electric smokers & smoker recipes

[CtznCane]

Who out there has had experience with electric smokers and what do you think of them? I already have an offset smoker, as well as a deep frier, webber kettle, and 6 burner gas bbq so it is not like I've really needed an electric smoker but a man cannot have too many bbq's. (Okay ladies you get the shoe collections we get the bbqs.)

My interest first got piqued at a recent home show where they had the Smith-Wesson electric bbq's which turned out to be Traeger's with a different name on them. I was going to buy one of them and then when I tried to it took over a week for them to get in touch with me! Having (in my past) sold high end autos for 25+ years this put me off to no end. As a result I started to look around and found what I think is a better product as well as getting it for half the price. That being a Bradley Smoker.

So who out there has any experience with these? Moreover, who has some good recipes as well? I'm all ears.

[dls]

CtznCane - I have pretty much the same equipment that you do and got interested in electric smokers a couple of years ago. I looked at various models put out by the major manufacturers (including Traeger and Bradley) and went with Cookshack. Far and away, one of the best decisions that I've made. Once I got past a little learning curve, I consistently started putting out some of the best barbecue that I've ever had (either in my own home or elsewhere). To top it off, it's so simple that it almost seems criminal. Insert the meat, add a 2-3 oz. chunk of wood, close door, and come back when it's done.

I chose Cookshack over the other models for a number of reasons....

1. The construction is far superior to all of the other models that I looked at.. The thing is damn near bomb proof. Also, there are no moving parts to break or malfunction.

2. Customer service. Though I have had no problems since I purchased the unit (which is used weekly), I have made several general inquiries. I call, they answer the phone, and answer my question. About 2 weeks after I received the smoker, I received a follow up call from their sales department regarding delivery and my overall satisfaction. I mentioned that everything was fine except one of the welds was off a rod on one of the grills (a $7 or $8 part). FedEx showed up the next day with a replacement.

3. Warranty. Cookshack's is 2 years. I don't recall the specifics, but all others were less.

4. Cost of operation. As mentioned, a 2-3 oz. chunk of wood (about the size of an ice cube) is all you need. No briquettes that continually feed through a smoke generator.

5. User forum. From rank amateurs to some of the top competition cooks on the barbecue circuit. With over 5,000 members, there's a ton of helpful hints and recipes. Check it out.

I guess I sound like a shill for Cookshack but it's merely an indication of my level of satisfaction. Overall, my only regret is that I did not buy the unit sooner. Though I kept a big old Klose offset for capacity purposes, I gave away 2 other smokers that I had (an OJ and a WSM). The bottom line is a far superior result on a consistent basis with much less effort.

[Huevos del Toro]

I certainly agree with dls.

I bought my Cookshack Smokette SM-009 quite a few years ago and like it very much. I usually use it for briskets and pork butts. It really IS a "load it, set the temp, add the wood, plug it in, and walk away" smoker.

If you need the socialization aspect of tending to charcoal/wood smokers then this probably isn't for you. I simply got lazy after using "regular" smokers for so many years.

Like dls I wish I’d have bought earlier.

I see that the money back period is 30 days but barring some minor defect, they ARE built like a tank. It still has a 2 year warranty period and shipping is STILL free.

This still won’t replace your grill. It isn’t designed to reach the heats a grill does. I’ve never tried smoking a steak!

[ScorchedPalate]

I used a Bradley at a charcuterie class last year, and fell in love. It's currently at the top of my Amazon wishlist.

I'll have to look into the Cookshack.

~A

[jsolomon]

One of my uncles has one of these from Luhr Jensen.

Little Chief top loading smoker

And it seems to do fairly well for making food where smoking is used as cooking and preservative. He's smoked fish, sausage, elk, deer, moose...

Together we've also cold smoked bacon which worked really well. I think they're reasonable. The price on this one is sort of out of line if you ask me, though.

[maui420]

i vote cookshack also!

i ordered mine from americas best bbq for 399 with free shipping. best thing i ever bought.

i cant tell the difference between cooking a boston butt in the cookshack vs cooking it on a wsm.

the main difference and most important difference is that i get to sleep and do other things. ill probably seldomly use the wsm now.

bbq parties are now enjoyable.

