I see a number of you with the pellet smokers post pictures , I have been playing with an old wood/charcoal offset smoker
I got it for free as it had a rust hole in the far end of the cook chamber near the chimney

I patched that up and it is working fine

My question is , how many of you are running

Gas/LP
Electric
wood/charcoal
pellet

what do you run and what do you see as the pros and cons of the unit you have?

Electric, all pros and no cons with my experience. I like the set and forget aspect. I’ve had LP and offset wood, the LP would not hold temp in cold weather, didn’t like the constant babysitting of the off set wood smoker. Eric

Ive got a electric master built and a pit boss pellet grill/smoker.i like youcan set the temp and basically let it smoke and dont have to baby sit it the pit boss has a bigger cooking/smoking area then the master built.i dont like the idea of having to depend on electricity for either 1 of them to run and pellets can be pricey and ive noticed differnces in different brands of pellets.i did buy a bag of charcoal pellets last year to try and they worked OK.ive never used 1 like you just acquired but have thought about getting 1.i gave my dad a charcoal/wood grill/smoker years ago that he never used still sitting in the corner of the garage.its a upright barrel type since he passed a couple years ago I could probably get it if I wanted.

Smokey Mountain cooker. Charcoal and wood. Not many cons. Get your dampers set and it'll smoke for hours.

I smoke fish and only use wood. Pro's it tastes excellent. Wood grows everywhere on my land so i never run out of fuel. Con's... None for me, I enjoy sitting outside in all weather tending the smoker. Fish usually take between 9-11 hours depending on thickness of fish and i never let the temp climb above 180°F.

… offset wood pit

… because I’m heterosexual

No gas and no glued up pellets are touching my meat.

Charcoal for the Weber, or hardwood for the offset smoker.



yeah, but you start it with lighter fluid, so that makes you a hetero-metrosexual.

ol' dad

I had an offset wood smoker, lot of time needed to run it..now use a Smoky Mountain, charcoal and wood, works good, and you don't need to baby sit it.

All wood baby, reverse flow stick cooker/smoker.

Charcoal/wood pit smoker for me. Like Dan said, once you get your dampers set everything works great.

I have a propane, a big offset and a smaller PK charcoal/wood grill. Wood imparts the best flavor of any of them. A bit of a learning curve with wood/charcoal when it comes to smoking on them. As far needing to babysit them, if its a well built good quality smoker they dont take alot of babysitting once you learn to operate them. I can smoke for 8 hrs without adding fuel or adjusting the temperature. You can get thermometers that blue tooth to your phone or unit in the house were you can set alarms for high and low temps. Like everything quality results usually take a bit more work but the flavor of meat smoked with real wood is worth it for me. If you are willing to give up a bit of quality for the easy button pellet grill are the next step down. But then you also have electronics to operate and fail. I use the propane only when we are doing large batches of heavily seasoned products like summer sausage and deer sticks when the other smokers are already full.

I have a Green Mountain pellet smoker.

It's not the wifi model

It's not bad

I still prefer a stick burner and will buy another one someday.

The last stick burner I replaced the bottom 4 times. When it came due again there wasn't enough good steel to work with so it went to the scrap yard.

I have a gas grill and a pellet smoker and charcoal bullet smokers and small lp smokers and a big ol large hog smoker.

Pellet smokers are easy and don't require any babysitting, its like setting an oven temp... great for an all day cook on something you don't have to babysit like a pork butt, but kinda but slow for making some steaks and pork chops for dinner.

They make electric models that are basically an outdoor oven.

Mines not wifi or anything but it has a readout for a probe you can plug into and read off of the grill. The make thermometers that work with your phone separate than the cooker stand alone on amazon im sure.

Depends what Im doing as to which one I use.

Green mountain pellet grill.Works great for everything.I think I’ve replaced every part on it and they all require parts from time to time.

Very nice Flatlander, did you make that smoker?

