Hello all,
I've learned a lot from reading this forum over the years and finally decided to join today. I'm a "guy", so asking for help isn't something that' natural for me... but on the other hand, I love to learn from others' experiences - so here I am.
It took me living in NC for almost 20 years, enjoying a lot smoked meats, before I tried my hand at doing it myself. It was intimidating... seeing these giant smokers made from oil drums with whole pigs sitting on top; the huge bags of charcoal and piles of wood; all-day long tending to the smoker, feeding the wood, keeping the fire going, etc. This just seemed like a huge commitment of money and time, and frankly, looked like a lot of work. (It also didn't hurt that I could buy excellent BBQ from a dozen places within 20 minutes of my house!)
We have been backyard grilling forever... our Weber is basically another kitchen appliance for us. We grill every month of the year and in any any weather... kind of like the postal service: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these carnivores from the swift completion of their appointed steaks, burgers, or chicken." The big difference: we are *definitely* open on weekends and holidays!
So, a few years back, a trip to the local Home Depot, looking for a replacement part for the grill, I noticed a whole section of backyard "smokers" that I had never seen before. They didn't need to be hauled behind a truck or require their own garage... these were small! No bigger than my grill - and some of them even smaller, and cheaper! I was still a little wary of the charcoal (we were propane grillers) and the time commitment required to "tend" to the smoker... but then I noticed that there were propane and electric smokers there, too... even ones with bluetooth connections to monitor the temp!
This was all the push I needed. After a little research, I decided on an electric smoker - the consensus seemed to be that propane heat is a little dryer than electric, and the notion of never running out of fuel during a 12-hour cook was very appealing to me. I also didn't want to break the bank on my first smoker... I mean, what if I hated it? Or worse, what if I sucked at smoking meats? In the end, I decided to buy a Masterbuilt Pro, 30" electric smoker with bluetooth (it didn't hurt that it was on sale, either).
After getting it home and putting it together, my inaugural cook was a Boston butt - as everywhere I read, this was probably the most forgiving. It was simple. Plug in smoker and set heat (wireless probe to measure the actual temp in the box and not relying on the inaccurate built-in one); add wood chips at regular intervals; measure temp of meat (another wireless probe); and when done pull out to rest and then shred. It was fantastic! And I was hooked.
I'm still only a part-timer and have a lot to learn.
MSB
I've learned a lot from reading this forum over the years and finally decided to join today. I'm a "guy", so asking for help isn't something that' natural for me... but on the other hand, I love to learn from others' experiences - so here I am.
It took me living in NC for almost 20 years, enjoying a lot smoked meats, before I tried my hand at doing it myself. It was intimidating... seeing these giant smokers made from oil drums with whole pigs sitting on top; the huge bags of charcoal and piles of wood; all-day long tending to the smoker, feeding the wood, keeping the fire going, etc. This just seemed like a huge commitment of money and time, and frankly, looked like a lot of work. (It also didn't hurt that I could buy excellent BBQ from a dozen places within 20 minutes of my house!)
We have been backyard grilling forever... our Weber is basically another kitchen appliance for us. We grill every month of the year and in any any weather... kind of like the postal service: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these carnivores from the swift completion of their appointed steaks, burgers, or chicken." The big difference: we are *definitely* open on weekends and holidays!
So, a few years back, a trip to the local Home Depot, looking for a replacement part for the grill, I noticed a whole section of backyard "smokers" that I had never seen before. They didn't need to be hauled behind a truck or require their own garage... these were small! No bigger than my grill - and some of them even smaller, and cheaper! I was still a little wary of the charcoal (we were propane grillers) and the time commitment required to "tend" to the smoker... but then I noticed that there were propane and electric smokers there, too... even ones with bluetooth connections to monitor the temp!
This was all the push I needed. After a little research, I decided on an electric smoker - the consensus seemed to be that propane heat is a little dryer than electric, and the notion of never running out of fuel during a 12-hour cook was very appealing to me. I also didn't want to break the bank on my first smoker... I mean, what if I hated it? Or worse, what if I sucked at smoking meats? In the end, I decided to buy a Masterbuilt Pro, 30" electric smoker with bluetooth (it didn't hurt that it was on sale, either).
After getting it home and putting it together, my inaugural cook was a Boston butt - as everywhere I read, this was probably the most forgiving. It was simple. Plug in smoker and set heat (wireless probe to measure the actual temp in the box and not relying on the inaccurate built-in one); add wood chips at regular intervals; measure temp of meat (another wireless probe); and when done pull out to rest and then shred. It was fantastic! And I was hooked.
I'm still only a part-timer and have a lot to learn.
MSB
