Howdy from the "frozen" north

[siochaincda]

Heyo all.

I've been cruising the forums for the last few weeks in preparation for getting my first real smoker.

I've been smoking on my propane BBQ for the last couple of years, and given that the old lady and I just moved and are buying a new house, I want a new toy :P

Moving to Northern Ontario, Canada -  middle of shield country - lots of fish and game around.

So I'm debating between a WSM and a Masterbuilt 30" Electric.

Looking for some sage advice.

Also, stupid question, but what all can one put into their AMNPS?  Does it have to be dust/pellets, or can you burn chips?  Only reason I ask is that around here, all I can seem to find is chips.

Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to getting smoking and having fun.

 

[rocor98]

Welcome to the form ... :yahoo:

I sent you a PM with some Canadian facts ..

I would recommend the MES 30 .. I have had great success with it , and have done almost everything with it ...

It depends on what you want and time you have to supervise the process .. I went with MES for winter as I can smoke outside and finish in the oven .. Not always warm here in Newfoundland, the only difference I can find in all the posts seems to be related to getting a smoke ring ( adds little accept presentation ) but I am not a competition smoker , the other advantage the WSM offers is increased heat if you want to crisp a chicken. I went for the constant heat and complete union with the AMNPS and lack of supervision you get with the MES ( not a purest )

Ross

 

[s2k9k]

 [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, there's lot's of great people here who love to share and help each other out![/color]

Would you do us a favor and update your profile to include your location, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course, it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more: http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse.html

 

[smokinhusker]

Hello and welcome to SMF! Congrats on the move and new home. 

Ross gave you some good advice on the MES30. For ease it's great, no tending fires etc especially when you pair it with the AMNPS. I own the MES40 and glad I went with the bigger one.

 

[scarbelly]

Hello and 

 to SMF - glad you joined us 

 

[arkashby]

Howdy! I'm new here as well. I like prefer the non eclectic types as you can still smoke during thunderstorms (IE : power outages) or after the Apocalypse

 

[startedsmokin]

Welcome aboard

 

[rabbithutch]

Howdy! from Texas.

:welcome1: to SMF.

I came out of the hospital after a close call about a year ago and decided that I was definitely gonna get a smoker. My wise wife suggested that at my age I would probably not want to be up all hours tending a smoker with wood fires; so I got the MES40. It was well worth the $300 I paid for it at Sam's Club. After the first smoke (the Thanksgiving bird), I decided to get the AMNPS. That was one decision I will never regret.

After getting the bug to smoke meat, I was looking around the 'net and found a forum about building a mini-WSM from a Weber Smokey Joe and a tamale steamer. Your can read it here Mini-WSM and you can probably find a good few posts here at SMF, too. I already had the Smokey Joe and spent $20 for the tamale steamer and another twenty to thirty for extra grates and a thermometer, etc. This allows me to smoke damn near anything if I just HAVE to have a fire. I use charcoal for heat and chunks for flavor. I've read that tamale steamers aren't common in the GWN (:biggrin:), but it's a good exercise for you to think about.

While I was doing the mini-WSM thing, I ran across a Weber kettle for $25 and jumped on it. I feel like I can do any food I want with these 3 relatively inexpensive tools. My limits are on volume like you can get from big units like many here have, but for 2 old fahrts in their 70's that's NOT a problem.

Again, :welcome1: to SMF. This is a great place with folks who are very generous with their time and talent. Don't be shy.