[Guest JonB]

My wife gave me a Bradley stainless a couple of Xmas's ago and it's been fantastic. Duck, chicken, pork butt, spareribs, baby back ribs, beef prime rib (amazing!), pecans, etc. It really is as easy as everyone says.

The one drawback to any small electric smoker is the proximity of the heat source. The distant fire box of a huge charcoal fired smoker can't (quite) be duplicated by a heating element and a wood puck. And cold smoking is tricky unless it's cold outside, again, since the smoke is not travelling from far enough away to cool off.

But you can get 95% of the results for 10% of the cost with an electric cabinet smoker.

[dls]

i cant tell the difference between cooking a boston butt in the cookshack vs cooking it on a wsm.

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Once I figured out the nuances of the Cookshack, I feel the end result with butts, briskets, etc. are at least equal, or more likely better than my old WSM or my big Klose offset. This is due to the fact that the final product is much more moist. The unit is so well sealed and heavily insulated that loss of humidity and moisture are not an issue.

Another big advantage to me is the ability to easily smoke small items that will used as ingredients in a recipe (vegetables for soups such as gazpacho or 1 lb of chicken thighs for gumbo). Not going to fire up the Klose just for that.

[Raoul Duke]

I went with the "Little Chief" about 20 years ago when we lived in Orygun and have replaced the heat element once. A great buy for the price and performs well. I've done the usual assortment of brisket, pork butts, salmon, steehead & trout, bacon (when there's extra room) cheese, etc. with good results. They used to make a front loader as well as the top loader. I mean for a hundred bucks what have you got to lose?

Raoul

ps. The hard part for me was to roll the salmon before I smoked it!

[CtznCane]

I took a look at the Cookshack and it seems like a fine unit. I did decide to go with (and ordered) the Bradley. While I like the smoke generator (of the Bradley) on the side, a feature I like on the smokers (which I'm sure the Cookshack and others have as well) is the ability to smoke part of the time and then just have the heat on so as to be better able to regulate the amount of smoke.

I'm really stoked (no pun intended) about using my smoker when it arrives. I"m surprised there is not more talk in general about electric smokers. There seem to be many pluses, not only for the average chef but the seasoned bbq chef as well. On the surface there seems to be the stigma of 'electric' being mentioned. Much the same as the charcoal to gas, or in the normal kitchen electric versus gas types of thought. Before looking into it there is sort of that apersion like real men don't eat quiche and real men don't use electric smokers.

It was about this time of year (or slightly earlier) last year when I bought my offset smoker. I expected to use it quite a bit but other than originally smoking trout and salmon a few times and smoking a turkey at thanksgiving last year (along with deep frying one, the two extremes time wise) the only time I used it since was to do a beef brisket. The brisket turned out great, but 17 hours cooking time with starting at 2 a.m. and not sleeping for over 1 hour at a time (and then only a couple of times) was a real drag. Granted Mr. Dickel helped pass the time away but once it was done I didn't have the energy to enjoy the rest of the day/evening and meal as I would have liked to do. I mention all of this because I know I'd be doing a lot of smoking and slow Q's were it not for that inconvenience. Since I'm someone that doesn't mind that labor intensive type of cooking project, I can only imagine how undesirable it would be for one who does want things a bit simpler. I really see the electric smoker being something that will be used often. I probably won't get rid of my offset and who knows, maybe being able to use the electric more easily might get me doing more on the other smoker as well.

All that aside, 2 other questions I pose. Any good recipes? And why is there that self imposed stigma sort of about using electric smokers. I mean real men do use electric smokers, now don't they?

[maui420]

once you get used to the electric smokers, you'd never want to tend a pit again!

everytime my wife and I had a bbq at the house, i would spend the whole party being half asleep.

I took a look at the Cookshack and it seems like a fine unit.  I did decide to go with (and ordered) the Bradley.  While I like the smoke generator (of the Bradley) on the side, a feature I like on the smokers (which I'm sure the Cookshack and others have as well) is the ability to smoke part of the time and then just have the heat on so as to be better able to regulate the amount of smoke.

