Any smokers out there?

How are the pit master smokers from home depot and lowes?

Lots of electronics. some great reviews ?

So far the vertical ones looked cool?

a reply to: Bloodworth

I don't see that brand at HD or Lowes. Are you sure you didn't mean Pit Boss, or something else? Is it electric or wood fired?

Masterbuilt is a good bang for the buck.

Here's some things to look for if you're considering electric..

1. Make sure whatever you get is insulated (like a refrigerator). The small smokers are heavily influenced by outside air temperature and wind. Insulation helps greatly with this issue.

2. Look at the wattage of the heating element. Try to get 1500W or 1800W. Many of them are down around 1100W and won't smoke if it's the slightest bit cool outside. They want 75-80 ambient to work properly. It's a stupid "safety" thing.

If you're going to get into wood/charcoal fired, the list of things to look for is very long indeed (especially for side fire box models). And just to give you an idea, I bought one once and wound up giving it away because it did not work well at all despite numerous attempts to modify it (expensive mistake). You could forge steel in that thing, but it wouldn't smoke worth a damn. I'd probably stick with a vertical smoker to start out, something like a Weber Bullet.

If propane, I can't really help as I've never used one. All I can tell you is one of the byproducts of burning propane is water vapor/steam, and water vapor can be problematic with smoking. You want to be 'smoking' your food, not 'steaming' it.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Bloodworth

I don't see that brand at HD or Lowes. Are you sure you didn't mean Pit Boss, or something else? Is it electric or wood fired?

Masterbuilt is a good bang for the buck.

Here's some things to look for if you're considering electric..

1. Make sure whatever you get is insulated (like a refrigerator). The small smokers are heavily influenced by outside air temperature and wind. Insulation helps greatly with this issue.

2. Look at the wattage of the heating element. Try to get 1500W or 1800W. Many of them are down around 1100W and won't smoke if it's the slightest bit cool outside. They want 75-80 ambient to work properly. It's a stupid "safety" thing.

If you're going to get into wood/charcoal fired, the list of things to look for is very long indeed (especially for side fire box models). And just to give you an idea, I bought one once and wound up giving it away because it did not work well at all despite numerous attempts to modify it (expensive mistake). You could forge steel in that thing, but it wouldn't smoke worth a damn. I'd probably stick with a vertical smoker to start out, something like a Weber Bullet.

If propane, I can't really help as I've never used one. All I can tell you is one of the byproducts of burning propane is water vapor/steam, and water vapor can be problematic with smoking. You want to be 'smoking' your food, not 'steaming' it.

Yes that's the brand i was speaking about.
They also have the traegers or what ever at a decent price.

The electric Smokers use wood pellets?
I enjoy the idea of digital thermometers and temperature gauges. Some I think feed the pellets autonaically?

I looked at one vertical smoker and it looked poorly made. Just not heavy duty or well insulated looking.

Thanks for the info

a reply to: Bloodworth

If i was interested in smoking meats and was going out today to buy the smoker, hands down I'd get the Pit Barrel Cooker. I'd intuitively think that hanging meat in a barrel where the fire was at the bottom would make the meat closest to the bottom cook way quicker. In this case, it does not. Ribs, chicken, turkey all come out with great results on this cooker with not much fussing required. Also I hear brisket, steaks and roasts do as well. Some good videos.

This is in the $300 and is much more than a standard drum. It's got the ideal configuration to cook properly.

I haven't seen it mentioned, so I'll just say for anyone new to the craft, you come near any of my equipment with lighter fluid, and I'll jam a meat fork in your neck. And you should feel the same way.

Just kidding.
But seriously.

a reply to: Bloodworth

There is a really good forum out there for smoking, it's called smokingmeatforums dot com. The amount of information there is mind blowing!

They also have a whole section on 'charcuterie' (curing meats).

Check it out. I joined, but haven't contributed much, mostly just read and learn.

a reply to: yeahright

I've seen one of these in action before. It's a cool idea and seems to work well. My first reaction was to buy one, but I've got too many smokers as it is!