Stick burning offset here.

I have an electric smoker and an offset wood/charcoal smoker. As for taste, there really is no comparison between wood and electric. So, when I have time, I prefer using the wood one. That said, I also like my electric one.... especially for long cooks like whole butts or briskets if I have neither the time nor desire to tend a fire.

IMO the only benefit to anything over wood is that is doesn't require constant tending.

Webber smokey mountain cooker natural lump charcoal

I've had a Traeger pellet grill for about 8 years now. I use it pretty regularly and have no issues with it.

My last smoker (don't have it now) was a gas Masterbuilt. It was a verticle smoker and would hold 12 chickens. Smoked a lot of tuna in it.

We used to have a "bring your own chicken" party. Neighborhood couples brought two whole chickens to our house the day before to be brined. I smoked them the following day, and we partied that night. Each couple got a whole chicken to eat and another whole chicken to take home with them.

I've had and used them all. It depends on what I plan on smoking, available time, available fuel sources from charcoal, lump, gas, various hardwood, pellets, etc. and cleanup and effort. :-)

… is that really you in your avatar pic ?

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.

…^^if your bbq pit can throw an error code…. You’re grand master at the San Francisco pride parade far as I’m concerned

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

lol

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.

Hundreds of pounds of meat and all of it taking different cook times

One of funniest videos I've ever seen was put up by Tuffy Stone who is one of those high end competition guys........judges bbq competitions on TV, etc. Has smokers that probably cost in excess of $50,000.........and video in question was smoking food at home.......and for that he used a Weber kettle.

As near as I can tell, a lot of the competition guys do use Weber Smoky Mountain.........and Drum Smokers, which are souped up improved WSM. This is one example.......



Heat from some form of charcoal, plus real wood for the smoke. It is also pretty close to set it and forget it........and will hold steady temps around 275F for about 8 hours.......long enough to smoke big cuts like briskets, pork shoulders, ribs, turkey, etc. About all it won't do is sausage..........can't be kept going at the low temps needed for smoked sausage. About $1,000 for a good one vs. $5K for top end offset. Those are works of art.........but...........

LOL. You apparently missed the post of Wolfie's prime rib though.

Sure did, it’s made out of a water tank on a cement truck.

So aren't you guys actually talking about BBQ'n?
Smoking is about slow and cold, like for jerky and fish; right?

That sounds like "cold smoke".............did a slab of bacon like that a month or so back.

I guess that's what you could call it. Like this.
BTW, Stan's is a better tutorial.


Or this? Except this is terrible weather for smoking, I wouldn't attempt it.

I have a Recteq pellet smoker, an offset smoker and an electric smoker(though it hasnt been used in years as the controller box needs replaced.

The recteq is pretty much set and forget. Its heavier guage steel so temp variations only really happen at startup or when you run out of pellets. When I do ribs, st louis, I do the no wrap and dont have issues with charring on the bone side of the ribs.

My only complaint with it is that it does seem to cook fast even when running it at 225. Mine is a 340 so the the smaller size probably plays a lot into that. So if I look at a recipe that says 5 hrs, I usually figure on 4 unless its a thicker piece of meat without a lot of fat.

My offset is a cheap combo one that has a propane grill on the other side. Again its a smaller one so it can heat up really fast and cool down really fast. I do a have fan that I can plug into the intake so I can regulate the temperature easier. I dont use it much but when I can find good wood to use in it I will.

Lot of the competition guys don't even use the same recipes at home as they do in competition. It's a different ballgame there. It would be.ilt if doing a trap setting competition...we don't set traps at a competition like we do at home on our trap lines.


Competition judges probably wouldn't want to take a urine test the day after a competition because it how sweet the ribs are.


You're going to see everything as far as smokers at competition. Easier to pull a smoker built into a trailer than a bunch of r2d2s or green eggs.

Anything over 180° is cooking to me too waggler. Maybe less for you