A pellet smoker that actually smokes meat??

[MrAhmerGamer]

You can get this in a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM). Since you are interested in electronic control, check out adding a bbq guru controller.
The WSM produces great bbq:
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These are the times the internet wins. Thanks to all that have replied. Wasn’t even on the radar but the WSM is becoming very interesting. That looks great.

 

[chopsaw]

Don’t own one, but you can do a simple google search and get loads of information.

I can speak from owning and using one . I've had one issue with the pellets over filling the fire pot , and that was caused by me .
Never had a grease fire , and the design is great for smoking or grilling .

 

[schlotz]

chopsaw that is interesting good news. So do you have ver II or simply using an alum drip pan?

 

[chopsaw]

interesting good news. So do you have ver II or simply using an alum drip pan?

I have the Gen ll . I use a broiler pan ( that I never use in my oven ) works great . I use a drip pan in all my kettles and smokers for long cooks , and I keep them all clean . If you don't clean your equipment , sooner or later you're going to have a grease fire . I had one in my Genesis 310 that was almost a disaster , because I neglected to clean the grease out of it .
Some really nice features on the SmokeFire .
When I bought it they had them marked down to over come the bad experience from the Gen 1. Also came with extra goodies and a 100 day return policy .
So I set out to use it in those 100 days , and I did . I had planned to do a thread on it as I have several results saved .
I used some of your brisket advice when I started doing briskets on my kettle . Here's one I did on the SmokeFire .

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

These are the times the internet wins. Thanks to all that have replied. Wasn’t even on the radar but the WSM is becoming very interesting. That looks great.

Hard to go wrong with a WSM. I been using mine for at least 20 years. Learning curve just like all smokers but puts out great food.

 

[2fatpugs]

Those issues have been resolved with the Gen 2 but from what Erik said in the videos, those were few and far between.

 

[civilsmoker]

For the record every cooker/smoker is a convection oven. Electric smokers use a fan and burning pellets or wood. Pellets use a fan to move air and burning pellets to create heat and smoke. A kettle or other uses coals to create heat (also smoke), wood to create smoke, and natural air current to move air. A side box burner or reverse flow same.

It all comes down to the smoke flavor profile you desire....

Charcoal based smokers tend to have a strong smoke flavor because a snake or minion method is often used and the coal start up process creates a stronger smoke, similar the wood burns slower creating a "stronger" smoke. My wife won't eat anything that is charcoal based unless the charcoal is 100% engaged before it interacts with food.....she said it tastes like acid to her.

A RF or Side box "can" burn cleaner because of the design and they tend to give a "smoother" smoke profile if they are burning well and have the right air/burn mix ratio. A properly burning wood burner will give a sweet velvety smoky overtone. My wife LOVEs this flavor but some times it can be a bit to much. WHEN I have time natural fire cooking is my favorite way and flavor.

A pellet smoker by design burns cleaner because it needs combustion for heat. The higher the temp the cleaner the smoke.....usually above 285 ish they have very little smoke The swinging temps on the old pellets would create more smoke because of the start stop combustion in the burner pot. Most folks that want a stronger smoke flavor use an additional pellet burner for smoke. The benefit to a pellet is simplistic of function. ANYONE can use one and get a very good flavor out of it. It IS nothing more than an "electric based" oven.

All this said, all 3 are different smoke profiles and one needs to choose the desired application for their situation. I have versions of them all and use them all based on the available time and desired flavor profile. For example, I am currently working and and can't watch/tend the smoker (the weather is also NASTY), but I have beef ribs on the RT 1250 pellet that will be ready for dinner..... So for me the Pellet is very valuable cooking tool and if I could have only one smoker I would have a pellet because it allows me to have BBQ many times a week all year long (I did spares last week at -1 deg and 35 mph wind) vs only a couple times a month with the wood burner.....

 

[chesterinflorida]

For the record every cooker/smoker is a convection oven. Electric smokers use a fan and burning pellets or wood. Pellets use a fan to move air and burning pellets to create heat and smoke. A kettle or other uses coals to create heat (also smoke), wood to create smoke, and natural air current to move air. A side box burner or reverse flow same.

It all comes down to the smoke flavor profile you desire....

Charcoal based smokers tend to have a strong smoke flavor because a snake or minion method is often used and the coal start up process creates a stronger smoke, similar the wood burns slower creating a "stronger" smoke. My wife won't eat anything that is charcoal based unless the charcoal is 100% engaged before it interacts with food.....she said it tastes like acid to her.

A RF or Side box "can" burn cleaner because of the design and they tend to give a "smoother" smoke profile if they are burning well and have the right air/burn mix ratio. A properly burning wood burner will give a sweet velvety smoky overtone. My wife LOVEs this flavor but some times it can be a bit to much. WHEN I have time natural fire cooking is my favorite way and flavor.

