Trying to decide on a smoker

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acarter5251

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So I'll be moving to a house in the next month, so that means I can get myself a smoker. I was looking at the master built electric smokers and was wondering which model is best to go with. I've seen a lot of complaints about their generation 2 30" smoker and mostly kind words about the generation 1.

I plan on getting a dual probe thermometer to keep track of the temperature in the smoker rather than using the console on the smoker itself. I also plan on getting an amazen pellet smoker.

Thanks in advance!
 
I bought the Camp Chef 24 propane smoker. Read to many reviews of electronics failing for Masterbuilt and Bradley on planned day to smoke some meat. Propane smokers do need some watching, but failure to work is near nil.

Purchased a couple of extra racks. Can now do six full racks of St. Louis style ribs utilizing the jerky rack for a pair of ribs. Smoker still has room for more racks.
 
How long does it take you to hone in on your temperature with the propane? I just don't want to be fiddling with it all day if I don't have to.

And how long does a tank usually last you?
 
I have a trager Lil Tex I got used that I love. It's been pretty good to me. It's the easy bake over of smokers.
 
I have a traeger also. I've done chicken, baby backs a lot. I also use it as an oven sometimes when I don't want to heat up my house. Works great and the food comes out the same each time.
 
Thanks for posting the link. Malcom and Waylon Reed are my cousins. They have some serious skills...

Powercat said:
I love my Traeger grill and it is almost impossible to ruin a piece of meat. If you want a smoker with more steroids and expense look at the Yoder smoker. Great website for information about smoking meat and different smokers. http://howtobbqright.com/aboutus.html
Click to expand...
 
I have three smokers and can speak from a BBQ judges' perspective:

Masterbuilt is the least expensive. I use mine for cold smoking cheeses but it lacks the ability to produce adequate smoke for a butt or similar. Score about 4 of 10.

Traeger Lil Tex. Very good smoker. Have had for several years. Originally had an analog dial controller but replaced with a digital controller. Very easy to operate. Con is lack of smoke flavor. Not the grill's fault, but wood pellets are extruded with filler and not favor deep. Score 7.5 of 10. Supplement with Amaz-n-Tube for enhanced smoke.

Weber Smokey Mountain 22". Absolutely best smoker out there for the money. Deep smoke ring, perfect bark. Top quality. Con is the inconvenience of charcoal. Score 10 of 10.

(My buddy won the state BBQ championship on a $400 Weber Smoky Mountain if that tells you anything)
 
The Walmart Akron kamado style smoker does a great job. Has some short comings but I can hold temps at 225 for 8+ hours. And it is very affordable.
 
I have two Weber kettles (one 22" and one king ranch), Kamado Joe classic, and an Assassin 17. If you want somebody to spend your money for you, you came to the right place.

Without knowing what you're going to be smoking it would be near impossible to recommend one. What do you currently use? What's your fuel preference? What are you planning on cooking?

Furthermore, are you smoking for the flavor or the experience? Are you after the set it and forget it while you go inside and watch Golden Girls reruns and forget that there's a barbecue happening? Or are you the smell of smoking hickory chunks under a finely marbled standing rib roast while drinking a few beers under the sun kinda guy?
 
14" Smokey mountain griller here.Nothing to compare it to but works great.Theres a reason it got like 2000 positive Amazon reviews
 
FloppyKnockers said:
I have two Weber kettles (one 22" and one king ranch), Kamado Joe classic, and an Assassin 17. If you want somebody to spend your money for you, you came to the right place.



Without knowing what you're going to be smoking it would be near impossible to recommend one. What do you currently use? What's your fuel preference? What are you planning on cooking?
Click to expand...


Currently if I do smoke I have been using a smoker box on my gas grill. I'm looking to do mostly ribs and briskest with my smoker. Maybe fish on occasion.
 
acarter5251 said:
Currently if I do smoke I have been using a smoker box on my gas grill. I'm looking to do mostly ribs and briskest with my smoker. Maybe fish on occasion.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you'd be happy to stay in the 150° to 250° range. Only since you already have a gas grill for burgers and dogs and such, I'd say a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) would be the way to go. Here's a link to check it out LINK
 
Do yourself a favor and stay away from electric smokers if you are a real BBQ enthusiast I had a GMG and a Treager because lets be honest...its easy set it and forget it "smoking". I was willing to pay the extra money for that type of ease if the quality was there. Reality is...there is no smoke flavor your practically cooking them in a oven with this type of cooker...I bet you have an oven inside your new house....

So lets pick out a GOOD SMOKER that you will be happy with and won't be buying another one soon. The Webber smoky is yes..a a very good recommendation.

Also a well built, affordable, and you will get the flavors and seasoning on that badboy you want is the Oklahoma Joe....you will be really happy with an off-set smoker.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/33605961?...66767072&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=86176326992&veh=sem

***NOTE***
I own a MMS 36 water smoker (Myron Mixon)
22-in weber performer deluxe
Weber Genisis stainless steel and gas
Oklahoma Joe off set smoker

My Komado style smoker/grill used it so much it broke ...good grills but limited amount of cook space.

