I recently purchased one of those $70ish Brinkmann electric smokers. I got it on Father's day and used it about 3 times with success (mostly) before the 4th.
A week before the 4th, I decided to try a brisket. It was my first major disaster, turned out extremely dry and took foreverrrrr to cook. I chaulked it up to a bad piece of meat (little marbling), and more importantly my lack of experience.
4th of July weekend comes around. I have 2 ~4 lb pork butts to smoke for pulled pork, 4 whole chickens, and 4 racks of st. louis style ribs. The plan is pretty simple - smoke the pork the day before, shred it and forget it. On the 4th, I'll throw the ribs in at noon, remove them and put them in the oven at 3, at which time I'll put the chickens in the now empty smoker. Sounds decent, right?
So, I smoke the pork. After going for over 9 hours, I finally yank them (only at ~155*) and finish them in the oven out of lack of time. Much to my disappointment the meat didn't shred too well and was a bit dry in certain parts. How do you mess up pulled pork?!
Not thinking much of it, I continue on the next day. I throw the ribs in at noon, cook them till three, then put them in the oven. I throw the chickens in and play the waiting game. The time that I had said the food would be done is quickly approaching now and the chickens are still at.. you guessed it, ~155*.
At this point I finally realized what was going on - my smoker, which I've used 4 times now, has crapped out on me and is only heating up to ~155*. No wonder my food was so dry, it has just been holding the food at a high temp for hours without cooking!
So, I yank the birds off and finish them in the oven. They turned out pretty good, but slightly dry. The ribs were also good, but not nearly as tender as I'd hoped for.
Sorry for the long read, but yeah.. I'm very disappointed that this smoker lasted less than a month of light use before dying on me. Serves me right for buying a cheap electric, I suppose. Also serves me right for not getting a thermo in the smoker like everyone suggests, but I figured it was unnecessary since I can't control the temps regardless.
Anywho, it was fun, but I think my short-lived smoker days are over for now. I'm a college guy strapped for cash, so the costs it's looking like I'll have to shell out for a decent electric are just out of my budget for now. I'll save up for a while and maybe delve back in. Charcoal isn't an option due to where I live, unfortunately.
T'was fun, thanks for the helpful advice guys and I can't wait to be back.
A week before the 4th, I decided to try a brisket. It was my first major disaster, turned out extremely dry and took foreverrrrr to cook. I chaulked it up to a bad piece of meat (little marbling), and more importantly my lack of experience.
4th of July weekend comes around. I have 2 ~4 lb pork butts to smoke for pulled pork, 4 whole chickens, and 4 racks of st. louis style ribs. The plan is pretty simple - smoke the pork the day before, shred it and forget it. On the 4th, I'll throw the ribs in at noon, remove them and put them in the oven at 3, at which time I'll put the chickens in the now empty smoker. Sounds decent, right?
So, I smoke the pork. After going for over 9 hours, I finally yank them (only at ~155*) and finish them in the oven out of lack of time. Much to my disappointment the meat didn't shred too well and was a bit dry in certain parts. How do you mess up pulled pork?!
Not thinking much of it, I continue on the next day. I throw the ribs in at noon, cook them till three, then put them in the oven. I throw the chickens in and play the waiting game. The time that I had said the food would be done is quickly approaching now and the chickens are still at.. you guessed it, ~155*.
At this point I finally realized what was going on - my smoker, which I've used 4 times now, has crapped out on me and is only heating up to ~155*. No wonder my food was so dry, it has just been holding the food at a high temp for hours without cooking!
So, I yank the birds off and finish them in the oven. They turned out pretty good, but slightly dry. The ribs were also good, but not nearly as tender as I'd hoped for.
Sorry for the long read, but yeah.. I'm very disappointed that this smoker lasted less than a month of light use before dying on me. Serves me right for buying a cheap electric, I suppose. Also serves me right for not getting a thermo in the smoker like everyone suggests, but I figured it was unnecessary since I can't control the temps regardless.
Anywho, it was fun, but I think my short-lived smoker days are over for now. I'm a college guy strapped for cash, so the costs it's looking like I'll have to shell out for a decent electric are just out of my budget for now. I'll save up for a while and maybe delve back in. Charcoal isn't an option due to where I live, unfortunately.
T'was fun, thanks for the helpful advice guys and I can't wait to be back.
