- Nov 23, 2016
- 2
- 10
I have a Smokin` It # 2 with the digital controller, plus the stainless steel cart. Granted, this is a lot more $$$$ to spend, but I feel it was well worth it. The controller is very accurate and comes with the meat probe in addition to the cabinet probe. You can read out both of those temperatures at the same time, plus the smoker will go up to 375* (the website says 300*, but it will go to 375*). I had plenty of room to smoke my 20 pound turkey in it, with plenty of clearance beneath the cabinet probe near the top and at the rear of the inside of the smoker. I believe there is still enough room for a 25 pound turkey. Plus, I did not have to split the backbone or spatchcock it. I brined the turkey for 20 hours in the standard brine with the mix of typical ingredients. I did not do anything more than pat the turkey dry on its skin and inside with paper towels, before putting it into my smoker. I didn`t even use any rub either. I started it out at 325* for a little over two hours, and the internal temperature came up to 139*, or out of the danger zone. I did this in order to brown the skin nicely, and then turned the temperature down to 250*. The temperature slowly rose until it reached 170*. I started at 4:15 A.M. on Thanksgiving morning, and it was done at 12:15 P.M. Fifteen minutes later my daughter (an expert at carving) was surprised when she first put the fork into the turkey and had juice squirt out at her. The whole family raved about how well it turned out. Now, I`m "blessed" with the chore for Christmas. `Not a chore really, but I was amazed at how well this turned out. `Couldn`t have had the degree of success if it hadn`t have been for the accuracy and totally insulated containment of this smoker. I didn`t have to use much in the way of a water pan either. In fact, I used two small disposable foil pans about 3" x 9" x 3" filled only 1" full of water (they each fit nicely alongside the wood box). I used 4 small post oak blocks in the wood box, which produced smoke throughout the whole process. I would recommend that you at least get the stainless steel cart (the same cart for a # 2 also fits a # 3), which will raise your smoker to a comfortable working height. It also has two side trays which are very handy for setting items to put into the smoker. You could also add the digital controller to your existing smoker, as the website shows that availability. The controller is a little complicated to operate, but once you get the hang of it, it`s great. I wouldn`t change anything about my smoker, as I`m extremely satisfied with it. I have also had great success with ribs and a large brisket (brisket was moist also, which is a feat when it`s large; 14 pounds). I give this a five star rating.
