Question for those who like to smoke stuff

[Danibeth]

I'm interested in buying a smoker. I LOVE smoked meat. My uncle has an electric smoker, though I need to find out what kind, and he loves it. An outstanding one. My dad has two smokers. One a little charcoal one and a big oil drum smoker that he predominately uses now, and typically just uses wood to keep the heat at what he wants. I like the idea of the ease of setting an electric smoker at the temp I want to smoke at. The tending of the fire doesn't usually bother me though since I do like to play with fire.

But I am at this point more interested in an electric smoker.

So I guess my question is this. The temperature controlled smokers....are they really that much better than the less expensive ones that from what I understand only have one temperature? Is there some temperature control even on the "one temp" smokers like you can have with a charcoal/wood smoker by adding more or less air?

And what are good brands to look for? From my online browsing it seems like the variable temp smokers will be lots more expensive (which I get), but I don't want to look for a cheapo brand that will break down on me shortly after dropping money on it.

It may be that I'll decide to go the route of a charcoal smoker until I have the funds for an electric smoker that I want....but I'd like to have some idea on what to keep an eye out for on craigslist and sales just in case I stumble across a great deal.

Thanks a lot in advance

Danibeth

[Dubble Trubble]

I personally do not care for a lot of smoked stuff (mullet being one ), but I am in a club of campers that do it all the time. Several of them have these grills, and use them as regular grills or smokers. Everything is automated, and you can even get a wifi version so you can sit inside and watch temps and control them.

I have eaten a variety of food off of them and it was all delicious! One of the favorites I likes was bacon wrapped Jalapeno's with cream cheese and little smokie stuffing.

It also cooks a good Boston butt!

They all have the Davey Crockett, that folds and fits nicely for travel. One BIG advantage is power comes from a lighter plug, so tailgating is a breeze.

The prices are not bad either.

http://greenmountaingrills.com/company/

[JC_UF_ITK]

I've been wanting an electric smoker and got a Masterbuilt for Christmas. I haven't used it yet, but the thought of turning it on and leaving for a few hours is very appealing to me. A friend of mine had the small red Brinkmann electric smoker that Home Depot sells for $80 or sell and it cooked pretty dang well. I understand that charcoal will always taste better, but won't be near as easy for me. I might try mine out for the first time tomorrow. If I do, I'll post the results.

[silverking]

From the title of your post, I thought you might be referring to something else, Danibeth. Have you been hanging out with John Morgan lately?

I'm a charcoal fan and bought my Brinkmann grill/smoker several years ago. I mainly use it to grill fish/chicken, etc., but have done some smoking on it and it works really well. I bought it at Lowe's but not sure if they still carry them or not. Plenty of room for ribs, Boston butts, deer back straps, or whatever you fancy. Spot on the lid to install a thermometer, just never have got around to buying one. It also has wheels, so it's moveable although certainly not portable. It weighs a ton. If memory serves, I paid around $200 for it.

[Salty Gator]

I have a friend that went through 3 mastebuilts in 3 years, then stopped buying them. Same problem on all 3 , bad element. And no replacement. My pa in law had one that lasted about 6 months and used 3 times. My bro in law has a traeger pellet grill and isn't overly impressed. He misses his charcoal smoker. It is at my house now. I have a buddy that loves his propane smoker, you can dial in the temp and it won't budge. May want to give them a look as they are way less than a pellet grill. It is more work , but I like charcoal/wood smokers. Good luck

[DixieReb]

I like my Duraflame we got from Lowe's last year. It has worked well, has digital temp control, smoker box on the front for wood chips or pellets(I use Stubbs wood chips from Wal-Mart). Smoked a great turkey in it this Thanksgiving, real tender.Good luck with yours, it should make some good groceries!

[mrbigglesworth]

Three words. Big green egg. Last smoker/outdoor kitchen you will ever own.


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[Steve Stinson]

I have a large Big Green Egg and as mentioned it is the way to go. However, for the money, the best electric smoker I've had is the Brinkman that looks like R2D2 from Starwars. It is very inexpensive and easy to operate. There is also a charcoal version, however it requires more attention during the cooking process.

[Danibeth]

Thank y'all for your thoughts. It's given me a good starting point.

The Big Green Egg would be nice, but waaaaay out of my price range right now.

[FishWithChris]

Parents have a Traeger and love it. Grandparents have one as well. Not as expensive as a BGE, but does a heck of a job as a smoker!

[guthooked]

The Bradley Smoker is a very good product I am told. A little expensive but automated. I have seen them tested. In my opinion an offset smoker is the way to go. With offset smokers like an Oklahoma Joe, the heavier the guage steel the better (heat retention).

[RedMann]

I have a Masterbuilt and it is a good and easy slow cooker but not much of a smoker. The wood chips go in a metal box that sits on top of the heating element. Unless the temp is up over 300, there's not much smoke and 300 is too high for low and slow cooking. I also have a BGE and love it for grilling or slow cooking but it's also less smoke than I like. Best smoker for me is my side box smoker built by Danny King in Cross City. He builds very good smokers and his prices are very reasonable. But, I have also had good results with the less expensive side box smokers like they sell at Home Depot, etc.

[Redfin]

Love my Pellet smoker.

[lordsfisher]

I'd check this forum review link.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/produc ... ry/smokers

[spothogg]

I've had a Little Chief and Big Chief electric smoker for about 10 years and they work great. Brought them with me when I moved from the Pac NW. They don't seem to be popular down here and I haven't found chips locally, but you can mail order them. I've only smoked fish and jerky in them, but apparently you can smoke more than that.

http://www.smokehouseproducts.com