Choosing the right smoker! Need help

Louisprose said:

Hi there I live in the UK. I am very new to smoking meat so I have a lot to learn! I am going to be smoking brisket on a semi commerical scale for a food business. I need a smoker that can be left with little maintainence. I have had my eye on the cookshack sm070 (sm066 in USA) but do not want to rush into buying due to the cost and my lack of knowledge. I have also seen the brand beelonia which is cheaper but I have no idea if they are of the same quality or even used for the same purpose. Need a smoker that can be left overnight for example to smoke 4 or so briskets at a time but also consistantly produce good quality. Also preferably electric as it will be used inside my house.

Any help or advise would be massively appreciated!

Thanks

Louis

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I'm no expert on semi-commercial cooking. There's a member here called Old Sarge who bought a dinged Cookshack Amerique SM066 for a bargain price and loves it. He'd be the guy to talk CS with. I can't afford one.

There was a guy also from the UK who posted a question about a Beelonia back in April. Here's the link: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/185237/cold-smoking-with-my-beelonia-f5-having-small-issues

As far as I know those smokers aren't sold in the U.S.  Good luck.

Louis - you cannot go wrong with the CS 066 Amerique. It is fool proof. I don' know if it is made with European voltage. Two other all stainless steel smokers are the Smokin-it and the SmokinTex. Unlike the fully digital CS, these other two are analog only.

Louis - You are welcome. But they may not be available with European voltage.

Not sure you want to use one inside your house like you indicated. They do produce smoke. Outside, covered patio, open garage, is good. But inside? I don't know about that.

Good luck.

Dave

I've had an Amerique for a few years. The quality is top notch and they have great customer service. My only complaint is I find it harder to smoke low temp items since the same burner is used for the wood and the oven. I've done a lot of jerky on it but it does require a bit of a work around. All in all I love the smoker, just have to accept it's limitations. I'd recommend the stainless grates as they offer a discount if bought with the smoker. My nickel plated are showing signs of rust. Hope this helps.

The cookshack can hold low Temps but it doesn't produce as much smoke because the burner isn't running as often as it would at higher Temps. Also if you are trying to dry like you would with jerky you have to crack the door because it's very well sealed. It was originally designed as a brisket cooker. Because it's so airtight it doesn't work well with the amazen pellet smoker which a lot of people here use as a work around because the low smoke production at low temps isn't just unique to cookshack. People use the amazen with the masterbuilt electric and love it. It's a great setup, I have used it in the past and have the amazen. I have a bradley that I got at a deep discount. People are scared away by the pucks it uses but they go on sale frequently and I stock up. It has a small element so I never use it for anything other than salmon, jerky, and sausage. I love it for that, set the smoke time and temp and forget about it. Don't let me scare you away from the cookshack, there really is no one size fits all smoker. I've made jerky on it, it is just more of a hassle than the bradley. The cookshack is really cheap to run, especially when you look at a pellet cooker or charcoal smoker (had a traeger and currently have a WSM which is great). 10 cents is probably what it costs me to smoke a brisket in the cookshack. And I sleep without worry in snow or 100 degree heat. I wouldn't consider it for indoors though as it does leak a small amount around the door. There isn't a gasket. It does tend to seal itself up over time as the seasoning develops. Long winded but hopefully I've addressed most of your questions.

When smoking at low temperatures in my Smokin-it 3 I use chips, not chunks. Never had an issue with low smoke doing that. Additionally, when making jerky or fish, I use a thing call a James Jerky Dryer that is sold by Smokin-it. It's basically a fan that sits over the top vent hole. Works really quite well.

Mark

Louisprose said:

You have thanks for that, I've got a tough choice but think the cookshack fits best with my plan. Appreciate the advise.

Louis

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Just attended my first pro/am BBQ competition--to eat not to compete. Saw plenty of offset stick burners, Weber Smoky Mountains and Weber charcoal grills and a few...Cookshacks. Those were the pro big boy smokers not the home versions. I would say the Cookshack--if you can buy a 240v smoker--is a great choice.