Not really a smoker, but anyone else here have a La Caja China? Did a whole hog (100 lbs) for thanksgiving, and planning on doing one for a tailgate this year...
Should be awesome.
Should be awesome.
BBQ Smokers
- Thread starter ISUCyclones2015
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I have seen these online and would love to see one in action.
I have been thinking about getting an Onyx Oven by BBQ Guru. It's designed to use their temperature control systems. Of course you have to order it so shipping would be like $300. If I bought one with some of the needed accessories it would cost me about $1,800. That's a pretty good chunk of change. I just wish I could actually see one in person.
The BBQ Guru Onyx Oven Barbeque Smoker
After reading BKLYNCyclone comments I think somehow I already posted under a different user name. Instead of saying again what was already said I'll just add a little bit.
What size of cooks are you looking to do? If its small check out the mini wsm. I've done a packer brisket in it. It's very versitile since you also get a grill out of the deal. I use the little smoker tailgating all the time. To do this you just need to know how to run a drill, very basic to build. You can get fancy and paint it but you don't have to.
If you're a little handy do a search for ugly drum smoker or UDS. Its basically a 55 gallon barrel with racks the size of a large Weber grill.
Each of those could be built for less than $100. You would have to maintain a fire but one you get the hang of it they mostly run themselves.
I have an upright gasser. Mine is the single door masterbuilt , not the xl version. I now wish I had the bigger one for cold smoking but I'll just build a smoke house instead.
Another thing to consider about propane. If you're using 20lb cylinders, do you keep them outside and do you plan to use it in the winter? When my tanks are cold, like single digit cold, its hard to get the smoker up to temp.
What size of cooks are you looking to do? If its small check out the mini wsm. I've done a packer brisket in it. It's very versitile since you also get a grill out of the deal. I use the little smoker tailgating all the time. To do this you just need to know how to run a drill, very basic to build. You can get fancy and paint it but you don't have to.
If you're a little handy do a search for ugly drum smoker or UDS. Its basically a 55 gallon barrel with racks the size of a large Weber grill.
Each of those could be built for less than $100. You would have to maintain a fire but one you get the hang of it they mostly run themselves.
I have an upright gasser. Mine is the single door masterbuilt , not the xl version. I now wish I had the bigger one for cold smoking but I'll just build a smoke house instead.
Another thing to consider about propane. If you're using 20lb cylinders, do you keep them outside and do you plan to use it in the winter? When my tanks are cold, like single digit cold, its hard to get the smoker up to temp.
I second this. The minion method (Minion Method on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker) will allow you to maintain a long term stable temperature with the smokey mountain.
I wish I'd have known about green mountain when I bought my Traeger so I could have compared, but love my Traeger as well.
As for the "minion method" mentioned above...looks like it works well. The pelletheads here have a method for maintaining even temps over time as well...it's called set the temp and make sure the hopper's full.
I have one, probably just like Janny's, & concur that it does a great job. The awesome thing is that it wasn't very expensive (relative to a lot of smokers). So if you want a relatively inexpensive smoker that does a good job, I think the Electric Masterbuilt is a great option. BTW, I buy 3-4 cans of baked beans (KC Masterpiece Bourbon), put them in a tin foil boat, chop up an apple into small slices & mix it in the beans. I smoke the beans on one rack, along with my sausage or bone-in chicken breasts for about an hour and 45 minutes (to 2 hours) at 245 degrees, and it turns out great each time.
- Mar 27, 2006
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Every time I use the smoker for gatherings, I always toss in at least a couple of sausages. Just the Hillshire Farm smoked sausage or Kielbasa. They are always a hit, and they're always gone in no time. The other thing I've done recently is wings. I got about 4 lbs of wings for a party we were throwing, put them in ziploc bags with a healthy amount of dry rub, and let them sit in the fridge for about 48 hours. Then, I smoked them with hickory for about 2 1/2 hours at 225 degrees. They were amazing. A lot of times with smoked wings, you worry about them getting rubbery, but the consistency on these was perfect. Huge hit at the party.
Glad to hear you guys are saying good things about the Masterbuilt Electrics...picked up a 30" Sportsman's Elite for dirt cheap before Xmas and can't wait to try it when the weather warms some.
Next time put the beans under whatever meat you're cooking so the juices drip down into them. Mmmmm. I do this with Boston butt.
I also have a Masterbuilt 30 but mine is the cheapest analog version without the window and has only 3 racks. It seems to do a fine job and I get hours of thin blue smoke if the chips are soaked and stacked right. I tried wings for the Super Bowl and one thing I did was inject the wing sauce into the meat with a flavor injector. Actually adds a ton of flavor.
- Mar 27, 2006
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I did the injection with turkey, and it turned out fantastic. I get the Tony Chachere's Creole Butter. I'll have to try injecting wings
Sounds a bit tedious. Given their size, I would think marinating would accomplish the same results.
Frankly, I ENJOY tending the fire a little bit. It gives me an excuse to spend most of the day outside with a beer when my wife could have me inside working on the honey-do list with an electric/propane smoker that has been set and forgotten.
