Electric Smokers question

[cwain8845]

Hello all!

New to this site! I am Chris from New Orleans and living in Baton Rouge area now. I have been smoking meat for a couple of years now (Smoke Vault 24') and loving it.

I have a question about electric smokers. I do not use them but my step-dad likes to set it and forget it. He had a MES for a couple of years and just recently went out on him. Have any of these generic electric smokers improved over the years or do they all just keep having parts breaking?

We were looking to buy him a new one for christmas, but not everyone wants to spend a fortune on one. Need some pointers to persuade them to getting smoking tex or something around that caliber if these generic ones are still the same.

TIA!!

[Shane Rakow]

Welcome to the Pit, Chris! Generally speaking, you tend to get what you pay for. Heavier construction, higher quality electronics, and performance tend to rise with cost. Perhaps a pellet smoker would be in order for your step-dad?

[cwain8845]

I was thinking about one of those. The cost of the smoker will be split between 4 of us and no one else really knows about smokers or anything pertaining to smoking. They think 6-$700 is outrageous for a smoker. Any recommendations on a pellet?

[Shane Rakow]

Depends on your budget, and how avid you folks are at smoking. Yoder YS640, and Rec Tec will last, and last. More economical ones, Greeen Mountain, Camp Chef, and Cabela's are readily available, but again, there are qualities that aren't quite as high with the more affordable ones.

[Shane Rakow]

Maybe, convince the whole crowd to try a different approach. A PBC for $299 shipped may seem like a walk on the wild side, but affordability is something you have been alluding to. Awful good products are coming out of this affordable cooker.

[Spinaker]

I would look into a Pit Barrel Cooker. They are as close to set and forget as you can get, with out spending the extra cheddar for a pellet smoker.

At $300 delivered, ready to go out of the box.......its a tough deal to beat. In my opinion, its the best rig on the market dollar for dollar. You can also cook a lot more meat that you could on the cheapest Treagar. Plus it uses Kingsford Blue and White, which is by far the most popular and widely stocked charcoal brand in the world. So its easy to find fuel no matter where you are. And there is nothing to break or fall apart on the PBC. (No controllers, heating element etc.)

[Shane Rakow]

Just saw this post after I was busy chicken pecking out my PBC comment!

[MBMorgan]

Check out all the ratings and reviews of pellet smokers here: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...el_tid%5B%5D=3

(and welcome to the Pit!)

Edit: Just saw Spinaker's reply ... +1 on the PBC alternative. It's pretty amazing.

[fuzzydaddy]

cwain8845 Welcome! We'd love to get an intro from you over in the Introduce Yourself channel when you get a minute. Thanks!