A pellet smoker by design burns cleaner because it needs combustion for heat. The higher the temp the cleaner the smoke.....usually above 285 ish they have very little smoke The swinging temps on the old pellets would create more smoke because of the start stop combustion in the burner pot. Most folks that want a stronger smoke flavor use an additional pellet burner for smoke. The benefit to a pellet is simplistic of function. ANYONE can use one and get a very good flavor out of it. It IS nothing more than an "electric based" oven.

All this said, all 3 are different smoke profiles and one needs to choose the desired application for their situation. I have versions of them all and use them all based on the available time and desired flavor profile. For example, I am currently working and and can't watch/tend the smoker (the weather is also NASTY), but I have beef ribs on the RT 1250 pellet that will be ready for dinner..... So for me the Pellet is very valuable cooking tool and if I could have only one smoker I would have a pellet because it allows me to have BBQ many times a week all year long (I did spares last week at -1 deg and 35 mph wind) vs only a couple times a month with the wood burner.....

Anyone that smokes with Charcoal, let’s the charcoal settle in before putting meat onto the smoker. If you add your meat to a freshly lit smoker, then you will be eating something that tastes like a cigarette. Otherwise, one can get a heavier or lighter smoke taste depending on how you run the smoker. Charcoal alone isn’t super smokey, but you can add wood to the mix and adjust the smoke profile quite a bit. Also, temperature has quite a bit of influence on charcoal smokers.

 

[civilsmoker]

Anyone that smokes with Charcoal, let’s the charcoal settle in before putting meat onto the smoker. If you add your meat to a freshly lit smoker, then you will be eating something that tastes like a cigarette. Otherwise, one can get a heavier or lighter smoke taste depending on how you run the smoker. Charcoal alone isn’t super smokey, but you can add wood to the mix and adjust the smoke profile quite a bit. Also, temperature has quite a bit of influence on charcoal smokers.

Just clarifying, I was referring to the snake or minion method.........many use this method and it does add a different flavor vs only adding 100% engaged coals....ie as the snake lights as the cook progresses the coals are starting up (this coal start up not the initial coal light and settle down...)......I only use 100% engaged coals........

 

[chopsaw]

So for me the Pellet is very valuable cooking tool and if I could have only one smoker I would have a pellet

I've always said I could never have just one . I've also never had the desire to have a pellet grill .
Since I've bought and used this one , If I had to go to just one , I would choose the pellet .

 

[chesterinflorida]

I can speak from owning and using one . I've had one issue with the pellets over filling the fire pot , and that was caused by me .
Never had a grease fire , and the design is great for smoking or grilling .

Glad it’s working out for you. I think the biggest issue with the design of the Smokefire, and it’s a manageable issue if you know what is going on, is that you need to have your own drip pans in the smoker especially when doing something like a pork butt or multiple butts. If you don’t, or didn’t know that can lead to an issue, then that is when the majority of problems come into play. Also, I have heard many complain about the software being finicky, especially when updates are made on the controller. Maybe Weber has worked out the majority of the software issue now, but it was a head ache for some time, even in version 2 of the smoker. It will be interesting to see if Weber comes out with any changes in a version 3 of the grill.

 

[chesterinflorida]

Just clarifying, I was referring to the snake or minion method.........many use this method and it does add a different flavor vs only adding 100% engaged coals....ie as the snake lights as the cook progresses the coals are starting up (this coal start up not the initial coal light and settle down...)......I only use 100% engaged coals........

I’ve done a ton of snakes in my kettle. Once up to temp (say 250 or whatever your target temp is), I tend to get a clean burn after that. It will be a white yucky smoke for the first 45 minutes to an hour until the pit settles in. Then I get a clearer blue after that. I will put chunks of whole wood every 6 inches or so on top of the snake. I always try and have a tight packed consistent snake. It never really comes out to Smokey if done correctly. When the fire burns one of the wood chunks, you will get an occasional heavier smoke, but not bad. The nice thing about a snake in a kettle, is that you can extend it if needed indefinitely. I have had some long cooks in my kettle. It‘s certainly more work than a pellet smoker, but not bad.

Now the gravity fed smoker I have, is simple to maintain and you can run it forever just adding in fresh charcoal, and dumping the the ash catcher (45 second job for both). It will burn cleaner than the kettle as well, and I can fine tune the smokiness quite a bit by mixing in wood chunks in the charcoal chamber and putting wood in the ash area. I love my gravity smoker.

 

[civilsmoker]

..........It never really comes out to Smokey if done correctly. When the fire burns one of the wood chunks, you will get an occasional heavier smoke, but not bad...

"not to smokey" or "not bad" is "exactly" what I'm talking about.....That means getting pizza rather than having BBQ. That smoke profile isn't liked by many people...........the best burning snake is WAY MORE smoke profile than a pellet.....