  I'm really stoked (no pun intended) about using my smoker when it arrives.  I"m surprised there is not more talk in general about electric smokers. There seem to be many pluses, not only for the average chef but the seasoned bbq chef as well.  On the surface there seems to be the stigma of 'electric' being mentioned.  Much the same as the charcoal to gas, or in the normal kitchen electric versus gas types of thought.  Before looking into it there is sort of that apersion like real men don't eat quiche and real men don't use electric smokers.

  It was about this time of year (or slightly earlier) last year when I bought my offset smoker.  I expected to use it quite a bit but other than originally smoking trout and salmon a few times and smoking a turkey at thanksgiving last year (along with deep frying one, the two extremes time wise) the only time I used it since was to do a beef brisket.  The brisket turned out great, but 17 hours cooking time with starting at 2 a.m. and not sleeping for over 1 hour at a time (and then only a couple of times) was a real drag.  Granted Mr. Dickel helped pass the time away but once it was done I didn't have the energy to enjoy the rest of the day/evening and meal as I would have liked to do.  I mention all of this because I know I'd be doing a lot of smoking and slow Q's were it not for that inconvenience.  Since I'm someone that doesn't mind that labor intensive type of cooking project, I can only imagine how undesirable it would be for one who does want things a bit simpler.  I really see the electric smoker being something that will be used often.  I probably won't get rid of my offset and who knows, maybe being able to use the electric more easily might get me doing more on the other smoker as well.

  All that aside, 2 other questions I pose.  Any good recipes?  And why is there that self imposed stigma sort of about using electric smokers.  I mean real men do use electric smokers, now don't they?

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[dls]

I took a look at the Cookshack and it seems like a fine unit.  I did decide to go with (and ordered) the Bradley.  While I like the smoke generator (of the Bradley) on the side, a feature I like on the smokers (which I'm sure the Cookshack and others have as well) is the ability to smoke part of the time and then just have the heat on so as to be better able to regulate the amount of smoke.

 

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CtznCane - Congrats - You're going to enjoy the smoker and get a lot of use out of it.

A few suggestions - Before you attempt to smoke any item, "season" the unit. Do an empty smoke at your highest temp setting for 4-5 hours. You'll build up a residue on the interior which is fine. Also, you may notice some muffled "pops". That's OK - simply the metal refitting itself under heat.

I checked out the Bradley forum and there does not to be too much going on there. Suggest you prowl around the Cookshack forum. They have a very active group with tons of recipes and tips, especially for those starting out with an electric. Oh yeah - Bradley owners aren't banned.

For your first smoke, I would recommend a pork butt since they are very forgiving. Plan ahead - I've done a lot of butts and they normally take 2+ hours per pound. I did one a couple of weeks ago for a little Sat. evening neighborhood potluck get together. On Thurs., I picked up an 8 lb boneless butt, injected with 1 cup of apple juice, applied a heavy rub, and refrigerated it. On Fri., at 10:30 PM, I put the butt in the smoker with 2 oz. each of hickory and apple wood. Set the temp to 200F and went to bed. At 8:30 AM on Sat., I increased the temp. to 225F. At 4:30 PM, I pulled the butt out with an internal temp. of 193F. I then double foiled (HD), added 1/2 cup more of AJ, wrapped in an old beach towel, and put in a warm Coleman cooler to rest. During this period, the temp normally rises another 5F. Removed and pulled the butt at 6:30 PM, put the meat in a large LC Dutch oven, mixed in a little more rub and AJ based based serving sauce, covered and put in a warm oven until ready to serve (7:30 PM). Served with an optional mustard sauce. All in all, it was painless and the result was outstanding.

Regarding your question about real men using electric smokers - sure we do. We also use refrigerators to keep food chilled, ovens for cooking, furnaces for heat, AC for cooling, lamps for lighting, cars for transportation, and phones/computers for communication. Hell, most of us even pee indoors.

Good Luck.

Edited November 17, 2005 by dls (log)

[Magictofu]

I have the opportunity of buying this smoker second hand.

I would like to know how it compares with the bradley... any opinions?