Pellet smoker

[Jim]

I am thinking it is time for a new smoker and I am really considering a pellet smoker.

The reason being is that I do not want to babysit the smoker on long cooks like Brisket, and pork butts.

Do any of you have a pellet smoker? Pro's and Con's?

I know there are some hardcore que guys out there that think pellets are a sin, but at this point I am looking for convenience and consistency.

My current smoker is a masterbuilt and I am not a fan of it at all. I hate the wood chip/chunk setup, and for some reason it will not maintain a steady temp which I try to keep between 225-250 per smoke.

 

[schukster]

I recently got a Pit Boss Lexington 500 from Wally. So far I have been pleased with it. It's not the biggest but neither was the price. It has a moveable slide plate on the burner that opens up the fire pit to allow searing for steaks and hamburgers. Close the slide plate for indirect smoking. Some reviews indicated big swings in temperature but I have done a couple of beer can chickens and temperature held constant. It doesn't have a prep shelf but I plan to add one using fold down shelving brackets. It does come with thermometer probe to monitor internal temp. I am happy with it.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

 

[DaleH]

Not sure if it applies to a pellet 'smoker', but I do have experience with a pellet-fueled pizza oven and small stove, like one would use in a 10'x10' canvas wall tent. On both, one needs to keep the hopper full for the best results and most even temperatures. The stove even had a key wind (like a clock) auto-feed pellet hopper unit to keep it running through the night. Let's just say that the timer/feed unit worked really well, but the hopper was too small until we added a make-shift larger hopper over the small OEM one. But then again, outside temps were below freezing so we really needed fuel!

Most important I'd say is to read the OEM manual thoroughly and watch any videos the maker offers. Case in point, many buyers complain about that Ooni pellet pizza oven (saying uneven cooking temps) but if they read the manual where it clearly says to 'keep that hopper full' (as it is gravity fed), I'd bet $$ they would have much better results ...and opinions.

Pet Peeve ... RTFM! I cannot believe how many people buy something and do not even peruse or Read The Freakin' Manual! Oh well, I guess they are smarter than the designers and engineers that made the product #-o . Like recently, I barely had my new Tacoma 4x4 pickup truck a week and could have answered many "How do I do this?" or "What does this do?" posts over on the Toyota 4x4 forums. Gawd I have no patience for idiots ...

 

[LDUBS]

The OM for my 2018 RAM is 694 pages not counting the index or the diesel supplement. You just reminded me of another productive way to spend some lock down time. Who knows, one day I might actually need to find the button to open the rear window.

Sorry about the detour. Now, back to pellet smokers.

 

[Jim]

DaleH,
Which pizza oven do you have?

 

[DaleH]

DaleH, Which pizza oven do you have?

Uuni or Ooni as they changed the name, std size, wish I had the $$ for the huge pro model. When fueled and fired 'well', it makes them as good as that $3,500 Italian outdoor free-standing beautiful copper one that a friend brought home from Italy.

 

[paper]

I love grabbing the cheap cuts of chicken and truthfully it's hard to stop eating it. The other day I grabbed a $4 family pack of chicken drumsticks. 14 drumsticks were brined in 1/2 cup of salt and sugar, and a splash of apple juice. I brined them for 6 hours and then smoked until they hat 180 degrees. They were FANTASTIC!!!
I also recommend getting a meat thermometer to make sure you neither undercook or overcook. Undercook and you can get sick. Overcook and you cook the moisture out of your meat. I grabbed an electronic Cuisinart for $18 and maybe someday I'll get a bluetooth setup that gives you 4 thermometers and you don't have to open the door and let your heat and smoke out. :wink:

 

[Jim]

I love those chicken packs! :LOL2:

 

[paper]

I love those chicken packs! :LOL2:

My local everything store http://www.johnsonsonestop.com/ recently had whole chickens for 89 cents a pound. I bought 10. :lol:
I see they currently have drumsticks for 68 cents... Decisions decisions... #-o

 

[Jim]

I used to buy in bulk to take advantage of those prices, then my spare fridge in the garage died. MY plan is to get another cheap one for the garage and then it will be game on again.

 

[handyandy]

I love grabbing the cheap cuts of chicken and truthfully it's hard to stop eating it. The other day I grabbed a $4 family pack of chicken drumsticks. 14 drumsticks were brined in 1/2 cup of salt and sugar, and a splash of apple juice. I brined them for 6 hours and then smoked until they hat 180 degrees. They were FANTASTIC!!!
I also recommend getting a meat thermometer to make sure you neither undercook or overcook. Undercook and you can get sick. Overcook and you cook the moisture out of your meat. I grabbed an electronic Cuisinart for $18 and maybe someday I'll get a bluetooth setup that gives you 4 thermometers and you don't have to open the door and let your heat and smoke out. :wink:

I've got a cheapy one with the cord that goes to the temp probe I just leave it and shut the door on my smoker on the cord so I don't have to open up

 

[handyandy]

I've just got a cheap masterbuilt electric smoker I've had it around 2 years now still going strong. works well I've used regular wood chips and pellets in it. You have to dump the pellet tray out and refill ever so often. I just bought the cold smoker attachment for it that should element the need for using the original pellet tray that just sits over the heating element. I'm looking forward to getting the cold smoke attachment so I can try my hand at some cured meats it should also work when smoking at normal temps to help keep a good steady supply of smoke without having to load the original pellet tray as often and dumping it ever so often.

cold smoke attachment https://www.lowes.com/pd/Masterbuilt-8-071-in-L-x-9-803-in-W-x-16-772-in-H-Porcelain-coated-Steel-Smoker-Box-Hinged-Top/1000600357

the smoker https://www.lowes.com/pd/Masterbuilt-John-McLemore-Signature-Series-708-84-sq-in-Black-Electric-Smoker/1000386183

for the money it's hard to beat I think I keep mine on my covered porch, and got one of the covers for it when I'm not using it. I just smoked up some deer ribs, and two racks of pork ribs this last weekend for the fourth.