And compete trash I owned was Treager, Green Mountain Grill, and Char Broilers.

I am a true BBQ enthusiasts so take it for what its worth.
 
Have a lot of good to say about the Weber Smokey Mtn. It was my first GOOD smoker and I had some great results but they are finicky in windy environments (which I often had). There are many things that you can do to address that - but I never liked that constant battle. I now own a Big Green Egg XL as well as a Big Steel Keg and a Pit Barrel Cooker. I don't know as I would ever go back from a kamado-style because they just do so much so well. They are pricey though. As a guy who uses them 3 times per week or so (year round) in Michigan... They are pretty much unstoppable even in wicked snow, etc.

The Big Steel Keg is now called the Broil King Keg and I have to say that is my "go to" the most often. It has such thick insulation the outside is barely warm when the grill temp is 400 deg. F! I can go "low and slow" 225 for up to 30 hours or 750 for steaks. I just love that along with the ability to get a stronger smoke flavor than the pellet-style grills. I REALLY wanted a Yoder until I learned that I prefer quite a bit more smoke on my meat than the pellet grills can typically deliver. There are ways around that, too, however.

Just stay away from propane and electric! I've never had results that were worth a crap from those!
 
HLSheppard said:
Have a lot of good to say about the Weber Smokey Mtn. It was my first GOOD smoker and I had some great results but they are finicky in windy environments (which I often had). There are many things that you can do to address that - but I never liked that constant battle. I now own a Big Green Egg XL as well as a Big Steel Keg and a Pit Barrel Cooker. I don't know as I would ever go back from a kamado-style because they just do so much so well. They are pricey though. As a guy who uses them 3 times per week or so (year round) in Michigan... They are pretty much unstoppable even in wicked snow, etc.

The Big Steel Keg is now called the Broil King Keg and I have to say that is my "go to" the most often. It has such thick insulation the outside is barely warm when the grill temp is 400 deg. F! I can go "low and slow" 225 for up to 30 hours or 750 for steaks. I just love that along with the ability to get a stronger smoke flavor than the pellet-style grills. I REALLY wanted a Yoder until I learned that I prefer quite a bit more smoke on my meat than the pellet grills can typically deliver. There are ways around that, too, however.

Just stay away from propane and electric! I've never had results that were worth a crap from those!
Click to expand...

I would agree, you have to decide how often your going to use the grill/smoker. Like him I use mine consistently all year round and so higher price tag grills are worth every cent. If this is a summer hobby or once a month deal you might want to lower your budget.

Green Eggs are fantastic for all the reasons he said but you can drop some change fast.
 
HLSheppard said:
Have a lot of good to say about the Weber Smokey Mtn. It was my first GOOD smoker and I had some great results but they are finicky in windy environments (which I often had). There are many things that you can do to address that - but I never liked that constant battle. I now own a Big Green Egg XL as well as a Big Steel Keg and a Pit Barrel Cooker. I don't know as I would ever go back from a kamado-style because they just do so much so well. They are pricey though. As a guy who uses them 3 times per week or so (year round) in Michigan... They are pretty much unstoppable even in wicked snow, etc.

The Big Steel Keg is now called the Broil King Keg and I have to say that is my "go to" the most often. It has such thick insulation the outside is barely warm when the grill temp is 400 deg. F! I can go "low and slow" 225 for up to 30 hours or 750 for steaks. I just love that along with the ability to get a stronger smoke flavor than the pellet-style grills. I REALLY wanted a Yoder until I learned that I prefer quite a bit more smoke on my meat than the pellet grills can typically deliver. There are ways around that, too, however.

Just stay away from propane and electric! I've never had results that were worth a crap from those!
Click to expand...

Ding! I have had my Big Steel Keg since 2010 and I have smoked (and seared and grilled) just about everything imaginable on it from butts to briskets to burgers to steaks and seafood. I don't mind using lump charcoal one bit and it lasts a very long time. My only quibble with the BSK setup is I wish there was an easier way to add more smoking chips during the cook.

In the past I have used an auberins temp controller with fan when I want to do low and slow which worked great.
 
I'm a Big Green Egg guy, will never go back, don't have to, it comes with a life time warranty.... But my buddy has the Weber Smokey Mtn and his BBQ is almost as good as mine.
 
I've had a Traegar for almost three years now; and have to say it's pretty awesome. Easy to operate, Traegar customer service is great if you ever have to call them. I usually do ribs on mine or pork butts, and end up with a great smoke ring and flavor.

I know they say use traegar only pellets or the warranty voids, but there are better pellets out there with less filler and way better flavor..not to mention half the cost of what Traegar pellets cost. Just don't tell Traegar you're not using theirs :)
 
I bought a steel kamado from Lowe's about four years ago and it has held up great. It won't hold temp below about 225 without mods but I'm happy with it. I keep it on a covered porch and have no issues with rust. I will likely buy an Egg to replace it when it dies.
 
