Electric Smokers (2006)

My brother has an amazing electric smoker that he bought from cookshack. I love it, but it's over $500

I've seen some electric smokers in the $200 range, one from the Bass Outdoor store. But, I'm wondering what the downside of the less expensive one is. Harder to clean? Smaller? Inaccurate thermostat?

Anyone have experience with these smokers?

We have an electric smoker we bought several years ago for around $60. It is one of the 2 tier dome top types. We have had excellent results. The drip pan and grills have to be cleaned etc. We have enjoyed ours. Hmm.... I have some Salmon in the freezer. Might just smoke some for Christmas eve.

I'm with Dixie. We bought one (Lil Smoker?) several years back for not much moola. Smoking is a pretty simple process (at least to my simple brain). The secret is in the wood chips. I can't imagine what a $600 smoker would add to the equation (unless it packages and labels, too).

LI've had a couple of inexpensive electric smokers (less than $100) and have had great results with them. The only problem I ever had was the element eventually burnt out. We never had any issues with them that would have made me want to go out and pay $500 for one built of better construction.

what about in terms of cleaning or capacity? Any issues?

Which electric smoker have you liked the best?

I have an inexpensive smoker that seems to work fine.

Did ask a salesperson at Cabelas what the difference was between an inexpensive smoker and their more expensive models. He explained that in cold weather some of the more expensive models have insulation to keep the heat concentrated. If you don't have that type of a setup it could take a very long time to get the meat smoked.

That seems to make some sense if you were smokin in a very cold location. Minnessota, Winnepeg in January.

Just seems that if you are able to dial in the temperature to your satisfaction, they are a pretty simple device.

Bob

Buy a Big Green Egg and throw out all the other grill crap that's out there.
Honestly, they are the best, grill, smoke, bake breads, desserts you will never go out for steak again, and the list goes on and on.
www.biggreenegg.com
Your already a timeshare fanatic, why not have egghead to add to your interests etc.

I like the idea of the Big Green Egg - but I already have a "real" smoker - you know, the big black kind from Texas that you add wood to and fiddle with flaps and vents and the like.

I wanted something I could just toss the food and wood in - and forget about it! So, electric is really what I'm looking for in this go round.

The expensive / good ones have "super" smoke setting which means it gives you the maximum smoke flavor, smoking them low and slow for perfect results. They are intelligent enough to hold the temperature and they have various temp settings as well.

We own a Traeger wood peller electric smoker, which some would swear that they make the best smokers. The issue is that there is a fairly high percentage of the smokers that do not work correctly out of their factory, going by reviews on the website. We were one of those unlucky ones and it took a whole 6 months for the company to send us a replacement core part to make it work. It was angst for the 6 months with countless phone calls, emails, pictures etc etc, while we were sent different parts and circuit boards to try out various replacements. They do not have any sort of service centers here and their warranty is all DIY - we send you the part and good luck in tearing it apart to make replacements. We now love our Traeger but we will NOT ever buy a Traeger again.

I use Brinksman electric smoker's. I have two of these and they are no longer making them. My buddy found one on Craigslist like new for $20. I found my second one on Craigslist brand new with cover for $40. I really like these for cut salmon or small fillets. I think my best smoked salmon is using the Brinksman. These did cost about $80. I see the charcoal Brinksman Smokers are still available and these work good too.

I also have a Green Egg Daniel Boone pellet grill that does a really good job of smoking meats. It was on sale for about $700. It links to my phone and is good for full salmon fillets and large meats. Steaks and burgers taste pretty good pellet smoked too.

Bill

Funny how a thread gets reincarnated after over a dozen years of dormancy. Oh well.

I have had my Louisiana 'Country Smoker' pellet grill from that great Cajun smoke center Edmonton Alberta. I've had it close to 20 years. It still starts with the push of a button and I've never had a single negative comment on it's output. That said, I use it maybe 6-8 times a year, it's not getting commercial use. I vacuum out the ash once a year whether it needs it or not. I clean and oil the grates that food goes on religiously before EVERY load goes into it.

