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Cimber posted:You probably want something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20070213-Electric-Digital-Smokehouse/dp/B00B7W8NHW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Awesome, thanks. That put me on the right track I think. I am looking at this one right now.
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Mar 11, 2014 17:34
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I'm looking into buying a smoker for this approaching summer and I was wondering what kind of smoker would be a good fit? Getting a green egg seems to be a somewhat popular choice. Are those worth it over let say an fully electronic aided one? Is a propane smoker better than a charcoal one? I guess the taste of the meat will end up different since the coal will add some flavor. So for a beginner at smoking, what would you suggest that would scale well with what I would learn? Thanks
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Mar 11, 2014 17:56
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I'm a huge advocate for the BGE but I have a few caveats: - try to buy used. you can get a large BGE for 500 or less. - there are no parts that wear. - the ceramic body really does help with heat retention and does keep things moist. - you can put a wok on an egg too if you buy an adapter. - it is a great all in one tool. great for smoking, great for grilling, great for high temp pizza cooks - you cannot fit too much meat on it. I'm not sure how many racks of ribs you can fit inside a electric or pellet smoker but it's probably more than 3, which is about the limit for a L BGE, without buying aftermarket racks. - cannot do cold smoking without use of other products. OBAMNA PHONE fucked around with this message at 18:19 on Mar 11, 2014 |
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Mar 11, 2014 18:16
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I know BGE gets a lot of cred on here, but as a voice of dissent, I'll suggest the Weber Smokey Mountain. I just started smoking last summer and using the WSM couldn't have been easier. It's charcoal but from beginning to end I've never managed to mess up any of my cooks. I was able to easily smoke two large butts for a BBQ as well as 3 slabs of ribs without using racks(on a separate occasion). The smaller one(which is the one I have) will only set you back $300 brand new from Amazon, so if you decide it's not your thing, you're not out too much money. Additionally, it will scale with you just as far as you want to go. I've seen it used for everything from beginner hobbyists to semi-pro BBQ competitors.
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Mar 11, 2014 18:29
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BraveUlysses posted:I'm a huge advocate for the BGE but I have a few caveats: Doug posted:I know BGE gets a lot of cred on here, but as a voice of dissent, I'll suggest the Weber Smokey Mountain. I just started smoking last summer and using the WSM couldn't have been easier. It's charcoal but from beginning to end I've never managed to mess up any of my cooks. I was able to easily smoke two large butts for a BBQ as well as 3 slabs of ribs without using racks(on a separate occasion). The smaller one(which is the one I have) will only set you back $300 brand new from Amazon, so if you decide it's not your thing, you're not out too much money. Additionally, it will scale with you just as far as you want to go. I've seen it used for everything from beginner hobbyists to semi-pro BBQ competitors. Thanks for the advice! Didn't though the BGE was so expensive. I might start with the Weber Smokey Mountain. I was able to find it for ~250$ at Home depot for the smaller 14.5 inch one. At 330 I could get the 18 inch one. Might try the small model first and see how I do with that one. Still interested about smokers that are electric with the temperature sensor.
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Mar 11, 2014 19:38
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Zerok, The BGE is a great grill/smoker. I have a large and I want another Large or XL model. It is one of the rare all in one products I have used that actually performs flawlessly in each endeavor. It does come with two caveats as mentioned above, price of entry and space. The price you can offset if you can find one used. The space you can offset to some extent by adding stacking racks. Though, that can introduce its own set of issues/expense. I have had a BGE for over 3 years now and convinced three of my friends to get them as well, we all swear by them now. It really comes down to what you want to do. I still enjoy grilling and smoking on my 21" weber kettle. If you just want to "smoke" stuff I would go with a dedicated unit such as a WSM. Or you could go the electric route, I just like messing with the coals, feels like I am more involved in the whole process.
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Mar 11, 2014 19:45
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Zerok posted:Thanks for the advice! Go for the 18.5" if you can. People mention that the 14.5" can have issues with some popular cuts of meat (like brisket). I know the 18.5" retails for $300, but you may find some that are slightly cheaper and will definitely be worth the extra space.
