Smoker shopping - help and ideas welcome

[TomKnollRFV]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback so far - here are some responses and comments:

1. Can the electric smokers like the MES be stored outside? I should have listed that as a requirement of storage.
2. Which smokers are best suited for outside storage or can all be stored outside with the proper cover?
3. The A-MAZE-N tray system (or Bradley smoker) seems to be the answer to the question I had about leaving it unattended for a period of time.
4. What makes one prefer the horizontal type over a vertical type?
5. I will be buying a unit before month's end.
6. The 10x10 space is not going to be large enough for most horizontal smokers (with the grill already in place).
7. Anyone have experience with the electric Bradley smoker and the wood pucks?

I'm torn between propane and electric at this point...those seem to check the most boxes on the list. I'd love to cook with all wood but realistically will need to walk away with 2 kids to chase after.

The MES 40 can be stored outside. I got a cover for mine, that is all. I've actually used it during storms that caused flash flooding. The food still turned out good, I just look like a drowned rat during the experience. The thing is to avoid mold etc etc, you just wanna fire it up at least once every other week. Even if yer not gonna use it, just run it up to maximum temp, roll smoke for an hour or two, let it cool down and recover.

As for the AMNPS...yep. I just gotta say Yep. I pretty much do every major smoking session as an overnight with it. Even if the pellets don't go on smoldering like I planned..the cooking is still done.

As for the Bradley..I looked at one, but frankly it's a super expensive way to smoke. A 48 pack of the pucks costs about 20 USD. They claim, at a rate of it using one every 20 mins..that it'll do '8 to 9 smokes' which isn't true. At all. I can buy a 20 pound bag of Traeger Pellets for the same amount and that'll last ..I don't know. I buy pellets on sale when I don't need them, but I can safetly say, I'd guess 20 pounds of pellets would last me a year I suspect. I have some thing like closer to 60 pounds of pellets and 20 pounds of wood chips.

Furthermore the Bradley models that are cheaper don't have an autofeed system, you have to still hit the button, thus really not removing the concerns of long smokes requiring you to constantly baby it. Along with it requiring a dual heating element set up as I was lead to understand. One of those elements is at the bottom of what looks like a giant water trap <The puck loader>.

PS: I might be biased as I thoroughly enjoy the versatility of the MES, and the fact if some thing goes wrong, this forum likely has the solution..and it doesn't require a propietary expensive thing to use it as intended.

 

[zachd]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss...466001f5-692a349-fefbd82a7b685c20&athena=true

I am highly considering getting rid of my MES and going this route

 

[gmc2003]

Although I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with whichever smoker you choose. I'll cast my vote for the WSM. Basically it's a set-it-an-forget-it. With the added feature of NO electrical parts going south during a smoke. Will still work during a black out, customer service is great, will last for many years, and finally you can do almost anything on them from cold smoking to high heat smokes. Oh I forgot you don't have to worry about running out of propane.

Chris

 

[SonnyE]

While the Bradley has it's appeal, it also has the flaw of availability. I live in a very, um, Metropolitan area. I had to order pucks for my Bradley. And they were the most expensive fuel to burn.
So I looked for a better way.
All around me I can easily buy pellets, and a variety of types. A part of my reason for joining SMF was to research other, more modern ways to transition away from Bradley's system. Years ago, nearly 2 decades, I bought into the Bradley system and got one of their smoke generators they sell for smoke house builders. It found it's way onto a Brinkman Smoke N Grill (UDS) I had, and smoked salmon and almonds for much of it's life.
Here at SMF I found the well spring of knowledge, and soon joined the MES group, and eventually got an AMNPS, and completed my transition away from the overpriced and difficult to get Bradley pucks.
The MES smoker is actually the first smoker I've ever bought, all others over my lifetime of smoking meats were home grown units using stripped out large electrical enclosures, home made boxes, and even one old porcelain refrigerator.
Always using an electric element to heat chips to smoking. Never using my smokers to actually cook items, but to flavor and preserve meats for me to enjoy.
So decide if you want to cook meat with a smokey flavor, or smoke meat.
I like that Pit Boss linked by ZachD. But I don't like the 150° minimum temperature. Cold smoking is done at temperatures lower than 100°. (Cheeses, Butters, Fishes, and Nuts, are some I've done.)

Choose wisely, enjoy much!

Edit In: Oh, and all my stuff lives outside, under covers when not in use.

