Looking for a smoker

[ofl0926]

Hey what's up everyone. Well I finally got my patio done. Now I want a smoker. Something I could keep outside and use everyone once in a while. Something that is easy to control the temp and whatnot. Propane or electric, doesn't matter. Suggestions? Thanks in advance

 

[Brado16]

I have been using a Green Mountain for the last year and its been great- its a hot smoker, oven and grill- have made everything from Pizza, chocolate ship cookies, Pork Butt Roasts, Elk Tenderloin and burgers on it and its great- has a digital thermometer and you do not need to babysit it all day.

http://greenmountaingrills.com

 

[Grumman]

Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker without question. Check out this website for a wealth of information and useful tips: http://virtualweberbullet.com/

I have a Lang competition stick burner smoker that I absolutely love, but when I don't want to stay up all night stoking the fire or am just doing small batch cooking I use a WSM. Lots of small competition folks use them too. They cost more than the Brinkmans but they are well worth it in regards to temp control and cook times due to their tightly sealed designs. I've gotten +16 hours cook time out of one load of Kingsford competition charcoal using the minion method.

 

[Brightwhite]

Look up smokin-it smokers. Small little company in Ohio I think. They make bomb proof stainless steel electric smokers. I live mine, wouldn't trade it for anything. I have family coming over for a cookout this Friday and will have my #3 loaded with a turkey and some ribs, can't wait!

 

[usmc99]

I have a traeger that I really like. My next one will be a Blazin Grill works. USA made in Nebraska.

 

[Sawdog]

I second the Traeger. Best tool I have gotten in a long time. I use mine for everything from smoking cashews to duck and goose or pizza. If you want to go to a cold smoker you can also get a smoke tube that uses pellets from the grill.

 

[JoshTX]

I prefer a wood smoker. I like the original flavor and wood is cheap.

But then again, I am from Texas. We have beef brisket. And mesquite wood.

Also does wonders on pork.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I chose a kamado cooker made by Kamado Joe.

http://www.kamadojoe.com/index.php

Suffice to say I'm smoking/cooking/baking/grilling about 3x week and we can't find enough ways to use it.

View attachment 34797
Smoked & seared prime rib roast.

View attachment 34798
Smoked & grilled pork chops.

View attachment 34799
Smoked & grilled meatloaf.


Smoked stuffed bell peppers.


Grilled filet mignon.

 

[camping1601]

For an affordable do all smoker I like my 40'' Masterbuilt with the A-MAZEING pellet smoker and mailbox mod. Electric with a remote and works great for everything from snack sticks and bologna to chicken and butts. If I were only smoking things like ribs, butts, and chicken I'd get a Big Green Egg with a DiqiQ.

What ever you choose get an insulated one unless you choose one of the ceramic styles.

 

[ofl0926]

Yeah I should have mentioned affordable lol. I don't smoke too much. My current smoker is a POS that doesn't even seal properly.

 

[Bubblehide]

I have gone through several types of smokers. You can get the job done with all of them. However, I suggest that you get yourself a good pellet smoker, as they is nothing as convenient. They might not be in your budget at this point in time, but if you keep smoking, you'll end up upgrading to one.

 

[LifeAndLiberty]

22.5" Weber smokey mountain is what I have. Lots of "modifications" available for them too. Previous poster was right, there are guys using them in competitions and taking home trophys with 18.5" WSM costing 300 bucks while other people show up with rigs costing tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[joshkaywood]

I Love the Big Green Egg. Super versatile!

 

[ofl0926]

So I went to Home Depot to pick something up for the station and I saw the kamado cooker and I did see the weber smoky mountain. Both look great.
We will see, i will continue research.
Also, most of the time I will pork butts, ribs and brisket.

 

[ofl0926]

For an affordable do all smoker I like my 40'' Masterbuilt with the A-MAZEING pellet smoker and mailbox mod. Electric with a remote and works great for everything from snack sticks and bologna to chicken and butts. If I were only smoking things like ribs, butts, and chicken I'd get a Big Green Egg with a DiqiQ.

What ever you choose get an insulated one unless you choose one of the ceramic styles.

Tried to send you a private message but couldn't. Sent you a visitor message.

 

[Kevin Dill]

One of the unknown (to most) benefits of a kamado cooker (Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg, etc) is their tendency to smoke/cook with extremely high internal humidity. They are gasketed and the seal is so good that smoke and moist air are retained. When smoking a shoulder, brisket, poultry or ribs I often notice they stay juicy-moist on the surface until I finish them. I did a tri-tip last weekend and we were both amazed (again) at how much juice it held after more than hour in the kamado. I also like the all-ceramic body and heat-retention of a good kamado. I can smoke or grill easily in cold weather due to the ceramic body and internal fireclay rings.

For us, versatility and convenience is important. The kamado is a compact unit and not a lot bigger in footprint than a Weber charcoal grill. I also love using natural chunk charcoal instead of processed briquettes or other fuels. I season with hickory, oak, cherry and other wood I have right here on my farm.

The tri-tip:

 

[joshkaywood]

One of the unknown (to most) benefits of a kamado cooker (Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg, etc) is their tendency to smoke/cook with extremely high internal humidity. They are gasketed and the seal is so good that smoke and moist air are retained. When smoking a shoulder, brisket, poultry or ribs I often notice they stay juicy-moist on the surface until I finish them. I did a tri-tip last weekend and we were both amazed (again) at how much juice it held after more than hour in the kamado. I also like the all-ceramic body and heat-retention of a good kamado. I can smoke or grill easily in cold weather due to the ceramic body and internal fireclay rings.

For us, versatility and convenience is important. The kamado is a compact unit and not a lot bigger in footprint than a Weber charcoal grill. I also love using natural chunk charcoal instead of processed briquettes or other fuels. I season with hickory, oak, cherry and other wood I have right here on my farm.

The tri-tip:

View attachment 34881

That's a great point! I've smoked a lot of ummmmm...meats on different set ups. Heat retention is way easier on a ceramic! That being said, if you get it hot, it takes a LONG time to bring down. I have to say learning those things is part of the fun though, it's no different than practicing with your bow, every smoker is a little different (even from the same brand), and mastering them is a ton of fun. There is also the added benefit of tweeking recipes etc.

I guess with the pellet smokers it doesn't matter as much as it will just crank in more pellets automatically?

That Tri Tip looks great! Not an easy piece to perfect by any means, and you nailed it!

 

[ofl0926]

In the kamado style smokers. Is there one that is more budget friendly. I can't drop $1000 on a smoker. He wife would kill me lol

 

[joshkaywood]

If you want the smaller footprint, I would go with a Webber. They aren't ceramic, but certainly less of a hit on the wallet. I have a Big Green Egg, I don't know about the kamodo, but I know a few years ago they were much cheaper, I think Home Depot was selling them for like $500. In my opinion they weren't as well built as the BGE, but that was a while ago and things might have changed.

 

[camping1601]

At the request for some info on this setup I thought I'd post this for everyone.

The Masterbuilt smoker cabinet and electric controls are really nice but the chip loader sucks and for the most part adding chips to a smoker is a pain and forces you to open the smoker to add and increase smoking times. After being frustrated with mine I searched for a solution and found the pellet Maze that was being used by others for there MB and Bradleys. I went and bought one but found out by just putting inside that meat dripping were a problem and it seemed to starve for oxygen and go out. I took a five gallon metal pail and rigged up a system similar to above that worked great until I stumbled upon what has been termed "the mailbox mod". It works awesome and once lit will smoke for ten hours with out messing with.