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Mar 11, 2014 20:45
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I would Highly HIGHLY recommend that people do not drop 200-500 bucks on their first smoker. Do that once you get the hang of things and decide if this is something you want to do. You may be much better served by getting an ECB from home depot for 30-50 bucks. (El Cheapo Brinkman). Its not fantastic, but it gets the job done at first and won't set you back a lot of money. Then you can modify it to make it work even better for very little money: http://www.smoking-meat.com/modify-brinkmann-ecb-smoker
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Mar 11, 2014 22:00
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whowhodillybar posted:I cured it for about 10 days followed by a day of fresh water desalination, then washed and dried it and coated it in black pepper and coriander with a little paprika, chili/garlic/onion powder. It sat for another day and a half before i smoked it with a 75%/25% blend of Cherry and Pecan wood for about 8 hours until it hit 190. I pulled it out and put it in the fridge to rest for a day before steaming it today. 'Sup reuben sammich buddy!   Here is my montreal smoked meat reuben:  Adapted from this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/794033
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Mar 11, 2014 22:11
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Cimber posted:I would Highly HIGHLY recommend that people do not drop 200-500 bucks on their first smoker. Do that once you get the hang of things and decide if this is something you want to do. You may be much better served by getting an ECB from home depot for 30-50 bucks. (El Cheapo Brinkman). Its not fantastic, but it gets the job done at first and won't set you back a lot of money. The flip side is that trying to smoke on a cheap sheet metal smoker can be absolutely maddening. A quality pit will hold heat better and won't require constant fire tending.
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Mar 11, 2014 22:34
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PhotoKirk posted:The flip side is that trying to smoke on a cheap sheet metal smoker can be absolutely maddening. A quality pit will hold heat better and won't require constant fire tending. Oh, absolutely, but I was raised to think you should not drop a lot of money on a hobby when you first start, because if you don't like the hobby you are stuck.
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Mar 12, 2014 00:20
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I had no idea there even was a 14.5 inch WSM. That seems too small for brisket, turkeys.... even large racks of spare ribs probably without rolling them. I guess if all you wanted to make was pork butts and baby backs it would be OK.
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Mar 12, 2014 00:33
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I went WSM to BGE. WSM is great, but the BGE is easier and far more versatile to me. Finding one used in my area (SoCal) proves to be near impossible but I found a place going out of business and got it for a steal. It just depends on what you want to do. The WSM can hold more ribs, certainly. And more readily available used. I would stick to the 18.5 or the 22 if possible and used definitely. I fire up my BGE 2-3 times a week easy, whereas the WSM was more 1-2 times a month when I wanted to smoke and deal with the more time required to get it started. I've baked in the BGE, stir fry, and the high heat sears for steaks is insane at that temperature. If you have the means and creativity I can't recommend the BGE enough. If you want drat good BBQ the WSM won't do you wrong. But please get used. I can't wait to get a full smoking season in with the BGE.
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Mar 12, 2014 00:51
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coronaball posted:I had no idea there even was a 14.5 inch WSM. That seems too small for brisket, turkeys.... even large racks of spare ribs probably without rolling them. I guess if all you wanted to make was pork butts and baby backs it would be OK. Everyone on amazon basically was saying the same thing. It's too small to cook brisket and larger turkey's and other big cuts of meat. Which in some cooking situations is fine, smoking meat is not.
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Mar 12, 2014 00:54
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Cimber posted:I would Highly HIGHLY recommend that people do not drop 200-500 bucks on their first smoker. Do that once you get the hang of things and decide if this is something you want to do. You may be much better served by getting an ECB from home depot for 30-50 bucks. (El Cheapo Brinkman). Its not fantastic, but it gets the job done at first and won't set you back a lot of money. I second this. I started with a nice cheap Brinkman and that did me good for 2-3 seasons while I got the hang of it and found what I really liked. Then I splurged on a WSM 4-5 years ago and haven't looked back since.