 

[irb75]

My 2¢....
It does not matter what you settle in with, there will be a learning curve.
$500 is a good figure, helps to give relative advice.



OK, good intel there. Then you narrow down to a WSM or another BBQ, an LSM.
Both of which are probably over your $500 figure. Right?

Then you throw a wench in the works.....



My advice is generally specific. I have an Electric Smoker, highly modified, to do my kind of smoking.
Key there is Smoking, not necessarily cooking. Because I smoke from Ambient (Cold), up to what ever the target is.
But I can use it as an outdoor oven that also can smoke food. The process of making 3,2,1, Ribs is a perfect example. Smoke for 3 hours, wrap in foil and roast for 2 hours. Then unwrap and finish roasting for 1 hour. All running at 225° for 6+ hours.
But I separated the smoke making, and the internal temperature control, from what Masterbuilt provided. Then further modified that by making my electric smokers heating element controllable below 100°. So I get really serious about Smoking. And electric gives me that kind of control.

But for Bar-B-Queing, I prefer my Char Broil gas burner for it's easy control. Flame broiled, if you will.

Sounds like what you want is cooking over a wood, or charcoal, fire. Which will impart a smokey flavor, or a wood/charcoal flavor.
So you might be happiest with the WSM or LSM.
But you have a learning curve ahead.

I can definitely see myself looking at cold smoking as I read that it is great for seafood, steak, and wild game. My wife enjoys salmon/fish and I hunt and will enjoy steaks and venison. I wouldnt want to cook those meats for very long as they are leaner.

 

[irb75]

Although I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with whichever smoker you choose. I'll cast my vote for the WSM. Basically it's a set-it-an-forget-it. With the added feature of NO electrical parts going south during a smoke. Will still work during a black out, customer service is great, will last for many years, and finally you can do almost anything on them from cold smoking to high heat smokes. Oh I forgot you don't have to worry about running out of propane.

Chris

I'm not sure I'd like to manage and dispose of charcoal that much although I love the flavor.

 

[irb75]

TomKnollRFV - where do you put the AMNPS 5x8 when using it? directly on a cooking shelf?

Apologies I did not know until this morning that the AMNPS is lit from the side and not heated by an element.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Apologies I did not know until this morning that the AMNPS is lit from the side and not heated by an element.

No worries..

As for using a smoker beyond just at 250f..well...just looking at how to make bacon etc. You can't buy buckboard bacon in a store, but it's darn tasty and thats one of those things that you'd probably be hard pressed to make with a charcoal smoker. <I'm guessing it's hard to keep the temp of a charcoal smoker around 160f is all. Charcoal for me is now entirely a fuel to grill up steak>

 

[irb75]

So it seems that many of these smokers can be made to cold smoke if you can fit something like the AMNPS inside. Would that be a good general rule of thumb?

 

[TomKnollRFV]

So it seems that many of these smokers can be made to cold smoke if you can fit something like the AMNPS inside. Would that be a good general rule of thumb?

Correct. It's just electric is really the most newbie friendly <or in my case, the fact I can't physically bend over repeatedly to feed charcoal etc in>.

 

[Jeff Wright]

<or in my case, the fact I can't physically bend over repeatedly to feed charcoal etc in>

:DThe hazzards and consequences of being a cook!!!!

 

[TomKnollRFV]

:DThe hazzards and consequences of being a cook!!!!

Ha..more like the hazards of back surgery. If I was dumb enough I'd try to put my MES on a standard so the bottom of iti s about knee level. I also know the first big storm BANG there goes my MES ;)

 

[HalfSmoked]

Tom thanks for the like it is greatly appreciated.
Warren

 

[SonnyE]

So it seems that many of these smokers can be made to cold smoke if you can fit something like the AMNPS inside. Would that be a good general rule of thumb?

