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Internet Explorer posted:I feel like I'm shilling at this point, but check out the gravity smokers as well. I have a Char-Griller 980 that I love so far. There's also the Masterbuilt Gravity series. I was really close to buying myself one for Father's Day but got cold feet at the last second. What is the fuel consumption on those like? I also assume they have the same shortcoming as a pellet smoker in that they "can" do grilling but really shouldn't be used to do grilling because no searing?
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Jul 15, 2022 12:31
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Yeah that is the one big downside to pellet smokers for sure. I keep a Weber Kettle Classic parked next to the Traeger for actual searing/grilling duties.
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Jul 15, 2022 12:45
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HootTheOwl posted:Hello thread! I'm still a huge fan of my Masterbuilt electric smoker. I haven't run out of room in mine yet. Electric is even more set and forget since once you're done with adding chips (first 2-3 hours) it needs nothing else other than to be left plugged in. No pellets to run out of mid cook, or have to clean out and refill the hopper if you want a different smoke flavor. A full cook will use maybe 2 cups of chips total if I really want a lot of smoking/flavor. The only things it can't do are the smoke ring (because no actual combustion) and high heat cooking (Max 275°F), so poultry gets finished on the grill/hot oven for crisp skin if needed.
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Jul 15, 2022 13:14
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Dog Faced JoJo posted:I was really close to buying myself one for Father's Day but got cold feet at the last second. What is the fuel consumption on those like? I also assume they have the same shortcoming as a pellet smoker in that they "can" do grilling but really shouldn't be used to do grilling because no searing? I've not used a true charcoal grill before, so I have no frame of reference for fuel consumption. My guess is that they use significantly more. One of the reasons that I got it over a pellet grill is that they can indeed sear. Max temp is 700 versus 500 or 450.
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Jul 15, 2022 14:37
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toplitzin posted:I'm still a huge fan of my Masterbuilt electric smoker. I haven't run out of room in mine yet. Why is combustion needed for a smoke ring? I thought it was made just from the smoke itself permeating the meat? Enos Cabell posted:Yeah that is the one big downside to pellet smokers for sure. I keep a Weber Kettle Classic parked next to the Traeger for actual searing/grilling duties. This was my plan: A dedicated grill and a dedicated smoker. I was going to go propane because growing up charcoal always took forever.
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Jul 15, 2022 14:58
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Internet Explorer posted:I feel like I'm shilling at this point, but check out the gravity smokers as well. I have a Char-Griller 980 that I love so far. There's also the Masterbuilt Gravity series. I'm on the other side with my gravity 980. I love it for smoking, but it's been incredibly underwhelming for grilling. I kind of regret selling my kettle after using it for two months. Takes forever to heat up, the grates never really get hot enough to get proper grill lines, and burns through way more charcoal.
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Jul 15, 2022 15:03
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HootTheOwl posted:Why is combustion needed for a smoke ring? I thought it was made just from the smoke itself permeating the meat? Smoke ring is not from the smoke. It's from the CO (Carbon Monoxide) released when combustion happens (and then absorbed by the meat) - and in an electric smoker there's no combustion. It has no flavour, so there's actually no benefit to a "smoke ring" except it looks pretty. Edit: For the easiest smoker experience - get a MES 40" (electric) and then get the AMPS pellet maze - you get a couple of hours of continuous smoke from the amps (no reloading the MES tray every ~30 min any more) and the heat is controlled by the MES nicely - and it's in an insulated box, so it's pretty good in most weather conditions. unknown fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Jul 15, 2022 |
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Jul 15, 2022 15:13
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If you have a good spot to plug it in then an electric smoker is the absolute minimum of effort to get a cook running but pellet smokers/grills are right behind it in terms of ease of use and can get hot enough to crisp up a bird without moving it to another grill Are pellet grills/smokers really that bad at being a grill to necessitate having a whole other piece just for grilling? Wonder if you could get some sear going with a cast iron grate you stick on the top of the regular grates to hold heat before you throw the meat on it or something and get 90% of the way there Just seems crazy to have a pellet grill and a propane grill right next to eachother
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Jul 15, 2022 15:24
