Smokers - Smokey Mountain, Brinkman and others?

[Wayne02]

I'm thinking about getting a smoker and am looking for some input on the subject. Some things I'm wondering about...

Right now there is three of us in the family but it may not be long before my son moves out and that will just leave my wife and I. In my research so far, it seems many people use their smokers to cook for family/friends gatherings and this of course means using larger sizes or larger quantities of pork, beef etc. What about using the smoker to cook for two, how does that work? Do you smoke a large chunk of food and then freeze it to be used for future meals, or do you only smoke enough for one meal?

The predominant food used for smoking seems to be pork, but what about other meats and such? I am especially interested in smoking salmon as I am a seafood addict.

The brinkman and the SMS are two that I've been considering.

I looked at the brinkman at lowes this afternoon ($59 charcoal, $79 electric) and noticed that it does not have any vents. Wouldn't that make it hard to regulate the temperature? The 'door' seams pretty small but I don't know if that door is intended to allow adding of more coals or to just check on the food? The hood did have a temp gauge but was simply marked, 'low, 'good', 'high' or something like that. Finally, the fit and finish didn't seem so good but it may have been the way it was assembled. I could not get the lid to sit down right on the unit.

The SMS (18.5") is very popular and enjoys a large user base with lots of good info and an active discussion forum on the net, but it is $239 shipped off of Amazon. I'm assuming it is of higher quality than the brinkman but that is a big price spread. The SMS does have a vent it appears and it looks like the sections flange over the below section (unlike the brinkman). I would think this would be better sealing keeping smoke in and rain out. I don't know if it is worth $180 more though?

Finally, I have been clearing a bunch of trees off my property over the last couple years, a boatload of alder and fir, with occasional maple and cedar. Most of it is used for fire wood, some gets made into lumber. There are also some cherry trees as well and I was wondering if the cherry would be good for use in the smoker?

Any input on this subject would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Spotteddog]

If you wanted a real smoker, you shoulda' seen me 10 months ago?
I'm even in your area to be able to have done you some good!
I required no special equipment either, just matches.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful?
(BTTT)

 

[Class III]

I'm on my second Brinkman. The first was purchased at Wally World, I think, around 1982. The second was purchsed two years ago at BPS. The reason for the new smoker from Bass Pro was the charcoal and water bowls finally rusted through after about 25 years. I think I paid around $45.00 for the new smoker. Don't bother with the electric smoker. Buddy of mine has one and the electric element gets replaced every few years.

I cook what we can eat in one meal on the smoker with the exception of ribs. When doing ribs I always do a couple extra slabs and save them for snacking and dinner during the week.

Different meats I've cooked on the smoker: Pork, beef, venison, buffalo and chicken. I've never tried fish/seafood on the smoker. It might be good, give it a try.

Regulating the heat can be done by opening the door and setting the cover off center to allow air flow. I use the door to add more charcoal when needed.

When the temp gauge gets into the 12:00 to 1:00 position on my smoker the meat goes on. When it starts to fall below 11:00 position more charcoal goes in, a little at a time to raise the temperature back to where it needs to be

$239 shipped? Sounds way high to me for what it is. Lets see. I paid $45.00 for my Brinkman a couple of years ago to replace one that I had for 25 years. so $239.00 divided by $45.00 = 5.3111. 5.3111 x the 25 years that my last one lasted me = 132.7777. 132.777 + my age of 47 minus the 2 years that I have already had this smoker means that I would have to live to the ripe OLD age of 177+ and buy 4 more Brinkman smokers to equal the monies spent on the SMS.

Cherry wood is good for the smoker. I've used cherry, apple, persimmon, hickory, walnut and peach. But, primarily I just use lump charcoal.

Good luck with the fish and good eating.

Class III

 

[2fingers]

Love My Smoker

I have a Brinkman electric smoker and have had it for about 8 years without replacing the heat element. We cook all kinds of meat and veggies on it, Using different kinds of wood and also different liquid in the water pan. I have never had to regulate the temp, just soak the wood chunks in water for a few hours before using and plug it in.You can also use it as a electric grill to cook if you want to. The lid sits on the top rack and there is a gap around the edge to release the smoke, it is not airtight.

 

[Bob R]

I have a Cabella's that I believe was bulilt by Brinkman. Before this one I had a Brinkman.

For some reason I have this vague memory in my head that the loosness in the Brinkman lid is designed in. It maintains the correct temp if using the elec one. I am not too sure if using charcoal.

My last 3 smokers have been electric, I won't ever go back to charcoal.

bob

 

[epj]

I have owned many smokers over the past 30-40 years. The vertical models you are looking at do OK. The $80 one may be almost as good as the $200+ one. Both work the same way. I prefer the horizontal type that have a separate firebox on one end. That said, I currently use an upright model that came from Cotsco. I believe it is Smoky Mtn brand. It has a gas burner with a cast iron wood chip container located directly over the burner. It is all stainless, except the cast iron chip box and the burner and has sat on my deck uncovered for several years now without any damage from the elements. Cost under $200. My S-I-L has a similar one that is electric. His will cook at lower temps than mine will, but takes longer, of course. Look at Sam's and Costco if you have these retailers available in your area. Also check out Home Depot and Lowe's. Stay away from Bass Pro, etc. Their markup on these items is really impressive.

