So for you guys that are into smokers, what are you running? I don't no if I should go electric, propane, or charcoal. I own a Weber charcoal kettle now. I was thinking of going that way but not sure. Your input is needed. Beefie
My buddy and I have used a homemade smoker made out of an old water tank and firebox, so we use wood. But, I think charcoal with added apple or cherry wood chips give a nice flavor, especially if you soak the wood chips in water.
Depends on how much time you want to put into it. If you want the ease of just adding wood every hour or so and not worry about the temp of the smoker then go electric. Charcoal is just way more work. Smoking a pork shoulder can take around 15 hours. With an electric you just set the temp and add chips and your ready to rock. Charcoal you have to ensure you keep the temp consistant to get a good smoke going. Its all up to the user but I would highly rec going electric.
^^ Very true, I guess when we are cooking with a smoker we tend to make it a day long thing with beer and outdoor games and whatnot so checking the temp and adding wood is part of it.
Electric is also very useful during the winter months and lets you smoke more due to the ease of at least doing it weekly. Many who use charcoal only usually smoke during the warmer months and not nearly weekly. Let us know what you end up doing Beefie.
Nothing beats a ceramic sonnet unless you are coming large scale or competitive. In a Big Green Egg head myself Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
I have a weber smokey mountain, and can cook up to 16 hours low and slow with using the minion method with wood and charcoal.
I guess the next question I have is who smokes sausage in there smoker? Is there enough room in a Weber Smokey Mountain for sausage smoking? Kind of looking for something that can do it all. Beefie
I started with a charcoal smoker, and like was said above, it took a while to get the temp dialed in, and then there was a lot of tedious work to maintain the temp. That said, I enjoyed it, and I did it fairly frequently, as my wife had decided that she prefers most roasts, turkey, chicken, etc. smoked now. We don't even go out for bbq in our city anymore, and when we travel, my kids compare the local bbq to mine. I did switch to a MES (electric) this year, and I really appreciate the ease of setting the temp, and adding more chips as needed. It's also bigger, which lets me to smoke more meat at one time. I have a roof over part of my deck, and this has allowed me to continue smoking all winter, including a beef brisket for Christmas that took 14 hours. I started that before I left for work in the am, and had my 13 year old sous chef keep an eye on the temp and add chips. I'd have never asked her to do that with the charcoal, and wouldn't have used the charcoal smoker on the wooden deck in any event. If you are just starting out, charcoal can be an inexpensive way to see if you like it (smoking). Your Weber will work for small amounts of meat (don't want too much direct heat). But unless you are a die-hard charcoal fan boy (and I know a couple), you will likely want to upgrade at some point.
I use a Bradley Digital Electric Smoker. It's not cheap, but it works better than any other electric or charcoal smoker I had owned before the Bradley. I process my own venison, and I like to make sausages. Salami, summer sausage, snack sticks, and whatever else strikes my fancy. The Bradley is excellent for smoking sausage, and it works great for anything else I throw at it. Easy cleanup too, which makes life easier. Check out Bradley smokers...........they are pretty slick smokers for the money!
I have a Traeger grill/smoker thing. Pellet fed. It's halfway between a grill and a smoker. You can't get it hot enough to sear a good steak and it tends to run too hot to cool smoke anything. Despite that negativity, it does a great job of cooking/smoking chickens, turkeys, roasts, ribs, etc.. It also makes great pizza. You just have to use it a bit to learn the quirks. For instance, in the strong Utah sun, it will not go below 200 degrees (sometimes much higher) unless you prop the lid open. Don't put a big pork roast on it and then leave without checking the pellet fill level. LOL.
Thanks everyone on the responses. Lots of ways I can go. Another thought has any one built there own smoker? I thought I read of a smoker build but I cant find it. Beefie
My husband just bought a Rec Tec and it is amazing. You can do anything on it. Y'all should check them out. http://www.rectecgrills.com/
