Should I buy one?

[nickbailey]

So I found an electric smoker on sale at Canadian Tire.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/pr...=1176155369665

I have a horizontal smoker that I love using and theres no way i'm going to give up on doing it the old fashioend way. I was jsut thinking that this may be nice to do some jerkey with, or perhaps if i'm smoking multiple items I can throw something in this so I have less to worry about.

Anybody else here have an electric some and can tell me what they think of them?

 

[cheech]

I like my electric smoker. For the convenience part of it.

I also like a more traditional unit for the shear joy of it.

The electric units are able to produce some good BBQ although I and growing into a bit of a BBQ snob and believe that the wood fired units produce a much better unit for an example.

If presentation is part of the finished product then it is difficult to get a nice smoke ring with an electric unit like you can with a gas or stick burner.

Bottom line you can not beat the convenience of an electric unit.

 

[nickbailey]

Yeah thats what I figured. I still love my wood smoker and would use that with friends, but it would be nice to have the elextric smoker for when I want some smoked food without the work.

 

[cheech]

Often I will get my unit ready, fire her up and let it go while I am at work. My wife will feed it once at around noon and when I get home she is just about ready. Works great for stuff like pulled pork

 

[nickbailey]

Really? Cause thats sort of what I had in mind for it, some of the longer smokes like a pork shoulder or something, so that it wouldn't keep me up all night before the day of the BBQ. I suppose it all depends on the size eh, whether or not it'll fit?

 

[cheech]

That is how I use mine for Pork Shoulder and for when I make salami. Salami will often take 12 or more hours so this is perfect.

 

[nickbailey]

Hhmmm, well I think i'm sold. Now 3.3 sq ft.? That's probably like what 1ft wide, 1 ft deep and 3 ft tall? Or am I way off? heh.

 

[illini]

Hi Nick
The Centro smoker you are looking at is another name for what is a MES smoker....look at the posts for Masterbuilt in the "electric" section on the forum....It will not go unattended as you wish....yes the temp is automatic but the adding of chips will require your attention every 30-45 minutes....read all about it as stated in the MES posts....if you fill the tray with wood you will get way too much smoke

Good luck

 

[nickbailey]

Hhmmm thats true. But it is still less maintenance than most others. So it really will come in handy when i'm smoking multiple things.

 

[illini]

That is very true...good luck...think you will like it and gives you versatility too.

 

[chefloydb]

we use a smoke chef at work. we get pretty good results on pork butts we run them a 200 degrees for 15 hours changing the smoke box about every 2 hours for the first eight hours. after that just let her slow cook
for the rest of the night. following that we are able to produce a nice hearty smoke ring.