Gas or Electric?
I am currently in an area that has banned all outdoor wood/charcoal fires (enclosed or not) due to extreme fire danger from no rain and high winds. This also includes pellet smokers/grills. With no break in the weather forecast for the next thousand years or so, I am down to gas or electric that I don't want to spend a fortune on as I already have several of the wood/charcoal varieties that I prefer. My wife has already vetoed using amazen pellets in the kitchen oven/stove so let us not even go there, I am not moving, and I am not going to risk it all breaking the law. So, having read all the reviews if you had to make a choice knowing all that you know about the good, bad, and ugly which one would you choose (gas or electric) and brand?
-
-
Grill or smoker? Camp Chef Vault seems to be a good way to go for a gas smoker.
all in all, I think I’d prefer to go with gas... -
Given your constraint, I would probably go with a gasser, since they're more versatile in terms of temps, accessories, etc. Assuming you want something modestly priced (though hovering around $1000+), that is built to last 1000 years, take a look at the Napoleons and Sabers. I prefer the infrared burners for efficiency and temp handling, so would favor the Sabers. There are reviews of both on-site. I'm sure there are some good other options, and the Weber fans will be out! Good luck!Comment
-
And welcome!Comment
-
Welcome to the Pit! I'm in the same situation and state (Colorado) as you and I went with a gasser (Weber EP-330) because I actually grill more than I smoke. I've got a couple of small electric smokers if I ever find myself in a situation where I can't use my Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) ... but that hasn't happened yet. I suspect that if I were looking for a serious gas vs electric smoker I'd choose gas because I'm thinking you'd have more control over temperature.
As an aside, I notice that you are a former USAF seismic analyst ... AFTAC?Comment
-
Welcome from Indiana!
I would lean towards gas...Comment
-
Although I do not currently use either, I have had an ol electric Brinkmann bullet water cooker. There are many more modern/efficient electrics around, my kiddo an his wife have a Masterbuilt, I think it is...???
Were I in yer situation, I'd choose a gas cooker.
Allow me to explain my logic:
Where yer at, ambient temps an wind can vary wildly over the course of th Seasons, yes???...
I believe a gas cooker can be more readily adjusted to compensate fer th above an aforementioned factors, while many electric ones will jus be balls to th walls wide tf open, an still lose some ground.
There are many here that use one, th other, or both, an I will defer to their experience.
Howdy from Kansas Territory, Neighbour, an Welcome to Th Pit!
Glad to have ya here, to learn along with me!
Comment
-
Assuming you want something that can run the gamut from cooking a steak to smoking a pork butt, it seems like a good gas grill would be the way to go.Comment
-
Comment
-
Max, Thanks. I did, which is why I posted. The electrics all seem to say best for fish, cheese, nuts, etc.., but everyone I have talked with or followed have said gassers don't hold a steady temp very well and tend to misbehave especially in windy conditions, which windy conditions is one of the issues I mentioned. -
While everyone said gas and no one said electric, the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) statistics show that 5 out of 6 fires resulting from outdoor cooking are from gas, with 1 out of 6 coming from a combined electric, charcoal, or wood fuel source of heat. So, I am feeling stuck and needing a fix that only some ribs will cure. Which direction would you go?
-
-
I used an electric vertical smoker and managed some good results. But there are limitations to it. For one, my electric smoker has a maximum temperature setting of 275 degrees. Fine for low and slow....but not quite able to crisp chicken or do hot and fast. The one thing I love about my Primo upgrade (besides it uses charcoal) is the ability to throw a pork roast in and blast it at 325. Basically I have a wood fired oven. My electric just couldn’t go there.
Also if it gets cool at night in your area, an electric may struggle to keep up (depending on insulation of course).
So I suggest gas. Not because I had a gas smoker, but because I didn’t. You can achieve higher heat (if you want), or keep it low and slow.
But if wood fires are strictly banned, how are you going to smoke anything? To get smoke wood has to burn. Even in an electric. Or does the ban specify primary heat source can’t be wood or charcoal. Because there will be a burning wood smell and visible smoke.Comment
-
I realize that pellet grills/smokers don't put off the embers they are concerned with, but all they hear is wood is the heat source. Other than what you mentioned as the limitation for electric, I have only heard that gassers are hard to maintain low and slow and misbehave in windy conditions. -
I have heard the same. Masterbuilt makes a gas smoker with a "thermostat", but I think it is just a regular high/low knob with numbers on it. To get you close. I could be wrong. -
My electric thermostat wasn’t perfectly accurate either, but it was close. It would run hot at first then settle down. But I could compensate with an external thermometer and adjust as needed. If 225 was 10 degrees hot, set it to 215. That sort of thing.
-
-
Sorry to hear of your dilemma. Its crazy to think a pellet smoker could cause a fire, its no more likely than with a gas or electric smoker, or gas grill for that matter. And you will still use chips or chunks in an electric or gas smoker.
Since you are asking about smokers, I figure you must have grilling covered with a gas grill already. I've looked at electric and gas, and if I was going that way, the one I think I would get would be the Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24". It runs from LP, but can be adapted to natural gas as well, and has a sizable capacity, and good reviews. I've seen it for $209 recently in sales both on Amazon and Home Depot websites. Seems I've read that gas smokers tend to give a more authentic smoke profile than electric smokers - maybe its due to more airflow or some such factor.
I hate this for you. I do all my grilling and smoking on a concrete pad, and never have any wood or charcoal that is lit leaving the grill or smoker. And restricting pellet smokers... some places just have too much time to pass insane restrictive ordinances. Not so "free" in this free country are we?Comment
-
Thanks. You are right gas being more dangerous. According to the NFPA, 5 of 6 outdoor cooking related fires come from gas grills/smokers. The number one reason for those fires are improper maintenance and grease fires. -
Good point about the grease fires tstalafuse - I've only ever had those with my Weber Genesis gasser, never with my Weber kettle charcoal grill!
-
-
tstalafuse - Where in Colorado are you located? I'm in Douglas County and we're under a stage 1 restriction ... but when I read through it, there was no mention at all of pellet grill/smokers. Perhaps things are a bit more stringent in your neck of the woods?Comment
-
Yes, those are the current conditions and the concerns. From all that I have read, pellet smokers shouldn't be a concern and propane should since it starts far more fires. -
No ashes or sparks? What will that do to the pot industry? ;-) -
ComfortablyNumb - That's an indoor sport during fire season
-
-
Gas. Weather it be a smoker or grill. I have both gas and electric grills, and I have 2 gas smokers, and HAD (it finally died, it was my grandfathers) an electric smoker. Gas is WAY more versatile. The electric grill is for when it is a terribly stormy day, or my wife wants a burger/steak and I am unavailable, and as a training tool for my kids. The electric smoker did have a nitch. I had outfitted it with an old mercury switch home thermostat, and it was a fish, veggie, and trail mix smoking machine. I now do all of those on my gasser. If you can give some further information (how is it to be used) I may even be able to point you towards a few models.Comment
-
Versatility of Gas would be my choice between those two.Comment
-
Are you looking for a grill or a dedicated smoker? I thought smoker, but maybe I misunderstood...Comment
-
Dedicated smoker. I have a gas grill for flipping burgers when I don't want to take the time to fire up the charcoal grill. -
tstalafuse then I think my advice to look at the Smoke Vault 24" still stands. If you didn't have a gas grill I was going to suggest looking at that with a smoke tube or pouch first.
-
Comment