[goosethumps]

charcoal smoker all the way!!! The Big green egg is great but might be a little too expensive for a beginner.

 

[duckhunter61b]

Ya it's been a work In Progress here's some ribs I made on it 2 weeks ago. It still needs some tweaking but it will burn 4 hrs loaded up and maintain 230 degrees plus or minus 15 before it starts dropping. takes a good 40 min. To get it heated up th i need to get more oak for it I found that has produced my best "Q" oak with a little apple. These ribs were almost perfect only thing wrong is they were a touch on the salty side I used my rub and added famous Dave rib rub and it was just to much.. But had perfect heat in my rub perfect finish perfect pull to the Bone. My wife don't really like ribs says there to messy and usually tough. Lol she ate almost a half a rack.

 

[hdbagger23]

We have a Daniel Boone from Green Mountain Grill...its electric, super easy to use and control temp!

http://greenmountaingrills.com/products/grills/daniel-boone/

love mine too

 

[Frog]

I strongly suggest a electric. It it so easy, set then come back and eat. I started with a smaller Char-broil electric then moved to a Master-bilt myself as the family was growing and needed more room. I Bought it at Sam's very reasonable.

 

[bmac]

I bought the Orion Cooker (it is actually a smoker but the name can be deceiving). This thing is great! I did a 17lb turkey with it last fall in under 2 hours! It was great! I really try to load it up every time I use it because it uses a decent amount of charcoal. About 3 weeks ago i did 12lbs of chicken and a 4lb pork roast. They turned out great. There isn't much work associated with this cooker. Put the drip pan in the bottom, load the wood chips, put in the meat, put on the lid, load up the charcoal, light her up, and delicious meat is ready before you know it!

 

[Richard Hedd]

I have this and am very happy with it.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/masterbuilt-electric-smoker-with-window/prod1180971.ip

 

[bustinbeaks]

I bought the Orion Cooker (it is actually a smoker but the name can be deceiving). This thing is great! I did a 17lb turkey with it last fall in under 2 hours! It was great! I really try to load it up every time I use it because it uses a decent amount of charcoal. About 3 weeks ago i did 12lbs of chicken and a 4lb pork roast. They turned out great. There isn't much work associated with this cooker. Put the drip pan in the bottom, load the wood chips, put in the meat, put on the lid, load up the charcoal, light her up, and delicious meat is ready before you know it!

Those things are AWESOME!!!!!

Takes a lot of the guess work out of it, but its very hard to screw something up on them deals.

More of an outdoor convection oven, but they still get the job done! Been kicking around the idea of picking one up myself.

 

[storm826]

Best electric smoker for the money is a mes 40" throw the chip tube away and buy yourself a amnps smoker tuber you will be very happy with this set up produces some of the best food and when you buy a amnps you can also use it in your mes for cold smoking cheese and bacon..... I have spent the last 3 years experimenting and to be honest my best Q has come off my reverse flow work smoker I built last year here is a pic will postmore but there is a forum on the net called smokingmeatforums.com become a member on there it's free and you will learn a ton!!!!

Hey, I bought an anmps smoker tube from your comment. Thanks! That thing is AWESOME! I use it in my Phoenix grill with great results. Cheese, brisket, chicken, ham, Turkey. Thanks for the cheap easy solution for my craving of smoked food. I've owned 2 smokers and built one and never had the results that I've had with this setup.

 

[Kevin]

Hey, I bought an anmps smoker tube from your comment. Thanks! That thing is AWESOME! I use it in my Phoenix grill with great results. Cheese, brisket, chicken, ham, Turkey. Thanks for the cheap easy solution for my craving of smoked food. I've owned 2 smokers and built one and never had the results that I've had with this setup.

Interesting. What's the difference between using that tube and say foil with holes? I've been rolling chips in foil and placing 2 packets of them on each side of the grill. Works pretty good.

I also foil the excessive vent holes in my grill.

 

[storm826]

Interesting. What's the difference between using that tube and say foil with holes? I've been rolling chips in foil and placing 2 packets of them on each side of the grill. Works pretty good.

I also foil the excessive vent holes in my grill.

I guess the nice thing about the tube is it'll smoke real nice for like 6 hrs straight.

 

[Kevin]

Ah and the convenience I guess.

That brisket looks amazing... what did you do? Dry or wet rub? How long did you have it smoking for?

 

[storm826]

Ah and the convenience I guess.

That brisket looks amazing... what did you do? Dry or wet rub? How long did you have it smoking for?

Tell ya what Kevin, when it comes to smoking big chunks of meat I break every rule in the book. About 8 years ago I tried my first brisket on an electric Brinkman barrel smoker I got for like 20 bones at a yardsale. Everything was going great until the chunks caught on fire and burnt the crap out of my precious brisket. I nearly cried. Anyhow I took it in the house and tried to "save" it. I hacked it up and threw it in a crock pot with a little water. It was still bloody on the inside. Well I let it cook for like 10 hours and it turned out to be the best brisket I ever had and trust me I've had a lot. So from that day on I just score the heavy fat on the brisket, add salt and pepper then throw a ton of smoke at it for like 4-6 hrs. Then I let it rest fire like 30 minutes and slice it into like 1/4 inch pieces across the grain and finish it in a roaster or crock pot until it falls apart. I do my pork shoulder the same way. I'm telling ya its out of this world good and it doesn't have that heavy rubbery fat so typical of brisket.

