New Smokin-It Model 3.5

[BaxtersBBQ]

Super stoked I got my new smoker for the restaurant hooked up today.

Wish I would’ve taken more pics but I was too excited to put it together and make sure it works.
Just made a dry rub and BBQ sauce. I plan on seasoning it first thing in the morning then smoking a few butts during the day. Saturday’s special will be pulled (chopped)pork pizza.

I have to say, I haven’t used it yet but I’m super impressed with its quality. I had been looking at cookshacks, southern prides, and smoking Tex. The Smokin-it smokers are half the price. It’s hard to find indoor commercial smokers on a budget. I dont own a smokehouse so I didn’t need a huge one, just enough to do smoked specials. The 3.5 is the smaller of the large models. It’s almost the exact size as a deep fryer so it looks great in the kitchen. I’ll be updating with more pics in the morning. I think I’m even going to do a review video. Anybody have any tips for these? Any info would be great. I’ll keep you guys posted

 

[Winterrider]

Congratulations !

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Ditto on the congrats.
Since Smokin-It smokers are NFS certified, you should be good to go as far as your local health dept is concerned.

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

You’d think it would be that easy but I had to jump through some hoops. You could go to walmart and get a NSF certified masterbuilt for a couple hundred bucks but that doesn’t mean you can use it in a restaurant. My health department and fire codes officer both said the smoker had to be certified as commercial And indoor. I got the smokin-it model 3.5 for $1500... the closest pricewise is the smaller smokintex for $2500. That’s why I’m so impressed with this smoker, the quality is amazing for the price. It’s built like a tank. I can’t wait to upload some more pics tomorrow.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Either way, you did very good with the SmokIn-It.

 

[olecrosseyes]

Baxter, I was just looking @ those a couple of days ago. Where you are using it indoors there won't be any issues of the change in the stainless steel or the smaller btus of the burner or might there be?

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

No I don’t think so. I think that’s why they recommend a maximum of 70CFM. I only have one fan in my hood so the CFM is low. As long as you don’t have a crazy powerful hood sucking the heat and smoke out of the smoker it should be fine.

 

[pushok2018]

Congrats on y our new smoker! Wish you many happy smokes! I was thinking about buying Smoke-It Model 3 two and a half years ago but it's price made it impossible for me.....

 

[oldsmokerdude]

Congrats on your new smoker. Wish I could be there to try some of you initial PP pizza. That sounds great. I also believe you'll be super happy with your SmokinIT smoker. I have an older SmokinIt model 2 that I still use....A LOT. You are correct, the build quality is amazing for the price. Mine sits outside with just a cover all year long and has not had a single issue (though I have had to replace the cover once).

Anyway, send us some pix!

 

[conradjw]

Congrats!!!

I just purchased the model #3 around Christmas but went with the analog because of finances. I smoked four pork butts so far and it has worked flawlessly!

I still have to figure out a few issues yet?

- temperature swings with products like salami, jerky and cured sausage without cooking the fat out?

- also getting the excess moisture out when cooking product that need to dry somewhat.

- Jerky Dryer Fan for the moisture?

- smoke generator for lower temperature smokes?

- maybe even a PID for temperature control?

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

Thanks guys! I don’t plan on doing any salami or jerky. How do they turn out? Unfortunately I had to take today off. Not feeling the greatest. But I managed to get a better pic this morning. Itching to fire it up tomorrow.

 

[Norwester55]

You'll love it and these things are built like a tank!

 

[Norwester55]

Congrats!!!

I just purchased the model #3 around Christmas but went with the analog because of finances. I smoked four pork butts so far and it has worked flawlessly!

I still have to figure out a few issues yet?

- temperature swings with products like salami, jerky and cured sausage without cooking the fat out?

A PID will solve the temp swing problem. I just set my #1 up with an Auber and its pretty easy to do. Wiring diagrams and instructions on the Smokin-It forum. The SS drills easily with Tungsten or Carbide bits. The wall mount probe is the way to go.

- also getting the excess moisture out when cooking product that need to dry somewhat.

- Jerky Dryer Fan for the moisture?

You can put together a dryer for under $20 using a PC fan and PVC pipe. Being the conspicuous consumer that I am and somewhat lazy I bought one.

- smoke generator for lower temperature smokes?

Much cheaper and effective to use an A-MAZE-N tray for cold smoking.

- maybe even a PID for temperature control?