If you are looking for electric set and forget Smokin' It models are amazing. But as stated before electric does not give you a smoke ring. But it does allow you to put your food in, set the temp and come back when its done.
 
acarter5251 said:
How long does it take you to hone in on your temperature with the propane? I just don't want to be fiddling with it all day if I don't have to.

And how long does a tank usually last you?
Click to expand...

I watch the temp and adjust for the first half hour now that I have used the smoker about 8 or 10 times. Ambient temp and wind are the greatest factors for how much tending it takes. The first few times I used the smoker the outside temp wasn't above 40°F. At first it was difficult to balance applied heat for a certain temperature and amount of wood chunks to use for that nice wisp of blue smoke.

Doing ribs in warmer weather there is a lot less tending. Glance out the door once in awhile to look at the temp readout and minor adjustments each hour when it's time to flip the ribs and rotate racks.

Never really kept track on how long a 20 pound tank lasts. Just estimating about 30 to 35 hours of smoking.
 
I picked up a hardly used 18" WSM on Craigslist for a price I couldn't pass up. I had been smoking some shoulders and ribs on an 18" Jumbo Joe for a few years and got tired of being limited. This smoker may be the only model I ever buy again. I would probably get the 22" if I had to buy a replacement.

I mounted it on a 2x2' sheet of plywood with some casters and it is very portable. I broke it down and took it (in my sedan) to a friend's apartment complex and smoked a bunch of ribs over Memorial Day Weekend. Hard to beat that.
 
I've always used wood fired smokers of one kind or another, and have settled on sidebox barrel smokers for now. My dad always switched things around, and tried electric, gas, wood, charcoal. You name it and he's tried it. We both get good results. What I've noticed is that no matter what type you go with, it will give good results. You just have to learn the quirks of the one you choose. They all have some differences. Stick with your choice for quite a while too. It takes time to learn your smoker, and even more time to really get the most out of it. It is a lot like brewing. It takes time to get right, but it's almost impossible to totally ruin the product. Have fun with whatever you choose.
 
Edit- My bad missed the your second paragraph about getting a pellet smoker, so my post is irrelevant. I my defense, I am working nights and went to bed at 7:30 am and got up at 10:00 am for a function at my daughter's school. Running on fumes now!


I'm a UDS (ugly drum smoker) guy. I love it! Holds temps very well, can also use a grill and when done it can snuff the fire out pretty fast to save charcoal/ wood for the next smoke or grill. Pretty cheap to make also.

image.jpeg
 
acarter5251 said:
So I'll be moving to a house in the next month, so that means I can get myself a smoker. I was looking at the master built electric smokers and was wondering which model is best to go with. I've seen a lot of complaints about their generation 2 30" smoker and mostly kind words about the generation 1.

I plan on getting a dual probe thermometer to keep track of the temperature in the smoker rather than using the console on the smoker itself. I also plan on getting an amazen pellet smoker.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I got a masterbuilt 2 years ago and it died after 1 rack of ribs and half way thru a butt. took it back and stayed away. Got a charbroil this march and I love it. Havent done any poultry yet but my kids told me no more ribs for a few weeks. Done butts, real good. Got a brisket to do soon.
 
I've had a Bradley Electric Smoker. I really love it! Only Mod I've done is the Auber PID, which gives more accurate control over temps and the ability to program temp profiles. It makes it pretty much a set it and forget it with a remote thermometer. Only downside is the expense of the wood pucks.
 
I built an ugly drum smoker... under 100 bucks with a new drum.

I can smoke damn near anything and do not have to pay much attention to it.
 
Also, your choice depends on the level of "involvement" you want with the process. If you were doing a butt, this is a long process taking from 10-14 hours if staying lo n slo at 225F or close.

Traeger, Yoder, Fast Eddie or similar is mighty easy, keep pellets topped off go to bed. Digital controller keeps temp adjusted. Mighty easy and low involvement.

Weber Smokey Mtn is best used with a fan blower run by a controller which puffs air on the charcoal for an even temp. BBQ Guru is an example many pros use. Level of involvement is a bit more but the end product is excellent. Wins awards.
 
Amazon had a lightning deal yesterday on the gen 1 masterbuilt 30" electric smoker, so I pulled the trigger on that one. I think it fits my criteria of low cost and easy for the time being.

I'm definitely going to get the A-Maze-N pellet smoker to make things even easier, rather than having to load chips every half hour.

I just want some good smoked meat without having to work too hard
 
I vote for staying away from electric. JMO.
I have several smokers/grills I use regularly.

Stumps>> expensive but it's set and forget

Big Steel keg>> heavy, good and great all around grill/smoker. I've smoked and grilled on this and now it's mainly used as a grill.

Camp Chef Smoke Vault (propane)>> least expensive and not very good. I use it for jerky and times when I need a low heat smoke. I have used it as a second oven so to speak and it's good for that. It is difficult to control temps. The door leaks unless you add a gasket.

My vote is for a WSM. best all around smoker for the money.
 

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