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duckslayer322
Senior Member
MS
1154 Posts |
 Posted - 05/20/2009 : 14:55:17
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i'm interested in buying a smoker. i've never used one and have no experience with them. how easy are they to use? would you go with the electric or propane, etc? what brand? and what tips/ advice would you give when using a smoker?
if they fly... they die!!
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BFC
Junior Member
MS
368 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2009 : 20:57:36
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| I have a Masterbilt electric that I have been using for a little over a year and overall happy with it. Not quite as good taste as charcoal, but much easier to use. Digitally programmable for time and temperature to cook and when cookinf time is up it cuts off. I mainly do Boston butts, beef briskets, and chicken in it. Ordered it from Cabela's, but Bass Pro has them too--but I don't plan to darken the doors there again. |
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litespeed
Junior Member
MS
141 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2009 : 09:18:02
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I used a Coleman charcoal smoker for many years with good results. The down side is that it had to be checked every few hours and more charcoal added if smoking for a long time. I have only heard good reports on electric smokers as long as the electricity does not go out. I now have a Big Green Egg and would not trade it for any other. Experiment with different rubs and find what flavor you like. They are easy to use. Get one and enjoy some good eating.
Ride it like you stole it. |
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jmjones
Starting Member
MS
41 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2009 : 12:28:21
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I liked my old Brinkman bullet smoker for flavor, but you do have to keep an eye on the fire. The water pan really helps. The electric bullet smoker I had next was good except for the lack of charcoal taste. I now have a Green Egg and it is the easiest non-electric smoker I have ever used. once you get the temp. where you want it, you can pretty much walk away from it and leave it. It does not have a problem drying the meat out, even though it doesn't have a water pan. The only down side is that it does not have multiple racks.
JeffJ |
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Gordon
Advanced Member
SENIOR CITIZEN MEMBER
2358 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2009 : 13:01:51
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If I was just starting out, like I was at one point, I would look into the Bradley Smoker. They have a website. I literally smoked the doors off of that thing. It is what got me hooked into smoking meats, and cheeses, and shrimps, and jalapenos, and...well, you get the picture. When mine died (R.I.P trusty ol' friend), I did not have $300 to spend on a new one, so I made my own out of donated stuff. Where there is a will, there is a way. The Bradley was easy, relatively worry free and consistent in performance. And they have an awesome forum for using it. And great customer service.
By the way, it is electric, it uses specialized wood, and comes in 3 or 4 models including digital. That was all after my time so I just had the original, but I would buy another original and still be happy.
My current smoker can handle 20+ chickens and then some shrimp and bacon too. The Bradley can handle two chickens safely.
Gordo 
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ginman
Junior Member
MISSISSIPPI
265 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2009 : 00:01:03
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| i wore out three brinkman smokers over the past 20 years because i use them a lot. if i could however afford it i would buy a big green egg. i have had my egg for the past 7 years and there is no better smoker. |
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johnny82
Better Than Average Member
707 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2009 : 16:02:46
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I have a friend that bought a Bradley and he had trouble with the electric briquette dispenser. He then bought a Masterbuilt and smoked probably 30 hindquarters in that thing and he loves it. Me personally I have an electric Brinkman (the Gourmet smoker) it's red in color and I love it. You just put what you want smoked in and then plug it in. It has allowed me to cook many of meals while catching up on the honey-dos around the house. I would recommend the Brinkman Gourmet Smoker for the beginner. I purchased mine at Academy sports for about $70.
I'LL KEEP MY GUNS AND MONEY AND YA'LL CAN KEEP THE "CHANGE"!!! |
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treefarmer
Junior Member
MS
324 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2009 : 11:00:55
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I bought a Cookshack at a show a few years ago. Normally more expensive but I got a deal at the show. My wife first thought I was nuts to pay that for a smoker, but later said that it was one of the best purdhases I had ever made. The food was great and she did not have to cook it.
