Crimson Red Sports

I am going to get my son a smoker for Christmas. any advice? Here is the 2 I am looking at
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/masterbuilt-smoker/prod15560335.ip?navAction=
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/44-lp-gas-smoker-smoke-hollow/prod19140034.ip?navAction=

What little smoking I do, I do it in my gas grill, bit I understand electric smokers are much better than most people think.

I have a Masterbilt smoker similar to the one you list.  I've also used a Weber kettle (charcoal) grill for smoking.

As for electric v. propane, I think it is a matter of preference.  You're talking about a heat source, and not the source of the flavor.  How these smokers work is you put wood chips in a metal box near the heat source, and the wood chips fill the box with smoke.  So with electric you have a hot electric coil (like a burner on a stove) that heats the wood chips.  With propane you have, I presume, flame.

It is like choosing between an electric or gas oven.

Offhand, here are some considerations:

Electric. Pros: Probably the easiest to use.  Easy to monitor the temperature, like setting a thermostat.  You can set the time and temperature, and then just walk away, occasionally adding more wood chips through the convenient side panel.  Probably comes with a meat thermometer that gives you an instant read on internal temperature.  Cons:  1. Over time the electric connections will deteriorate with heat.  I've had to rewire the back of mine.  2. You have to locate the smoker near an electric source or tolerate a long extension cord.

Propane.  I haven't used one of these.  Assumed Pros:  1. Portability.  No need for an electrical source.  You can take it camping.  2.  Durability.  No rewiring.  Assumed Cons: Not sure if you can program in your cooking temperature with propane or how easy it is to monitor or maintain.  2.  You have to make sure you have enough propane on hand.  It's not an endless supply like electricity usually is.

:clap: :clap:

Thank you all! I guess I will have to pick his brain and try and get his prefrences

I've never cooked on the electric grill but just bought a 40" model. I'm impressed with the safety of it versus the gas grill and like the convenience that the electric grills provides over the wood type grills. I plan on cooking something this weekend on mine before the Christmas company gets here to make sure I know how to use it.

I've got a Masterbuilt electric that I've thoroughly enjoyed.  CP pointed out the one advantage I could see to a propane unit, and that's portability.  If he'll be using it at home or somewhere he has access to electricity, I don't think you can beat the electric unit.

He has indicated he would prefer the Masterbuilt electric with bluetooth :clap:
Thanks everyone!

does it make a difference if you use regular wood chips verses the pellets and if so: any suggestions?

:-[I just read the booklet that comes with the smoker and it says to never use the pellets, always use wood chips.

:clap: :clap:

I thought I was the only one left who still actually reads the manual.

I'm putting my cooker through the seasoning stage right now and you are right, better read the instructions first and then again as you go through the procedures.

He couldn't wait till Christmas, he is seasoning his now also!

Jamos, is yours the 40 inch Masterbuilt?

Yes it is.

You are right, I didn't wait for Santa to open it. I have company coming in for Christmas and there will be cooking to do so I wanted to get familiar with my new toy before they all arrive.

I think you gentlemen will be very happy.  I smoked on a barrel smoker with a side fire box using charcoal and wood for years before finally relenting and trying the electric.  I always thought it was cheating and that the people who claimed you couldn't tell a difference in the food didn't know what they were talking about.  Let me tell you, I'm only disappointed that I went with the 30" model and not the 40"!  Any minute difference in the food taste is VASTLY outweighed by the ease and convenience of the electric unit!!!

I just may have to breakdown and get one.

Do any of these do-hickeys come with an operator?  ???

HL, do you use pellets and how often do you replace the chips or pellets?

You aren't supposed to use pellets or chunks at all, just chips. The tool that you use on the side of your smoker to load the chips provides a view of the chips when you are cooking. Just remove the tool and look inside and you can see the burning chips. I cooked on mine for the first time yesterday and I just relied on the amount of smoke coming out of the cook vent (damper). When your chip box has plenty of chips there will be a steady stream of smoke coming out but when the chips have burned up there will be hardly any smoke or none at all coming out. Remember to only put a half cup chips in to cook with.

