Your Smoker and opinions.

[Changeling]

Well it seems a lot of you guys have smokers and have some really good experiences with them. I had one of those uprights shaped like a bullet (electric) but it was a complete disaster, it's going to the dump !!

I was wondering if you guys would like to show pictures of your grills and explain there "Advantages and Disadvantages"? I really want to get/make one that does a great job and I'm quite sure there are many people who would like to hear from people with practical experience using what is available commercially , or what they can build of better working quality?

[redriverhunter]

i like old smokey electric smoker http://www.oldsmokey.com/ the reason i like this one is that electric allows me to slow cook with out having to mess with coals and the wood chips can be placed on a try that sits right on the heating element so i still get the smoke flavor. a whole chicken cooked at about 225 for 10 hours or so will almost fall apart.. the lack of grill space is the down side and cleaning the bowl that the grease dripps into is no fun but aluminum foil helps alot.

[duke76]

here is minehttp://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_22144e1e212b13ba2.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1460)
It is a homemade reverse flow out of an old fuel oil tank, what I like about the reverse flow is that the temp stays within 10 degrees between both sides, I can get this up to 500 degrees if I want to but hardly ever cook above 250, Todd

[Wots]

What I use is
Cabela's:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Premium-Powder-Coated-7-in-1-CookerSmoker/732401.uts?WTz_l=YMAL%3BIK-550271

With
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Smoker-Electric-Converter/734414.uts?WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

And then I use my PID to maintain the temp..

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/145754ded4485a2ef7.jpg

Without the PID, temperatures gets up to 250. I normally maintain a 200 degree temperature.

[Rick N Bama]

This is mine, a KamadoJoe, which was a Christmas gift from my daughter & her family. No way I could have ever afforded it myself.

The grill will hold a smoking temp of 225-250 for 15 or more hours on one filling of charcoal.

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp92/Ricknbama/DSC00254.jpg

Then it can also be used at very high temps for searing & grilling a great steak. Yes you're seeing right, the temp is almost 900deg!

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp92/Ricknbama/DSC00388.jpg

[Tom-ADC]

I'd always used a New Braunfels smoker but week ago the local Costco had a rep sealed the Traeger Grills, these are electric with a pellet feed system, mine had a digital temp read out with a bunch of preset temps, so far done three whole chickens, baby backs and some tri-tips. All were very tasty, juicy and easy to cook.
http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/grills/BBQ07E

[Lloyd Smale]

mine is a masterbuilt electric smoker http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=715300&destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct.jsp%3FproductId%3 D732401%26type%3Dproduct%26WTz_l%3DYMAL%253BIK-550271&WTz_l=YMAL%3BIK-513587 I tried a gas one first but couldnt get the temp to stay down below 200 degrees and to do summer sausage you need to run at 150 for a couple hours before bumping up the temp. I had to make a bigger container to hold chips though as the one they gave with it was way to small and also have to place that container right on the burner rather then on the shelf about it as it was designed to. that way i get plenty of smoke.

[kenjuudo]

Rick,
You're a real piece of work, nice smoker and a Spiderman doll to play with and that poor kid makin' do with a stick. ;-);-)

jim

[Moonie]

I currently have an upright charcoal cabinet smoker with firebox on the side. The upside to mine is it holds a lot of meat. Downside is feeding it charcoal and wood every hour.

[Rick N Bama]

Rick,
You're a real piece of work, nice smoker and a Spiderman doll to play with and that poor kid makin' do with a stick. ;-);-)

jim

That's not a doll......that's an "Action Figure":) The Grandkid can made do with anything to play with & had been running around balancing the stick on the back of his hand.

Rick

[Dale53]

The best value in a real, sure 'nuff smoker is a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. Here is a great forum for Weber smokers and grills:

http://tvwbb.com/eve

The Weber Smokers are not exactly cheap but they work as advertised and offer a much better value than many others. The Webers will last a couple of lifetimes if they are taken care of. I sure can't say that about my gas grills. About three years and they are ready for the trash heap. Understand, I did NOT have a Weber gas grill. Now, I am a confirmed Weber Charcoal Fan even tho' I have a gas grill alongside for over flow when I have a crowd around.

Myself, I use my Weber One Touch Gold 22.5" grill for the smoking I do using the "Minion Method". It makes wonderful ribs in about four hours this way.

I am a very serious griller and thoroughly enjoy the fruits of my efforts (I didn't get this way by fasting:mrgreen:).

Dale53

[Boondocker]

mine is a masterbuilt electric smoker http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=715300&destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct.jsp%3FproductId%3 D732401%26type%3Dproduct%26WTz_l%3DYMAL%253BIK-550271&WTz_l=YMAL%3BIK-513587 I tried a gas one first but couldnt get the temp to stay down below 200 degrees and to do summer sausage you need to run at 150 for a couple hours before bumping up the temp. I had to make a bigger container to hold chips though as the one they gave with it was way to small and also have to place that container right on the burner rather then on the shelf about it as it was designed to. that way i get plenty of smoke.
Lloyd that is the same as mine, we just made apple smoked bbq ribs last weekend, they turned out great. Fresh smoked turkey's and chickens are great also. I have to retry my jerky as it got a bit over done last time. My next try is going to be pan fish may work or may not.:-)

