I wasn't sure where to put this post, so here we go.
My first smoker was charcoal, veritcal unit. Good flavor, but a PITA to keep the temp constant. And it rusted through after a few years.
Trying for more automation and consistent temps, my 2nd was electric, also vertical. Had a special side gizmo where you could add the wood chips so you didn't have to open the main door. Liked it a lot, but was a little put off by having to keep the chips stoked, and then it started rusting out as well.
Hoping to get into the "big leagues" I bought a used MAK stainless steel pellet smoker. Great, the base isn't stainless so it's rusting out. First couple of tries smoking were OK but I seem to be burning a LOT of pellets and frankly, not getting as much smoke flavor as my prior one. Temps swing pretty wildly, too (as based on the use of a Thermo 2-channel unit), but overall, gets the job done. BTW I emailed the MAK folks about it, and they'd love to sell me about $700 worth of upgrades to make the temps more consistent and use a little less fuel. Gee, thanks!
So, oh wise ones, how does one choose amongst ALL the different kinds of smokers we have these days? I'm strictly amateur, I make relatively small batches (e.g. 3 racks of ribs and one pork shoulder together), and would like some degree of automation. I lean towards vertical units because they have a much smaller footprint than the barrel-shaped ones; but I do have to bend down to tend to them.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
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