Thoughts on a smoker for meat?

[Cameramonkey]

If you REALLY want to cheat, these are great in the summer. Mine has trouble holding 250* below 70* OAT. In the middle of summer in the sun it easily hits 300*. Though mine's top setting is 325* the new ones only claim to hit 280*. Its basically a mini-fridge with a heater inside. Cool design really.

Yes its electric, but its truly set and forget. And hey, this was free. A buddy upgraded to an auger fed pellet smoker, so he gave this to me.

It uses proprietary (but reasonably priced) wood pucks that it passes across a heating plate, dropping them into a pan of water as the next one comes along. (20 min per puck) Only complaint is you waste two pucks unless you buy aftermarket aluminum spacer pucks. ($15 for 5) The pucks can either be alternated to provide longer, less smoky interval smoking, or putting 2 at the end of the stack so that they push the last puck onto the burner so you dont have to waste any wood pucks. (they say once the pucks go through the machine they shouldnt be re-used due to swelling)

https://www.bradleysmoker.com/us/product/4-rack-bradley-digital-smoker/?v=7516fd43adaa

 

[boogieman]

If you REALLY want to cheat, these are great in the summer. Mine has trouble holding 250* below 70* OAT. In the middle of summer in the sun it easily hits 300*. Though mine's top setting is 325* the new ones only claim to hit 280*. Its basically a mini-fridge with a heater inside. Cool design really.

Yes its electric, but its truly set and forget. And hey, this was free. A buddy upgraded to an auger fed pellet smoker, so he gave this to me.

It uses proprietary (but reasonably priced) wood pucks that it passes across a heating plate, dropping them into a pan of water as the next one comes along. (20 min per puck) Only complaint is you waste two pucks unless you buy aftermarket aluminum spacer pucks. ($15 for 5) The pucks can either be alternated to provide longer, less smoky interval smoking, or putting 2 at the end of the stack so that they push the last puck onto the burner so you dont have to waste any wood pucks. (they say once the pucks go through the machine they shouldnt be re-used due to swelling)

https://www.bradleysmoker.com/us/product/4-rack-bradley-digital-smoker/?v=7516fd43adaa

I have the 6 rack version of that and used it for a few years. Last year I upgraded to a pellet smoker and turned the Bradley into a jerky maker. I run the smoke for a little while then just use the heat to finish off the jerky. Works well. As long as I leave the door closed I don't have much problem keeping temp.

 

[CTC B4Z]

I get plenty of smoke flavor out of my Green Mountain pellet grill. I always start my meat at 180 and let it soak in some smoke, then depending on the meat I will turn it up to cooking temp after so long. For chicken I do about 20 minutes at 150, for butts and briskets I do about 2 hours at 180.

I will try this. As I also have a GMG Jim Bowie

 

[4sarge]

When I was a Rookie, the Captain sent me for BBQ. Seedy neighborhood, Boarded Up House,
went to the back door. Entered house full of Pungent Smoke & Customers Paying CASH for BBQ Smoked inside
on a handcrafted used oil burner smoker. Great BBQ and an Experience.

 

[huntall50]

However it done, Men like smoking meat!!! Brotherhood!!!

 

[grflick]

A guy I work with said he has a Traeger and loves it. I don't know if I'm completely sold on the whole wifi thing though. I just don't know if I want one more thing around the house that doesn't work when the internet gets finicky. I'm not even sure I want to mess with one that needs to be plugged in because it'd be nice if it works when the power is out.

Another vote for RecTec. And you only need the internet if you want to use the smartphone app. The smoker/grill is quite capable of maintaining temp to +/- 2 degrees all by itself with no internet access. You will need electricity however to run the pellet auger and power any temperature probes you may be using, but that's not a huge power draw. The smallest (and quietest) of generators would run it. (Sure, running a generator may draw attention to your particular house in a neighborhood without power, but not as much attention as smoking a big hunk of meat in your backyard! )

 

[455 Beretta]

Part of the appeal to the weber smokey mountain was the "set it, and forget it" I keep hearing about with it. You still have to check it, but when you do it's just to make sure with nothing really needed to do. If I have to tend the smoker once an hour, I'm out.

A vote for the WSM. It’s affordable, has no electrical parts, and for the relative lack of labor, puts out some dang good food. I’ve had mine for about 15 years and it’s still going strong. Have not needed to replace anything on it.

You’re gonna (or already have) started a BBQ argument, lol.

