Electric, gas or pellet

[Platestealer]

Hi All. I am a newbie that has been thinking about which type of smoker to get for months. It's driving me nuts and I need to make a decision. Anyways, I prefer ease of use and was originally thinking either an electric or pellet but recently started thinking gas. I have a natural gas hookup on my patio so I could convert a propane smokers to ng and not worry about refilling tanks.

I will primarily be smoking ribs, briskets, chicken. I am sure this is a topic that comes up frequently but I would appreciate any input. I am in MN so I would want something I could use down to ~0F.

 

[dr k]

With your ng handy outside and a ball valve to turn off at the house seems like a good solution and the higher temps gassers get compared to most electrics for MN. Most insulated electric smokers are ok in the 0*F, it's the wind that will affect all smokers. Electric would be the most inexpensive to operate (<$5.00 over a 24 hour smoke from cycling off/on.) Some install a needle valve to get lower temps on gassers and you may have to babysit to keep the temp you want. I've never used a propane smoker and you can get feedback from pellet smoker and propane smoker forums.

 

[bregent]

Maintaining constant temp on a gas smoker can be a challenge. I know Masterbuilt has one with thermostat control - not sure if there are others out there: https://www.masterbuilt.com/products/mps-330-g-thermotemp-propane-smoker

 

[solman]

check out the mod link in my signature for installing a solenoid valve and using a PID controller to help maintain propane temperature. you might as well as install a safety shutoff valve too, also in the link.

 

[SonnyE]

I'm of the opinion that Smoking is a preservation method, and Grilling or Roasting is a cooking method.
The Advertising writers have smeared and blurred the lines to sell things. My first car smoked, but it wasn't a smoker.
That said, I use my smoker mostly as a smoker. I infuse smoke into things, and then finish cooking them other ways. But have done entire smoking/cooks in my smoker as well.
But mostly, as a low temperature smoker.

You can do the items you noted with any of the types typically found.

I will primarily be smoking ribs, briskets, chicken.

Make sure what you get is insulated. Most are, but some are not. For your colder climate, I personally would choose electric for it's control features and insulation to be used as a Smoker / Oven.
Do you plan on your Smoker to be your primary outdoor cooker? Or as an accessory to a grill or other methods of cooking? For me, my electric smoker is an accessory. I also have a NG grill for other BBQing, Ribs, Burgers, and Chicken.

So think about how you might use your new smoker to prepare foods. If as your Primary Cooker, A nice one as it will be used a lot.
If as more an accessory smoker, a smaller one is fine.

Also, don't let the advertising fool you. When they show a smoker stuffed with 40 items, remember that's all plastic stage food. Makes a good picture, but it's B.S.
Don't stress out over it.

This... is malarky.

 

[Platestealer]

Do you plan on your Smoker to be your primary outdoor cooker

It will be more or an accessory as I have a grill using the ng hookup.

Make sure what you get is insulated.

This is what concerns me about propane smokers. I hear they aren't very well insulated and I was looking for some that are better insulated without having to install a mod.

I really like a good smoke flavor, and I have read gas is good for that (but with electric you could probably get that too with the a-maze-n).

It probably sounds silly, but has anyone ever retrofitted an electric to gas. My thinking is that thet electric smoker cabinet is better insulated and to retrofit it isn't a tough job for me. Maybe I should just build my own though.

 

[indaswamp]

The smoke flavor comes from the incomplete burning of wood. There are hundreds of chemical compounds produced in the smoke. The best flavor IMO comes from all wood burning coals because this produces the widest range of flavoring compounds and the smallest particulate size giving the best adhesion to the meat. It is an acquired skill to manage a flame fire for a smokehouse though, the true art of the pitmaster.

Next closest to all wood is the hybrid propane/wood chunk set up. Not quite the density of compounds produced because your main fuel source (propane or natural gas) burns very clean producing mostly water and CO2 and very little smoke. The trade off here is easy operation and consistent steady temperatures, yet a very good concentration of "good" smoke. Biggest down fall would be trying to smoke low and slow (under 200*) in a high wind as this will blow the flame out. There are remedies to this situation though by running a smaller number of jets at a higher flame.

Third on the list would be electric. These type smokers work like an oven cycling on and off. The chip or pellet tray adds the smoke. It is a very small fire, and thus a very low density of flavoring compounds are produced. To compensate for this, the electric has a small air vent and very little draft. The low fire also tends to produce white smoke because there is no actual flame. Advantage to this set up is it is cheapest to operate, very easy for a novice to use, and produces good results. There are work arounds for the low flame/white smoke issue; namely the ANMPS smoker tubes and trays which give good smoke by providing a clean burn with adequate oxygen to the fire.

The best smoke to cook with is what every great smoke master knows to be "thin blue smoke". The composition of this smoke has a large complex number of chemical compounds, and the particle size is very small and an extremely small ash content. When you smell it, it is rich, mellow and very complex. It does not burn your nose or make you cough because it does not have "bad" creosote compounds in it. I say all this to point out that it takes fire; actual flame- to produce the best smoke, which is why wood coals are the best.
White smoke is second best, and only for hot grilling where the cooking times are extremely short. Yellow and black smoke are to be avoided at all costs-it will coat your food with bitter creosote and in most cases render it inedible. Yellow smoke comes from not enough oxygen and a wet smoldering fire (wet leaves). Which is why I will never burn wet wood. You can get away with it on a grill, but it is a mistake to do so in a smokehouse.

Hope this helps....