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If you were going to buy a smoker? #6198821 02/25/16 06:54 PM
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Gas,charcoal,wood burner,electric? Which one and why? What are your experiences?

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6198881 02/25/16 07:50 PM
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charcoal and/or wood burner ... I am old school in this regard plus it can be fun/relaxing to fire it up for a 8-12 hour burn.

I love my LyfeTyme, double-lid with vertical smoker. 24" diamter x 40" horizontal pit, 24" diameter vertical smoker with 3 racks plus firebox. They make a slightly smaller version that is 16" and another that is 20" diameter ... just depends on how much you will be attempting to cook. LyfeTyme ... These come out of Uvalde.

another one I would look closely at also would be from Schmoker's Custom Pits out of Early, TX. Schmoker's Custom Pits ... he can custom build whatever you want. I follow a lot of his builds on his Facebook page. Schmoker's Facebook page


"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."

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Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6198973 02/25/16 08:58 PM
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wood/charcoal...look into a UDS, they are great smokers and almost idiot proof


Attention rickym, this is not a troll post, just a good hearted fun type of post
Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199075 02/25/16 10:03 PM
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I've owned all but electric. All work, and it kind of depends on your situation and what's important to you.

Gas is set it and forget it, electric should be too. If you want to put a brisket on in the morning, take kids to ball games, run errands, and leave it unattended for a while, this is a good way to go.

If you want to play with it, and are around the house all day, stick burners are the way to go and they're more of an "event". Gotta add wood and tweak it every so often. Not fool proof and not something you can walk away from for an extended period. I think you get better results with this than you do with gas or electric.

I currently have a Big Green Egg which I think brings the best of both of the above. They are pretty much set and forget. I've done 18 hour cooks (including overnight) and still had charcoal left over and the temp doesn't budge once you lock it in. I also think the meat comes out better than either of the above two options and it also functions as an outstanding grill that is capable of cooking anywhere from 225* to 900*. Downside to the Egg is capacity. Even the biggest Egg holds a lot less than the others. I can put a good size brisket or pork butt on mine, but am limited to about 4 racks of ribs if I use a rib rack.


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Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199221 02/25/16 11:30 PM
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Wood fired is the only way to go. Look into Lang for some top notch professional built smokers. Also could check into local custom builders in your area. Mine is custom built out of a 350 gallon propane tank with tuning plates. Cooks some awesome BBQ. I also built a PID controller for my pit. Basically it powers 2 fans mounted on either side of my firebox and I put a temp probe in the cooking chamber. I had to mess with the settings to get it right, but now it holds my pit within 5 degrees of the set temp throughout long cooks. I've tested it up to 14 hours and it held steady the whole time. The whole controller cost me about $100 to build, which is significantly cheaper than some of the other professional temperature controllers on the market. Once it gets up to temp, I just have to check on it every few hours and add a split when needed. No messing with smoke dampers or adjusting anything. The controller and the fans take care of that for you.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199334 02/26/16 12:38 AM
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I have a gas grill for quick stuff....burgers, hotdogs, chicken breasts/thighs, sausage, shrimp, etc....

Large meats.....pork shoulder, brisket, ribs, whole pigs.....wood ONLY!

I also have a small round (14" wide and 10" diameter) charcoal/wood pit I keep in my work pickup in case we get stuck out on location....very flexible to cook a wide variety of meats/vegetables...but for the home see the two above.....

cheers


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Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199520 02/26/16 02:22 AM
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With wood I know temp is critical so you can't skimp on price. I was looking at the propane smokers but I never even use a gas grill. I always grill on charcoal and oak. Grill I have now will smoke just because of the way its made. Heavy thick walled pipe that seals really well. Thought about building my own. I've seen those electric ones with the wood chip pucks or whatever. Just not really sure. I used to use an "Ole Smoky" and I could cook on it but man it was a pain maintaining temp.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199537 02/26/16 02:33 AM
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Originally Posted By: blazin
With wood I know temp is critical so you can't skimp on price. I was looking at the propane smokers but I never even use a gas grill. I always grill on charcoal and oak. Grill I have now will smoke just because of the way its made. Heavy thick walled pipe that seals really well. Thought about building my own. I've seen those electric ones with the wood chip pucks or whatever. Just not really sure. I used to use an "Ole Smoky" and I could cook on it but man it was a pain maintaining temp.