............... It‘s certainly more work than a pellet smoker, but not bad.

Running a kettle with a snake at -1 degree and 30 mph wind is virtually impossible......

.....just for perspective, I can put 40lbs of pellets in my hopper and run my pellet for almost 40 hours without looking at it once......today I turned my pellet on from my phone, once notified it was hot, it took 2 minutes to load 20 lbs of pellets in the hopper (top it off) and to put on my pre-seasoned beef ribs with a probe stuck in it......As I work, I monitor the cook from my phone, after 3 hours it will take 30 seconds to take the ribs off.......So the 3 hour cook I'm doing today will only take 2.5 minutes from me........

As I said, it comes down to desired smoke profile and cook situation for the individual.... All 3 have their strengths and produce excellent BBQ for many folks.... All 3 have their weaknesses and produce BBQ that some individuals don't like......

 

[DougE]

I've always said I could never have just one . I've also never had the desire to have a pellet grill .
Since I've bought and used this one , If I had to go to just one , I would choose the pellet .

^^^^
What he said.

 

[chesterinflorida]

"not to smokey" or "not bad" is "exactly" what I'm talking about.....That means getting pizza rather than having BBQ. That smoke profile isn't liked by many people...........the best burning snake is WAY MORE smoke profile than a pellet.....

I don’t know why you say that. I never hear complaints anywhere on well smoked meats from a kettle using a snake. In fact a Weber 26” kettle is one of the best all around smoker grills a person can get.

On the flip side, the common complaint with most pellet cookers is they don’t put enough smoke onto meat. That is why many using pellet cookers also use smoke tubes and even then you still hear lack of smoke complaints. Besides…..you don’t see these for kettles…LOL.

 

[DougE]

I don’t know why you say that. I never hear complaints anywhere on well smoked meats from a kettle using a snake. In fact a Weber 26” kettle is one of the best all around smoker grills a person can get.

On the flip side, the common complaint with most pellet cookers is they don’t put enough smoke onto meat. That is why many using pellet cookers also use smoke tubes and even then you still hear lack of smoke complaints. Besides…..you don’t see these for kettles…LOL.
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Ewwww. Some of us are trying to eat, here ....

 

[levithan9]

If you want the convenience of a pellet grill, and about as close to a stick burner smoke flavor as you can get....

i'd DEFINITELY look into the LoneStar Grillz pellet smoker . It's pricy, but go watch some youtube videos on it.

I think Smokey Ribs BBq that has one.

 

[rexster314]

Don’t own one, but you can do a simple google search and get loads of information. From the most part, the design leads to grease fires, but there are ways of combating that.

Instead of relying on google, do some real research on some of the SF forums. You're perpetuating a story that doesn't ring true in real life.
A Smokefire user since November 2020 and has never had a grease fire. Grease fires on the SF result from owners not reading the manual and not cleaning the grill properly.

 

[chopsaw]

Glad it’s working out for you

Could be because I've been doing this stuff for 40 years , or maybe I got lucky .

Maybe Weber has worked out the majority of the software issue now, but it was a head ache for some time, even in version 2 of the smoker.

I'm not here to sell Weber pellet grills or defend them . You're making comments about something you have ZERO experience with .

 

[civilsmoker]

I don’t know why you say that.........

Because its reality.......... I'm not saying a kettle isn't good but many people don't like the charcoal smoke profile. Also don't assume that I don't use charcoal....I only go through about 240 lbs or so a year....

Realize you are in Florida with more ideal year round cooking days....The 26" Kettle is an excellent unit but it has limitations as I noted above.

To help get this post back on point....Here is the results of my 2.5 minutes of effort on the pellet.

I had a Memphis pellet grill for a very long time but I have found that I get a better smoke profile from my RT 1250 and even my mini green mountain. I still get the best flavor on my copper pot build RF but the RT comes in a very close second.

M MrAhmerGamer The Traeger Ironwood has their new D2 controller which is a true PID controller I suspect the Ironwood will cook pretty dang good. There are many on the forum that like their PID controlled Traeger. FYI the Ironwood has a super smoke setting (180 deg) as well so you can get a bunch of smoke flavor at the beginning of a cook.

Any pellet that is PID controlled will smoke/cook very good, so it comes down to fit and finish and longevity.

I have looked at them very closely as well as the Weber FS and I would say the Weber (not sure if it has a super smoke or not) is a little bit better in fit and finish. I have the new RT 1250 (also has a super smoke, 180 deg) and its fit and finish is a bit above the Weber. I trust chopsaw reference on how well his works. There are also many brands that are excellent pellets as well. The results above are from a PID controlled pellet with air temps of 30 deg and 18 mph wind with blowing snow. Pellets do more than a house oven like your buddy said....

Good luck on your search!