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Choosing a smoker???

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    #16
    I’ve read through the thread and you got some great suggestions. But, I actually think you should back up a step and really work your way through this so that you end up with something you really want and like and enjoy for years to come

    Here’s some guidelines to a good outcome that I have used when I was choosing both cookers that I currently own.

    - What is my budget
    - How long do I plan to own this
    - How much cooking capacity do I need
    - Is this a multi-purpose, do it all cooker? Or is it just for smoking, just for direct heat grilling, etc
    - How complicated do I want things to be? Am I tending fire every 30 minutes? Or do I want to set it up and be able to leave for the day, come home and my food is done? Or something in between?
    - what flavor profile do I enjoy? True live fire smoke? Charcoal plus smoke? Light or heavy on the smoke and fire taste?
    - How much learning curve do I want?
    - How much space do I have?
    - what sorts of stuff do I want to cook on this? Straight forward backyard stuff like pork butt and ribs? Or am I doing brisket, hanging my own sausage, cold smoking fish, cooking pots of beans on it?

    Once you’ve got that on paper, then help us help you by giving us that information, too. Maybe narrow it down to 3 or 4 cookers that you have researched and look like they may fit the bill. Someone here will have them and be able to chime in with information about the particular grill or smoker.

    :-)

    Comment


    • klflowers
      klflowers commented
      Editing a comment
      Wow. You are suggesting he think things through? Now that is a novel concept. I usually buy then wonder what the heck was I thinking? Nothing, apparently lol

    • FireMan
      FireMan commented
      Editing a comment
      BTW smokyYank , that is ecowper with his automatic cooker.

    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      FireMan you are trying to get me in trouble again

    #17
    Good advice above. Here is my two cents for the penny it’s worth.

    1. Keep the Mak and get a WSCG or ceramic Kamado. You would have a very nice cooking combo.

    2. Fix rust on Mak sell it and upgrade to new all stainless or alumanized Mak.

    Comment


      #18
      EGADS! I think it's easier deciding on a new car than a new smoker!

      Thanks, all. Want to make a small clarification.

      When I said I tend to like "vertical", I meant those with a door on the side and shelves, like a fridge. Isn't it difficult to use a bullet type where you have to take everything out the top and put stuff back in, one layer at a time? What do you call the "fridge" type?

      Are there any flavor advantages to any particular type; e.g. pellet vs. electric (with added chips)? I really don't want to go charcoal, even though it probably gives the best flavor. Does that make me unworthy of this group? LOL

      @its: the temp swings were over time with the sensor in the middle of the grate, as you guessed. But still, if food is all over the grates wouldn't we expect to get consistent temps? Or is the 20F swing due to natural fluctuations between dying embers and fresh pellets being added, kinda like when your house furnace goes on and off (although that swing is usually only around 1-2 degrees).

      glitchy - smoke tube sounds like a great idea; could also use it on my gas grill if I wanted just a tad of smoke.

      @LA: aren't most kamados vertical and bullet-like, so there's just one level for food?

      JCBBQ - yes, indeed. I feel kinda foolish having forked over $1K for the used MAK. That's why I'm so reluctant to spend another $700 on it. Silly thing is, it has less capacity than my old vertical (with shelves);

      @tripleB: couldn't find details on how the BBQ guru works. Sounds like you re-wire the original system into this controller? How difficult is that? BTW, MAK was not listed in their pull-down list of brands and models...

      @cowper: DUH, sounds like you nailed it! Here are my answers to your very logical (and necessary) questions.

      First, I have a gas grill that I love and use for everything not low-and-slow. So I want ONE unit for this.

      Now to your questions:

      - What is my budget - about $1K or so

      - How long do I plan to own this - for the rest of my life! (is 10-20 years asking too much)?

      - How much cooking capacity do I need - Typical cook size is 3 racks of ribs and a pork butt or a brisket.