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Yeah, the MES is great and if you have space for a dedicated smoker and a dedicated grill, by all means pick one up. They are also cheap enough that if after a few years you decide you want something else, it's not the end of the world. At least in my opinion. I had one for years and loved it. Out of the box the smoke flavor isn't the absolute best of the best, but it really sounds like the smoke tubes solve that problem. I never tried because when I had the MES I needed as little extra smoke coming out as possible, lived in an apartment. xsf421 posted:I'm on the other side with my gravity 980. I love it for smoking, but it's been incredibly underwhelming for grilling. I kind of regret selling my kettle after using it for two months. Takes forever to heat up, the grates never really get hot enough to get proper grill lines, and burns through way more charcoal. That's fair. It definitely seems to use a lot of charcoal if it's really going. It seems like the climb to 300 or so takes the longest, then the rest is pretty quick once the fire gets going in the firebox. It's still not over direct flame, so I imagine a "real" charcoal grill does better. But I did notice a significant improvement once I figured out that the left side of the grill, the furtherest from the firebox, gets the hottest the quickest. Once I stopped trying to sear on the right side of the grill I was a happy camper. But yeah, definitely do your research! I'm by no means an expert griller or smoker. That being said, I'm very happy with mine so far.
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Jul 15, 2022 15:28
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HootTheOwl posted:Before posting this is where I was leaning, and it's much cheaper than the other options posted. unknown posted:Smoke ring is not from the smoke. It's from the CO (Carbon Monoxide) released when combustion happens (and then absorbed by the meat) - and in an electric smoker there's no combustion. If you have people who get mad/want to see a smoke ring, you can cheat one super easy by adding a tsp of Sodium Nitrate to your rub. (it's the same reason corned beef/pastrami stays pink) Speaking of the AMPS maze, you can also use it for cold smoking if you live in a place with a decent winter/cool weather. Or you can get the Masterbuilt cold smoke unit. Masterbuilt Cold Smoker Attachement AMAZE-N Smoke Tube (the maze maze is OOS on Uncle Jeff's emporium)
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Jul 15, 2022 16:01
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I’ll throw out a plug for a kamado as well. I have a big green egg but kamado joes are awesome as well. Absolutely superb grills and awesome smokers too. I’ve had zero regrets with mine. Extremely easy to use too. That being said I started on a Weber Smokey Mountain and loving miss that thing. It was fantastic too.
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Jul 15, 2022 17:26
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One thing to consider for fuel consumption on any smoker is where you live, and what time of year you'll be running it. Running your smoker overnight for brisket in Texas in August is going to burn far less fuel than doing it in Michigan in January. I believe Traeger and Yoder even make thermal blankets for their smokers for exactly this reason.
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Jul 15, 2022 17:51
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Shooting Blanks posted:One thing to consider for fuel consumption on any smoker is where you live, and what time of year you'll be running it. Running your smoker overnight for brisket in Texas in August is going to burn far less fuel than doing it in Michigan in January. I believe Traeger and Yoder even make thermal blankets for their smokers for exactly this reason. I run my MB in the barn all year long, and i'm north of the 45th in Michigan.  Having no fuel concerns is great.
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Jul 15, 2022 18:04
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Dog Faced JoJo posted:I was really close to buying myself one for Father's Day but got cold feet at the last second. What is the fuel consumption on those like? I also assume they have the same shortcoming as a pellet smoker in that they "can" do grilling but really shouldn't be used to do grilling because no searing? I just got a Masterbuilt 560, I don't want to make any sweeping proclamations about it as I've only done three cooks on it and just one of them has involved a smoke and sear, but so far, the results have been impressive. The smoke and sear was a tri-tip that I cooked at 225°F up to an internal temp of 115°F. Then I took the meat off the grill, foiled it , flipped the grills from their "smoke" side to the "sear" side, and cranked it up to 700°F. I swear to you, that thing went from 225°F to 700°F faster than I would have believed possible. I didn't have a timer, but it was easily less than 10 minutes, and I think closer to 5. I unfoiled the meat, put it back on the grill and flipped it once a minute or so until it reached an internal temp just below 130°F. It turned out great, perfectly done on the inside and a great sear on the outside. My family is used to sous-vide trip tip seared on a cast iron, but they raved about this one.
