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So we're moving, and as a present to myself for selling the house, I want a smoker. I'm really debating (after reading through this thread twice) between a W.S.M. and the Masterbuilt electric. I've done a fair bit of smoking on my propane BBQ, and I'd really like to take it up a notch. The W.S.M. looks great, I love the bark on things that I smoke, and I don't mind "caretaking" a bit. But the set-it-and-forget-it of the electric is just so damned appealing in a lot of ways. Anyone have some personal anecdotes of wisdom that may apply to me - how easy is it to get used to the WSM? Anything that smoking over charcoal just works better than electric? And is this the right masterbuilt that everyone is talking about? http://www.amazon.ca/MASTERBUILT-20070411-30IN-ELECTRC-SMOKER/dp/B003XJGEGY/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1343080597&sr=8-20 I'm Canadian, so our prices suck, eh!
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Jul 23, 2012 23:05
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GigaFool posted:My 40" MB electric cost me $320 shipped. It's one of the greatest food-related things I own, but I don't know if I would have spent $650 on the smaller version of it. Is there really no way to get one for cheaper in Canada? Not unless I get some kind american to ship it to me, hahah. If I look around I ~may~ find it cheaper. Just tough, loving things are so much more expensive north of the border - free trade my fat loving rear end. That pretty much seals it though, electric it is. Just need to find a better price, heh. The time/energy thing is what seals it for me.
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Jul 24, 2012 02:57
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unknown posted:I found my 40" mastercraft at Canadian tire for 50% off ($149.98). Keep an eye out as the BBQ deals are just about to start since they want the floor space for fall goodies. (Got told when buying a cheap replacement BBQ last weekend to hold onto the receipt for price matching as a sale was coming up shortly) Doesn't even look like they carry Masterbuilt products anymore :/ heh Okay, one last question before I bite the bullet: Which is going to work best in -30 degree celcius weather? I like to BBQ in the cold, and if I can smoke something while its freezing a yaks tits off, even better.
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Aug 3, 2012 01:57
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MasterControl posted:no clue but beware of the rust. I imagine you'll have a heck of a time getting the temp up too. Are you in Canada or something? Hell yeah. Frozen north for life hahah. Yeah, hadn't though of rust. I'll have to do some more searching.
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Aug 4, 2012 01:41
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Melthir posted:Cooked up 4 shoulders with the sauce recipe from the first page. They came out amazing. Then used the bones and leftovers to make chili. It was Fantastic. Now I know what to do with the money left over from my move. Buy a big green egg. I have a brand new BBQ, a new MES 30" with my fun new AMAZE-N smoker...and the next time I have an extra grand or so kicking around, I want a BGE. My huge deck will be naught but implements of meat cooking. And it will be good. Well, once I fix the deck. Stupid previous owners not maintaining it, so a strip/re-paint a few years ago would have saved me from having to replace likely 1/2 the deck boards.
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May 6, 2013 14:21
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polyfractal posted:We recently purchased a propane grill because my girlfriend wanted to use it not bother with charcoal I had great luck with my propane grill as a smoker. Soak 1/2 your woodchips in water/coffee/juice (flavoured liquid of choice) for at least 1/2 an hour. Mix the wet/dry 50/50, wrap in foil (shiny side in, not sure if it matters). Place the pouch under the grill, but overtop of the grease/whatever guards on your BBQ's burner. Turn that specific burner on low, and away you go. You may need to play a bit, but I just left the foil wrapped and folded but not too tight - it could "Breathe", but it couldn't outright burn. I'd get 30-40 minutes per foil pouch. I'd usually start with 2 or 3, and then just replace one every 30 minutes or so. Not as good as my MES, but still damned good, and I still use the trick every now and then for quick smokes that need less time - adds a nice mild smoke flavour to burgers, for example.
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May 30, 2013 01:55
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. Is it possible to smoke with a propane grill? I've read about putting wood chips/chunks in slightly vented foil and throwing that right on the heating elements. Will that work?
