To gas or not to gas. Need opinions.

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vegassmokeout

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jul 18, 2011
207
10
Las Vegas
Ok here is the deal.  For years I have used charcoal side firebox smoker and have enjoyed but its time.  I dont like staying up all night and babysitting it on long smokes.  I want to go with a cabinet (MAS 40 maybe) so that I can fire it up, settle it in and know that in 3 or 4 hours i can come back and its the same. 

So I cant deside between gas or electric.  Gas is cheaper to start but fuel.  Im worried about electric with lack of smoke.  Now living in vegas do I have to worry about cold weather smoke as it doesnt get "that" cold here.  I would be buying an AMNDS to roll with it but also want to do no to min mods.  Just want to smoke until FD shows up for dinner.  Any input would help.  Thanks and happy smoking. 

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Luke.... come to the dark side! Feel the WSM within in you!

I too had the Char-griller side firebox smoker, and got tired of having to constantly tend it, then a co-worker of mine turned me on to the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM). I picked up the 22.5" WSM at a local retailer and have never looked back!

It is a charcoal smoker (I just really like the flavor I get from charcoal and wood), but it is so efficient that it will burn approx. 1 hr. for each lb. of charcoal you start with. In the case of the 22.5" you can fit an entire 20 lb. bag into the fire ring - so in the warm summer months I have ran for 22+ hrs. at 225° on one load!.... winter months it's more like 15 hrs. on the same load.

I call my WSM the set-it-and-forget-it smoker. If I want brisket for dinner on Sunday evening I light my smoker at 11:30 on Saturday evening, meat goes on at midnight, I get the temps set where I want them...... and go to bed for 6 or 7 hrs. Get up pad out to the back porch, check my chamber temp (adjust if needed - usually not), and proceed to go about my day. Starting around noon on Sunday I check my internal temps and usually am pulling the brisket out between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. Couple of hours rest in the cooler and dinner is served! All with very little input from me tending the smoker!

To top it off the WSM works that well right out of the box, no mods, no tweaks, just plain works!
 
John is right , if done with the babysitting , Gas is good, however send for an AMNPS , you'll be glad you did.

A lot of Watt burners won't go high enough for some cooks.
 
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