Best BTU

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mofo

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Apr 29, 2008
295
11
Topeka
What would be the best btu for a propane smoker. As they say... is bigger better? I have read where some have had problems maintaining a low temp on their smokers. Is that due to the controls or just to much heat?
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When I was looking at retail gas smokers, I saw a few that ranged from 10,000 BTU to 15,000 BTU. Now I bought the burner only to a 10,000 BTU smoker and the burner is rated to like 85,000 BTU. What that means is the burner rating far exceeds the need for a smoker. This particular burner is throttled down by the regulator it is teamed with.
 
Some of the popular propane smokers are rated in the area of 10,000- 18,000 BTU. That's plenty for a smoker. If you'll be doing grillin, or deep frying, or shrimp boils, you'd be happy with a much higher rating on something other than a smoker. My old Brinkman 3 in 1 bullet is rated at 170,000 BTU, and that thing has burnt the paint off it's frame at times!
 
Bigger is not better when it comes to smoking. One day you will want to cold smoke something and will have to leave the door open to hold 85 deg. If you'r gonna boil some of dat crawfish cher, get as big as you can.
 
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