Gas or electric smoker?

I like my Master electric. No problem getting kielbasa or ham to the proper 160 on cold days. Electric controls are a blessing. Just add more cherry wood chips every hour or two and devote your attention to other tasks.

Matercraft is a one element type, and on warm days that element doesn't stay on long enough to generate enough smoke with heavier chunks of wood. I use fully dried fine chips for those days, and less dry larger pieces for cooler days. If you're going to smoke at low temps (salmon or cheeses) I'd consider a Bradley where the smoke generator is independent of the temp control.
 
Ya I'm thinking the electric one would be best. It has a water and chip tray, three shelves and its roughly 34"Hx17Dx16W Brand new in the box 60% off
 
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Of course, you could always go full-bore nuts and get a Big Green Egg.

Friend of mine has one, and it is absolutely incredible.

It was also incredibly expensive.
 
I use a thermostat controlled electrically heated and insulated smoking cabinet that has a separate but fully adjustable electric chip burner cabinet connected to it. Via 6" stove pipe. Can smoke or cook anytime of the year outside. Located in MN that's a 1-plus to be able to do. (Especially during our cold winters.) Why electricity. I believe in the future at some point Environmentalist will have laws passed that will stop all use of charcoal and petroleum products for leisure activity. (because of their carbon monoxide release.) Just my opinion is all. Like so many who have threaded before me here on this subject in their preference of fuels used to smoke with.
 
I also throw wet chunks of wood onto the hot coals, you can't do that with the electric model.
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I'm smoking right now with an electric smoker that I through soaked wood in.....on the element.......that's sitting on top of the lava rock. I've done it since new and it's smoked well for me for a few years.

When the element does go out, I'll use it as a charcoal smoker, but until then, the electric element is doing fine.
 
Yep that "Big Green Egg" is a monster that cooks killer meat, but I can't afford one of those dudes, but and old air compressor tank............;)
 
Smokin-Tex.....all stainless steel, electric, commercial quality.

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Mark

...more pork needed than can be purchased by an individual :rolleyes: They just love causing trouble. We're very quiet, keep to ourselves, always have sensibly volumed get together s and make sure parking doesn't step on any toes. The people across the street are VERY nice. Next door and everyone down our side of the street are trouble.

I've even made sure to be more than generous with my Venison from last deer season to no avail. The funny thing is, they are all trouble makers to each other. The police are on our street regularly now (I know all our our local LEOs and are good friends with a couple of them...but still) We've been here for almost 6 years now. The good ones are mostly older retired fun loving, easy goers that have lived in this neighborhood since the 80s. But there is that hand full that moved in in the last 1-3 years. I've had the one next door call the FD more than once to report "open burning" with "large visible flame" .....I was burning old account papers in a little burner I made from a 30 gal steel drum and some expanded steel. It exceeds ever local ordnance for a burning device...we can have burn barrels too as long as the top has wire over it.
 
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That looks Good Rembrandt. Fer piece out of my price range though. (building a garage this spring and getting 1300ccs of two wheeled fun to go in it are taking $$$ priority:D)
 
Well something interesting happened last night. Talked with a feller who pulls a lot of weight with the town council and over the Vol. FD. Explained my plight to him and was told how "ridiculous" what's been going on is..and "don't worry about it you wont be being harassed anymore, heck get you one of them trailer smokers if ya want....just remember to call me when the ribs are done!"


I win! :D So now my tenacious love of building has all but taken over, and as I type there are 55 gal food grade steel drums in my truck bed. I've all but forgotten about buying one, wood burner here we come (what I truly wanted in the first place, but thought I would never be left alone if I did)...fire up the welder boys!

:cool:
 
Thanks Rembrandt....and FWIW...when I googled "top ten electric smokers" the 'Smokin Tex' was in there. Matters of fact it ranked number two just under the 'Big Green Egg'. But I really like the overall design especially the front door access on the Smokin Tex over the Egg.
Plus, I think the Egg is so expensive they are afraid to post their price on the internet. The only thing I could find when trying to price them was "find a dealer near you".