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VERTiG0 posted:Sunday! Anybody up before sunrise getting those coals lit up? No, but I was going to heat up the MeS for...something. And its raining. Hard. Hard hard. And the power keeps going out. And its just a gross day. I WANT BBQ WEATHER DAMNIT Pork shoulder next weekend if its nice out I'm thinking
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Jun 2, 2013 17:49
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MoosetheMooche posted:Thanks for the tips regarding electric smokers. I gave it a great deal of thought and I think I'm going to go for a charcoal smoker after all. The electric models seem pretty pricey for someone just getting into the hobby. Anyone want to chime in and let me know if this stuff would work for a beginner smoker setup? Please let me know if I'm missing anything necessary, I'm a complete newbie and I plan to purchase the following and try my first smoke over the weekend: Heyo fellow Canagoon. One of my friends bought one of the smokers you're looking at last year...its really, really crappy. My first real smoker was my MES 30 the wife bought me for my birthday last year, and honestly, its freaking awesome. We found one at a local T.S.C. (not sure where you are), and it was under $300. The thing is awesome. Its really, really easy to use, and the only time I've had bad results was when I played too much with my spices/rubs beforehand. Its definitely a bit more money, but you'll have such an easy time using it. I just picked up an AMNPS, and holy crap its taken my smoking over the top. I did pork ribs on the smoker last night for the first time - a Kansas style dry rub, Jack Daniels pellets, and just straight-up 6 hours at 225. Goddamn were they good. If you want to go Charcoal, at least go for a Weber Smokey Mountain, I know Home Depot sells them. But good luck regardless 
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Jun 7, 2013 14:54
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MoosetheMooche posted:Maybe I will go for the MES. I looked at a mes30 today (only model they had) and it looked a little small for doing pulled pork, can anyone weigh in on the size? Is the AMNPS a requirement for cold smoking or is it just a nice upgrade? Seems to do fine for me. The 40 would be nice, but the 30's been more than adequate for feeding the wife and I, and I've done a couple of 6-8 person meals with zero issue. As long as there's a couple of inches around the edges, it'll smoke, so you need a pretty hefty chunk of meat to not have it fit. Plus the racks remove easily if you need more vertical space. AMNPS is a must-have for cold smoking, as the build-in smoker basically needs the heating element to be turned on to work worth a crap. And I've honestly used my smoker more in the month that its been decent out here than in the 3 months I had it before winter, all because of my AMNPS. Its awesome. Turns the easy smoker into the easy-amazing smoker.
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Jun 7, 2013 20:20
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jonathan posted:Oh ok cool. Because I was just about to go buy that cuisinart smoker/MES 30 with the front window. Scared me. Once its below -5C or so, it can't keep up. But, easy trick for that - go grab a welding blanket. Get one that's not the fiberglass itchy stuff, but the smoother sides. Set the smoker, put your stuff in, and wrap it up. Or if you have a detached building that's even mildly heated that you don't mind getting smokey, that'll work to. I just parked mine for most of the winter, because its just too loving cold out to want to bother heh.
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Jun 8, 2013 20:58
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AxeBreaker posted:I smoke roasted a whole chicken on my 22" kettle last night, and it came out pretty good. I got air temps at the vent of over 325, which got the skin all brown and crispy. Still, the meat could have been done better, the thighs were alright, but the breast was too hot. I'd normally expect dry chicken out of that but you could cut it with a butter knife. I've tried types of chicken cuts for smoke roasting or indirect grilling, and halves are the best balance of laziness vs. results. Whole chickens are easy but don't give the best results (typically overdone breast meat like a turkey). Pieces cook quickly, and you can pull them at the appropriate temperature for the piece, but it's easier to mess up the timing or the placement and get overdone meat. Halves take a little longer to cook, but much less prep time and they are easy to turn and baste. Heh, I do mine 3 hours at 225 in the MES with smoke, then transfer to the BBQ at 450'ish for 20 minutes or so at the end to really crisp her up. Best of both worlds, and I do them whole. Have not had a bad chicken yet (well, the one time I used some different brand of woodchips that were just horrible, but, that was my bad). I should try the split-and-smoke though, might be worth a shot.
