smokers
 

I recently decided I need a smoker. I was wondering what everyone thought was the best and why. Should I get gas or charcoal? Standing up type or laying down type?

RE: smokers
 

You forgot to mention electric smokers , and all of them work well to one degree or another . It basically boils down to a question of convenience/mess/capacity . I prefer standup smokers , laydowns take up too much room .

I have a smaller version of this one:
Propane/charcoal smoker

You can operate it with either propane or charcoal , I prefer propane for ease of temperature control and uninterrupted burn time , although I have used it with charcoal before . When using charcoal I prefer lump charcoal over briquettes , but the 3 hour burn time of either is somewhat limiting . When using propane I can either use a 16 oz. bottle for portability or attach a hose and tree to a 20# gas grill bottle for extended cooking . The unit can convert to a tabletop gas grill or even a boiler/turkey fryer burner too . I held a family reunion at my house this past Summer with at least 40 people in attendance , and between that little smoker and 2 gas grills everybody had plenty of dining choices .

RE: smokers
 

also ; WOOD which I have.I can also use charcoal , gas or electric in mine.

most times I turn on the elictric unit to get it warm while I get everything ready , then I turn to charcoal and hickory and hickory nuts to do the smoking.

mine it 4' x3' x3' x 6 1/2' can smoke up to 200lbs or more sasuage.

RE: smokers
 

Thanks for the tip Tree Climber!
I never thought of using hickory nuts , and the tree behind my house has shed bushels of them . :)
Do you crack them first or just leave them whole ?

RE: smokers
 

A real smoker is made of heavy steel and uses real wood. It ought to have two chambers. A firebox for the fire and another chamber that will provide for low temperatures and long smoke times.

I have a bunch of pecan wood that I'm using right now. I use hickory, pecan and occasionally mesquite for beef. The grandsons are on their way here for TDay and those boys love BBQ more than anything. I'll fire up early tomorrow morning and do a brisket and ribs.

RE: smokers
 

Thats a cold smoker. Mainly used for Fish, Lox, Trout etc. For smoking sausage, bacon ,hams, chicken Roll, hotdogs etc. you need to get the temp. up to 160, slowly. you need the heat. An electric smoker fits the bill as far as regulating temp. and smoke.

RE: smokers
 

You Yankees need to broaden your cultural horizons.:D

Real BBQ is a southern thang and smoked meat doesn't come from electric smokers. The temp is controlled by regulating the air supply to the fire and they get a lot hotter than 160. Requires a little more skill than plugging in, but the result is worth the effort. Most cooks smoke meat at 250 degrees.

I gotta go light the fire now.

RE: smokers
 

kevin1 ; I just leave them whole,throw a few in with thw wood or charcoal.you have to remember the nuts will burn like wood.they turn into a hickorynut cole turn red and gets hot. so you don't want to many at a time.
I usually get me a feed sack full (50 to 75lbs.)for later.
after they dry out in a few mo's. I will put them in a bucket full of water for an hr. or two. that way they don't burn so fast.

the meat in the nut really gives the sasuage a good hickory taste.
good luck.

RE: smokers
 

[blockquote]quote:

A real smoker is made of heavy steel and uses real wood. It ought to have two chambers. A firebox for the fire and another chamber that will provide for low temperatures and long smoke times.
[/blockquote]


"Thats a cold smoker. Mainly used for Fish, Lox, Trout etc. For smoking sausage, bacon ,hams, chicken Roll, hotdogs etc. you need to get the temp. up to 160, slowly. you need the heat. An electric smoker fits the bill as far as regulating temp. and smoke. "

I agree with underdog to some extent anyway.

A real smoker uses wood,a offset firebox and is insulated to better maintain the heat. Propane can inpart a "gas" flavor to your meat.

By the way, if you smoke bacon at 160 degree's you are going to end up with a half cooked bacon. Cold smoking is done at about 50 to 75 degree's. I have been country curing and cold smoking 1000's of pounds of bacons and hams for over 15 years so I speak with a little authority on the matter.

RE: smokers
 

I've never had a "gas flavor" with mine , it just tasted yummy . I've also had smoked foods that were made in other propane smokers , never noticed a "gas flavor" with theirs either , even when the meat had no sauce on it . If you're tasting gas then the burner needs cleaning and you shouldn't eat anything else from that smoker until you clean it .

RE: smokers
 

my mistake, my recipe book calls for 135 degrees till the internal temp reaches 128 then to lower to 120 till desired color.


How long does it take at 75degrees?

RE: smokers
 

I agree. I have an old pressure vessel that I got from a job site. It is 8' tall 24" diameter. We built a fire box on the side. The vessel itself is 7/8" thick and once you get it heated up we can hold the temperature the same for over 24 hours with just minor adjustments. The only problem is it is so heavy out tractor wouldn't even pick it up with the bucket so we have to inch it up a couple inches at a time and when we got it stood up that is where it stayed.

RE: smokers
 

"my mistake, my recipe book calls for 135 degrees till the internal temp reaches 128 then to lower to 120 till desired color.


How long does it take at 75degrees? "

Anything over 75-100 degrees is cooking and not cold smoking. If you want to cold smoke I hold my bacons at 75 degrees for about 28 hours. I prefer a more smoky taste others may not. if you want a less smokey taste just smoke it for less hours.
One of the biggest problems people have is not cleaning their smokers out. The creosole builds up on the inside of the smoker and when the smoker gets warm it drips on the meat giving it a very strong almost bitter taste. You should clean your smoker at least twice a year depending on how much you use it. Since I use mine almost everyday I clean my smoker about 4 times a year. If you use your smoker only occassionally you could get away with cleaning it only once per year. By the way I mean clean it by using a pressure washer or a high pressure hose and notjust washing it out.