Hello from Plum Hollow! On our organic farm we raise pastured pigs. We want to learn how to smoke meat from our pigs starting with bacon. We have looked at all kinds of reviews on smokers and need some advice!
We will be doing one pork belly at a time. Another farmer is using a 16" Masterbuilt Pro and they find it a bit narrow - they have to cut the belly up in order to fit. I'm thinking propane because we can set up the unit wherever it works best and not have to babysit it too much. Space is not really an issue. We will not be doing any competitions but will probably experiment with smoking other cuts of pork , turkey and chicken. Bacon making, however, is what is motivating this purchase.
Our general rule-of-thumb is to purchase something relatively inexpensive but adequate for our needs, learn on it, and then either purchase of fabricate something based on what we learned.
So..... what smokers do you suggest?
We will be doing one pork belly at a time. Another farmer is using a 16" Masterbuilt Pro and they find it a bit narrow - they have to cut the belly up in order to fit. I'm thinking propane because we can set up the unit wherever it works best and not have to babysit it too much. Space is not really an issue. We will not be doing any competitions but will probably experiment with smoking other cuts of pork , turkey and chicken. Bacon making, however, is what is motivating this purchase.
Our general rule-of-thumb is to purchase something relatively inexpensive but adequate for our needs, learn on it, and then either purchase of fabricate something based on what we learned.
So..... what smokers do you suggest?