Newbie with AMBITION advice needed

[smokinkc]

hey all,

im looking for my first smoker. I grill 5 days a week for my personal belly :)

Now im looking to get into doing smoked meats and making my own sliced meat and such

Still doing my shopping as to propane, vs wood, vs electric

I bought a MES40 but right out of the box i got worried so I think its going back to the store. parts didnt fit, 1 was bent, the warranty is only 90 days !!!! I dont wanna spend that kinda money and only have a company back there product for 3 months.

Im a looking at a WSM 22.5 , a Landmann 38" propane which was formerly GOSM, or a Bradley or Traeger.

I like the idea of the electric because of the run cost and they pretty much easiest cook but with having to step up to a Traeger or a Bradley in order to get the warranty thats a LOT of money. 

Is propane easier to control and easier to cold smoke then a charcoal or wood?  which has the best flavor - haha everybody is gonna say to each his own. but I do like the ring look on the meat even though some say u can remove the water from the electric and u will achive that.

BUT TO STAY ON TOPIC... HI :) IM NEW HERE. been reading a lot and I have narrowed down my choices. I just want the most tender juicy flavor meat with able to do all sorts of meats and stuff with out having to grow gray hairs from the stress of feeding my belly some tasty yummy food. 

 

[s2k9k]

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 40,000 members and over 800,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast!

Would you do us a favor and update your profile to include your location, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

If you have any questions about the forums or need any help navigating around don’t hesitate to ask or send me a PM, I am more than happy to help out!

 

[smokinkc]

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 40,000 members and over 800,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast!

Would you do us a favor and update your profile to include your location, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

If you have any questions about the forums or need any help navigating around don’t hesitate to ask or send me a PM, I am more than happy to help out!

*updated*

 

[smoking b]

Welcome to the forums! You will find lots of MES owners on here who love their smoker - I am one of them. But you will also find tons of happy owners with propane smokers & wood smokers. I love the ease of smoking things in my MES but I am also in the process of making an Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) As far as cold smoking goes lots of people use an AMNPS from here http://www.amazenproducts.com/   I am one of those also. You can literally cold smoke in a cardboard box if need be.

My best advice would be to do some reading on here about the types of smokers that interest you. Read threads that owners have made about problems, successful smokes, ease of use, mods that helped the smoker perform better. That should help you come up with some specific questions about certain models. There are plenty of people on here willing to help you out. Good luck & enjoy your smoking quest! 

 

[smokinkc]

ive read so many post, ive narrowed it down to those. so many pros and cons of each. so tough, just wish MES40 had more then a 90 day warranty like the others offer. 

 

[chef jimmyj]

Welcome to the SMF Family...As far as your MES goes or any smoker for that matter...Anything coming out of China will be of marginal quality sometimes. For every MES that is purchased by our members that is a PITA with ill fitting parts or electronics problems there are countless more that are spot on out of the box, mine included. You will find the same with the Bradley and some Traegers. Any smoker will have issues that need to be adapted too. You say Smoke Ring is important...IMO, Like Tits on a Body Builder! Might look good but don't mean Squat for the overall result...

...You don't want an Electric. Charcoal and to a lesser extent, Propane will give a Ring but are not as Set and Forget as Electric smokers and/or require modification to get to the low temps Electrics can operate at (with an AMNPS Pellet Smoke Generator) like for Smoked Cured Sausage. Flip side, Gassers and Charcoal get hot enough to make 1 step Chicken with crisp skin, us Watt burners have to crisp in the Oven or on a Grill. There is no One answer, look at some of the guys around here, they own Multiple smokers running different Fuels. You need to set your Priorities then you will find the best fit...JJ

 

[smokinkc]

does the electric take the fun out of smoking? i wanna have fun with it and have the neighbors smell my tasty food but i also dont wanna be outside 24/7 messing with it. with an electric people say they like them cause they can set them and walk away or leave the house. Me being a fireman do not believe in leaving heating elements of any kind unattended to. so i would be close by keeping on eye on a electric as far as the safety part goes but not the temp.

 

[kathrynn]

Smokin KC....I started with a cheapo Brinkman electric....and loved it...but have a Smoke Vault Gasser...and I absolutely LOVE IT!  It is one that I can get high and low temps on...I don't worry about anything with it at all.  Have ordered replacement parts for it and no problem with the company with sending them at all.  Can you tell I am a happy camper?  

 

[bkleinsmid]

SmokinKC..... as you have seen, there many different ideas as to what fits best for each person. I have 4 smokers....2 given to me.....one electric that I bought......and a large 250 gal. Butane tank on a trailer that I built. My electric one is a Cookshack.....far more money than most want to spend but after 10 years of using it, I would buy another one if I had to. I do like the "set it and forget it" part when I'm busy doing other things but there are times when I like to sit and monitor the smoke. That makes for a very relaxing day..

Brad

 

[chef jimmyj]

Monitoring an Electric becomes optional ( my wife don't know that, I tell her this is a Hands On thing requiring Beer...). With most electrics you have to reload Chips or Chunks every 30 to 60 minutes, so it is hands on. But with the addition of the AMNPS Pellet Smoke Generator you have the option of getting some sleep or watching the kids during a 10-20 hour Big Brisket or Pork Butt Smoke. I know at least one member that had a portion of his house and deck burn using a Gasser. He was home the fire just got going that fast. Electrics are far safer IMO but like any Oven needs to be kept grease free and over loading Chips can cause a fire...JJ