Insane choice between smokers - HELP

[lshifren]

Hi all,

Short term lurker, hopefully long time contributor. My bbq/grilling background is in direct-flame cooking and anything that spins. Argentine Parillo/South African Braai, Rodizio, foukou, santa maria, souvlaki, shish, mangal, you get it. That being said, I absolutely love brisket (both "fresh" and corned for pastrami) off a good old fashioned american smoker. When ever I do a brisket, I always throw in a chicken, sometimes a duck, but the only time it gets turned on is for brisket.

My journey to this question started about 20 years ago. I started with vertical electric (HORRIBLE, was in college), moved to WSM knock-off (ok result, still in college), stick burner (HATE, hand-out very end of college), MES30 (after college but after a 9 year smoking break -- it produced the best brisket I have ever made, it wobbled, no one spoke during dinner, it was great, so was the brisket!) and right now a pit boss 820 (which I picked up for ~$300 - the most expensive of the bunch). I got good results from the pellet and without doubt I used it much more often then any of the other grill due to its ease.

Please believe me when I tell you to believe the next line without question. The new smoker I need needs to be a cabinet (it is a design/space thing), tall and narrow but can be deep. So this is where the journey begins. I want the best of all the smokers I have used. My requirements:

1) Set and forget (pellet won for me as MES needed the AMNPS and getting just the right openings, draft...., I truly want set and forget)
2) Budget is $1500 (I know I mainly do brisket, but I have been upgrading grills as I have been able to afford better and I always end up using them more)
3) Prior experience with cooker type is a plus (so pellet, electric even WSM are in play)
4) Only use is smoking smoking and mainly briskets (I have MANY grills, this is a pure smoker)
5) I would like to be able to smoke to full packers without cutting

The two options I think I have (I am open to suggestions) are

1) The Pellet Pro Vertical Smoker
2) Smokin-it 3.5D-wifi

Other options like Humphreys I am wary about because I have not used or tasted food from a cooker like this and with an optional digiQ it out of my price range. Two assumptions: Smokin-it will be better than my MES30 and pellet pro will be better than the pit boss after I have gained experience on which ever.

I can find nothing on the pellet pro vertical!! My only concern with the smokin-it was the bark on the my brisket and when I do throw on birds, crisping skin at the end. The new smokin-it seem to go 325 so no issue with poultry and from reading I think opening the door a few times on the smokin-it will give me a good bark.

I am tending towards Smokin-it.

So many of the posts I read on here were guys like me whose first post came after lurking for answers on purchases. Yeah, I am one of those.

Thanks,

Lu

 

[pjtexas1]

I'd go pellet over electric. I would own the vertical Pellet Pro if I hadn't already bought the regular Pellet Pro before Dennis let me know he was developing a vertical.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[BKING!]

The pellet pro vertical is what I’d get if I was getting a pellet cabinet smoker. I would definitely go pellet over electric. If you go the charcoal route I’d get a wsm 22 inch. For some reason once you start looking at charcoal vertical smokers the price starts to skyrocket and it will be hard to find one within your budget unless you buy used.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Humphreys Long Weekender.

 

[boogiechillen]

I’d look to get an insulated vertical cabinet in your situation. Either look for a deal or stretch the budget.

Looks like you are in San Jose. There is KAT smokers out of Modesto if you want something somewhat local to save on shipping.

 

[mike243]

For a uprite pellet smoker Pit Boss gets my vote,3 different sizes ,5 year warranty's

 

[carl_694]

I have an older Smokin-It. I find it a valuable part of the arsenal and it puts out great q. It's a very moist environment, which is great for all but Jerky. As to chicken, I use my kamado for that. Cold-smoking is OK, but not ideal as you'll need to fiddle for it to produce smoke at such low temps.

 

[sudsandswine]

As someone that owns a pellet grill - I wouldn't necessarily let the fact you wouldn't have money for an automatic temp controller rule out an insulated cabinet...most of them seem to dial in and run pretty hands off. Pellet grills aren't exactly "set it and forget it" either, for several reasons. You can always snag a used ATC in the future for cheap if necessary, they come up for sale here occasionally.

 

[lshifren]

Humphreys Long Weekender.

This was on my list but could not find an ATC. There seems low enthusiasm for the smokin-it (electric in general) from reading these forums.

How much better cooker is a vertical charcoal vs vertical pellet?

For a vertical pellet, Pit boss vs Pellet pro?

Thanks

 

[jermoQ]

Lu, I think the pellet pro would be good choice. I am thinking if you want the capacity, and are interested in charcoal, a Humphrey's would be a great choice. It will give you space. You may need to adjust your budget for one, and IMnotalwaysHO, you should figure out how to use one without the controller, then you can decide to buy a controller down the road.

 

[Chunkit]

No need to be wary of a Humphreys. Taste is excellent. I don't even own a fan setup, rock steady temperatures all night long. I do use a Maverick XR50 that has alarms but it's never went off. May not be in your budget but I'd just save a little longer.

 

[jdefran]

Since WSM is in play, you can get a WSM and ATC for 1/3 of your budget.

 

[pharp]

Humphreys Long Weekender.

Absolutely. Throw on a FlameBoss and you have your set and forget.

 

[pharp]

This was on my list but could not find an ATC. There seems low enthusiasm for the smokin-it (electric in general) from reading these forums.

How much better cooker is a vertical charcoal vs vertical pellet?

For a vertical pellet, Pit boss vs Pellet pro?

Thanks

You add the performance plate and can use any of the standard controllers. I would reach out to Nicole at Humphrey's and talk to her.