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Mar 12, 2014 01:52
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Cimber posted:Oh, absolutely, but I was raised to think you should not drop a lot of money on a hobby when you first start, because if you don't like the hobby you are stuck. However, Weber products and BGE(I believe, I haven't looked too much into them yet) retain their value really well. So if you drop $300 on a WSM and use it 3 times and decide you hate smoking, put it on craigslist for $250 saying it was bought this year and only used a few times and you decided you didn't like smoking that much. Just make sure you thoroughly clean it after each use so if you do decide to sell, people will know you're not lying. If you buy a cheapo for 125 and still feel the same, at best you're probably only going to get maybe $75. Same loss as the WSM except with the WSM you'll have cut your teeth on a much less frustrating product. atothesquiz fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Mar 13, 2014 |
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Mar 13, 2014 15:08
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To be clear do not clean the inside. Let that seasoning build up. And even the outside. I used the cover pretty regularly and I gave it a damp wipedown a year later when I sold it and it was looking brand new. Also I am in line at franklin right now and they just opened the smoker. My god does it smell like heaven.
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Mar 13, 2014 15:50
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sellouts posted:To be clear do not clean the inside. Let that seasoning build up. And even the outside. I used the cover pretty regularly and I gave it a damp wipedown a year later when I sold it and it was looking brand new. All i do is spray the inside of the smoker down with a good coat of olive oil cooking spray to protect against rust.
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Mar 13, 2014 16:05
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atothesquiz posted:However, Weber products and BGE(I believe, I haven't looked too much into them yet) retain their value really well. So if you drop $300 on a WSM and use it 3 times and decide you hate smoking, put it on craigslist for $250 saying it was bought this year and only used a few times and you decided you didn't like smoking that much. Just make sure you thoroughly clean it after each use so if you do decide to sell, people will know you're not lying. The cheapo I got set me back 40 bucks. Hell, i spent more than that on Titanfall.
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Mar 13, 2014 16:06
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Cimber posted:All i do is spray the inside of the smoker down with a good coat of olive oil cooking spray to protect against rust. This is what I meant by clean. That and the grill grates.
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Mar 13, 2014 16:15
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I get the idea of starting cheap when new to a hobby, you're going to toss that Brinkman eventually and it's not a good product to begin with. Instead I would get a Weber kettle grill and a couple of fire bricks and smoke with that. If you decide to upgrade to a WSM or something later, you can still use the kettle for direct grilling or small BBQ jobs I have a 22" WSM and a kettle. The WSM is great for smoking a ton of pork shoulders overnight, but I go to the kettle far more often for small jobs like a couple chickens or racks of ribs.
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Mar 13, 2014 16:20
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atothesquiz posted:This is what I meant by clean. That and the grill grates. Tho i do make sure that i heat the smoker for a while before putting any food in there, just to make sure any off flavors from the oil is gone.
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Mar 13, 2014 16:39
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I bought the 22 inch WSM 3 weeks ago and it changed my life. already done about 8 racks of ribs, 6 chickens and a pork shoulder so far. I'm totally in love with this thing, even though it was a loving hell of an experience getting that thing home in my prius.
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Mar 13, 2014 19:49
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I picked up a couple of pork butts yesterday from the farm/butcher outside of town and holy poo poo I'm never buying grocery store pork again. These things are beautiful, were slaughtered that morning, and were $1.69/lb. I rubbed them last night and put them on the WSM at  4:20 this morning. Smoking with apple and pecan at 235.
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Mar 14, 2014 13:10
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1.69/lb? Holy crow, thats fantastic. If i send you my address can ya mail me a few?
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Mar 14, 2014 13:55
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Can someone link to that cast iron WSM door again please? I'm having crazy temp fluctuations lately, and I'm fairly sure that the door is the problem. I'm cooking a rack of ST. louis and they look drat near done even though it's only been 3.5 hours because the temp's been so high. 
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Mar 14, 2014 23:56
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coronaball posted:Can someone link to that cast iron WSM door again please? I'm having crazy temp fluctuations lately, and I'm fairly sure that the door is the problem. Cast iron? You mean the Cajun Bandit one? It's aluminum but it's nice because it actually seals.