I suppose a sub-$100 electric could be OK, but I like just using the electricity to start the process and then time an Mother Nature work their magic.

I'm particularly fond of my pork ribs, beef jerky (made from tri-tip) and boneless chicken thighs. The salmon ain't bad either.

Jim

Passepartout said:

Funny how a thread gets reincarnated after over a dozen years of dormancy. Oh well.

I have had my Louisiana 'Country Smoker' pellet grill from that great Cajun smoke center Edmonton Alberta. I've had it close to 20 years. It still starts with the push of a button and I've never had a single negative comment on it's output. That said, I use it maybe 6-8 times a year, it's not getting commercial use. I vacuum out the ash once a year whether it needs it or not. I clean and oil the grates that food goes on religiously before EVERY load goes into it.

I suppose a sub-$100 electric could be OK, but I like just using the electricity to start the process and then time an Mother Nature work their magic.

I'm particularly fond of my pork ribs, beef jerky (made from tri-tip) and boneless chicken thighs. The salmon ain't bad either.

Jim

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I feel silly to reply to a spammer.

VacationForever said:

I feel silly to reply to a spammer.

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Not the first time. Prolly not the last, either.

Wow, I see that now. 2006. Oh well.

Bill

Passepartout said:

Funny how a thread gets reincarnated after over a dozen years of dormancy. Oh well.

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But it's also funny just how relevant a thread can still be after over a dozen years.

I have always been a Weber fan for grills; have had some form of Weber for close to 30 years now (and it was only two units!). They now have the SmokeFire line of pellet auto-feed smokers / grills to compete directly with the Traegers. Does anyone have any experience with them? Looking at them in the store this summer, they seem to be built better and with heavier-gauge materials than the Traeger.

I currently have a Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker (actually received it as a service anniversary gift from my company), and while I think it is a good product, I have found I am just not the type of person that has the patience to put in the time and effort needed for a charcoal smoker. I am thinking about getting one of the SmokeFire smokers but would like to hear of some first hand experiences, positive or negative.

Kurt

PigsDad said:

But it's also funny just how relevant a thread can still be after over a dozen years.

I have always been a Weber fan for grills; have had some form of Weber for close to 30 years now (and it was only two units!). They now have the SmokeFire line of pellet auto-feed smokers / grills to compete directly with the Traegers. Does anyone have any experience with them? Looking at them in the store this summer, they seem to be built better and with heavier-gauge materials than the Traeger.

I currently have a Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker (actually received it as a service anniversary gift from my company), and while I think it is a good product, I have found I am just not the type of person that has the patience to put in the time and effort needed for a charcoal smoker. I am thinking about getting one of the SmokeFire smokers but would like to hear of some first hand experiences, positive or negative.

Kurt

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I looked at the Weber pellet grill at the ACE Hardware and thought it had a huge grilling surface and read it has the ability to hit 600 degrees. I also saw no smoke stack and wondered if the smoke vents willy nilly instead of directional. I also noticed it cost about twice as much as my Green Egg Daniel Boone unit.

Every one I know that has a Traeger has had issues with the main issue being the feed jamming. The farm supply store I bought my Green Egg unit from also sells Traeger. I bought Green Egg because of the many recommendations of people I know that used both. So far the only problem I had was figuring out how to cook bluetooth with my phone. I was just setting a timer and watching the temp but now I can do all of that with my phone.

If you get the Weber please tell us how it cooks. For the cost it seems like it could be a good choice.

Bill

We have a MasterBuilt electric smoker. It cost about $120 a few years ago. We don't use it constantly--maybe five or ten times a year. It's been very good.

I've heard that some of these units have problems with the heating element, but so far so good for us. We've had the MasterBuilt long enough that even if it breaks down this year, we've gotten our money's worth.

mariedaniels said:

Great thread, looking at a smoker purchase for this summer under 200$.

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Now's the time to start looking for help. amazingribs.com is the largest bbq site on the internet and has a ton of smoker reviews.

I have an electric Masterbuilt smoker at my home in the USA. It's the main kitchen item I miss the most in Mazatlán. Then again, I live a block from a carne asada joint. No, not the same - but a good substitute