CivilTrojan
is one Smokin' Farker
Hello, I’m new to the forums and this is my first post, outside of a few comments on other people’s posts. I’ve loved my time here so far and hopefully it will get even better as I get to know you better. Anyways, I’m hoping I can get some advice on what you guys might think would be a good next smoker for me. Currently the outdoor cooking arsenal is comprised of a 4 burner natural gas grill mounted on a pedestal (made by Cap’n Cook if that makes a difference) that gets used a few times a month and a masterbuilt electric smoker that gets used a few times a year.
There are two main reasons I’m looking for a new smoker. The main reason is the maintenance, every time it gets used it needs a thorough cleaning which is pretty labor intensive. I need something much easier to clean or that requires less cleaning. I’m hoping that it will get more use if it isn’t as much work. The other reason is that I would like a smoker that gives more smoke flavor.
I’ve done a lot of research and while I would LOVE to graduate to a real smoker (offset) it’s not in the cards for me. In addition to ease of maintenance and cleaning I also need ease of use. Unfortunately I am disabled, and while I love to cook, I am not able to do any cooking so all of the work falls on other people. Thus the reason why I’m so concerned about a smoker that requires a minimal amount of maintenance and work.
As far as capacity goes, the largest cook I’ve ever done is 9 racks of ribs, 6 racks of ribs is the normal max and what I would consider suitable. I would also like to be able to do a couple of briskets or pork butts at a time, although I haven’t done that yet.
Through my research I’ve kind of narrowed down what I’m looking at to pellets and charcoal. When it comes to pellet grills I’m looking at the Rec Tec 700 or the Camp Chef Woodwind 36. Things I like about the Camp Chef are that it has a 4 probe capacity compared to 2 on the Rec Tec, it let’s you control the smoke level, and the second shelf is built in. Rec Tec is nice because it is built with stainless steel, has a longer warranty, and great customer service.
I’ve also looked at pellet cabinets like the Pitt Boss copperhead and Camp Chef XXL. I like the PB because it has a loyal following here and a longer warranty. I like the Camp Chef because the controller is a PID and it lets you control the smoke level. The concern I have about these is they might be just as difficult to clean as my current electric smoker.
For charcoal smokers I’m mostly looking at the Master Built gravity fed 1050. I know all about the fire brick mess and the upgrades that might be needed but I’m not terribly concerned about that. I’m a little concerned about needing to ad wood chunks every 45 mins, but that’s similar to my current smoker and I know you can add chunks to the charcoal stack so I wouldn’t consider it a deal breaker. Something else that I’m mildly concerned about is how the food will taste. I haven’t had food cooked with charcoal for a long time and I don’t remember what it tastes like, however every time I smell someone cooking with charcoal it smells great and brings back fond memories of when I was young and my family owned a kettle.
I’ve also looked quite a bit into IVC’s, they’re very expensive but dang they look nice. I’ve seen several people say they make the best food outside of an offset, they are pretty much set and forget with the addition of a PID, and everything seems to come out very juicy (one of my favorite things about the electric smoker). The things I’m concerned about are maintenance, cleaning, and if it might seem like too much work for a small cook.
I know about drum smokers but I’m hesitant towards them for a few reasons. They seem like the most difficult to use of the smokers I’ve mentioned, they seem like the most different from what I’m used to, I’m not sure they have the capacity I’m looking for, I’m a little worried about how hot they get on the bottom, and I’m not sure how well having a drum sitting in the patio would go over.
Sorry for this huge wall of text, but I thought I should include as much detail as I could. Any thoughts about what might be best for me and anything I might not have considered are very much appreciated.
Thanks!!
There are two main reasons I’m looking for a new smoker. The main reason is the maintenance, every time it gets used it needs a thorough cleaning which is pretty labor intensive. I need something much easier to clean or that requires less cleaning. I’m hoping that it will get more use if it isn’t as much work. The other reason is that I would like a smoker that gives more smoke flavor.
I’ve done a lot of research and while I would LOVE to graduate to a real smoker (offset) it’s not in the cards for me. In addition to ease of maintenance and cleaning I also need ease of use. Unfortunately I am disabled, and while I love to cook, I am not able to do any cooking so all of the work falls on other people. Thus the reason why I’m so concerned about a smoker that requires a minimal amount of maintenance and work.
As far as capacity goes, the largest cook I’ve ever done is 9 racks of ribs, 6 racks of ribs is the normal max and what I would consider suitable. I would also like to be able to do a couple of briskets or pork butts at a time, although I haven’t done that yet.
Through my research I’ve kind of narrowed down what I’m looking at to pellets and charcoal. When it comes to pellet grills I’m looking at the Rec Tec 700 or the Camp Chef Woodwind 36. Things I like about the Camp Chef are that it has a 4 probe capacity compared to 2 on the Rec Tec, it let’s you control the smoke level, and the second shelf is built in. Rec Tec is nice because it is built with stainless steel, has a longer warranty, and great customer service.
I’ve also looked at pellet cabinets like the Pitt Boss copperhead and Camp Chef XXL. I like the PB because it has a loyal following here and a longer warranty. I like the Camp Chef because the controller is a PID and it lets you control the smoke level. The concern I have about these is they might be just as difficult to clean as my current electric smoker.
For charcoal smokers I’m mostly looking at the Master Built gravity fed 1050. I know all about the fire brick mess and the upgrades that might be needed but I’m not terribly concerned about that. I’m a little concerned about needing to ad wood chunks every 45 mins, but that’s similar to my current smoker and I know you can add chunks to the charcoal stack so I wouldn’t consider it a deal breaker. Something else that I’m mildly concerned about is how the food will taste. I haven’t had food cooked with charcoal for a long time and I don’t remember what it tastes like, however every time I smell someone cooking with charcoal it smells great and brings back fond memories of when I was young and my family owned a kettle.
I’ve also looked quite a bit into IVC’s, they’re very expensive but dang they look nice. I’ve seen several people say they make the best food outside of an offset, they are pretty much set and forget with the addition of a PID, and everything seems to come out very juicy (one of my favorite things about the electric smoker). The things I’m concerned about are maintenance, cleaning, and if it might seem like too much work for a small cook.
I know about drum smokers but I’m hesitant towards them for a few reasons. They seem like the most difficult to use of the smokers I’ve mentioned, they seem like the most different from what I’m used to, I’m not sure they have the capacity I’m looking for, I’m a little worried about how hot they get on the bottom, and I’m not sure how well having a drum sitting in the patio would go over.
Sorry for this huge wall of text, but I thought I should include as much detail as I could. Any thoughts about what might be best for me and anything I might not have considered are very much appreciated.
Thanks!!