Even if you have a different brand I suggest you visit their web-site www.cookshack.com There you will find recipes and other good information. You should really try their BBQ sauce. |
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brewer03
Advanced Member
MS
4071 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2009 : 08:53:32
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| I like the brink bullet charcoal smoker... you have to replace the charcoal pan kinda regular tho |
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StillHuntn
Junior Member
118 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2009 : 11:39:30
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First off, how much are you willing to spend and how much meat would you want to smoke at one time? The electric smokers are by far the easiest to use but since you have no charcoal there's not going to be the charcoal flavor, of course. Using a charcoal smoker takes some practice to get used to but once figured out is well worth the trial and error. I have a Primo Oval Jr that cooks great. The Primo and the Big Green Egg are in the same "ballpark" as far as construction and price point. If you want to get really serious you can also check out www.stumpssmokers.com/. The Stump Smokers are gravity fed so that you never have to worry about running out of charcoal for extended runs. Experimenting with different seasonings can be fun too. There are more sauces, seasonings, rubs, and dry rubs than you can image available at some stores and if that doesn't do it for you, you can always make up your own.
Rib Tip: Always remove the membrane from the back of the ribs before cooking or you'll never get tender fall of the bone ribs.
If I were you I'd go with a medium sized charcoal smoker and be sure to use natural lump charcoal with no lighter fluid. You should never use lighter fluid in any ceramic lined smoker such as a Primo or Green Egg anyhow. Good Luck and happy smokin'. |
Edited by - StillHuntn on 07/09/2009 11:42:56 |
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Turkeysniper
Advanced Member
SOUTHAVEN, MS
2746 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2009 : 15:26:00
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Brinkman Bullet here as well.......everyone is right on the replacement of the fire pan though.
I have just recently bought one of the Charbroil indercts at Lowe's and to tell you the truth I am very impressed with it espeacially with the removable ash and fire pans. It sure makes cleanup easy and you get to keep the charcoal flavor.
I just love smoking with real....Kingston ...smoke. ...fire and charcoal and wood. LOVE IT!
"I love all of God's creatures...especially with mashed potatos and gravy."
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jumbo
Junior Member
178 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2009 : 13:58:44
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quote:
Originally posted by treefarmer
I bought a Cookshack at a show a few years ago. Normally more expensive but I got a deal at the show. My wife first thought I was nuts to pay that for a smoker, but later said that it was one of the best purdhases I had ever made. The food was great and she did not have to cook it.
Even if you have a different brand I suggest you visit their web-site www.cookshack.com There you will find recipes and other good information. You should really try their BBQ sauce.
No Comment. They also occasionally have some rebuilt ones that they don't advertise. I'm about to buy #2 to take to the camp.
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GREGROOD
Moderator
MS
2614 Posts |
Posted - 07/29/2009 : 06:12:51
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| I second the Bradley. It is electric so it is very easy to use. But the main reason I like it is the flavor. It has a smoke generator that smolders compressed pucks of wood but never burns them to ash so there is no acrid after taste like you get when you burn wood to make smoke. I had several different charcoal smokers before this and they all had that after taste to me. You can get the wood pucks in several different flavors like apple, hickory and maple and control just how much smoke flavor you want by adjusting the number of pucks. The only downside is the cost of the pucks but it really only adds a few dollars to each smoke session. I can get 4 baking hens or 3 whole slabs of ribs at a time in mine. best cooker I ever bought. Google bradley smoker and check out their website. They have a forum like this where you can get all the advice and help you need about what and how to smoke. they even have info on BBQ. |
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Poloski
Advanced Member
MS
8699 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2009 : 15:28:21
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No Comment for bradley
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huntfish
Advanced Member
MISSISSIPPI
6599 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2009 : 17:01:51
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Anyone ever made their own?
"There can be no doubt that a society rooted in the soil is more stable than
one rooted in pavements."-Aldo Leopold
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Gotta Love It
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2009 : 15:55:06
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There are many options for homemade smokers but one of the easiest, cheapest and most efficient is what is known in the BBQ world as a UDS (ugly drum smoker). All you need is a 55 gallon drum with a removable lid, a couple of 22" grates, some hardware and something to make a charcoal basket from and you are set. These smokers are known for a long cook time (12+ hrs) on as little as 8 lbs of charcoal. Here is a link to a great source of information on how to build them correctly.
http://www.thepickledpig.com/forums/general-bbq-grilling/832-our-uds-cooker-how-build-one-part-1-a.html
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smokers
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