      - Is this a multi-purpose, do it all cooker? Or is it just for smoking, just for direct heat grilling, etc - smoker only (low and slow)

      - How complicated do I want things to be? Am I tending fire every 30 minutes? Or do I want to set it up and be able to leave for the day, come home and my food is done? Or something in between? If there's a scale for tending difficulty, and charcoal is a 10 and a pellet smoker is a zero, between about zero and two. That's what I loved about the electric smoker; all I had to do was add wood chips every hour, but if I didn't have to do that, all the better (pellets?)

      - what flavor profile do I enjoy? True live fire smoke? Charcoal plus smoke? Light or heavy on the smoke and fire taste? EGADS! I love flavor, so the charcoal won that debate. Live fire and charcoal lose out on automation. And a gentleman mentioned a smoke tube for added smoke, if needed. That I can deal with!

      - How much learning curve do I want? Great question. I guess in the long run it could be steep as long as I can more-or-less master it. If the manual is 500 pages long, probably not for me. I'm hoping that if you guys have my back I can do just about anything! I don't mind reading manuals, and yes, I keep a detailed cooking log (gee, ya think I might be just a little bit anal?)

      - How much space do I have? The boss (not pit boss, but the REAL boss) likes a small one like the fridge type, but she already grudgingly OK'd having the MAK on our 2nd deck so it's not visible from the main deck.

      - what sorts of stuff do I want to cook on this? Straight forward backyard stuff like pork butt and ribs? Or am I doing brisket, hanging my own sausage, cold smoking fish, cooking pots of beans on it? Generally straightforward stuff: pork butt, ribs, brisket, long-time cooks; and the occasional short time like smoked shrimp or crawdaddies, but I guess I could do that on my gas grill using indirect heat and a smoke tube. I do not need a stove accessory; I can heat anything in the kitchen. No homemade stuff like sausage, probably not going to cold smoke fish (I think Meathead suggested this can be a recipe for foodborne illness if you're not super careful)

      Thank you again SO MUCH for getting me to think about these characteristics.

      Can't wait to hear what y'all have to say, other than "give it up and go eat barbecue out" LOL










      Comment


      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        The kind with a door and shelves is a cabinet smoker maybe? I've seen a few like that fired by pellets. A lot of cabinet vertical charcoal smokers (usually NOT cheap), and a few offset types with a firebox to the side.

      • LA Pork Butt
        LA Pork Butt commented
        Editing a comment
        With an expander you can do two levels. I was also under the impression that the volume you were cooking was relatively small. If you want to stay away from charcoal Visions makes a gas adapter, so you could learn on gas and go on to charcoal if you choose. There is no perfect cooker, so go with what hits the most of your wants and needs.

      • FireMan
        FireMan commented
        Editing a comment
        So you only plan to live fer 10 or 20 years eh? We feel fer ya.

      #19
      Most pellet grills have temp swings of 20-30 degrees, my Chimp regularly swings about 30 degrees. The Grilla pellet grills have dual mode controllers that allow temp swings in one mode for more smoke and PID mode that runs at a constant temp.

      I am a Weber Smokey Mountain fan, I have had one (actually I am on my second one) for at least 20 years. My first one would have lasted longer but I abused it and let the barrel get out of round. It is short and squat, but once it is loaded and set I don’t fool with it. It is 18”, and I can get a few racks of St Louis racks on it cut in half with a rib rack, 14-16 lb briskets squeezed in (brisket lengths are a challenge), a couple butts, and I have done a 20lb turkey. I can run it ~14 hours at 225 without a fan assist - I have an old Cyber Q fan that I use once in awhile. With the fan I can get a couple extra hours. It has 2 grates but I rarely use the lower one because I generally only cook for 2, and because of the temp differential between the grates and my anal tendencies I swap food from the lower to the upper grate during cooks, which is a pain in the rear. They make a 22” model that has more real estate.

      Charcoal and wood chunks should not be ruled out, I am a WSM fan, but there are plenty of charcoal/wood smokers that are set and almost forget out there. Lots of Pit Barrel Cooker fans around here, OK Joe Bronco, various kettle combinations (I can also set up my kettle/sns to run low and slow, but I generally use the wsm just cause I love the little inanimate object).
      Last edited by klflowers; May 18, 2021, 07:32 AM.