Buy or build a temp controller like I did to help maintain temps. I do nothing other than add a split every few hours as the fire needs it. My temps stay within 5 degrees of the set temp and no constant tending. Cheap parts and easy to assemble, or you can buy one online.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199678 02/26/16 04:04 AM
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Originally Posted By: blazin
Gas,charcoal,wood burner,electric? Which one and why? What are your experiences?


Stick burner. Mike Gunter(Ramball36) built this for me last year






Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6199783 02/26/16 11:42 AM
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Electric. It's just too easy.


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Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: Gumbeaux] #6199823 02/26/16 12:52 PM
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Originally Posted By: Gumbeaux
I've owned all but electric. All work, and it kind of depends on your situation and what's important to you.

Gas is set it and forget it, electric should be too. If you want to put a brisket on in the morning, take kids to ball games, run errands, and leave it unattended for a while, this is a good way to go.

If you want to play with it, and are around the house all day, stick burners are the way to go and they're more of an "event". Gotta add wood and tweak it every so often. Not fool proof and not something you can walk away from for an extended period. I think you get better results with this than you do with gas or electric.

I currently have a Big Green Egg which I think brings the best of both of the above. They are pretty much set and forget. I've done 18 hour cooks (including overnight) and still had charcoal left over and the temp doesn't budge once you lock it in. I also think the meat comes out better than either of the above two options and it also functions as an outstanding grill that is capable of cooking anywhere from 225* to 900*. Downside to the Egg is capacity. Even the biggest Egg holds a lot less than the others. I can put a good size brisket or pork butt on mine, but am limited to about 4 racks of ribs if I use a rib rack.


I'm not an expert smoker, but I really like my Kamado Joe.

I was at a friends house and they fit 7-9 racks of ribs in the background big egg.

Good luck.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: Chris42] #6199908 02/26/16 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: Chris42
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Originally Posted By: Gumbeaux
I've owned all but electric. All work, and it kind of depends on your situation and what's important to you.

Gas is set it and forget it, electric should be too. If you want to put a brisket on in the morning, take kids to ball games, run errands, and leave it unattended for a while, this is a good way to go.

If you want to play with it, and are around the house all day, stick burners are the way to go and they're more of an "event". Gotta add wood and tweak it every so often. Not fool proof and not something you can walk away from for an extended period. I think you get better results with this than you do with gas or electric.

I currently have a Big Green Egg which I think brings the best of both of the above. They are pretty much set and forget. I've done 18 hour cooks (including overnight) and still had charcoal left over and the temp doesn't budge once you lock it in. I also think the meat comes out better than either of the above two options and it also functions as an outstanding grill that is capable of cooking anywhere from 225* to 900*. Downside to the Egg is capacity. Even the biggest Egg holds a lot less than the others. I can put a good size brisket or pork butt on mine, but am limited to about 4 racks of ribs if I use a rib rack.


I'm not an expert smoker, but I really like my Kamado Joe.

I was at a friends house and they fit 7-9 racks of ribs in the background big egg.

Good luck.


With aftermarket racks and/or cutting them in half before cooking you can squeeze an extra 2 or 3 on there.


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Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6200060 02/26/16 03:43 PM
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I may be the lone voice, but I like electric smokers. I use a Masterbuilt 40" electric. I like the ability to precisely control the temperature and the relatively hands-off operation. I smoke meat to eat it, not for a religious experience. I use mine for both hot smoking and cold smoking with an A-Maze-N Pellet smoker.

The electric produces great brisket, pork shoulder, ribs, loin, tenderloin and chicken. I've used it for smoked sausage, summer sausage, cured & smoked bacon, and even ham. It will hold enough meat for a pretty large family gathering, but isn't a commercial product.

The ONLY issue that I see is that because there is very little combustion (and the resulting nitric oxide) there is no smoke ring. Here's an interesting article about NO and smoke rings.

http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/sranoxring.html   (it appears to be original research)

Also shows that trimming fat will improve the smoke ring on non-electric smokers. If you absolutely have to have a ring for home-cooked in an electric smoker, use a tiny bit of Morton Tender-Quick in your rub.