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Jul 16, 2022 06:01
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Dog Faced JoJo posted:I was really close to buying myself one for Father's Day but got cold feet at the last second. What is the fuel consumption on those like? I also assume they have the same shortcoming as a pellet smoker in that they "can" do grilling but really shouldn't be used to do grilling because no searing? Pit Boss has models with a sliding plate that exposes the burn pot in the pellet smoker. It's intended to sear off food. It works decently. I've also found it you crank the heat to high on a pellet smoker and let it warm up you can effectively do high temp grilling. Having said that I picked up a cheap used char Griller and pretty much just use that for hot and fast stuff, because playing with fire is fun.
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Jul 16, 2022 07:03
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Smoking a whole chicken today. Haven’t done one in a while so I’m excited.
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Jul 16, 2022 18:36
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I ended up getting the Masterbuilt 30" With the legs and window. I would have gotten the 40 like suggested but: It was out of stock everywhere It was $100 more I took a tapemeasure to the slabs at my FLGS (Friendly Local Grocery Store) and they all measured small enough to fit. I also got a cover and the thread recomended pellet maze so all I'm missing is a lewd apron. HootTheOwl fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jul 16, 2022 |
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Jul 16, 2022 22:02
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Best smoked chicken I ever made! Rubbed with 50/50 Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and coarse black pepper. That’s it. Smoked over Cowboy lump, a chunk of pecan, and a chunk of cherry. I started off slow at 220 degrees, and then when the meat hit 135 I tried to crank to it up to 325 to finish it with nice crispy skin. Was only able to get the smoker to about 270 degrees. The chicken finally hit 165 and the skin was still super crispy. Meat was very moist and soft. Excellent chicken! Would do it this way again. 
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Jul 17, 2022 01:51
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smoking two big chunks of pork butt today on a pellet smoker. I know I set the temp electronically but are there any good tables/references for about how long I should expect to be smoking to get to my desired internal temp? It's two roughly ten pound chunks.
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Jul 17, 2022 10:42
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Wroughtirony posted:smoking two big chunks of pork butt today on a pellet smoker. I know I set the temp electronically but are there any good tables/references for about how long I should expect to be smoking to get to my desired internal temp? It's two roughly ten pound chunks. Without a crutch, normal time/lb goes right out the window. If you haven't started already, you MUST crutch, or wrap the butts when you hit the stall. Otherwise you have to wait for enough moisture loss through evaporation @165F before you'll get to 203 and they won't be close to done for 14 hours+. Once you hit 165, wrap em in foil or butcher paper, and they will keep on cooking at a 'normal' 60-90m/lb. toplitzin fucked around with this message at 12:35 on Jul 17, 2022 |
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Jul 17, 2022 12:19
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I got a pizza oven insert for my kettle and it has tabs on the top for putting a rack on the top and still be able to put the lid on. It looks like I can get meat a good 14 inches above the coals so I am pondering doing a real old school cook of a chuck roast and a small pork butt over low but direct heat rather than offset heat. Maybe with some wood chunks thrown on for good measure. I think I’d target around 250 for grill temp and 190 ish for internal temp so it doesn’t completely fall apart and then hold it at around 150 in the oven until ready to serve.. Any thoughts? This would probably be in a couple of weeks.
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Jul 17, 2022 12:59
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toplitzin posted:Without a crutch, normal time/lb goes right out the window. I just did a 6.5 shoulder and didn’t wrap but I did spritz a couple times. Took about 9 hours at 275, wasn’t dry at all and had great bark. My feeling is if time isn’t an issue why wrap at all. I did wrap in butcher paper and put it in a cooler for about an hour after it was fully cooked though. This was on a Traeger and I used a smoke tube.