      Comment


      • Panhead John
        Panhead John commented
        Editing a comment
        What he said☝️☝️☝️
        I have a WSM as well as an OJ Bronco. Love em both. The WSM 22” would be a good choice for you, lots of real estate. Most people will agree the charcoal and wood chunks will give you a better smoke/flavor combination than a pellet grill. The WSM is pretty easy to maintain constant temps without babysitting. Also, for most long cooks a 20* or 30* temp swing isn’t that big a deal.
        Last edited by Panhead John; May 18, 2021, 07:52 AM.

      #20
      Based upon several comments above, I see two options that satisfy most of your requirements. 1. Keep the MAK and figure out getting more smoke 2. A Stainless Electric Smoker - CookShack Smokette, Smokin Tex, or Smokin-It.

      First concern I see. Plus or minus 20 degrees in just about any cooker is great. My charcoal smokers even do this with a automatic temperature controller 'running' them as the controller speeds and slows the fan to keep the desired temps. You should put your remote thermometer in your oven and watch it's temp for a couple hours. The electric smokers will probably do the similar as the thermostat turns on and off the heating element.

      Desire for effort: Based upon your scale and desired effort, there's not too many other designs that fit in the 0-2 category, maybe other members will think of others I'm not considering.

      10-20 years: Most of the propane/electric smokers are focused on entry level customers. So they are built cheap to sell cheap. The 3 I listed are 3 I am aware of built to last and still should come in under your budget. If the cart on your MAK is just cosmetic rust and isn't to the point where it's structurally compromised, MAKs are designed to last decades.

      BBQ Guru: You don't put this on a MAK, it's a fan system for an otherwise manual charcoal/wood smoker. Kettle, Kamado, Weber Smoky Mountain, etc.

      Now for some pros and cons to my two suggestions:
      1. Electric Smoker: Very very easy to use. You don't use chips with the ones I suggested, but rather add only 2-3 small chunks of wood (like the size of a hotel bar of soap double high). The 2 drawbacks in my opinion are that it's easy to over smoke food on them as they run on very low air flow and it's hard to do poultry well as most of them top out at a 250-275 max temp.

      2. MAK. You would first need to see if you can get acceptable smoke for your desires. Then you'd have to do some maintenance work on the cart and buy a few pricey upgrades. However, if it will meet your smoke desires, it's about as easy as any cooking gets, pretty much set and forget like an electric. All of the parts are designed to be replaceable, so you should be able to make it last as long as you desire.


      Comment


        #21
        smokyYank I am late to the game on this discussion, but I am with glitchy 's last advice to you on this one.

        Based on your desire for ease of use, I do not see a charcoal or wood fired smoker being for you. More setup at the beginning for any charcoal smoker, and an offset requires feeding the fire every 30 minutes. And to be honest, I've been less than impressed with straight electric smokers over the decades (thinking Masterbuilt, junk like that). This all points to a pellet smoker being the way to go.

        While Pit Boss, Camp Chef and some others make a "cabinet style" pellet smoker, the fact is, with the Mac you already have one of the Cadillac's of the pellet grill world already, and if you can get it tweaked to produce the level of smoke you are used to, that is the best way to go. And with glitchy advising that, I would listen. He has been on a journey over the past several years in search of the best pellet smoker, and I believe has gone through about a dozen pellet smokers, buying and selling them, until settling on the Mak.

        Comment


          #22
          smokyYank great answers and really helpful. I personally think that glitchy nails it for you. I tend to agree that a pellet smoker is the way to go, based on your desire of little to no fire tending. Something like a Weber Smokey Mountain could work for you as well, but is not nearly as automated.

          Comment


            #23
            While I don’t disagree with the suggestion of a pellet smoker, a Kamado equipped with a Smobot can be left alone for 14+ hours with temperature swings of less than 10 degrees either side of your target. Your kitchen oven is set for 25 degree swings either side of the target. It will accomplish everything on your above list, and if you can do it in your kitchen you can do it on a Kamado.

