I bought a pit boss so i could set it and forget it. Got it home read the instructions did the run it for 40 min to get rid of factory oils as the instructions said. Turned it off went and got meat set it, got it run up to temp, and walked off. Checked on it 40 min later and there was no smoke and it had an error code. I called pit boss and the said it needed a new computer. But dont worry they will send it to me free of charge.

I took it back and got an oklahoma Joe barrel with fire box on the side. We cook with wood.

Pros it works nothing to buy or run out of. No electricity no computer.

Cons have to baby sit it to keep the temp steady.

PF, with the Ebonics you were laying down with your post, you should be a natural at smoking meats.

No I'm not i need a lot more practice. Have not been home much to mess with the smoker ths last 3 years. Is that any better for you? I did some fixing ? I bet you not typing with tremoring fingers on a phone small key board. You are right it was bad.

I have a Bradley upright, electric smoker. It's a bit more expensive to run, but it works great. Can cold smoke or hot smoke with it. I like it well enough I bought another for backup. The new one is still in the box (for 2 years now). Old one is on year 10.

why?

thanks everyone for your input

I have good sources of wood and with my ability to have it about 25 feet out my dining room window my wireless thermometer works so I can see ambient and internal temp of the meat

my friend just got a line on an electric he can get new in box for free so if we need to cold smoke anything I am at his house all the time.

when I am ready to go bigger or get something nicer than I have with the patched hole in the bottom I will probably stay wood offset

my brother has a pellet and it is nice but it has started having auger issues and he keeps his inside , don't have much room for inside storage

Smokin Tex. Have had it for 15 years or so. Hand full of woodchips turn it on and pull meat out once done. It's been a great investment.

wws

I've been using a Big Green Egg for about 20 years. I burn lump charcoal started with a non-petroleum starter. Use it for both grilling and hot smoking. Just add the soaked wood of your choice when the coals get going for smoking. Once you get to your desired temperature it's pretty easy to stabilize and only requires a check every hour or two. It can sear a steak at 700 or smoke a pork shoulder at 225 for as long as the charcoal lasts with minimal attention or adjustment.

My only regret is the size of the grill. I have the "large" size which has a circular 18" grill, which is pretty small if you have several people over for a meal. Also, if you're smoking a whole turkey you are pretty much limited to a 14 lb. bird.

Before I bought the green egg I wore out several R2D2 type smokers from Brinkman and a few others.

I haven't seen anything get burned that bad then since I ate a brisket at a Dickey's barbecue pit.

Ol dad

Seems as if a lot of people don't like "tending" the smoker.
Besides eating and giving away the final product. That's my favorite part of it. Makes it homemade, not set it and forget it instant dinner style.
When I get the smoker fired up friends and family stop by. Have a coffee or a beer. Hang out and BS. All part of the experience in my eyes.

I am on my second pit boss. Nothing wrong with the first one just gave it to my son. Mine is used 4- 6 times a week. No issues . I can set it and forget it now because i've cooked enough to know what temp and how long. FORGET the temp settings. I COOK on 250. Smoke on 190. Anythng higher is waste. open sear plate and leave lid open to sear meat. It burns hot until temp is up then it trickle feeds to maintain. I'll never use anything else and I cook A LOT

because I only ever seem to see stuff from the pellet guys I wanted to hear about other smoker experiences , and I have been smoking more and considering upgrading smokers from the patched together used one I have, which actually seems to hold temp fine so I will probably use it a good while longer.

I do some recipe development and have some money coming later in the year when I fulfill my contract for a given number of recipes , I run that as an independent author I get paid on a 1099 and I itemize off all the tools of cooking I purchase to use in my recipe writing. my goal is to make just a few dollars a year the rest goes into research expenses and overhead costs.
I wouldn't have to eat my research but I generally do or share it with family & friends so that I can get their feedback on the spices and such.

So ur going to use our experience to right about smoking like u know what ur talking about. Smart

no I am going to use my funds from writing about other cooking that I have been doing for years to learn more about smoking.

I test every recipe several times before it is published.

he asked why , I am very transparent my motives.

I just having a little fun with u.

Pellet smoker or electric smoker even is great for like being at the campground, throwing something in it, go out on the lake all day, and to come back to smoked goodness.

The die hard traditional guys that want to sit there all day give up the convenience for more traditional methods, looking down on anyone that does anything else.

Sometimes sitting by the smoker and drinking beer all day works, sometimes I have other things to do and need to feed people.

If I was writing recipes for a book I'd consider doing a simple one and an advanced one and giving them options may be worth more $.

I know people I wouldn't trust doing anything.
I know people that could run a pellet grill and not burn wood.
and I know people that only burn wood.
Seems like your recipe would reach more people doing both.

I'm not sure how many people win bbq cook offs in Texas with a pellet smoker but I'm guessing its been done. Kinda like riding a moped. Its might be fun until your friends find out.

I dont understand everyone that says you need to set there all day babysit a wood smoker??? They either haven't used one or not enough to figure out how to load it and set or they haven't used a good one. Takes a little time to get the fire going then get it set but after that I can pretty much walk away from it. Ive had mine producing heat for days without touching it. I regularly smoke brisket for 8 hours without touching it after I get it going. I regularly get mine going then go to to town for hours. And I can also pretty much cold smoke on it to. Ive even smoked cheese on it.

Miss Tootsie shovels coals all day to smoke her meat and people come from all over the world to eat it...

The famous lady is Tootsie Tomanetz (known as "Miss Tootsie"), the legendary 91-year-old pitmaster at Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas.She is widely celebrated as the "Queen of Texas BBQ" and is known for her hardcore work ethic—tending massive fires, shoveling hot coals into the smokers, and working the pits throughout the night.Here are a few quick facts about her:The Routine: She begins her legendary cooks late Friday nights, working the pits through the early hours of Saturday morning so the brisket and pork are perfectly smoked.The Fame: After being ranked the #1 BBQ spot in Texas by Texas Monthly, she gained international fame and was prominently featured on Netflix's Chef's Table: BBQ series.The Hours: Despite her global fame, she works Saturdays at Snow's BBQ and maintains a regular weekday job at the local school district.

I have a friend who's dad was gifted an electric that is new in box , he hasn't used it in years it is till new in box so I am getting that to test with.

My brother is all about his pellet but had an electric for years.

My dad has been wood/charcoal he does a lot more fish than anything else , I am running on his old smoker right now with a patch

way back my dad had a LP

this is also a little market research although yall aren't my target audience , my target audience is looking for simplified ways to get good eating.
so, simple easy to follow instructions to cook things in ways they haven't maybe thought to do , honestly anything I get paid for is marketing recipes for friends that sell at farmers markets mainly.
if they can get good eats at home without huge effort they will spend some of their going out to eat budget on good local meat.

show someone a recipe that looks good with some pictures of the food , clear instructions and they are more likely to buy and try it the product.
If they like it they become repeat customers. that is the goal , honest good product with a little help to make it well so that they enjoy it and come back.

I am in no way trying to write for pit masters , I am writing for suburban mothers who want to feed their families good and healthy food. they are the ones most likely to buy at a farmers market.

Started when I was in Jr high with a orange Brinkman wood smoker, went to a LP/wood stand up, then to a Oklahoma Joe style offset, now I have a Traeger pellet smoker.

I like the convivence and versatility of my pellet smoker but I miss the actual smoked flavor and cool factor of the woods ones. However, it's pretty nice to be able to put a brisket or shoulder on and go to work and monitor the temp on my phone.


We and a few buddies used to sell smoked suckers and smoked salmon to the lunch ladies at our Jr High. Bet there's not many kids doing that these days.