I've used chunk smokers,charcoal smokers with chunk, propane smokers with chunk, and I'm still very happy with electric smokers. I smoke to eat, not eat because I smoke.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6200068 02/26/16 03:50 PM
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Do you want to just cook stuff for family and friends or do you want to be a bbq man? Anybody can plug in a smoker from Wally World and go back to knitting while watching The Pioneer Woman, but if you want to walk around with some swagger while you drink a beer and poke fun at the neighbors you need real coals.

Love my green egg, but it's limited in size and it is a bit of a pain to clean and start. Gas grills with a smoker box are good if you like wine coolers. Pellet smokers are the easiest, but have little versatility. My big pit with a firebox and smokestack is my favorite to cook on. It eats wood like fat kid eats cookies, but it's the best at setting up heat zones and flavoring anything I put on it.


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Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6200103 02/26/16 04:02 PM
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I've smoked briskets and pork butts side by side on a Masterbuilt with an A-Maze-N pellet smoker tray and in my large wood fired pit, and there is absolutely no comparison in flavor. The brisket off the Masterbuilt doesn't compare. Just like most brisket cooked on Southern Pride and Ole Hickory LP/Electric smokers does not compare to meat cooked on straight wood fired pits. Old school is the only way to go if you want the real bbq flavor. Now, I only use the Masterbuilt to smoke small batches of summer sausage and other sausages.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6200118 02/26/16 04:07 PM
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Wood....you want REAL not imitation

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: garrett] #6200269 02/26/16 05:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: garrett
wood/charcoal...look into a UDS, they are great smokers and almost idiot proof
grill

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: Bandit 200 XP] #6201173 02/27/16 12:33 PM
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www.pitbarrelcooker.com

Even I cook perfectly on this.





Bobby Barnett

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: bobcat1] #6202188 02/28/16 04:33 AM
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Love my Green Egg, only cook for 2-6 people on average and it does everything I need it to.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6202469 02/28/16 04:21 PM
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Weber Smoky Mountain best bang for the buck. Lots of recipes-commonly referred to as WSM

http://virtualweberbullet.com/ Offers good support

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: jayh] #6202850 02/28/16 11:59 PM
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Chicken on the Pit Barrel Cooker today. Cut in half Season it. Put on smoker 2 1/2 hours voila'!
www.pitbarrelcooker.com





Bobby Barnett

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: cb66] #6202872 02/29/16 12:15 AM
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Originally Posted By: cb66
Originally Posted By: blazin
Gas,charcoal,wood burner,electric? Which one and why? What are your experiences?


Stick burner. Mike Gunter(Ramball36) built this for me last year










That looks bad a!

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: Bandit 200 XP] #6203068 02/29/16 02:08 AM
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Originally Posted By: Bandit 200 XP
Originally Posted By: cb66
Originally Posted By: blazin
Gas,charcoal,wood burner,electric? Which one and why? What are your experiences?


Stick burner. Mike Gunter(Ramball36) built this for me last year










That looks bad a!


It cooks bad a$$






Do that with an oven/electric/pellet or egg "smoker".

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6203257 02/29/16 04:06 AM
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I have a propane and an electric, love the ability to cook without constant checking. I have the electric at my cabin- plug it in at noon, come back from the evening hunt to a meal. Couldn't be any easier!

Several have mentioned the A-Maze-N Pellet smoker and I agree- awesome way to roll smoke without flare ups or inconsistencies. Pound of pellets, set the temp, see you in 10 hours.

Re: If you were going to buy a smoker? [Re: SouthWestIron] #6203386 02/29/16 12:56 PM
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CB66-- I can cook a brisket that looks like that, minus the smoke ring, that will taste every bit as good on an electric smoker. I smoke low, and very slow (about 16 hours) for a full packer brisket. The smoke ring is pretty, but doesn't contribute anything to flavor. Heck, if I want to make a ring, a little Tender Quick sprinkled on the brisket just before smoking will produce a great smoke ring. I usually have better things to do than sit in the yard with the smoker. Also, I smoke something about once a week with the electric smoker, sometimes twice. Do you have that much time to devote to tending a fire?

KC-- I only use the A-Maz-N pellet smoker for "cold" smoking. For hot smoking, I like the higher volume of smoke that I get using the Masterbuilt internal chip tray.

For all the "must be wood" smokers, it's interesting that some people measure their manhood by the size of their smoking wood. I personally use a different yardstick.

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