Smoker

[CO4Cy]

I was contemplating getting a smoker. Anyone have the smoker below (from Home Depot or Lowes)? Good/bad/ugly?

Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker - 810-7090-S at The Home Depot

Prefer electric or charcoal?

Any good smoking tips or recipes?

 

[keepngoal]

I hate that you started this thread in January.

-keep.

 

[keepngoal]

I went charcoal ... we use it about 4-5 times a year. and we love it.

 

[NebrClone]

I use a Brinkman propane. Much easier to control heat than charcoal.

 

[Cydole]

I would get a charcoal Weber. That will do the job for the average joe. Put the coals and wood on one side of the grill, then put a foil pan filled (drip pan) with water in the middle.

We mainly smoke brisket and babyback ribs. Tried a turkey for the MU fb game and it was pretty good.

Quick recipe (the short, short version)- Brisket
Put a dry rub on pretty heavy the day before you want to cook it. Heat grill like I mentioned above to 300. Put brisket on for 3 hours. After 3 hours, take meat off and cover with foil (2 or 3 layers). Put in oven for at least 2 hours on 200. You can take it out anytime after that.

Brisket seems to be more and more popular because of the price. It has more fat in it so it takes a little tlc

 

[balken]

I was contemplating getting a smoker.

I'd be careful. Smokers will permeate the home, clothes, etc. with the distinct smell of smoke. Moreover, the cost of cigarettes is outrageous; it could be a huge draw on your monthly budget. If you are looking for someone, consider the vast pool of nonsmokers. While they may not have the raspy voice you prefer and you can't count on the "If she smokes..." benefits, there certainly is a lot of upside nonetheless.

 

[CyCrazy]

I'd be careful. Smokers will permeate the home, clothes, etc. with the distinct smell of smoke. Moreover, the cost of cigarettes is outrageous; it could be a huge draw on your monthly budget. If you are looking for someone, consider the vast pool of nonsmokers. While they may not have the raspy voice you prefer and you can't count on the "If she smokes..." benefits, there certainly is a lot of upside nonetheless.

:biglaugh: but by the way smokers are great if you can find one where you can put any type of fruit tree wood in them to burn!!!! I built my own so I would recomend that. Fruit wood gives it a great smell and flavor. Its easy to build if you can weld and or have a plasma cutter:wink:

 

[sunset]

Do the electric smokers only allow you to use wood chips or can you use chunks/logs. In my experience you will want to use chunks at the very least, I've never been able to get much smoke out of chips.

Other than that, I don't think the manner the heat is created matters much as long as you get the wood smoking (unless there is some sort of a dispersement issue with the electric). I don't use the wood to create the heat that cooks the meat, I simply want the flavoring the actual smoke adds. I use a smoke box inside my gas grill. Fourty five minutes of smoke is enough to flavor ribs, after that I cook them low and slow for a few more hours using just the gas grill.

 

[nboltz]

I would defintely recommend the Big Green Egg. It is the complete charcoal grill and smoker.

Big Green Egg, World's Best Smoker and Grill

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

I was contemplating getting a smoker. Anyone have the smoker below (from Home Depot or Lowes)? Good/bad/ugly?

Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker - 810-7090-S at The Home Depot

Prefer electric or charcoal?

Any good smoking tips or recipes?

My first smoker was a charcoal version of the Brinkman you are contemplating. That little tiny door to throw in extra wood chips or charcoal as was my case, is useless. You sit there with the door open flipping in 1 or 2 charcoal brickets at a time.

I would recommend looking into a vertical smoker. It will cost more but you can find one without breaking the bank. I know they have gas and charcoal, probably electric also.

I have one from Menards that cost $99 a couple of years ago and works so much better than the style you are looking at.

 

[jay moe]

I use a charcoal smoker and love it. I just prefer the flavor the wood smoke-charcoal smoke gives you. They require more attention when using them, but it is well worth it.

 

[cyeah]

I have a Bradley electric and love it. I can set the temp, load the wood feeder (it uses pucks) and go on about my day. 8 hours later I am diggin' in.

 

[Thornhill]

Weber Smokey Mountain ...they now have a 22" model.

 

[EatemupISU]

Weber Smokey Mountain ...they now have a 22" model.

I agree! I've had a Weber Smokey Mountain (18") for about 6 years now. Once you empty your charcoal and wood into the bottom, it does an awesome job of maintaining a steady temperature for a long period of time. When I do brisket, I'll stoke it up and let it run all night (8+ hours) and when I wake up the temp will still be in the ideal range.

See this link for more information on the WSM. Also, lots of good tips and techniques for the beginning smoker.

And note: there's a big difference between "grilling" and "smoking" to the purist. Smoking is all about cooking the meat with low temps (220-250) for a long period of time. You can't really do that effectively with a normal Weber charcoal grill.

 

[psycln11]

my father-in-law uses the electric smoker and loves it.