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Jul 17, 2022 13:46
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Wroughtirony posted:smoking two big chunks of pork butt today on a pellet smoker. I know I set the temp electronically but are there any good tables/references for about how long I should expect to be smoking to get to my desired internal temp? It's two roughly ten pound chunks. For dinner tomorrow right?
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Jul 17, 2022 14:33
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Don't be a pessimist, I once had a 10lb butt finish unwrapped in 10 hours flat. It was an overnight cook and the internal temp alarm is what woke me up the next morning. It was just the one time though, never been able to replicate it.
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Jul 17, 2022 15:51
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Kaddish posted:I just did a 6.5 shoulder and didn’t wrap but I did spritz a couple times. Took about 9 hours at 275, wasn’t dry at all and had great bark. My feeling is if time isn’t an issue why wrap at all. I did wrap in butcher paper and put it in a cooler for about an hour after it was fully cooked though. 225 is more standard for pork butt. The higher heat probably let you power past the stall.
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Jul 17, 2022 17:08
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:225 is more standard for pork butt. The higher heat probably let you power past the stall. This graph from Amazing Ribs is a decent estimate for cook temp vs stall temp.  (Higher cook temps tend to evaporate moisture faster so the stall is shortened.)
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Jul 17, 2022 20:55
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I'm a heathen and smoke like 90% of my meats at 250 or over these days.
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Jul 17, 2022 22:07
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Kaddish posted:I'm a heathen and smoke like 90% of my meats at 250 or over these days. I've seen lots of people recommend doing 275 for everything, I myself haven't tried it that high, anyone do that regularly?
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Jul 17, 2022 22:16
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Pork butt can definitely be cooked 250 or even higher it’s not going to be hurt by temperature bouncing around. I keep it above 225 and if it gets over 250 I might try to back off the heat ever so slightly but as long as you’re under 300 it’s fine. The ceiling might even be higher.
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Jul 17, 2022 22:40
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I'm currently on hour 21 for a pair of pork shoulders at 225. Starting to think I should start doing higher from the beginning!
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Jul 17, 2022 23:15
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I’ve done on up to 325 on pork with good results. If I have infinite time (aka overnight smokes) I’ll always go for 225 with no wrap. If I’m starting morning of the day I intend to eat, I always start at 250 and move up/wrap.
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Jul 17, 2022 23:27
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I doubt I could tell the difference between pork butt cooked at 225 and 275.
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Jul 17, 2022 23:41
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:I doubt I could tell the difference between pork butt cooked at 225 and 275. I find as long as I’m within that range, it’s all good.
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Jul 17, 2022 23:50
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:I doubt I could tell the difference between pork butt cooked at 225 and 275. Yeah, for big chunks of meat it's really hard to screw up anything to the point someone goes "that doesn't taste right". I always tell my family "I'm aiming for 5:30; but the meat is done when the meat is done." I can hold meat done at 3:30, and I can hurry meat that wants to be done at 7:30, but the meat is done when the meat is done.
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Jul 17, 2022 23:53
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Last few smokes of pork butt and brisket both I've started at 225 then turned up to 275 at the stall. Certainly didn't seem to be any worse results wise, might try starting at 275 next time.
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Jul 18, 2022 02:02
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Ended up doing 225 with no crutch and it took 9 hours. The brisket was done sooner so we ate in two stages. Worked out well!
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Jul 18, 2022 02:52
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Anyone else’s dog just LOVE to piss on their smoker? Like dude I literally give you a piece of meat every time I use it.
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Jul 18, 2022 18:04
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Bloodfart McCoy posted:Anyone else’s dog just LOVE to piss on their smoker? Like dude I literally give you a piece of meat every time I use it. Perhaps that is the problem. I would want to claim ownership over the Free Delicious Meat Machine, too.
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Jul 18, 2022 18:22
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Have you peed on it too, to claim ownership?
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Jul 18, 2022 18:25
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Bloodfart McCoy posted:Anyone else’s dog just LOVE to piss on their smoker? Like dude I literally give you a piece of meat every time I use it. I assumed he would so I made sure to get the one with legs
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Jul 18, 2022 18:32
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