A friend recommended this:A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER 5X8, he indicated the pellets last about 4 hours.check it out and this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-81MOUYvEWs

I talked to a lady that works at Sams , she said that she has had three Electric Smokers returned recently
one for the door falling off and the other two for customers unhappy with it but last year none were returned
for whats it's worth ....

I want one too  :wave:

I know some folks that have that and like it a lot.  BillBrosky uses one I believe.

 we liked the idea that we could leave it for  4 hours and not have to worry about adding chips or pellets.

can't get the bluetooth to work on this oene

Why in the world does it need bluetooth?  Does it call you when it is time to eat?  :o

No doubt bluetooth lets you use your device to set time, temperature, turn the unit on/off, and check the meat probe (internal temperature), all remotely.  I have an older unit that came with a remote that has these features.

I use wood chips, no problems.  They last at least an hour.  You'd probably have to buy something to use the pellets, and I don't see much advantage to it.

Speaking of seasoning your unit, I can smell mine as soon as I walk out the back door (it's on my screen porch).  I've smoked multiple turkeys, chickens, Boston butts, ribs, beef jerky, assorted fish, salt, you name it, experimenting with various rubs and woods/combinations.  (Pecan and Apple are my personal favorites.)  I'd recommend the cookbook, "Smoke and Spice," which you can find on Amazon, if you're into that sort of thing.

As for quality, the only issues I've had with my smoker is cheap electrical wiring, insulation and hardware.  This thing is supposed to be exposed to fairly high temperatures and humidity, yet Masterbilt skimped on the wiring connections and coverings, and I've had to spend the few bucks that they saved to redo it.

Has anyone tried deer jerky on the smoker?

Nope just beef.  Should be about the same, as you use lean beef.

Were you getting shocked when you touched the unit?  What all did you redo?

I've got a duck thawing that I will be smoking in a few days.  That will be a first for me.

a duck! That is interesting, will you soak it overnight or just rub?

I haven't done a lot of research on it yet, but if I'll probably cook it like I do whole chickens and turkeys - brine and spatchcock.  (Will also hit it when some rub)

Had a bit of a Monty Python flashback here....


(http://media.salon.com/2013/02/Monty-Python-and-the-Holy-Grail-19751.jpg)

 :lol:

The only thing different about duck is it has a much higher fat content.  (Get your drip pan ready).  But smoked duck is excellent.  I've even made a smoked duck ad oyster gumbo.

I have had a Masterbuilt 30 in electric for 1.5 years. Folks think I am some sort of smoking genius, but it is so easy. I highly recommend it.

The DUCK! The DUCK! how did it turn out? Ever since you mentioned " The DUCK"  has got me interested in trying it.

It turned out ok.  I ended up not brining it myself.  The whole duck I bought came frozen and pre-brined to some extent, so I didn't want to risk making it too salty.  (I don't shop anywhere fancy enough to have a fresh duck)  It could have used a little extra, but you could tell there was salt in there already.  The taste was quite similar to chicken (moreso than I expected - I've had duck prepared a few other ways and never realized how similar) but the meat is denser/heavier.  The skin is also much thicker, so it's quite hard to get a nice "bite through" skin on the duck.

I just picked a frozen duck up at Publix. We are going to try a young tom, and a duck on Wednesday.
This duck came with a 12% solution of water, salt and sodium phosphate and an orange sauce packet.

Sounds like the same specs as my duck.  I think it was about a 5.5 lber.  I cooked at 225 because I was smoking a ham simultaneously.  I normally cook poultry at a higher temp than that though.

we smoked a DUCK, Boston butt, and a young tom today.I rubbed the duck with thyme, poultry seasoning and my son, 5 year old granddaughter and myself  eat the whole duck . It was fantastic!not a lot of meat on the duck ,but, what was there was quite tasty.