Yes, and no.
The reason I modified my MES 30 as far as I did was to have as much temperature control as I could.
The Masterbuilt Smokers have a range between 100° and 275°. I needed tighter, lower temperature control.
So I made a bypass switch that allows me to use an external temperature control. I chose an Inkbird Control <Link< for reasons I could use it to Sous Vide, and also for running my MES 30 below the standard control temp, and more importantly in a tighter degree range. It will control my MES 30 in a 6° range, 2 below set point, and an overshoot of 4 degrees. Set at a 1° range. So the Inkbird runs the heating element inside my MES.
I did my own version of a "Mailbox Mod" that uses 96" of 4" aluminum dryer vent tubing to convey the smoke from my box, around and over to the side of my MES.
Since the Inkbird alternates between heating and cooling cycles, I have a small box fan that comes on during the non-heating mode and cools the aluminum tube.
Between the AMNPS burning pellets for 11 hours, and the Inkbird maintaining the smokers internal temperature, and cooling the smoke being induced into the smoker, it is a true 11 hour No-Touch cold smoker.
Even after the AMNPS has burnt out, the Inkbird continues to maintain the temperature in my MES until I drag my buns out back to gather up my overnight run of cold smoked yummies.

If you want to do it simpler, then simply placing the AMNPS inside the smoker chamber can do low temperature smoking.

But cold smoking is between ambient and 100°, Warm is 100° to ~ 200°, And Hot is 200° and up.
As long as you hit the temperatures to kill the bacteria potentially available, you should be fine.
Here is the results of a simple Google search. Cold Smoking, Warm Smoking, and Hot Smoking Temperature Ranges.
And of course, opinions will vary. But those are my "Rule of Thumb".
Shucks, the thermometers available for most of us are, at best, inaccurate. They are not calibrated, tested, or certified to be accurate. It's up to you to decide if a given unit is close enough to trust it.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Not sure if it was touched on or not now..but be prepared to spend around 50 bucks on thermal probes no matter what way you go. I got a Maverick set <Though one probe is busted and I need to replace it>. Even though I verified my MES smoker's built in probe, it's only off by 5 degrees...I barely use it. I prefer having that maverick. You can get cheaper ones then a maverick, it's just nice to have a high end good model that'll last years. <the Maverick probe I had died was a decade old and literally it was actually from being stored coiled up that made it break on me>.

 

[irb75]

is the bluetooth worth a damn on the MES?

 

[irb75]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I believe I'll start with the MES 30 (or 40). I based the decision on the following factors:

1. Electric seems like the safer play when leaving the unit unattended (on my deck) for a few hours (AMNPS-style).
2. The MES seems very popular here and most people love it.
   
3. Cleanup should be easy with no charcoal.
4. Don't have to open the door to add wood chips.
   
5. Cold and hot smoking should be possible with it.
   
6. Don't have to worry about refilling or keeping extra propane.
7. The bluetooth allows me to chase my kids around the house and keep tabs on the smoker.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I believe I'll start with the MES 30 (or 40). I based the decision on the following factors:

1. Electric seems like the safer play when leaving the unit unattended (on my deck) for a few hours (AMNPS-style).
2. The MES seems very popular here and most people love it.
   
3. Cleanup should be easy with no charcoal.
4. Don't have to open the door to add wood chips.
   
5. Cold and hot smoking should be possible with it.
   
6. Don't have to worry about refilling or keeping extra propane.
7. The bluetooth allows me to chase my kids around the house and keep tabs on the smoker.

I don't see the point in bluetooth control. I just got the remote digital model and that thing has a 300 foot range. My MES is in my backyard on the patio, and I've already used it a yard over with out issue.

I'd say just grab the 40 inch model at Fleetfarm. For the last 4 months when i go in, they got one of them on sale, and as summer is winding down, sales will pop up as they unload the overstock. Just remember you need an AMNPS to do cold smoking and to save headaches on smokes that'll take a while. <The ability to go to sleep as a Pork Butt does it's thing is so nice!>

 

[irb75]

I don't see the point in bluetooth control. I just got the remote digital model and that thing has a 300 foot range. My MES is in my backyard on the patio, and I've already used it a yard over with out issue.

I'd say just grab the 40 inch model at Fleetfarm. For the last 4 months when i go in, they got one of them on sale, and as summer is winding down, sales will pop up as they unload the overstock. Just remember you need an AMNPS to do cold smoking and to save headaches on smokes that'll take a while. <The ability to go to sleep as a Pork Butt does it's thing is so nice!>

I pretty much have my cell phone on me around the house so carrying the extra remote is not desirable. The bluetooth should eliminate that if it works properly.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I pretty much have my cell phone on me around the house so carrying the extra remote is not desirable. The bluetooth should eliminate that if it works properly.

Fair enough. The only thing I actually use my remote for is setting the temp. The built in probe isn't the best, so I don't go by it. <You'll discover that the actual unit display is hard to read..>