Smokers - Electric vs Charcoal

[karma police]

While on this topic, does anyone have any experience with smoker/charcoal grill combo units?

[david6340]

Linda,

You mentioned you are a fan of the WSM. Is it easy to use? Also a newbie question; does a lot of smoke come out of it while smoking to the point that it would disturb the neighbors or activities in the general area? I wanted to keep it on my deck (Cement floor) for convienence and am concerned that we could not sit on the deck while smoking. Thanks in advance!

[bobmac]

I had a hand-me-down Redi-Smoker (electric) that I was very happy with (less fussing with heat control) until the heating element bit the dust. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them on the web to replace it for some reason, so I tossed it. Only then did I find I had book-marked their site last year. D'oh!

[fifi]

Linda,

You mentioned you are a fan of the WSM. Is it easy to use? Also a newbie question; does a lot of smoke come out of it while smoking to the point that it would disturb the neighbors or activities in the general area? I wanted to keep it on my deck (Cement floor) for convienence and am concerned that we could not sit on the deck while smoking. Thanks in advance!

Once you get the hang of the Minion Method (found here) of lighting the thing, get your bottom vents adjusted, the thing just goes on its merry way. That web site is awesome.

The apartment where I am temporarily living is masonry and has a sprinkler system so we can have grills and smokers. As far as smoke coming out... well... I don't know what to say about that. I mean... you are smoking for chrissakes. Most of my neighbors go yum.

[col klink]

While on this topic, does anyone have any experience with smoker/charcoal grill combo units?

I have the Smokin' Pro from Chargriller and I swear by it. Though only rarely have I used it for actual grilling. I prefer to smoke in mine with hardwood logs -- it makes far less of a mess than charcoal. What doesn't burn you can burn again and the ashes are good for your garden unlike whatever the hell is left over from burning coals. But you can easily do both, though grilling is far easier than smoking.

To give you an idea of what you have to do to smoke with both a bullet and the above smoker, read my Smoking Meat at Home course. I also talk about how to use a standard Weber kettle for smoking.

For the best flavor versus expenditure of energy, the buttet is your best. Though you can't really grill with it on a consistant basis.

As for electrical smokers, there's just no "love" in what you smoke. In real BBQ, you can taste the "love". The Smokin' Pro has it, the bullet has it and electric smokers for the most part don't. <insert appropriate "love" joke here>.

Of course, I do have to admit the possibility that the meat I've tried that's been smoked in an electric was just in the wrong hands and that in the right hands could be just as good. Though experience would lead me to believe otherwise.