Most Automated Smoker Suggestions

[DBCox]

Hi everyone. I am new here as a poster, but have followed for quite sometime. First, I have never smoked anything in my life and pretty much the only cooking I do is with a crockpot. I am ready to buy a smoker and feel like a Bradley is he best option for me. I know many of you are MES fans, but let me explain what I am looking for and you can let me know what you think will be best.

I am looking for as much of a hands off option as I can get. I am disabled and will not be able to operate it alone. I have guys that come in each morning and evening to help me get ready for the day, and then in bed at night. My plan is to get them to help load and unload it in the morning or night. So basically, the smoker will need to do its thing independently for up to 12 hours. For that reason, I like the autonomy of the Bradley. My fear with other smokers is the chips burning up and then giving an undesirable flavor if not removed. Is that even a valid concern? Also, since they are are only there for a short time in the morning and at night, I want as fast a setup as possible. Soaking chips, for instance, will require multiday planning on my part to make sure I have everything ready. Similarly, fast cleanup will be very helpful.

Knowing that my “set it and forget it” functionally and fast setup are top priority, what would you recommend? I'd like to keep the total cost to $450 or less. I do not have a need to smoke large amounts of meat at a time. Thanks!

 

[old sarge]

Your reasoning is sound considering your physical condition. My suggestion is to make sure that whatever smoker you get is able to switch to a keep warm temperature, typically 140 degrees until your people can remove the product from the smoker.

A company called Auberins makes a PID controller for the Bradley smokers that will control the smoker temp and will also cook you food to your chosen internal temp. It can be programmed to switch over to a keep warm setting.

You can get a similar controller to use with the analog smokers from Smokin-it. They are more expensive and can be had in a version with the PID controller built in. No need to soak chips. They use wood chunks. Depending on what you are smoking and your taste for smoke, you only need 3 to 6 ounces of wood which is put in the smoker when you put the meat in. No need to add more.

Regardless of which brand you choose, sometimes one cook will go longer than another. Briskets can cook at 1 to 1 1/2 hour per pound. So if you have a 13 lb brisket and it cooks in 13 hours today, it could take 15 hours next week. Sort of strange but true. Thus the need for the keep warm function.

Do a lot of research is the best advice I can give and get what you feel most comfortable with. Good luck.

 

[DBCox]

Thanks for the info guys! Muddysogs, I am mobile during the day, but will be very limited on what I can do. That's why I want as automated as possible. I will not start something if I know I will not have help to take it out within a reasonable time window, but an automatic reduced hold temperature will be extremely beneficial. I had seen the PID controller before, but was hoping to get an all-in-one package. That may not be possible in my price range, though. This discussion has lead me to two questions:

1. If I am going to buy a stand alone PID controller, is there any reason to buy anything other than the basic non-digital Bradley (or other brand equal)? Are there any features of the digital that would be missed if I bought an original and controlled it with an external PID?

2. If the answer to Q1 is to get a basic model, could I go with a more cost effective MES, or will chip handling be an issue with the MES if I set it up for 10-12 hours of run/hold time with only 4 hrs chips? I've been under the impression Bradley was the leader in automated smoke generation for home smokers, but I may be wrong.

 

[gmc2003]

You can also look into a amazn tray or tube for generating smoke. They will usually burn for the duration of your cook.


Chris

 

[tbrtt1]

Sarge mentioned the optimal setup, in my opinion, which is a Smokin-It type smoker run by an Auber Instruments PID controller. I have this set up for one of my rigs and hands down, it doesn't get any more hands off that that. I load it cold, add a couple small chunks of wood and have it programmed to cook until the meat is done and then hold at a low temp until I get up in the morning and take the meat out. If it can smoke while I sleep it can certainly work for your situation. However, that set up is going to be pricey.

The MES with an AMAZEN tube or tray is a good bet as well. If you can add chips a couple of times during a smoke the MES by itself would be fine. Perhaps elevating the MES to make it a little easier to add the chips (not sure if the height of the smoker is an issue for you). More than likely you wouldn't need to add chips more that 2-3 times for a smoke since the meat doesn't really absorb smoke after it gets above 140* or so.

I don't think leaving the chips in after they expire will cause any harm or bad taste. My father has an MES and he has never mentioned having to remove spent chips. There are tons of MES users on this forum so that smoker is a known quantity around here. Should be plenty of information on that to help you decide.

 

[DBCox]

All good suggestions! I had read about the AMAZEN tray on here before. My biggest concern there was leaving it in the smoker after it stopped producing smoke, but it sounds like that is not a huge deal. It still isn't as easy/fast as loading the Bradley magazine, though.

Have any of you used the Masterbuilt cold smoke generator? It has a hopper for up to 6 hours of smoke. I thought about adding it and using the MES for heat only and the smoke generator for the smoke. I don't know if it will produce enough smoke, though. Anyone used this setup?

Another option is the new Bradley smart smoker. I'm not sure how well it works, but it seems to have at least some programmability through its app using two probes.

Since it is highly probable the meat will finish cooking before I can get help removing it, I feel like a PID control is a must, whether its built in, or external.