I have the all-in-one... Shop Brinkmann

I bought it for it's versatility. It can be a gas smoker or grill, a charcoal smoker or grill, or a fryer. I added a pan and basket for frying fish.

I've mainly used it for propane smoking and fish fries.

 

[CO4Cy]

If I had my choice I think I would choose the Weber but I am a little limited on cash so I will probably have to get one of the cheaper models. Obviously I will be sacrificing some quality but its either that or don't get a smoker.

The remaining debate is to go charcoal or electric. I like the convenience of the electric and the flavor of the charcoal. Honestly, it really depends on the day that I would be smoking. I don't mind babysitting the charcoal on a nice day but what about the cold and crappy days.

Anyways, I guess I will have to make up my mind at some point or another.

 

[EatemupISU]

If I had my choice I think I would choose the Weber but I am a little limited on cash so I will probably have to get one of the cheaper models. Obviously I will be sacrificing some quality but its either that or don't get a smoker.

You might want to watch craigslist for a couple weeks and see what turns up. Sometimes you will find used smokers for a good deal.

The remaining debate is to go charcoal or electric. I like the convenience of the electric and the flavor of the charcoal. Honestly, it really depends on the day that I would be smoking. I don't mind babysitting the charcoal on a nice day but what about the cold and crappy days.

I don't know that taste factors in here, since your flavor should be coming from the wood. But I would still go with charcoal. The electrics are typically not as versatile, and can struggle in colder weather. I've run my charcoal smoker in 20 degree temps without a problem, just open those vents wide. A light rain is no problem either.

 

[illinoiscyclone]

I bought one of these for my dad last fathers day (i know i cheaped out but i am a poor college kid) and i love it. the only problem is, the cooking surface is sort of small.

Masterbuilt Master Barbecue 7 in 1 Smoker - M7P Propane Product Reviews and Price Comparison - Epinions.com

since money is no object, i got mine for 100 bucks at a gander mountain. they had some of the closet style smokers for about 300.

if you are handy at all, check this out
Plans for building your own custom smoker from brick and mortar to steel construction

they arent too hard to make with a big steel drum or an old refrigerator or freezer.

as for charcoal or gas, is this even a question? charcoal gives the best flavor. last night i cooked some pork chops on the grill with these kingsford briquettes that had slivers of hickory in them, they worked awesome. the good thing about the 7 in 1 smoker above, is you can use both gas and charcoal at the same time. you just put a few charcoal pieces on the bottom, and turn the gas on. you use way less charcoal but still get some of the flavor.

 

[Clonefan94]

I'm a big fan of the offset firebox smokers. The ones that look like a grill, only with an extra box off of one side. Thing is, you can't go cheap on this version at all (This is from experience. I did go cheap. And until I upgraded, I didn't know how terrible, thin metal and small fireboxes were). For something decent, your looking at at least $400 or $500 (haven't shopped them in quite a while) Anyways, mainly it's because that's what I learned to cook on and I can get a good 4 hour burn without worrying at all about a temperature change. Also, I tend to do a lot of BBQ at one time, multiple whole shoulders, a dozen or so racks of ribs, and home made BBQ beans etc. so a lot of the other regular store bought smokers were useless for me.

If you are just starting out, plan on cooking for yourself and a few others and don't have a mentor who already knows his stuff, one of the gas or electric models is probably your best bet. IF you are trying to use wood and coal and have never messed around with BBQ before, it could take you quite a few rounds to get to a point where you start to get the hang of it.

I've never used a big green egg, but I'll tell you, looking at the design, it looks like it would be a real masterpiece if you weren't smoking for a large party. IT has all the elements you'd want in a good smoker. Especially the ability to really keep the heat in. In a decent offset firebox smoker, if you aren't willing to spend the cash on at least 1/8" steel, you'll spend most of your time trying to figure out how to keep your temperature constant. Then, there is tuning it. I used bricks and the gas ceramic charcoal to distribute the heat evenly throughout the cooking pit.

Anyways, sorry for the drawn out BS I tend to write. Personally, I'd go small to start. Gas or electric for ease. You'll find then, as I did, that the more you do it, the more you perfect your craft, the more people that start showing up to your parties. Then the more meat and space you'll need. Not everyone is cut out for it, so until you know, stay small. I'm sure one day you'll end up like me, 3 different home made sauces, beans from scratch and 50 people showing up when you tell 4 people you are going to BBQ this weekend.

 

[pulse]

My first smoker was a charcoal version of the Brinkman you are contemplating. That little tiny door to throw in extra wood chips or charcoal as was my case, is useless. You sit there with the door open flipping in 1 or 2 charcoal brickets at a time.

I would recommend looking into a vertical smoker. It will cost more but you can find one without breaking the bank. I know they have gas and charcoal, probably electric also.

I have one from Menards that cost $99 a couple of years ago and works so much better than the style you are looking at.

I totally agree. My first one was that Brinkman with the stupid little door too. Plus it doesn't hold much. Go with a vertical one.