Ok you pork smokers, I need help again

I inherited the electric model but I had the 'original' years ago and charcoal was better. Of course, it's much easier to chip up some of your favorite wood, soak it in water for a while, roll it up in aluminum foil and rest it among those electric burners. Same effect.
 
I like the Weber Smokey Mountain. :thumbup: It's a very good mid price level charcoal smoker, but there's alot more to good Q than just the smoker. ;)
 
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You should get thebigreenegg. I know someone who has one, and whenever they cook for us it is out of this world
 
Before you invest in a smoker, learn whether you like smoking.


You can do it on your gas grill. Just put the meat at one end of the grill, and use the burner at the opposite end, on low. Pre-soak your wood chips of choice, and put them in a folded foil packet with a few fork holes poked in it, over the burner.

When I had to move into an apartment in Georgia, and wood and charcoal burning grills were prohibited, I used this technique to make every kind of BBQ you can imagine, from pulled pork that was smoked 16 hours, to fall off the bone baby back ribs. Honestly, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between this method and a proper smoker - I've even had people accuse me of using liquid smoke on my ribs, because they were convinced a gas grill could never make such delicious smoky meat.

Just make sure, if you're going to do a long smoking like pork butt, that you know your propane tank has plenty of gas, or that you have a spare tank handy.
 
chickenplucker said:
For less than $200 you can get a Chargriller with a side firebox that will make you cook like a pro.
http://chargriller.com/

Check out this forum. There are a ton of Chargriller fanatics as well as BBQ fans there.
http://www.barbecuebible.com/board/
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:thumbup:+1 to the Chargriller with sidebox, I do brisket, ribs, whole pork butt, etc.

a few weeks ago i made 4 boston butts, they come out awesome!

fwiw, I did not have to seal anything on mine, and just a small fire in the side box will keep me anywhere from 180-300 depending on what I want to do.

also, if you do not like smoking, it makes a great charcoal grill, as that is what the main unit is!
 
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MustardMan said:
Before you invest in a smoker, learn whether you like smoking.


You can do it on your gas grill. Just put the meat at one end of the grill, and use the burner at the opposite end, on low. Pre-soak your wood chips of choice, and put them in a folded foil packet with a few fork holes poked in it, over the burner.

When I had to move into an apartment in Georgia, and wood and charcoal burning grills were prohibited, I used this technique to make every kind of BBQ you can imagine, from pulled pork that was smoked 16 hours, to fall off the bone baby back ribs. Honestly, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between this method and a proper smoker - I've even had people accuse me of using liquid smoke on my ribs, because they were convinced a gas grill could never make such delicious smoky meat.

Just make sure, if you're going to do a long smoking like pork butt, that you know your propane tank has plenty of gas, or that you have a spare tank handy.
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I thought about that. That's an excellent idea. Would the foil pouch work better than just a pan with soaked wood? I'm going to try that this week end with me new grill before jumping into a smoker.

steelnut said:
I saw these for $39 the other day:cool::cool:




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Man that just made my mouth water! Just seeing how some of these smokers work leads me to believe I'll get decent results with some of these cheaper models. Now I'm kind of torn between a gas fueled and charcoal fueled model. Its seems that having the ability to access your fuel/water/wood chips without opening the main food compartment would be a plus.


Yager said:
:thumbup:+1 to the Chargriller with sidebox, I do brisket, ribs, whole pork butt, etc.

a few weeks ago i made 4 boston butts, they come out awesome!

fwiw, I did not have to seal anything on mine, and just a small fire in the side box will keep me anywhere from 180-300 depending on what I want to do.

also, if you do not like smoking, it makes a great charcoal grill, as that is what the main unit is!
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Thanks. Chargriller is still up there with one of the Brinkmann models.

dustyzz said:
If your looking for the best residential smoker on the market, look at the CookShack Elite series... if you a little more budget minded, then I can personally recommend the Smokin Tex 1400.

Here's some reading materials:

http://store.cookshack.com/c-281-cookshack-elite-series.aspx

http://smokintex.com/

ymmv,
/dusty
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What does the cookshack elite go for roughly? The price didn't jump out at me. The smokin tex seems interesting. Does it only differ in size from the 1100?


The big green egg seems to get a lot of praise, but I just can't see myself spending $700 for their smallest model.

Thanks guys! Keep em coming! This is helping a lot. Especially the first hand accounts.
 
The Cookshack Elite series is rather "spendy"... you can find them via the internet starting at around $1000.00. They come with all kinds of built-in electronic goodies such as dual meat probes and can be programmed so that when your meat reaches your desired finish temp, the cooker will automatically reduce the heat and go into "hold" mode so in theory you can never over cook or dry out your meat.

The Smokin Tex brand is much less costly, I bought a model 1400 via the internet for under 450.00... the 1400 is much less expensive but then again it has no fancy built-in electronics at all. It has one built-in control and that's a simple temperature knob. The differences between the 1100 and the 1400 are 1) the size of the unit and 2) the wattage of the heating element.

Either brand will deliver amazing results, with almost fool proof results. Load your meat and sit back and relax... the biggest functional difference between the two brands is simply what bells and whistles your willing to pay for.

YMMV,
/dusty
 
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adrock1978 said:
I thought about that. That's an excellent idea. Would the foil pouch work better than just a pan with soaked wood? I'm going to try that this week end with me new grill before jumping into a smoker.
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I've always done the pouch - it holds the moisture in, and keeps the wood smoking longer. They seem to burn down to ash faster if you put them in an open top container like a pan. Something with a lid, and a small opening to let the smoke out, would probably work well.

Another fun tip is to soak the wood in juice instead of water. I use the cheapest apple juice I can find. Adds a great sweetness to the smoke.
 
I have a Large Green Egg too. They are AWESOME but one will cost you about $900.00, but well worth the investment IMO.

ETA To clarify, I have a Big Green Egg, Large size. :thumbup:
 
I like to put the apple juice in a spray bottle ,but hey, never thought of soaking the wood in it might have to try that some time . In Texas its heavy gauge steel with side mounted fire boxes and stacks ........oh my! check with a few of your local welding shops you might be surprised ,and get a whole lot more for your money.
 
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