Glad things are coming together for you BerdanSS.

Are you planning on building an upright smoker outta your bbl.?
 
shortwave

Yes sir I am :D ugly drum in progress.

FYI I'm working our booth at the Indianapolis flower and patio show right now. Guy a few booths down from mine has what looks exactly like the green egg.....but its black :confused: and the tag says $1390 :eek:
 
On a vertical drum smoker, is there any reason I couldn't omit the "fire basket" and just put an airtight door on the front and line the bottom/ 1' of the sides with fire brick? That way I'd just use logs rather than chips water pan and charcoal?...I have access to lots of hickory, apple, peach, cherry and others. Seems most of the big competition guys just burn 2-3" diameter green logs.
 
FYI I'm working our booth at the Indianapolis flower and patio show right now. Guy a few booths down from mine has what looks exactly like the green egg.....but its black and the tag says $1390
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:eek:

Does it come with something in a Hula skirt that serves Mai Tai's while it's smoking?

Makes the Smokin Tex that much more appealing.

On a vertical drum smoker, is there any reason I couldn't omit the "fire basket" and just put an airtight door on the front and line the bottom/ 1' of the sides with fire brick? That way I'd just use logs rather than chips water pan and charcoal?...I have access to lots of hickory, apple, peach, cherry and others. Seems most of the big competition guys just burn 2-3" diameter green logs.
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Might work.

Getting the door to seal tight is the problem. But you can better accomplish sealing tightly if you re-enforce the bbl. door opening and the door by welding 1/16"x 3/4" flat steel around the frames as well as gluing some stove door gasket around the opening.
Too, I'd still keep my fire basket and elevate it a foot or so off the bottom. That way you can drill about 4ea. draft holes in the bottom sides of bbl. under the basket and screw 3/4" black pipe nipple's in the holes(purchase caps for the niples so you can dampen airflow for heat adjustment).

Also take your top lid and drill about eight draft holes evenly spaced in it as well. Buy pipe nipples for them as well. This will let air circulate up through the basket and up through the meat out the top lid of smoker. Again using your pipes plugs in the bottom as well as in the lid to control draft and installing all caps when you're done helps to extinguish coals.

If you put the fire brick on the very bottom of the bbl., chances are the bottom of the bbl. may burn out faster as there will be higher heat on already thin steel.

Check this one out. The only thing I would do differently is elevate the burning basket from the sides higher. Again, for draft purposes.

http://howtobbqright.com/udssmoker.html
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Once you get your coals burning, you could then put in larger chunks of wood.

Almost forgot, most vertical bbl. smokers burn hotter towards the center of the bbl. Drilling the vent holes in the lid about 3-4 inches from the outside ring on the lid helps even the temp out.

Also, mount your thermostat on bbl about 2/3rds up side just under your lowest rack(if using two racks).
 
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I was planing on cutting the door out on the smoker barrel, cutting a larger door out of a 2nd barrel I bought...then welding the two plates together to make it overlap the hole in the barrel and so it will be more rigid.

Does anyone paint the inside of their barrels with ceramic paint or grill coating? I burned the heck out of it last night to clean it (man did that burning lime juice stink). I'm going to blast it out today, but was thinking...won't the clean exposed steel on the inside rust pretty bad?
 
I was planing on cutting the door out on the smoker barrel, cutting a larger door out of a 2nd barrel I bought...then welding the two plates together to make it overlap the hole in the barrel and so it will be more rigid.
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Great idea...also keep in mind about installing some wood stove door gasket around the door.

Does anyone paint the inside of their barrels with ceramic paint or grill coating?
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Would highly recommend NOT painting the inside of the bbl. with anything.

What I would do is once I got the inside of the bbl down to the bare metal is coat the inside with lard or cooking oil, light some coals getting it as hot as possible and let it season for 4-5hrs. Also if there is going to be long periods of time between use's, you can put some cooking oil in a spray bottle and spray the inside down for storage. Then when you re-fire at next use, you will be re-seasoning. Same as a cast iron pan.
 
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