New member from Canada

[MLazenby]

From the longest freshwater beach in the world, to be exact. :)

I used to work for Napoleon and got one of their Freestyle barbecues. It sucked as a barbecue but it is nice solid stainless steel construction and works great as a smoker. Put a little Weber charcoal rack in the bottom, use the propane burner to get 'er going. Works well. So far I've done a couple of chilis, a brisket, wings, cornish hens for thanksgiving. Those all turned out fantastic. My pork butts, not so much. The first one I pulled at 195, it was tender but needed a little more cooking to really fall apart. Last weekend I tried another and I guess the weather was just too cold. Ended up more like a ham. Still really tasty, just not what we're after...

I'm keen to step up to a real smoker, but it's a big purchase. Initially I thought I get a Dynaglo vertical offset and do the mods, but now I'm thinking I should just buy the highest quality I can afford, so maybe a WSM?

Looking forward to checking out lots of great recipes and tips and chatting with smokeheads from all around the world!

Mike

 

[kruizer]

Welcome to SMF frm Minnesota.

 

[Fgignac]

I was born in the Georgian Bay area ;)

Welcome to the forum

 

[HalfSmoked]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you didn't cook long enough you need at least 205 to 210 to get good pulled pork.

Warren

 

[atomicsmoke]

Welcome from the GTA.

My first butts, before joining here were anything but pulled pork. Soon you'll say: this is easy. It is.

I would like to hear more about those cornish hens. Never cooked one but they wink at me everytime i walk by at the market.

I have a prestige series Napoleon grill. Made in Barrie. Strong machine.

 

[MLazenby]

Thanks for the welcome guys! Atomic, the Prestige is a great line for sure. Napoleon is really chomping at the bit to expand into the U.S. and Europe lately. Yeah, the cornish hens were fun, nice for a small Thanksgiving get-together.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Cornish hens are nice and they are also good deep fried.

Warren

 

[HalfSmoked]

MLazenby Thanks for the like it is greatly appreciated.

Warren

 

[Hank R]

Welcome from Western Canada. I also have a Napoleon Prestige for 5 years now and Still love grilling on it.

 

[old sarge]

Welcome to the forum. If you are looking at a smoker, and electric seems appealing, check out the line from Smokin-it. Might be a tad pricey getting one into Canada but they are bullet proof.

 

[Hank R]

I also think that a Smokin-it, is one to take a look at I have had mine for 5 months and no regrets. Very well built and very easy to use. Lot of great information in forum. Pay once cry once I got a shipping address in the US and the rest was easy drive down and pay duty.

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the site, glad to have ya join. You won't go wrong with a WSM. 3 different sizes, will last a very long time, and no electronics or moving parts to break.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome to SMF!
Happy to have you join us!
Al

 

[MLazenby]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses and tips.
warren , you're welcome! Gotta spread the love my friend.
Those Smokin-it electrics do look really well built, but I don't have any outside plugs on my back deck...yeah, it's a problem, but not one I'm gonna solve immediately, so probably a WSM...
SmokinAl , I'm loving all those cook links in your sig, can't wait to test some out myself.

Something else I tried last month was a tray of mixed walnuts and pecans with brown sugar and hot pepper spice. mmm!

 

[MLazenby]

Gotta say, I've been doing a lot of research comparing the WSM to the Napoleon Apollo and I'm torn. The Apollo has more features, is modular, and the baby 16 inch 200k is bigger than the Weber baby 14.5. However I have read some criticisms of the build quality of the Napoleon's also. Wondering if anybody here has owned both of these units.

 

[MLazenby]

Talked myself into it. WSM 14.5 is on the way.

 

[gmc2003]

If your looking for something on the cheap and very versatile then you may want to look into the Weber 22" kettle. It can be used as a smoker as well as a grill. Also it's only about 100.00 US.

Chris

 

[MLazenby]

Thanks gmc - I used to own one, but I'm looking for something ready to go. My WSM will be here today.
Next step - building a bit of a shelter on my back patio for winter smoking! :)

 

[MLazenby]

Great deal on chuck roast so I grabbed 2 to break in my new smoker. Also some chipotle smoked chips and onions.
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[Fgignac]

Chuck roast is a great one to use. So much flavour!

I've had my best results using a lower temp (around 200*) on these. If I'm going to sear the outside to form a crust I pull at 110*-115* IT so that finished temp is around 130*-135* IT

How did they turn out?