 

[Kevin]

Tell ya what Kevin, when it comes to smoking big chunks of meat I break every rule in the book. About 8 years ago I tried my first brisket on an electric Brinkman barrel smoker I got for like 20 bones at a yardsale. Everything was going great until the chunks caught on fire and burnt the crap out of my precious brisket. I nearly cried. Anyhow I took it in the house and tried to "save" it. I hacked it up and threw it in a crock pot with a little water. It was still bloody on the inside. Well I let it cook for like 10 hours and it turned out to be the best brisket I ever had and trust me I've had a lot. So from that day on I just score the heavy fat on the brisket, add salt and pepper then throw a ton of smoke at it for like 4-6 hrs. Then I let it rest fire like 30 minutes and slice it into like 1/4 inch pieces across the grain and finish it in a roaster or crock pot until it falls apart. I do my pork shoulder the same way. I'm telling ya its out of this world good and it doesn't have that heavy rubbery fat so typical of brisket.

Haha, that's how good stuff is born (mistakes in the kitchen)! Sounds good, will give it a shot. How long are you leaving it in the slow cooker? And what are you adding to it, a little beef stock? 4 hours in the slow cooker?

 

[storm826]

Haha, that's how good stuff is born (mistakes in the kitchen)! Sounds good, will give it a shot. How long are you leaving it in the slow cooker? And what are you adding to it, a little beef stock? 4 hours in the slow cooker?

I know this sounds vague, and unexacting but I truly have never paid attention. When I cut it up I put a pan under the cutting board to retain as much juice as possible. I shave of the huge heavy chunks of fat and lay them on top of all the meat and that's it. I put the cooker on low and let it cook until its as tender as I want. Heck I've let it cook all night before and it was wonderful. About the only difference I've noticed is the texture. The longer it goes the more tender it gets until it all pretty much falls apart. So if you actually want the "sliced meat" presentation to remain just don't let it go quite so long that it falls apart. I like it best when it falls apart personally. I'm not trying in any way to be boastful but I've been told a few times its the best they've had. To each their own though I guess. Oh and the beef stock? I'm sure it would work fine but id skip it cause it stays plenty moist from all its own juices and sometimes I think beef stock can change the flavor of a dish.

 

[storm826]

One more brisket thought.... I used to buy all my brisket at fareway cause I thought the quality was worth the price. Well, it was good but I noticed the packages I bought had "excel" printed on the plastic wrap. Well as much as I hate Wal-Mart one day I was in there with my wife and I noticed "excel" packaged brisket for WAY cheaper. I took a leap of faith and bought one and it was just as good for considerably less. Don't try to get one of those c lean ones either, they never seem as good.

 

[Uplander]

where did you buy the smoker tube

for a smoker I would go propane or electric for first one

if you go charcoal get the offset cooker heavy gauge steel not the light weight one.

 

[Kevin]

One more brisket thought.... I used to buy all my brisket at fareway cause I thought the quality was worth the price. Well, it was good but I noticed the packages I bought had "excel" printed on the plastic wrap. Well as much as I hate Wal-Mart one day I was in there with my wife and I noticed "excel" packaged brisket for WAY cheaper. I took a leap of faith and bought one and it was just as good for considerably less. Don't try to get one of those c lean ones either, they never seem as good.

I know this sounds vague, and unexacting but I truly have never paid attention. When I cut it up I put a pan under the cutting board to retain as much juice as possible. I shave of the huge heavy chunks of fat and lay them on top of all the meat and that's it. I put the cooker on low and let it cook until its as tender as I want. Heck I've let it cook all night before and it was wonderful. About the only difference I've noticed is the texture. The longer it goes the more tender it gets until it all pretty much falls apart. So if you actually want the "sliced meat" presentation to remain just don't let it go quite so long that it falls apart. I like it best when it falls apart personally. I'm not trying in any way to be boastful but I've been told a few times its the best they've had. To each their own though I guess. Oh and the beef stock? I'm sure it would work fine but id skip it cause it stays plenty moist from all its own juices and sometimes I think beef stock can change the flavor of a dish.

Excellent! Will give it a shot. Thanks!

 

[storm826]

where did you buy the smoker tube

for a smoker I would go propane or electric for first one

if you go charcoal get the offset cooker heavy gauge steel not the light weight one.

http://www.amazenproducts.com/mobile/default.aspx

 

[duckhunter61b]

I've been using a amnps for a couple years now in my late dad mes 30" love it its the perfect amount of smoke and will last 4-6hrs you can get the amnps in a square maze type deal and it will burn a sawdust for 8 hrs. For them long overbite cooks.... A lot of people say meat quits taking smoke after a couple hrs. That is I correct. After a couple hrs the only thing that quits is the smoke ring..

But Kevin give this a try on your next brisket

1/4 jack Daniels or makers mark
1/4 soy sauce
1/4 Dijon mustard I use grey poupon
1/4 chopped green onions
1/4 brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp worchestsire
1/2 tsp galic powder
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Opt. 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

The best I ever made sat in this marinade for 3 days smoked for 9 hrs.
Took to 160 f then pulled it along with the amnps and put back on the smoker wrapped in foil till it hit 205 pulled it off and wrapped I. Towels and left in a cooler for a hr. should increase around 5-7 degrees and should be pull apart.....you can place it back on smoker to firm it up bark wise but is not needed this marinade also works great for duck breasts

 

[lwintrbr]

I use my traeger pellet fed grill, love the it like crazy and you really cant burn anything on it just set it to smoke or set a nice temp and let it cook away