The Grilling / Smoking Thread - I've been getting into smoking recently

[Osama Bin Laden]

 

[56 others]

Pellet smoking is great, I've just found that I usually have to double the smoking times in any recipe I see.

I like smoking chicken breast on my pellet grill. Put a rub on a 1lb breast, smoke it for 1.5 hours at 225°F, then another 45 mins to an hour at 250°F, comes out delicious and still really juicy inside.

 

[Osama Bin Laden]

Pellet smoking is great, I've just found that I usually have to double the smoking times in any recipe I see.

Is it better to get a pellet smoker over an electric one or electric/pellet one? I prefer pellet ones because I get that smokey flavor you can't replicate with electric

 

[56 others]

Is it better to get a pellet smoker over an electric one or electric/pellet one? I prefer pellet ones because I get that smokey flavor you can't replicate with electric

I like my pellet grill, makes my meat taste good. No experience with electric. I bought a cheapo Pit Boss pellet smoker, so I've had to replace the ignitor and temp sensor on it within 3 years. It was a nightmare the first time because all the access panel screws immediately stripped and I had to drill them out. I never put the panel back on so next time it should be easy. If you buy a Traeger you should avoid that issue. You have to clean creosote buildup off once or twice a year. Otherwise, just keep the pellet hopper full, set, and forget.

 

[Osama Bin Laden]

I like my pellet grill, no experience with electric. I bought a cheapo Pit Boss, so I've had to replace the ignitor and temp sensor on it within 3 years. It was a nightmare the first time because all the access panel screws immediately stripped and I had to drill them out. I never put the panel back on so next time it should be easy. If you buy a Traeger you should avoid that issue. You have to clean creosote buildup off once or twice a year. Otherwise, just keep the pellet hopper full, set, and forget.

sounds pretty easy enough. i am going to buy a smoker then

 

[TheOtherSideofMakeBelieve]

I've got an electric one and honestly it works fine for me. I pretty much only do brisket in it if that makes any kind of difference. It has a slot where you can throw in more woodchips without having to open the door so it's not a pain to make sure you've got wood going the whole time. I keep the air vent like 90% closed so it stays pretty smoky, it has a window and you can't really even see what's inside it gets so dense with a full load of chips. When it starts thinning out I just add more

If I did a lot of smoking I'd definitely get a pellet smoker, or more likely one of those electric combo pellet grills/smokers. My brother has a small one and aside from the size I've enjoyed cooking on it a lot, it's like half the working area of my comparably sized charcoal grill.

 

[Squanto Airi]

I do have an electric smoker, and it does the job. Usually I'll just smoke chicken, pork butt, or pork loin, and that'll be my protein for the week.

This is the smoker I use:

https://www.masterbuilt.com/products/masterbuilt-analog-electric-smoker

It takes wood chips, which you can find anywhere. I normally use either a fruit (apple or cherry), pecan, or mesquite wood.

 

[Agamemnon Busmalis]

You really can't go wrong with a Weber kettle, especially if you're new to grilling or smoking...it's very forgiving when it comes to cooking on indirect heat and it's easy to smoke foods with the use of wood chips.

There are some limitations though, you can't really do things like make ribs or brisket on a Weber without third-party accessories and very careful temperature control. For things like burgers, chicken, sausages or steaks it's the best IMO.

EDIT: From a self-sufficiency standpoint the Weber is also ideal. It's literally just metal, charcoal and wood chips, no electricity or specialized wood pellets needed. If you grill with lump charcoal (NOT briquettes!!!) you can save the ashes for use as a garden fertilizer.

 

[Devious Dave]

I use a 20 dollar Walmart charcoal grill btw get one of those charcoal chimney starters they're great you do not need lighter fluid if you have one of these.
Use a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil as a starter for it.

 

[Seymour Duncan]

For self-sufficiency you'll probably want something fired by plain logs (probably an offset smoker or even just a simple fire pit) or even something electric. Those are really easy to power while the kettles are pretty particular about the fuel you put into them, once your stash is out then you're done unless you actually have a setup for making your own charcoal and have the capability to make it decent quality, and the pellet gear is its own set of availability quirks.

