Electric vs Propane smokers

[cmayna]

I want to toss out my big chief because except for first fire up,  I have not been able get the chamber temp up even near 225, even using one of their insulated blankets.   Also the fact that the walls are paper thin, this is not helping.  Thus I am considering another thicker wall electric unit but have been seriously looking at propane units. Can I assume that in general, most propane smokers are more temp controllable as compared to electric smokers?  Since I already have a propane BBQ with a couple extra propane tanks lying around, I really don't see why not go that direction?  I recently read another post (below)  about Masterbuilt's 2013  30" and 40" unit with an improved temp controller which has me seriously thinking that direction.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124877/2-new-masterbuilt-propane-smokers

Thoughts please.

 

[baja traveler]

There's a ton of people here using Masterbuilts, so that must say something...

One of the pro's about using a gas smoker is that you will get the nice smoke ring in your smoked meats, where you will not with an electric. Sure, it's only a presentation thing, but literally every time I have guests over I get comments on the smoke ring. I guess the BBQ wars TV shows are educating the general populace about what real smoked meats should look like...

Don't know about you, but the high cost of electricity in my area is a turn-off also. It's much cheaper to run gas, so my smoker is tied into the house LP gas line, which was already there for the BBQ.

 

[chef jimmyj]

WOW! Propane is Cheaper!?! You Cali boys must pay out the A$$ for Electricity. In PA I am currently paying $0.134 a Kilowatt Hour so running Full Blast my 1200W MES 40 cost $0.16 each Hour and after the 1st hour it don't run close to full on. A 10 Hour Butt cost around a $1.00 to Smoke... So Electric is WAY Cheaper than Propane here...JJ

 

[spoolinaz]

Here's my .02: Electrics main advantage is the thermostat. Biggest con IMHO is lack of temp. With NG/LP, you can get the higher temps needed for good poultry. Biggest con is monitoring the temps. The gassers are loads easier to control than wood/charcoal, but they do drift over the long haul.

I think the best compromise is the 2013 Masterbuilt thermostat controlled gasser. Have no idea on the price tag, But it gives alot of the good traits of all the smoker types. I absolutely love the thermostat mod I did on my XL.

As far as fuel prices, I'm not sure what I'm paying for NG service, but my bill has been under $20 since the heater was turned off. And I'm running the smoker and grill multiple times a week, along with a gas stove and water heater...

 

[smokinhusker]

Electric must be extremely high in Cali! I pay $0.11 per KWH so running mine costs me approx $.13. So that brisket I smoked for 26 hrs cost me $3.43...I'm happy!

 

[baja traveler]

WOW! Propane is Cheaper!?! You Cali boys must pay out the A$$ for Electricity. In PA I am currently paying $0.134 a Kilowatt Hour so running Full Blast my 1200W MES 40 cost $0.16 each Hour and after the 1st hour it don't run close to full on. A 10 Hour Butt cost around a $1.00 to Smoke... So Electric is WAY Cheaper than Propane here...JJ

Damn - 13 cents a kW....

Just so happens my electric bill arrived today -

Here in San Diego, they break usage up into tiers - no household of any size is in the tier 1 & 2, so everyone is paying tier 3 & 4 fees - 27 & 29 cents a kW plus all the BS fees attached (generation fee, bond fee, transmission charge, distribution charge, public purpose, nuclear decommissioning, competition transition charge (what the hell is that??) summer electricity generation charge and reliability services) All that BS adds $55 to the bill!

Yes - we get ripped off for most things in Southern California. Don't even get me started on the gasoline prices...

 

[cmayna]

Thanks for all your advice.  Pretty certain I will direct myself towards propane.  For now it would be tank propane for I do not have any easy natural gas hookup.

 

[jsdspif]

I had a propane cabinet type smoker from Gander Mountain and switched to electric because when my dad saw me using it just inside of my polebarn (just inside the overhead door with the door open ) he thought it was a fire hazard , which I suppose it could have been possible for a hot wood chip to fall out the bottom and somehow catch something on fire , so that was one thing I didn't like , also loading wood chips was a little bit of a pain , and a few times it went out so when I'm checking it every 30 minutes or so and I get out there and it's gone out and temp is back down to airtemp , so then I open the door and let the propane air out and then light it back up again ... you get the idea . I like my 30" MES . I don't know what my electric rate is but I use my smoker quite a bit and I think it has very little effect on my electric bill , which is usually about $30 in the winter and $50 in the summer if my central air runs nearly constantly . It is true I don't get a smoke ring and I've tried the different tricks of putting a lump of charcoal in the wood chip pan and I don't remember what else , but for me it really isn't important . I also like the safety of the MES , I just can't picture a hot wood chip escaping the unit .

 

[scarbelly]

Damn - 13 cents a kW....

Just so happens my electric bill arrived today -

Here in San Diego, they break usage up into tiers - no household of any size is in the tier 1 & 2, so everyone is paying tier 3 & 4 fees - 27 & 29 cents a kW plus all the BS fees attached (generation fee, bond fee, transmission charge, distribution charge, public purpose, nuclear decommissioning, competition transition charge (what the hell is that??) summer electricity generation charge and reliability services) All that BS adds $55 to the bill!

Yes - we get ripped off for most things in Southern California. Don't even get me started on the gasoline prices...