Hello from NW Oregon

[marvinonme]

I'm new to this site and came across it while reading a review on the smoker I just bought. I've been cooking/smoking on my Traeger for almost 10 years now but needed something a bit more vertical for my new attempts at smoking homemade sausage. I bought a Vermont Castings smoker from Craigslist because of the review I read on this site. It is in great shape and I paid probably a quarter of the cost when it was new. I added casters to the legs so it is easy to move. Have not tried it yet other than to profile the temperature. I am concerned about the flavor that cooking with propane may impart, so if anyone has a comment please fire away.

I live in Portland, Oregon currently and lived just outside of Dallas Texas for a few years where I picked up lots of tips on how to smoke food. At NASCAR races the Texans used to tell me my food was pretty good for a Yankee.

I look forward to the tips, new tools and recipes I will find on this site.

Mike

Vermont_Castings_smoker.jpg

• marvinonme
• Feb 3, 2014

sausage.jpg

• marvinonme
• Feb 3, 2014

 

[gary s]

[h1]

Hello and welcome from East Texas. This is a great site, lots of information and great people that are willing to throw in their two cents worth on about anything.   [/h1][h1]  [/h1][h1]Gary[/h1]

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Welcome! Don't worry about any flavor coming from the propane, unless your flame goes out and your pumping straight propane into the cabinet for hours you won't taste propane at all. You won't get the smoke ring like with charcoal or stick burners. You will get great smokey flavor when your pumping TBS! My propane smoker has put out some great Q over the last 11 years!

 

[marvinonme]

Thanks for the info Case. I think I'll make a new batch of sausage and try that in this unit for the first smoke. My Traeger was a bit too hot for smoking the first batch I made. Hopefully I can hold the temp down in this unit.

I was thinking of adding a "needle valve" in line with the propane hose after the regulator. I put a temp probe inside the unit and it seems like I can't get the temp much lower than about 250. Seems like it should go lower than that.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

A needle valve is needed to get lower temps. I can get my gas smoker to 130with the needle valve takes a bunch of baby sitting though. Most here whoKe sausage step the temp up. Starting around 120, then upping the temp 10 degrees every hour, not exceeding a smoker temp of 180. Cooking the sausage to whatever the recommended IT temp is for the meat.

 

[marvinonme]

Good advice and thanks. I ordered a needle valve last night and expect to receive it by the end of this week. Just in time to try it out this weekend.