            Comment


              #24
              Nobody mentioned the KBQ. Since you don't want to have to attend every 25 minutes, you would want to avoid it. However, for $1500, all stainless, adjustable smoke profile, 'refrigerator' style food chamber, minimal footprint, easy to learn, etc, it's worth a look. If for no other reason than to expand your horizons?
              [rev_slider alias=”slider” order=”1,2,3,4,6,7,5,8,9,10,11,23,17,18,19,20,21,22,12,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42″][/rev_slider] After leading tours of over 230 commercial barbecue establishments across the country, I can say that the Karubecue: 1) Meets our rigorous standard of a traditional, wood-fired barbecue pit; and 2) Eliminates the barriers to making consistently great finished product. From our… keep reading

              Comment


                #25
                Gonna get a ton of answers here, but here is my go. I use a Primo XL for smoking. Got pulled pork going now, set up to run overnight and Im on hour 12 now. Its almost done. Nothing to rust on it, its ceramic and the metal parts are stainless steel. Except the lid hinge springs, they are not stainless but I believe the hinge was improved after I got mine. I do use a controller (BBQ Guru), but with that thing I just punch in what I want it to do and that is it. I also built my own table, so nothing there to rust. It was around $2k for everything, it would be more today just because lumber prices are so crazy even if the Primo cost the same (I suspect they have gone up too, given I bought mine years ago).

                Ceramic cookers are also very efficient. Nothing is better insulated, and once heat soaked they will hold an amazingly constant temperature for as long as you want. External environmental factors do not seem to matter much, or at least they matter a lot less compared to other things. I do not get snow, but I have grilled in tropical storm conditions because no power in the house and I had hot dogs in the fridge. Got a bit wet, but it worked.

                There are a LOT of options out there. Good thing about this club is everyone has something. So you can get opinions from a fairly wide area.

                Comment


                  #26
                  I would agree with glitchy as well. The 2-star MAK smoker meets your requirements very well. I think some experiments to improve the smoke flavor and investing in the upgrades will leave you with a smoker that will last decades and be continually upgraded over time. That is pretty cool to be honest as newly all smokers are designed to not be upgraded with new parts as they are available.

                  There are also extra shelves for the MAK to add capacity and WiFi capabilities too.

                  With regard to pellets, are you using Lumberjack hickory or charcoal pellets? Another brand is Cookin Pellets and both could reduce your pellet consumption and add more smoke flavor.

                  For many pellet smokers, a lot of folks start the cook at 180 or 200 for a few hours to add smoke and then ramp up to 275 to finish out the cook.

                  You have an outstanding smoker and grill that you bought used so you got a deal but these upgrades sound worth it to me.


                  Comment


                    #27
                    PBC, 26 Weber kettle fitted with SnS, 22 Weber smokey mountain

                    Comment


                      #28
                      I have only 3 things to say. Again. P B C. $350.

                      Comment


                        #29
                        You can always order pizza!

                        Comment


                          #30
                          Wow, wow, and more WOW!

                          Thank you all so much for your suggestions.

                          Methinks it makes sense to work the MAK for a while and see if I can tweak it. Thankfully these forums will be archived in case it doesn't work out and I can re-read through the suggestions.

                          Thanks again to all.

                          Comment


                          • ItsAllGoneToTheDogs
                            ItsAllGoneToTheDogs commented
                            Editing a comment
                            I still think it would be very helpful if you took a few pictures of the MAK, exterior and interior and posted in the MAK sub-forum so we can help you better with your MAK. Also, you don't HAVE to upgrade the controller to the newer one, they still should be able to update the firmware for free or shipping only at least. Though I think the firmware assumes you have the flamezone upgrade.

                          • glitchy
                            glitchy commented
                            Editing a comment
                            As ItsAllGoneToTheDogs says, several of us would be happy to try to help you out. I saw a while back in another thread you mentioned your MAK already had a FlameZone installed, Curious to what besides the controller MAK wanted to sell you? Also, curious to what kind of pellet consumption you are seeing? Should be around a pound an hour at 225.

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