Any type of hardwood will do a good job. Fruit wood is especially good. Personally I like mesquite, especially on pork. If you have oak available, it will work fine as well, but be sure none of the bark is included. The bark contains a substance called tanin, which will give a very acrid taste to the meat. Without the bark, oak gives a very nice flavor, similar to hickory.

 

[bmhiii]

I smoke salmon on a regular type Weber kettle using the indirect method. I do this cause salmon doesn't need to smoke too long (I use fillets), like an hour or so. The only woods I use are hickory for beef and pork and apple for chicken and salmon. Use a dry rub from Head Country in Ponca City, OK for prep. Stuff turns out pretty good. IMHO.

Oh, for longer smoking I use an old Brinkman upright. It only has one cooking station, if I were to buy one today, I'd want two shelves in case I wanted to do a lot of meat. Also, try smoking some BBQ beans. They's good....

 

[m1gunner]

I prefer the side firebox style smokers due to their larger cooking area and their ability to also be used as a regular direct heat BBQ grill.

When smoking, charcoal is only used as a starter, and nothing but wood after that. Smoking times for full hams (venison or pork) run 8 to 10 hours. The savings on not having to use charcoal is huge.

Chargriller (made in Georgia!) is what I use. 100 bucks for the main chamber and about 50 bucks for the side box. Comes with commercial grade cast iron grill grates.

 

[HUGHP]

Every Weber product is excellent.
Hickory is the #1 wood for smoking pork.
Poultry is great from a smoker.

 

[Bob R]

Poultry is great from a smoker.

So is pre-poultry.

The last time I fired up the smoker I made some smoked eggs. They make a killer egg salad, or sliced thinly and served with smoked salmon and crackers.

bob

 

[bk43]

I use the Weber, commonly called the WSM, that you show for $239. You can get them around $200 if you watch for sales. The less expensive smokers can do a great job but you give up some durability and temperature control. You can easily nail a Weber at most any temperature you want and it'll hold that all night if you're doing shoulders and such. You will see WSM's being used at the big national competitions where you won't see the less expensive ones and there's a reason for that. I have smoked for from two to ten people and everything in between so capacity with a WSM is no problem.

If you visit the BBQ boards, the progression is almost always from less expensive smokers to WMS and then on to the thousand dollar and up side boxes. Here's two sites I use where you can get a lot of good info and advice, The Virtual Weber Bullet - For the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker smoker enthusiast and The Smoke Ring :: Index

Regarding the flange on the WSM, they go inside the piece on the section below. When you smoke, residue collects on the inside, especially the top, and you don't want it dripping down the outside when it runs. For rain I jury rig an umbrella above the smoker.

When it comes to the woods and what you smoke, I'm not going to go there as that's a lot your personal tastes. You can get plenty of that at the links above. Suffice it to say smoking is a lot of fun, both the doing and the eating.

Here's pics from last weekend. Spares, baby backs and ABT's(Atomic Buffalo Turds) ready to go on. Note the WSM is nailed at 240 degrees. That's due to the smoker and no great skill on my part.

Here the ribs are already off and the ABT's are ready. They were fantastic!

Bob

 

[Wayne02]

Thanks for the replies. I think you guys are correct about the lid deal. The brinkman I looked at was probably fine, I just didn't realize the lid was supposed to sit that way.

I see walmart has the brinkman for $99 so the Lowes price might not be that bad if I decide to go that way. Also found a couple of websites for mods to the brinkman that supposedly improve the performance. Mostly mods to the charcoal pan and airflow.

I am in costco fairly freqently but have not seen any bullet smokers yet.

 

[BigG-n-Tn]

Really hard for me to comment after having owned a BBQ restaurant with a custom made pit, but if I wanted at least get CLOSE to the real thing, I'd use one with an offset smoke box. (Nuttin better than Memphis style rub sitting overnight in the fridge before smokin')

 

[rchance]

I use the Weber, commonly called the WSM, that you show for $239. You can get them around $200 if you watch for sales. The less expensive smokers can do a great job but you give up some durability and temperature control. You can easily nail a Weber at most any temperature you want and it'll hold that all night if you're doing shoulders and such. You will see WSM's being used at the big national competitions where you won't see the less expensive ones and there's a reason for that. I have smoked for from two to ten people and everything in between so capacity with a WSM is no problem.

