BBQ Smoker Grill, Build or Buy ??

[kelbro]

The upgrade for the old Brinkmann would be a Weber Smokey Mountain. Fantastic little smokers.

 

[20-practical]

old commercial freeezer, (2) 2000 watt electric heating elements, a bradley smoking unit and Auber temperature contoller.

 

[mikeinct]

old commercial freeezer, (2) 2000 watt electric heating elements, a bradley smoking unit and Auber temperature contoller.
View attachment 1070176 View attachment 1070177

HOLY SMOKES !!!!....mike in Ct

 

[20-practical]

My wife and I do the cooking for our club. We do a cold finger shoot in the middle of February in Minnesota. Gotta have lotsa heat to cook 6 turkeys when its 20 below

 

[Ringostar]

For smoking fish or sausage, I prefer my Masterbuilt electric. I like to make homemade andouille. It also works very well for Christmas prime rib, and smoking chili peppers. I use my Old Country wood burner for pork butts, ribs, brisket and chicken. Something that I do that makes things a lot easier though, is while cooking brisket and ribs, I don’t finish in the pit. When it comes time for the wrap, I transfer the meat to large foil roasting pans and finish in the oven. I don’t have to keep babysitting the wood fire when it’s not getting smoke anyway. Also here is an old restaurant trick that helps maintain moisture and really tenderizes the meat. I pour a can of coke into the roasting pan and cover with foil while in the oven.

 

[Rsadams]

Here , we build them... Get the metal thickness and size of pit you want...

 

[Brians356]

Got to be big enough for a whole pig.

View attachment 1070114

That's what backhoes are for. Whole pig should be cooked in the ground.
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[284winner]

For smoking fish or sausage, I prefer my Masterbuilt electric. I like to make homemade andouille. It also works very well for Christmas prime rib, and smoking chili peppers. I use my Old Country wood burner for pork butts, ribs, brisket and chicken. Something that I do that makes things a lot easier though, is while cooking brisket and ribs, I don’t finish in the pit. When it comes time for the wrap, I transfer the meat to large foil roasting pans and finish in the oven. I don’t have to keep babysitting the wood fire when it’s not getting smoke anyway. Also here is an old restaurant trick that helps maintain moisture and really tenderizes the meat. I pour a can of coke into the roasting pan and cover with foil while in the oven.

Do you smoke the prime rib or just cook it with the heat elements in the smoker ?

 

[JRS]

I have a Masterbuilt smoker with a probe but the probe only gives temperature reading it does not cook

Seems you are out of touch with the times. That factory stuff is notoriously inaccurate. It's very easy to control the heat on a wood/charcoal smoker. Thats what the intake and exhaust vents are for.

 

[Randall Hardy]

A couple years back I smoked a Turkey for thanksgiving on the komado. I used a Perrins blackberry ipa for the liquid in the roasting pan, made the best gravy I’ve ever had.

 

[MrMajestic]

Went through two charcoal smokers that looked like R2D2 and they made some delicious turkeys and briskets. Being a "control freak(it's my job) I never liked not knowing or being able to correctly control. I bought a Green Mountain pellet smoker/grill and absolutely love it! Just two things to add, good pellets burn longer/cleaner and the Green Mountain thermal blanket reduces pellet consumption and is a boon to cold weather smoking. It truely is a set and forget and even has an onboard temperature probe to moniter internal temps. Never going back...

 

[JRS]

As long as you can accurately measure the pull temp, it doesn't matter whether you use the chip smoldering electric, pellet pooper, or a good wood smoker.

 

[Ringostar]

Do you smoke the prime rib or just cook it with the heat elements in the smoker ?

I add smoke. I tried cooking one in my wood fire pit last year. It got a little over cooked though, because I used a new meat thermometer that I hadn’t tested. Big mistake, it’s just like shooting. Things need to be tested! Edit: I prefer the Masterbuilt electric for prime rib. I don’t use a lot of smoke though. Just a small amount of pecan chips every half hour for 3 hours, then I don’t add anymore. Cooking for 5 hours at 250*.

 

[284winner]

Seems you are out of touch with the times. That factory stuff is notoriously inaccurate. It's very easy to control the heat on a wood/charcoal smoker. Thats what the intake and exhaust vents are for.

I have a brand new offset smoker that's charcoal. On Windy days and Breezy days there are flare-ups on charcoal smokers. Past Times or these times regardless that's what wind does when it hits those vent holes on a charcoal smoker. Regardless of how inaccurate or accurate the controls are on my smoker it's made perfect results every time. I guess I'm pretty good with that result. I do get the same results actually better with my charcoal smoker but I'm just not into babysitting every time I Smoke Meats so that's where the electric smoker comes in.

 

[284winner]

I add smoke. I tried cooking one in my wood fire pit last year. It got a little over cooked though, because I used a new meat thermometer that I hadn’t tested. Big mistake, it’s just like shooting. Things need to be tested!

Think I'll try smoking a prime rib roast this holiday season.

 

[Ringostar]

Think I'll try smoking a prime rib roast this holiday season.

Check out my edit. You’ll like the results!

 

[JRS]

My son is a Chef and is having a hard time admitting that an electric smoker really is a decent alternative to charcoal. I think all in all for best smoke flavor and a deep smoke bark on the cut off meat, charcoal is a bit better BUT as I said, the convenience of the electric and reduction of flare ups or loss of heat if unattended Is kinda welcome when you cannot be around watching the charcoal smoker. I'll always have a charcoal smoker to sit around and have a cold beer or 3 watching it while it cooks and smokes my meal but most often I'll plug in the masterbuilt and leave it do it's thing.

Your son is correct. Though an electric smoker is convenient, it too has it's faults.

 

[Zeke 225]

 

[Zeke 225]

My $5.00 smoker from a auction was new when I got

 

[JRS]

Tools of the trade. Your cellphone will let you know when it's time to pull it. Set it and forget it.