were cooking their BBQ in outdoor pits and the only temp control/sensor was the cooks left hand. Well, maybe his right. Depends on which hand was holding the beer... For all you semi anal types who want to plan all the details and say things like "well, if I put the brisket on at 10pm and set the thermostat at 250 degrees, I can take the meat off at 9:00am and the internal temp should be about 195 degrees..." well, it's all totally unnecessary. You cook it till it's done. If you check it and it's not done, leave it on longer. The temps are low enough that you won't burn it. Just check on things now and then.
People think it's some kind of magic to slow cook a piece of meat and that you need regulators and temp sensors but sheeeesh, I find it a LOT easier to not worry about all that stuff. The basics are learn your smoker, keep the temp low, restock the firebox if/when needed and bring a bib to the table.
I've got a guy I work with who bought a Treggor (sp?) and went on and on for days about how technologically advanced the thing was and how he could just "set it and forget it". Sounded like Ron Popiel or whatever that TV sales guys name is. We both bring in smoked meat for the guys once in a while and his was never as tender and had so little smoke flavor that it might as well have been baked in an oven. He's also had two times where it messed up and he ruined a bunch of meat because he walked away from it and it malfunctioned. Something about a little auger and a plastic fan that melted. In fact, there is so much difference in how our brisket turns out that just the other day he asked me if I would smoke a brisket for him next time I do another one for myself.
No idea if it's the fault of the tregger or the operator and don't care. I'll just stick to my old fashioned wood smoker and keep making happy folks lick their fingers.
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lots of good info for the new guys like me.
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Just made up my first batch of sausage sticks last weekend. Used my Camp Chef smoke vault. It was rough keeping the temps low on the first batch, and it turned out salty, figured it out on the second go around, and it turned out great!
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Temperature control is everything, if you plan to cold smoke certain sausage recipes, and if you don't keep the control tight when you're smoking bacon you'll either overcook it or not maximize the smoke flavor. It's not so important when hot smoking brisket, ribs, turkeys, and such, because you have a great deal of room for error. Not so with most cured meats. Electric makes cold smoking much easier. Just load up the wood chips, set the thermostat, and make sure you don't run out of wood.
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I have a real big wood smoker that I like to use when I have nothing to do but run the smoker.That being said I have a propane one I like when I dont want to babysit it.I have also had electric smokers which dont seem to do as well as propane for me on windy or colder days.
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I have an electric smokin tex...same as a coolshack...they are easy, fool proof. You can go wrong with either one. Perfect everytime!!
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I'm sure the Weber Smokey Mountain is all it's cracked up to be, and for what you pay for it, it should be. But, I agree that wood and charcoal is the way to go. I have the Brinkmann Gourmet model, but have made modifications to it to make it burn more efficiently. They cost under a hundred bucks, even with the mods, and work real well. If you google the topic, you can find some good write-ups. I personally look at a day of smoke cooking almost like a hunting day. The charcoal gives you a good excuse to slow down and spend some time outside babysitting it, even if it doesn't need to be adjusted that often.