[mauser06]

im looking to buy a smoker...

i shot my fall turkey and was joking with dad as to how he wanted me to cook it (joking because he for some reason doesnt like wild turkey...wont touch it any way i cook it and i usually do it up good...good enough i can eat the whole thing myself lol..)

he said freeze it and i'll buy us a smoker...

id also like to make my own jerky, sticks, and maybe bologna, summer sausage, kielbasa, etc...as well as smoking random meat like turkeys, hams, etc...

any recommendations?? dont really need anything BIG as we wont do alot of anything at a time...id rather mess up a small batch of something than a huge batch...and when running deer meat its usually a deer or 2 at a time and got the time to run the smoker so size doesnt matter..something reasonably priced that works well would be great..

any ideas?? thanx guys...have no idea what im looking for...i see a couple different variations offered and dont know whats good or easy to use or what...

 

[OneLongShot]

I've been dying to build one in the back yard. Just need the time but have also considered one of the smaller ones from the store. Nothing electric....gotta have that real smoky wood taste for me.

 

[bearschlayerx2]

I have one for sale in the general classifieds section.the electric one is sold but I have a brand new Cabelas one that you burn wood in

 

[thecatskinner]

Electric has nothing to do with the taste--it has to do with the temperature and how the temperature is maintained.

If you simply want to smoke meat then a smoke house in the back yard will do just fine--but if you want to do a turkey it sounds as if you want to cook it as well.

Here is what I have:

I like that one very much but it sounds as if you might not want to get that involved.

To "barbecue" a turkey--or most anything from ribs to brisket you need to be able to hold a temperature of nominally 250 F for an extended time. A 15 lb turkey will take something on the order of 10-12 hours to do.

The option is to smoke it for 5-6 hours and them put it in the oven.

The one in the picture has three chambers, fire on the left, barbecue in the middle and smoking in the right vertical.

I will normally do ham, sausage and bacon in the vertical chamber while doing barbecue ribs or brisket.

A good electric one will do the same thing--just not at the same time.

That will also work well for cold smoking fish and cheese.

 

[TATERDAVID]

Look up ugly drum smoker

 

[TATERDAVID]

I'm gathering parts for mine hope to build soon

 

[thecatskinner]

Here is a link to an earlier discussion we had regarding these backyard devices

BTW TATERDAVID---I've become the terror of Walmart all across SE PA

:2gunsfiring:

 

[TATERDAVID]

me too, i got a good stash going

 

[TATERDAVID]

heres a good website with alot of info on smokers and smoking in general

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/index.php

 

[mauser06]

thanx guys...

i was actually thinking of something small and simple like those electric jobs...

one day when im out of the parents house and have the time and space and all that to play around, id love to build me a nice personal sized smoke house or one of those 3 chamber jobs...

but right now, i think something simple and effective would be the way to go...something i dont really have to "learn the art" on...something that when im not around, dad can fire up and not have much to worry about except making sure its working properly...

we wont be doing much elaborate...but cooking meats, jerkys, bologna, sausage, kielbasa etc..

 

[Woodywoodduck]

thanx guys...

i was actually thinking of something small and simple like those electric jobs...

one day when im out of the parents house and have the time and space and all that to play around, id love to build me a nice personal sized smoke house or one of those 3 chamber jobs...

but right now, i think something simple and effective would be the way to go...something i dont really have to "learn the art" on...something that when im not around, dad can fire up and not have much to worry about except making sure its working properly...

we wont be doing much elaborate...but cooking meats, jerkys, bologna, sausage, kielbasa etc..

From what your saying there... you want one of these...

http://www.sausagemaker.com/4080020lbcapacityaluminuminsulatedsmokehouse.aspx

Very Easy to use and you can set the temp you want it to be at and leave it and it will stay there....you can go from about 110 degrees all the way up to around 300!

 

[patroutking]

I have used wood/propane and electric smokers. It is all preference and they all have pros and cons.

I have finally settled on a preference of electric vs everything else. My reason was I wanted to be able to set a temperature and know that it would be maintained and the electric doesn't tend to dry out the meat. They are just easier to operate less babysitting.

I just purchased a new cookshack electric smoker. It was pricey but it works flawlessly and they are rugged and parts can be bought to replace the heating elements. Cabelas had the "old" model for sale for 400. I spent the extra 100 and got the bigger one.

So far I have smoked: 45 trout, 25 pounds of steel head, a few racks of ribs, chicken wings, chickens, pheasants, a turkey and cheese. The cheese required some rigging to get a cold smoke, same for anything you want to cold smoke. But I did it all will no cost...a few pieces of wood, cardboard box and some trial and error.

My only complaint with the cookshack is that you can not control the baffle....So if you put too much wood in (which you can) you actually over smoke and it basically ruins the meat. No that I have made some blunders with it I am producing very consistent results.

Hope this helps.

 

[Woodywoodduck]

I have used wood/propane and electric smokers. It is all preference and they all have pros and cons.

I have finally settled on a preference of electric vs everything else. My reason was I wanted to be able to set a temperature and know that it would be maintained and the electric doesn't tend to dry out the meat. They are just easier to operate less babysitting.

I just purchased a new cookshack electric smoker. It was pricey but it works flawlessly and they are rugged and parts can be bought to replace the heating elements. Cabelas had the "old" model for sale for 400. I spent the extra 100 and got the bigger one.

So far I have smoked: 45 trout, 25 pounds of steel head, a few racks of ribs, chicken wings, chickens, pheasants, a turkey and cheese. The cheese required some rigging to get a cold smoke, same for anything you want to cold smoke. But I did it all will no cost...a few pieces of wood, cardboard box and some trial and error.

My only complaint with the cookshack is that you can not control the baffle....So if you put too much wood in (which you can) you actually over smoke and it basically ruins the meat. No that I have made some blunders with it I am producing very consistent results.

Hope this helps.

Do those types you have, have a little chimney on them?
If so, take a look at the sausage makers smokers.. you might be able to buy 1 piece of metal shove pipe, insert a baffle and connect it onto your smokehouse...

That is 1 of the things I love about my sausage maker smoker.. if has the baffle in it.. it can be placed wide open or fully shut with a few different choices inbetween!

 

[patroutking]

Smokeshack claims that messing with the exhaust will cause the smoker to not work correctly. I think I would have to cut a new hole in the top to get more airflow.

However, Smokeshack also is very specific about using less wood and adding more as you become familiar. Which has definitely worked for me.

 

[ILikePie]

At Lowes this week they had propane, front loading smokers on sale for $119. They're a pretty simple way to get started to be sure you're into it before you spend a lot of time or money. I use one very similar to smoke ribs, chicken, steelhead, etc and it works well.

 

[Blowchowski]

After having the weber electrics, the Brinkman smoking pit, and one or two others, I got a Bradley smoker. Wood bisquits, with a lot of choices in flavor.. Love it. Have a look at that while you decide. Cabela's. BPS E-bay... They're available a lot of places..

http://www.bradleysmoker.com/recipes.asp

 

[hi_tech_redneck]

Which Bradley model did you get?

 

[bolognabrothers]

Here is a link to my plans for building a smokehouse using an old refrierator, freezer of proof box. The project will cost about $200.00 and all of the parts can be purchased from Lowes, Walmanrt and your local hardware store.

smoker