quote:

Originally posted by Chief1200:

quote:

Originally posted by sig77:

https://www.smokin-it.com/

Sig77: Overall, how would you rate your smoker? I have an older propane smoker on last leg. Do you recommend the Smoke it?
THANKS

I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I really wanted a cook shack, but they are pretty spendy, so I talked to a friend who had the smokin it and he loved it and I concur. The only thing I would change is get a bigger size. I got the 2 and it works great most of the time, but about once a year, I need more capacity for a big cookout I have and have to do ribs on a Webber to accommodate. The other thing I found is wood chips work better than chunks on this one in my experiences.

quote:

I used to have a BGE and left it alone a few times but anytime you have potential grease coming off the food right onto the flame you can have a runaway and there are plenty of ceramic cookers that have cracked so I wouldn't really trust that.

Ever heard of a "drip pan"?
FWIW, the vast majority of good BGE cooking is done indirectly not over flames.
Of course there are exceptions for some items and searing of course.

I've used pellet smokers for about 11 years. Have no issue letting them cook by themselves during the day or at night.

I do a TON of 24 hour cooks. The thing I like most about pellet smokers is I have really good control over the amount of smoke generated.

I used a Traeger for 10 years and bought a REC TEC last year. The Traeger has been kind of like a chevy 350 for me. Over the years I did a lot of mods to it: Faster auger, programmable PID controller, wifi temperature probes that are tied in to the PID controller. It still works just fine but I wanted a new and larger smoker.

The REC TEC is pretty nice and a good value. I'm not super crazy about their controller and may end up putting my own on it but out of the box it is good for 99% of the semi-serious smokers out there.

For my friends that want to smoke every now and then and also grill I tell them to get a GMG Daniel Boone. They even make a pizza oven insert for it that works pretty well. I just remove my heatshield and do it that way. Pellet smoked pizza is sublime.

RSBOLO, you are the only person (besides a couple of guys who travel the competition circuit) that I've heard owning a CookShack smoker. A lot of my restaurant friends use them but they are pretty seriously priced. They are worth it, just beyond what my needs are.

Mark

Chief1200...

I have had my Smokin-It 3D (without the wifi) for a couple of years now. I would rate it a 9/10.

The digital control takes a little getting used to (at least it did for me), but once you have the hang of it, it's awesome. You can set it to go through 6 programs in a single smoke...ie, when the meat temp reaches a certain degree, shut down, or decrease in temp; you can set it to maintain a temp for a certain amount of time, etc. I realize a lot of electric smokers do this. Some of the purists frown upon electric smokers, and no, I don't get the pretty smoke ring, but I don't care...I'm all about the taste when it's finished.

The Smokin-it unit is heavy duty and well constructed...built to last. And the thing is air-tight, with compression hinges to close it. I researched the heck out of electric smokers, and kept returning to this one. If you read about it, you'll see, repeatedly, that the "pros" stress to leave the thing closed while it works...no need to open it, spritz the meat, foil it, put it back in, etc. It really seems to require minimal amounts of wood too.

I'm continuing to learn with it, and so far, I've smoked whole chickens, hams, wings, a brisket, ribs, a TON of butts, etc. I can honestly say that everything has turned out great and juicy.

The best way that I can rate it...when it dies, I will order another one (or the replacement parts) the same day.

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
GMG Daniel Boone

That's what I use.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
GMG Daniel Boone

That's what I use.

Me to. Easy Easy. And, I have the optional Pizza Oven that make wonderful Pizza at 700 degrees.
Mike

I am looking at the RecTec pellet grills. Hearing great things about them. They are made to be left alone cooking low and slow. Keep an eye on things via your phone and you’re good to go.

Black wants to leave his house for a couple of hours. Can those of you who "keep an eye on things" with your internet connected smokers explain how this helps if the smoker catches fire? I know that's not supposed to happen and I assume they are designed to minimize the possibility, but lots of things aren't supposed to happen and do anyway.

I have cameras around my house to keep an eye on things. Right now, there's a squirt gun floating in my pool and I can't do anything about it because I'm not there.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
Rec Tec grill here. Wouldn’t hesitate to leave it unattended. I used to plop a pork shoulder in the Traeger at 11PM and fill the hopper and go to sleep. Wake up the next morning and top off the hopper until noon.

I got rid of the traeger last year and upgraded to the Rec Tec.

I use the WiFi all the time to turn it on remotely and monitor temperature. It works great.

Tony.

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You are the first SF member that I have seen post about having a Rectec, I have one as well and it's great!! I had a Walmart version of a Trager but hated it, I found Rectec and never looked back!

Weber Kettle with a charcoal snake. As long as it isn't under an awning or porch I would have no issue leaving that setup going while I'm gone.

I use a brinkman or what ever branded R2D2 looking charcoal smoker,

I plan my time when smoking anything ,

place in secure place (concrete patio)
light up a chimney, add to smoker etc etc,
add food once hot,

then go off and do something,
as in clean the garage, do the dishes, work in the garden, cut the grass, etc etc


I have left it, after checking it to make sure it has plenty of charcoal, for a short time to go up the street to grab lunch or something,,

rarely gone more than an hour,,, usually 1/2, and never an issue

I've used my Weber kettle for overnight smokes, using the charcoal snake method and placing it out in the middle of the yard away from anything else. I'll go check on it a few times, but I've never felt that it was unsafe to just let it go.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
Weber Kettle with a charcoal snake. As long as it isn't under an awning or porch I would have no issue leaving that setup going while I'm gone.

With hardwood charcoal, correct? I read about this last summer, but didn’t have the charcoal. It’s on the list for this summer.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
Weber Kettle with a charcoal snake. As long as it isn't under an awning or porch I would have no issue leaving that setup going while I'm gone.

With hardwood charcoal, correct? I read about this last summer, but didn’t have the charcoal. It’s on the list for this summer.

I use briquettes for my snakes (Stubbs All Natural) due to how you can stack and arrange them like little bricks.

Lump charcoal just doesn't work for a snake.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Black wants to leave his house for a couple of hours. Can those of you who "keep an eye on things" with your internet connected smokers explain how this helps if the smoker catches fire? I know that's not supposed to happen and I assume they are designed to minimize the possibility, but lots of things aren't supposed to happen and do anyway.

I have cameras around my house to keep an eye on things. Right now, there's a squirt gun floating in my pool and I can't do anything about it because I'm not there.

Well, in my case, it would just burn down. It sits on a concrete pad that is not attached to the house or deck. I've done hundreds of overnight cooks and had 1 issue with the flame getting blown out on a very windy night. Low temp alarm went off and I fixed it ASAP. There is very little fuel at any one time so not a lot too be worried about.


Mark

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

I use briquettes for my snakes (Stubbs All Natural) due to how you can stack and arrange them like little bricks.

Lump charcoal just doesn't work for a snake.

Thank you. I'll pick up a bag or three on the way up north. I remember now that's why I didn't try it last summer, nobody within 70 miles carried the right kind of briquettes and it was too late to have it shipped.

I have a GMG Daniel Boone that I leave unattended all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
Weber Kettle with a charcoal snake. As long as it isn't under an awning or porch I would have no issue leaving that setup going while I'm gone.

With hardwood charcoal, correct? I read about this last summer, but didn’t have the charcoal. It’s on the list for this summer.

Ditto what PASig said. Works like a champ.

You sir are evil. Pure evil. I'm hungry now.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
You sir are evil. Pure evil. I'm hungry now.

Old pic... But I can still taste 'em. They were fantastic...