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

Quick update if anybody’s still reading this. This thing is AMAZING. I was a little sceptical when I read in the instructions not to use more than 8oz wood. I understood why when I seasoned it. Just two chunks hickory produced some of the most concentrated smoke I’ve ever seen. Those two pieces of wood lasted the full three hours for seasoning. And unlike some other electric smokers, it had ZERO plasticy-chemical-electric fire smell while seasoning.
Then I did a practice run with some chicken thighs to test the probes. Set the smoker to 250 and the probes to 165. About an hour later they were done. Double checked with my own thermometer and they were perfect. Going to throw a butt on it today.

 

[conradjw]

This is the best way to test out your new smoker that I have found.

Pulled Pork Butt:

Pork Butt Brine

* 1 gallon water 2 t. black pepper 1⅛ cup kosher salt 1 T. cayenne 1 cup brown sugar 1 T. onion powder ½ cup apple cider vinegar 1 T. garlic powder 1 t. #1 pink curing salt ....put ⅓ of the water in a pan big enough to hold 1 gallon of water. Add the other ingredients and heat over medium heat. The idea is to melt and blend all of the ingredients. Once complete, remove from heat and add the remaining ⅔ gallon of water in the form of ice cubes. This will cool the brine enough to put the pork in it. You can cool the brine further by placing ice in a Ziploc bag and putting it in the pan. If the ice in the bag melts, just replace it. This way, you are cooling the brine without diluting it. Once the brine is cold, place your pork butt in a brining container and add the brine. This can be a big Ziploc bag or any food-grade container for brining. Here, we see the butt out of the brine, rubbed and ready for the smoker. Let the butt soak for a bout 13 hours.

* Remove butt from brine rinse off excess salt residue.

* Rub entire butt down with prepared mustard.

* Now put on you favorite rub.

* Put the butt in the smoker on the highest rack.

* I put a small bread loaf pan pan on the bottom of the smoker next to the heating element with some apple juice in the pan? Not sure you need this?

* I use about 6 ounces of a apple/cherry mix for wood.

* set the smoker too 225 degrees.

* probe up the roast so you can monitor the temperature.

* close the smoker and walk away.

* I pulled the meat out at 203 degrees.

* It should take anywhere from 14 to 18 hours depending on size, fat content and hog breed. Maybe more time? I have done multiple butts are one time didn't seem to change much on the time.

* Most of this information I learned from the Smokin-It forum.

The pulled pork turned out perfect.

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

This is the best way to test out your new smoker that I have found.

Pulled Pork Butt:

Pork Butt Brine

* 1 gallon water 2 t. black pepper 1⅛ cup kosher salt 1 T. cayenne 1 cup brown sugar 1 T. onion powder ½ cup apple cider vinegar 1 T. garlic powder 1 t. #1 pink curing salt ....put ⅓ of the water in a pan big enough to hold 1 gallon of water. Add the other ingredients and heat over medium heat. The idea is to melt and blend all of the ingredients. Once complete, remove from heat and add the remaining ⅔ gallon of water in the form of ice cubes. This will cool the brine enough to put the pork in it. You can cool the brine further by placing ice in a Ziploc bag and putting it in the pan. If the ice in the bag melts, just replace it. This way, you are cooling the brine without diluting it. Once the brine is cold, place your pork butt in a brining container and add the brine. This can be a big Ziploc bag or any food-grade container for brining. Here, we see the butt out of the brine, rubbed and ready for the smoker. Let the butt soak for a bout 13 hours.

* Remove butt from brine rinse off excess salt residue.

* Rub entire butt down with prepared mustard.

* Now put on you favorite rub.

* Put the butt in the smoker on the highest rack.

* I put a small bread loaf pan pan on the bottom of the smoker next to the heating element with some apple juice in the pan? Not sure you need this?

* I use about 6 ounces of a apple/cherry mix for wood.

* set the smoker too 225 degrees.

* probe up the roast so you can monitor the temperature.

* close the smoker and walk away.

* I pulled the meat out at 203 degrees.

* It should take anywhere from 14 to 18 hours depending on size, fat content and hog breed. Maybe more time? I have done multiple butts are one time didn't seem to change much on the time.

* Most of this information I learned from the Smokin-It forum.

The pulled pork turned out perfect.

Hey I appreciate all the info. There’s some good stuff there. I’m not a bbq pro but ive been smoking meats for over 10 years. Ive tried a million different ways. A lot of those steps aren’t really really necessary though. And 14-18 hours seems way too long. And I stop cooking at 190, I do more of a chopped than pulled pork. I agree with some of the steps but there are way easier ways to do it that yield a product just as good. Sometimes less is more

 

[old sarge]

Great smoker; great company to. deal with.