If you visit the BBQ boards, the progression is almost always from less expensive smokers to WMS and then on to the thousand dollar and up side boxes. Here's two sites I use where you can get a lot of good info and advice, The Virtual Weber Bullet - For the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker smoker enthusiast and The Smoke Ring :: Index

Regarding the flange on the WSM, they go inside the piece on the section below. When you smoke, residue collects on the inside, especially the top, and you don't want it dripping down the outside when it runs. For rain I jury rig an umbrella above the smoker.

When it comes to the woods and what you smoke, I'm not going to go there as that's a lot your personal tastes. You can get plenty of that at the links above. Suffice it to say smoking is a lot of fun, both the doing and the eating.

Here's pics from last weekend. Spares, baby backs and ABT's(Atomic Buffalo Turds) ready to go on. Note the WSM is nailed at 240 degrees. That's due to the smoker and no great skill on my part.

Here the ribs are already off and the ABT's are ready. They were fantastic!

Bob

Let me know what time to be there. The food looks gooooood!!!!

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

Here is the smoker I use. Now I know this wasn't the kind you were talking about, but I've had a lot of good use out of this.

I purchased it about fifteen years ago and it was mounted on a trailer. I really didn't have any place to store it, and from the picture, you can see my yard is not exactly "normal", it's kinda like living on the side of a hill in the woods. Bottom line was theire was just no place to park a trailer.

When I was having a deck built a few years ago, I had my contractor construct a base made of concrete block on a slab. We mounted the smoker on that and it has worked out great.

This picture was originally posted on another forum in a "meal protection" thread, hence the additional "heat"!

It is big enough to do about a dozen turkeys, or at least a dozen and a half pork ribs. Since I've learned how to use it, I really limited my use to pulled pork, pork ribs and pork tenderlions. Turkeys are fine, but they are just too much trouble to "process".

For ribs and tenderloins, I always run it full. It's just as much work to do a whole one as half full, so might as well go for it.

I then put all the cooked meat in plastic bags that a vacum seal and then freeze. I swear it is even better latter than the day you cooked it.

 

[ditrina]

Here is the smoker I use. Now I know this wasn't the kind you were talking about, but I've had a lot of good use out of this.

I purchased it about fifteen years ago and it was mounted on a trailer. I really didn't have any place to store it, and from the picture, you can see my yard is not exactly "normal", it's kinda like living on the side of a hill in the woods. Bottom line was theire was just no place to park a trailer.

When I was having a deck built a few years ago, I had my contractor construct a base made of concrete block on a slab. We mounted the smoker on that and it has worked out great.

This picture was originally posted on another forum in a "meal protection" thread, hence the additional "heat"!

It is big enough to do about a dozen turkeys, or at least a dozen and a half pork ribs. Since I've learned how to use it, I really limited my use to pulled pork, pork ribs and pork tenderlions. Turkeys are fine, but they are just too much trouble to "process".

For ribs and tenderloins, I always run it full. It's just as much work to do a whole one as half full, so might as well go for it.

I then put all the cooked meat in plastic bags that a vacum seal and then freeze. I swear it is even better latter than the day you cooked it.

Charley I LOVE the way you think..
Here's mine.. A bit smaller scale.. but you get the idea..
before I had this one built.. I used brinkman for many years.. it served me well..

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

Sweet smoker Ditrina! At least it doesn't take two men, a boy and an act of congress to get that sucker fired up?

 

[epj]

Here's a small eye-of-round roast on a simple Weber grill. The fire is one one side and the meat on the other. The wood is flaring up into a flame because I have the lid off. The aluminum foil tent is to keep as much radiant heat off the meat as I can. The vent holes in the lid are turned toward the meat to draw the smoke and heat in that direction. Works very well on small items like this or a couple of salmon fillets. Might do ok for a small pork roast or a single rack of ribs, but I usually fire up the gas smoker for larger jobs.

 

[Herknav]

A very happy Brinkman owner here.

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

Here's a small eye-of-round roast on a simple Weber grill. The fire is one one side and the meat on the other. The wood is flaring up into a flame because I have the lid off. The aluminum foil tent is to keep as much radiant heat off the meat as I can. The vent holes in the lid are turned toward the meat to draw the smoke and heat in that direction. Works very well on small items like this or a couple of salmon fillets. Might do ok for a small pork roast or a single rack of ribs, but I usually fire up the gas smoker for larger jobs.

Nice look'n set up, EPJ. I too use aluminium foil inside my smoker to "control" things.

Sometimes, the top of the meet can get too dark due to soot settling, so I cover the meet and route the smoke with the use of foil.

 

[Steave]

For real smoking it is awfully hard to beat an offset, I use an OLD Oklahoma Joe's, that is a far cry from the smokers currently being sold under that brand. I've also growing fond of my Big Green Egg as well.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I had a smoker. She left me 28 years ago. Best thing for both of us...

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

I had a smoker. She left me 28 years ago. Best thing for both of us...

_____________________________________________________

Brrrrrrruuuuuuu.....rump! Ting!

 

[epj]

Just finished eating the roast off the smoker. It was good as it gets.