Some good internet resources for the WSM are the Virtual Weber Bullet website and forum (great advice on there), and Harry Soo YouTube vids (he’s won many many competitions with the simple WSM).

Enjoy! And tell us what you ended up getting.

 

[Cameramonkey]

As for wireless thermometers, I just use a couple like these. One in the top vent for smoker temp, and one in the meat if I'm cooking to temperature.

https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Wi...23695&sprefix=wireless+meat+th,aps,166&sr=8-8

 

[chipbennett]

I have a DynaGlo offset vertical smoker. Under $200, and combined with a tube of high-heat silicone (< $10) to seal all the edges, it provides great heat control. (Note that I also have a makeshift baffle - a broiler pan vent - that I use to block the firebox when I want temperatures down around 200 - 215. Without it, I can get temperatures up around 300. So, it covers all of the smoking conditions that I typically use, from brisket to pork butt to ribs to wings.)

 

[chipbennett]

Do you use a separate grill thermometer to verify that the grill settings are accurate? That's one thing I've always been curious about. Almost pulled the trigger on a propane smoker with temp controller but it had a lot of complaints about not maintaining accurate temps

I use remote temperature probes to monitor temperature. I have two different units: one is two-channel, with the probes placed at the top and bottom of my vertical chamber; the other is six-channel, that I use to monitor internal meat temperatures. The two-channel unit transmits temperatures to a remote unit. The six-channel unit connects via wifi to a phone app.

I never trust built-in temperature gauges on either my smoker or my grill.

 

[canebreaker]

About 10 years ago BPS had the Masterbuilt 30 on black Friday sale for $75. Plug it in, set the temp, time and leave it alone.
I like smoked meat and the flavor will change with the wood that's used. I cut my own, apple, maple, oak, persimmon, cherry, pear, peach, pecan, pecan shells, hickory, hickory nut shells, black walnut and black walnut shells. I never mix the wood.
For a pork butt I sprinkle cayenne pepper on the fat side, fat side up on the top rack. An aluminum pan under it with apple or pineapple juice and water. Sliced lemons, oranges, onions and cayenne peppers in the juice too. Smoke for 3 hours at 250, reduce the heat to 200 for 2 hours. Wrap in foil and smoke again at 200 for 4 hours. Pour juice off of the meat, let the grease separate, remove the grease. Pull the meat apart by hand, pour some of the juice over the meat. Mix the rest of the juice with BBQ sauce.

 

[Hoosierdood]

Another vote for RecTec. And you only need the internet if you want to use the smartphone app. The smoker/grill is quite capable of maintaining temp to +/- 2 degrees all by itself with no internet access. You will need electricity however to run the pellet auger and power any temperature probes you may be using, but that's not a huge power draw. The smallest (and quietest) of generators would run it. (Sure, running a generator may draw attention to your particular house in a neighborhood without power, but not as much attention as smoking a big hunk of meat in your backyard! )

First post and it only took you 10 years.

 

[maxwelhse]

First post and it only took you 10 years.

Coming on strong with the quality though. Made me immediately wonder if my 18v Ryobi inverter could power a RecTec.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I use remote temperature probes to monitor temperature. I have two different units: one is two-channel, with the probes placed at the top and bottom of my vertical chamber; the other is six-channel, that I use to monitor internal meat temperatures. The two-channel unit transmits temperatures to a remote unit. The six-channel unit connects via wifi to a phone app.

I never trust built-in temperature gauges on either my smoker or my grill.

Yeah I also use Temp probes on my UDS, just got the setup this spring. Not sure why I went so long without it. I was just curious as to the accuracy of their system, I believe a recteq 380 will be my next smoker.

 

[IndyBeerman]

.

 

[indiucky]

I like my PK 360 for smoking as well as grilling....

 

[WyldeShot]

I love my pit barrel smoker!

 

[Cameramonkey]

Reminds me I need to measure my grill tonight. Think I'm gonna grill and BBQ rub the turkey this year. (Spatchcocked) I'd smoke it by mom doesnt like smoked meats.

 

[chipbennett]

Reminds me I need to measure my grill tonight. Think I'm gonna grill and BBQ rub the turkey this year. (Spatchcocked) I'd smoke it by mom doesnt like smoked meats.

This is why I'm roasting a whole bird, and smoking a breast.

 

[ghuns]

Pretty much ALL of us...

[video=youtube;iAk2cKbOFZ4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAk2cKbOFZ4[/video]