If that's of secondary importance or you just plan on having a massive stash of fuel to tide you over, then yeah the higher end Weber kettles are really good as a decent quality all-in-one grill, get one with the ash sweeper that doubles as the air cutoff as that widget really makes the difference. The snake method (you build a "path" of charcoal/briquettes around the edge of the bowl and light it from one end) with a water pan in the center is easymode for low and slow, once it's burning away you just tune the vents for temperature and you're pretty much done.

Some people swear by kamados and I was considering one as well, but the good ones are in a whole different league of expensive and also are extremely heavy to boot so it'll have to wait for future plans. Right now I don't plan on wrestling 200 lbs and $2000 worth of ceramics up the step on my deck every time I'm done grilling.

btw get one of those charcoal chimney starters they're great you do not need lighter fluid if you have one of these.

Absolutely. It's like $10 unless you have to have one with a bougie brand name on it and it makes charcoal and briquette operations an absolute breeze, if you have a kettle then you need to get one.

 

[Osama Bin Laden]

Right now I don't plan on wrestling 200 lbs and $2000 worth of ceramics up the step on my deck every time I'm done grilling.

@Le Pew was just talking about this with me last night. I wanted to get something like this but for one, I don't have a place to store it without it being in the weather and be in a place where it's safe to cook. i said the same exact thing to him last night where i was like "i don't know how i would feel about carrying a 200lb smoker to and from when i need to smoke

https://biggreenegg.com/products/large-big-green-egg

 

[Evan Kor]

When you buy one of those, make sure to run it once without food in it. Otherwise the residual oils from manufacturing will ruin the food you're cooking. Says that in the manual but most people don't read that part.

 

[Frostnipped Todger]

I have an Kamado Akorn.


I love it, I can do anything from wings to brisket. There is a bit of a learning curve, and the built in thermometer is pretty inaccurate, but it's essentially the Kamado without the ceramic, so it's way lighter and cheaper.
When I got this bad boy I smoked so much meat that I got high blood pressure and had to go on meds.

 

[Rekeita's Kidneys]

Filing cabinet smoker? Yay or nay....

Obviously a steel one, and obviously I'd have to get rid of all of the paint with my angle grinder.

I've got me a welder and scrap steel, could hodge podge some bullshit up idfk.

 

[Adolf Hulkler]

Filing cabinet smoker? Yay or nay....

Obviously a steel one, and obviously I'd have to get rid of all of the paint with my angle grinder.

I've got me a welder and scrap steel, could hodge podge some bullshit up idfk.

Would this "filing cabiner smoker" be airtight, ish?
Would it be insulated so theres even heat inside?
If not, no, fuck that.
One of the top ten worst purchases ive ever participated in has been a large "filing cabinet" sized gas heated smoker which doesnt hold the smoke in because the burner is inside the cabinet.
Its essentially a glorified meat drier that gives a HINT of smokiness, like a shitty flavored bottle of sparkling water, just a hint of taste...
Orite and everyone here, try out hickory for smoking, holy shit its good ive been using alder and applewood for my entire life since childhood(because it, was FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

 

[Rekeita's Kidneys]

Would this "filing cabiner smoker" be airtight, ish?
Would it be insulated so theres even heat inside?
If not, no, fuck that.
One of the top ten worst purchases ive ever participated in has been a large "filing cabinet" sized gas heated smoker which doesnt hold the smoke in because the burner is inside the cabinet.
Its essentially a glorified meat drier that gives a HINT of smokiness, like a shitty flavored bottle of sparkling water, just a hint of taste...
Orite and everyone here, try out hickory for smoking, holy shit its good ive been using alder and applewood for my entire life since childhood(because it, was FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

Yeah I'd have to insulate the fucker with rockwool or some BS, probably a lot of work instead of just using my big ass charcoal BBQ I already have lol

Maybe I'll grab chips like you said, going to Home Depot anyways...