[Lloyd Smale]

just yesterday my talented neighbor and i made a new one. He had a 52x38x24 inch aluimum box that was a duct work for a blower at the plant he worked at. We made a door for it and took an extra masterbuilt electric smoker element and controler i had for my smoker and installed it in the bottom. We then took a charcol weber smoker my dad gave me and put a gas burner in the bottom and cut a hole in the side of it and ran a 4 inch pipe from the gas smoder to the box. I can put a ton of smoke into it and with both gas and electric really fine tune the temp. Its going to be nice this year my masterbuilt wasnt good for any more then about 6 sticks of summer sauseage and if i used the whole lenght of casing the bottom of the sausage ended up a bit to close to the burner and cooked more then the rest of the sausage. this one will probably do 30 sticks of sausage at a time and do them right. I post a picture if i can figure out our camera or have the wife do it when she gets home from work. Im all excited now. Were suppose to start crop damage deer shooting today so i should have some sausage to smoke by the weekend.

[Lloyd Smale]

here it is. if you look closely inside the door of the barn youll see the old one for a size comparison

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I like a smoker/grill to be
small enough to charcoal up a few burgers,
large enough to smoke some ribs (2nd photo).
this one was made in the late 1980s with heavy steel (about 3/16")
it should last forever, I've replaced the fire grates twice.

hints ???
Indirect heat is your friend.
I prefer to use wood instead of buying charcoal.

Made in New Braunfels TX
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/firingupsmokerinthesnowreduced.jpg

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/ribsonsmokerreduced.jpg

[whd45]

I use a GreenEgg. It holds the temperature in the winter time very well. I wish I had bought the largest one.

[Wayne Smith]

I have the New Braunfels with the upright smoke box and a firebox on the side. Only use charcoal when I need the heat to roast, smoke with wood only. Have done as many as six racks of ribs or eight pork sholders at once. Usually do a rack or two of ribs and a chicken or two. Here ribs is assumed to be pork ribs.

Unfortunately they are no longer made. Charbroil bought out New Braunfels and apparently closed that line down.

[wills]

i like old smokey electric smoker http://www.oldsmokey.com/ the reason i like this one is that electric allows me to slow cook with out having to mess with coals and the wood chips can be placed on a try that sits right on the heating element so i still get the smoke flavor. a whole chicken cooked at about 225 for 10 hours or so will almost fall apart.. the lack of grill space is the down side and cleaning the bowl that the grease dripps into is no fun but aluminum foil helps alot.

These are great. Brisket comes out so tender you almost have to eat it with a spoon.

[dnotarianni]

Homebuilt from 80 gal compressor tank and a 30 gal compressor tank for the firebox. Reverse flow design gives even heat within 10 degrees front to back. Will fit a whole pig or a rack of ribs.

Dave
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac115/dnotarianni/phone035.jpg
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac115/dnotarianni/phone034.jpg

[Dale53]

There is no doubt that the best value in a Smoker that really works is the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker. They are made in both 18" and 22.5" sizes. There are "look-a-likes" but they are often junk - made to sell for a low price with little consideration about how they work. The Weber is a genuine smoker that allows you to reliably maintain low temperatures though out a long cook with little tending.

By contrast, I mostly "Grill" as opposed to smoking. For the occasional smokes that I do (ribs) my Weber One Touch Gold Kettle Grill does just fine. I can do a half dozen racks of ribs without issue but I have to closely monitor the temperature. My cooking temperature runs from 275-300 degrees when smoking. A Weber smoker, on the other hand, can maintain 225 degrees for HOURS without monitoring. If you do a lot of smoking, that is a heck of an advantage.

Ribs (when done on my Kettle in the Minion method), will rival any that I have eaten.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_21?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=weber+smokey+mountain&sprefix=weber+smokey+mountain

Since there is just my wife and I (and once a year the kids drop in for couple of weeks) my Kettle does me just fine.

On the other hand, if you are like some of the fellows who posted above and do LOTS of smoking, then a dedicated large smoker makes more sense for you.

If you want to further your education on smokers, here is a web site devoted to the "sport" with lots of excellent information:

http://tvwbb.com/eve

FWIW
Dale53

[nanuk]

my buddy has a commercial smaller smoker and can smoke over 100lbs of sausage at one go.

I don't think he's ever used it as a grill

[nanuk]

Homebuilt from 80 gal compressor tank and a 30 gal compressor tank for the firebox. Reverse flow design gives even heat within 10 degrees front to back. Will fit a whole pig or a rack of ribs.

Dave
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac115/dnotarianni/phone035.jpg
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac115/dnotarianni/phone034.jpg


do you have a build directions?

[reloader28]

I just have a cheap Brinkman. One of the 3' tall, red, round, THIN sheet metal charcol smokers.
The wife got it at a garage sale for $5 and I picked up an electric hot plate for it at Sportsmans Wharehouse for $20.

Needless to say that unless it was 80* and perfectly sunny it didnt hold a constant heat.
Instead of buying a new one, I built a 1/4" plywood box with a hinged door for it to sit inside. I control the heat by opening or closing the door whatever amount I need. It dont matter if its cloudy, rainy, snowy or sunny, I can smoke what I want, when I want.[smilie=w:

I smoked a 27lb turkey 2 Christmases ago and it was -12*outside. I did wrap a blanket around it, but it was done and excellent eating in 10 hours. Not bad for a $25 smoker.:mrgreen: