Smokers, what kind do you have??

[BLACKJACK]

Getting the urge to try smoking, I've tried in the past with both an electric and a charcoal smoker, the electric one kept popping circuit breakers, the charcoal one was ok but time consuming, and hard to regulate. My dad had a homemade one that was big, like a small outhouse, that he'd use for smoking sausage, been contemplating whether I should try to build one or buy one. Seen a couple of plans on the internet that seem workable.

Some questions:

1) What kind of smoker do you have?

2) Would you buy another one just like it?

3) Is it electric or charcoal?

4) How big is it/what kind of capacity does it have??

5) Can you smoke year around? Even if its zero out?

Any other thoughts or recommendations are welcome!!

[eyeguy 54]

Masterbuilt

Yes

Electric

30 inch, big enough for me

yes, yes,

Luhr Jensen (Smokehouse) wood chips and shavings. Many Types of wood.

I had a Little Chief for years so this is a dandy for me. :>) If I smoke something and there's a lot of moisture in the ubit when I'm done I crank it to 275, open the vent and let it run for an hour. Drys it out nice.

[reinhard1]

the new FF in Blaine has the Masterbuilt and the Bradley smokers on display that are digital with remote [Masterbuilt]. also they have the less expensive model 30 inch gas models and electric that have adjustable temps but not programable. good luck.

[OnAFly]

I've got the same Masterbuilt as eyeguy. It's a great little starter unit.

-I would buy the same one if I had to do it over

-Electric, digitally regulated (huge plus)

-It's the 30" model

-I have smoked down to 20F with great results. Never tried colder.

The unit does hold the heat relatively stable, about +/-15F or so. There are two things I don;t like. It holds moisture very well...too well. I have to play the damper to even it out. The other is that it has hot spots and cooler spots. Not by much, but after using it on some larger batches of pastrami, I noticed it. These are probably things you'll find with all smaller smokers and they are kind of nit-picky and can be worked around fairly easily. All in all it's a great little smoker. This will be my second summer with it.

Oh yeah, I have used Hickory, Apple, and Cherry chips. I like the Apple and Cherry the most, though it's probably going to vary person to person.

[KEN W]

1....Masterbuilt electric.Been using them for about 20 years.

2....Yes I would buy another just like it.

3.....Eletric

4......30 inch....4 racks

5......Yes I can smoke almost year round.When it gets really cold.I bring it into the entryway for an hour and let it warm up.

They do have hotspots.....for mine it is the back right corner.Would be nice if Masterbuilt made one with a fan in the top.

[ncesi]

Getting the urge to try smoking, I've tried in the past with both an electric and a charcoal smoker, the electric one kept popping circuit breakers, the charcoal one was ok but time consuming, and hard to regulate. My dad had a homemade one that was big, like a small outhouse, that he'd use for smoking sausage, been contemplating whether I should try to build one or buy one. Seen a couple of plans on the internet that seem workable.

Some questions:

1) What kind of smoker do you have?

2) Would you buy another one just like it?

3) Is it electric or charcoal?

4) How big is it/what kind of capacity does it have??

5) Can you smoke year around? Even if its zero out?

Any other thoughts or recommendations are welcome!!

1) Trager Smoker Grill

2) Yes

3) Electric

4) There varring sized but I hava 400 cu in grill and stackable trays for smoking jerky etc...

5) Yes

Go to Trager.com and check out these wood pelet fired grills/smokers. They use a wood pelet in many flavors, cherry, apple, mesquite, alder, oak, maple, hickory, onion, etc... It automatically feeds the wood burner to maintain the temp set. We smoke fish on one and use another for jerky, grilling veggies, the best you have ever had. Smoke prok butts, ribs, brisket, etc and always perfect. Check them out you will not be sorry.

[muskie-mike]

Home made UDS(ugly drum smoker) works very well..brisket,ribs ,pulled pork,chicken etc....pictures available...

[goblueM]

I made mine out of 2 large flower pots and a hot plate. So it is electric. Cost me maybe 25 bucks to make. I have been fairly happy with it for what it cost me.

I do have issues smoking large items like a pork butt or brisket in very low temps, but it doesn't get too cold in Virginia. And those I can throw in the oven to finish them after smoking for a few hours

Biggest issue is capacity, but I do not often smoke huge quantities

Sometime in the future I'll be getting a Big Green Egg and just calling it good for all my outdoor cooking/smoking needs

[archerystud]

1) Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5 inch

2) I already own 2.

3) charcoal

4) 2 racks to cook on. I can do an 8 lb brisket and 4 racks of ribs easily at one time.

5) Yes. The key is the vents and learning how much oxygen is need to regulate temps.

[muskie-mike]

Home made UDS(ugly drum smoker) works great,I use lump charcoal...

[night bite]

Smokey Mountain Cooker 22.5. Had an electric for years and would not go back after using charcoal. Charcoal is more of a cook then just set and forget.

[DonBo]

Mine is made by Sausagemaker. Four rack, insulated, electric. Not many bells and whistles, but does a fine job. Been using it all winter with no temperature issues.

I have a Brinkman Water charcoal smoker up at the lake that I used to think I liked, but this electric is so much easier.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Getting the urge to try smoking, I've tried in the past with both an electric and a charcoal smoker, the electric one kept popping circuit breakers, the charcoal one was ok but time consuming, and hard to regulate. My dad had a homemade one that was big, like a small outhouse, that he'd use for smoking sausage, been contemplating whether I should try to build one or buy one. Seen a couple of plans on the internet that seem workable.

Some questions:

1) What kind of smoker do you have?

2) Would you buy another one just like it?

3) Is it electric or charcoal?

4) How big is it/what kind of capacity does it have??

5) Can you smoke year around? Even if its zero out?

Any other thoughts or recommendations are welcome!!

1) Brinkmann Trailmaster LE.

2) Yes (knowing it's limitations)

3) Charcoal/wood

4) Big. On the main rack it can hold 3 full size turkeys, plus other stuff. It has a lower rack as well

5) Yes. I've smoked into the single digits this year. It takes a little bit bigger fire, but works fine.

The horizontal offset smokers work great for almost everything. I've done ribs, turkeys, chickens, pork butts, cheese, jerky, brisket, etc. It works good for everything except sausage. The temps can be a little hard to regulate, and these designs don't generally have perfectly even temps from side to side, front to back.

[DonBo]

That's a sweet rig there Lip_!

[fivebucks]

I scavanged a few old oven racks and built a 4' high smoker around them using 3/4" plywood. I dado bladed it so they fit together nice and don't expose the glue. I can use eye hooks to make it portable. I use charcoal for heating. Been working great for me for years.

[MNmikew]

Weber smokey mountain (WSM) 22"

Chargriller pro

Brinkman type smoker (Im trying to figgure out what it is. It looks like Rippers Brinkman but has vertical smoker on the end where the stack is.)

weber kettles dedicated as smokers

always charcol

I would avoid the Chargriller for cold weather BBQ

[Leaky]

How did this page get so out of whack? It's unreadable. But I have the Masterbuilt pictured earlier. It's been everything I hoped it would be and got a "smokin" deal on it. What to do about a popping breaker? I don't know and haven't had that issue. Try a different outlet that has a lighter load? I'm clueless when it comes to that stuff.

But if you can make it work, this is a great starter smoker that you can use year round (The first smoked butt I did started at -10 degrees outside temp.) No Issues and held internal temp great!

[lakeshoremunster]

just a heads up gander has the masterbuilt 30" smoker on sale right now, that is a sweet smoker

[otterman91105]

eyeguy2, This is the same smoker i have. Got it for christmas, love it would recommend it to anyone.

[reinhard1]

i see the Masterbuilt electric or propane non programable is $119.00 and the programable is $175.00. this is online at FF, is that the prices that you recall seeing? good luck.

[hockeybc69]

I have a Memphis woodfire grill/smoker.

Talk about slick!!!!!

I had a Masterbuilt, but it konked out after a few years of heavy use... I really like it.

RH

Non programmable Masterbuilt??? Hmmm. I havent heard of that.

To be honest, I dont even care about the programming part. If I can set a temp and it stays at that temp, thats all I need.

I just looked at it. Is it the same basic smoker internally as the programmable one? It looks a lot different on the exterior.

[reinhard1]

i haven't seen the inside [maby online]. they have a bunch of them but most are propane that i seen last week. they have a temp setting knob. next time i go there maby i can get a closer look. if the exterior and interior is the same. that's what i meant by programable. it is nice to set it and forget it, but i tend to check on stuff anyway. for $119 bucks i think it would be a good deal. i wonder if anyone on here has one? good luck.

[hockeybc69]

It looks entirely different from the exterior. I do see its only got 2 racks in it.

The latch on the non programmable looks 10 times better than that cheesy latch on the programmable model.

RH,

any idea what the difference really is between programmable and non-programmable?

In my eyes it seems that just means you dont have a timer. You still set the temp to your liking if I read it correct.

So if its only the timer, thats very easy to live without.

[OnAFly]

It's got a thermostat, so when the temp drops, the unit pumps in more heat. It makes for a more consistent temp than just setting an average energy input level and assuming that the corresponding temp won't fluctuate.

[reinhard1]

i like the model no. 20070910 electric smoker that is programable for $174.99 at FF. for 50 bucks more i like the idea with a thermostate and programable. the dementions are 34" high by 20 in. wide by 19 inches deep. so it's a little larger than the one for less also. it has 4 rack vs two racks for the cheaper one. i dont want to put the other one down by any means but for 50 bucks more i think its worth it. good luck.