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Mar 15, 2014 03:21
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Cajun Bandit, that's the company. I meant stainless steel, not cast iron. http://cajunbandit.com/wsm-parts-mods/ Purchasing now. I shoulda bought it the first time somebody posted it. Ribs still turned out pretty drat good but the texture wasn't what I would like because of too much temp fluctuation.
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Mar 15, 2014 03:30
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coronaball posted:Cajun Bandit, that's the company. I meant stainless steel, not cast iron. Ah yes, it's ss. Once you get one you'll wish they sold the nomex gasket for the lid separately.
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Mar 15, 2014 03:34
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Lets talk rubs. What are some of your recipes for your rubs?
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Mar 15, 2014 13:01
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Cimber posted:Lets talk rubs. What are some of your recipes for your rubs? I've been really enjoying dizzy pig rubs. https://dizzypigbbq.com/products/seasonings/ So far I've had Shakin' the Tree, Red Eye Express, and Jamaican Firewalk. All three have been fantastic and are well worth the money!
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Mar 15, 2014 13:48
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Raging River is good on salmon.
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Mar 15, 2014 14:55
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For a standard BBQ rub my go-to is still making Meathead's Memphis Dust recipe. I haven't found a commercial rub yet that I like better.
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Mar 15, 2014 14:55
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urk the quack posted:For a standard BBQ rub my go-to is still making Meathead's Memphis Dust recipe. I haven't found a commercial rub yet that I like better. This is also my go to rub, It accents and improves the flavor of just about everything without being overwhelming. The only meats I don't use it on are fish and beef.
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Mar 15, 2014 18:41
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My dad loves the state fair turkey legs, I've made them before and they are pretty easy to make, but it requires me to smoke them at home and then take them to him when he wants them. If I cured them, cold smoked them, then froze them so he could thaw and throw in the oven whenever he wanted would I get decent results? I was also wondering about cold smoking a small brisket and then cooking it sous vide for 24 or 48 hours to get tender smokey goodness.
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Mar 15, 2014 19:29
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I did my first ten years of smoking with a $150 charcoal-grill-with-offset-smoker-box; including 30 lb runs of bacon. Knockoff of the original ...don't know who made it...that BBQs Galore used to sell. I was going to smoke a commercial corned brisket tomorrow, but I may have talked myself out of it. http://live.charbroil.com/articles/corned-beef I could boil it a bit first to get courtbouillon for my potatoes...
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Mar 16, 2014 05:32
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Well the brisket is in the smoker. We'll see what happens. I also have a brined turkey breast, wings, and legs in there for good measure. I got a lot of good info from that previous article and also a good bit from here: http://www.slapyodaddybbq.com/2013/03/barbecue-corned-beef-brisket/ Including, especially, this bit that sounds like Harold McGee wrote it: quote:Contrary to what most people think, cooking barbecue does not require smoke billowing out of your pit. In fact, the number one mistake I’ve seen beginners make most often is to over smoke their meat. The billowing smoke from a pit is actually made up of small particles in the form of soot, tar, and water in the form of steam. The visible smoke from a pit does not do anything at all to your meat besides make it sooty. The flavor and color of smoked meat actually comes from gasses that are invisible and these invisible gases do almost all the coloring, flavoring, and preserving of the barbecued meat. Sound intriguing? Read on.
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Mar 16, 2014 19:46
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pr0k posted:Well the brisket is in the smoker. We'll see what happens. I also have a brined turkey breast, wings, and legs in there for good measure. Thats a good bitv of information, but how can we ensure that the wood we are using is at the right temp? In my case, I use charcoal briquettes as the primary source of heat, and I place wood chips that have been soaked in water on top of the charcoal.
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Mar 16, 2014 20:31
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Meathead did an article on soaked wood chips. Basically it came down to don't bother. Just use them dry.
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Mar 16, 2014 22:23
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jonathan posted:Meathead did an article on soaked wood chips. Basically it came down to don't bother. Just use them dry. Huh, interesting. Thanks!
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Mar 16, 2014 23:07
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