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Jun 11, 2013 20:00
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Okay fellow smokegoons, I need some advice. The wife's company picnic is about 10 days away. Its a pot-luck style with 20-30 adults/children. So I want to smoke something. I don't need to provide the full-meal-quantity, but, well, we all know how quickly something good from the smoker can disappear. So...help me decide what to make. I've got my MES 30" and my BBQ, and right now I'm debating between 3 things: A few smoked chickens. I can likely fit 4-6 in the smoker. Smoke them, carve them up, put into a tray to keep warm. Maybe serve with some fresh buns and nice cheese? Ribs. Load up the smoker with as many racks as I can fit, get them done nicely, cut them up, put into a tray to keep warm. Maybe have some home-made BBQ sauce on the side for people who want wet (I do dry-rub and smoke with no sauce). Pulled pork. Just get a nice big shoulder, smoke it overnight, pull it in the morning, and tray and warm. Then I'd need to make 'slaw, sauce and some buns, but that's not too big of a deal. Brisket. I haven't done one before, so that's part of my trepidation on it, but they look pretty simple. Anyone have opinions, advice on something else, etc? Thanks a ton.
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Jun 12, 2013 15:59
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GigaFool posted:Don't make any decisions because of a window. It is mostly useless even when it's clean, and you'll get tired of cleaning it pretty quickly. Quoted for accuracy. My MES 30" has the window. Currently I think the metal sides are more see-through. I washed it the first few times, and now? Fuckit. I do need to contact Masterbuilt about a new seal though, the top edge of the hinge-side of my door has a wicked gap. Still holds temp, but it pours delicious smoke out
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Jun 17, 2013 14:03
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So I have a pair of 5 pound bone-in pork shoulders to smoke for pulled pork. I'm thinking 8 hours at 225 should be enough, but am I shorting my time? It'll be in an MES, and I'd rather not foil (but will if needed). Just hoping to get another opinion before I end up not making awesome pulled pork :P
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Jun 21, 2013 15:36
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Well, we head out to the wife's company BBQ at 4:00'ish. I was thinking of sticking them in the smoker by 6:00 am at the latest, so 8 hours would be 2:00. Then 30-45 in foil to rest, then shred and stuff in a cooler wrapped in a blanket to keep warm. I just don't see needing to stick them in the night before, they'd be done waaaaay too early. Maybe I'll get up an hour earlier and get them in for 5:00 am or so. Give me an extra hour of swing. I guess I can always crutch them at noon or so if need be. Ah well, lets see how it goes!
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Jun 21, 2013 16:05
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cornface posted:Sounds like you've got it under control, should be fine. Thanks. Was just looking to see if anybody responded with "holy poo poo dude, no, not enough time, overnight those piggies!" And I'm glad nobody did. They look so tasty all dry-rubbed in the fridge already. Can't wait to get them going. mmmmmmmm
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Jun 21, 2013 17:53
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bunnielab posted:I am misunderstanding I think. What is there to cut? Like, what do you cut away? I assumed Siochain was just finding smaller ones from like small pigs or whatever. Just as an update. Mission: successful. Mostly :P Woke up at 5:00, had the shoulders on the smoker by about 5:45. Except because there were two of them, I was tight on space, so I put my AMNPS in a different spot. Where it ~just~ barely smoked. Except there was enough steam coming off the smoker that I couldn't tell the difference in the high wind we had on Saturday. Had to crutch them at 1:00, pulled at 2:45 @ 205 degrees. Let them rest for 15, then pulled as fast as I could - we had to be there for 3:30 hahah. Overall, it was delicious, and really good. It will be better next time. Question for all you AMNPS users - if you have an MES 30", where do you stick the thing? I've had good luck and...bad luck with it.
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Jun 24, 2013 18:24
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BraveUlysses posted:I was using a MAPP torch in my BGE. Maybe it was airflow? Airflow is key. I'm still trying to find the best spot for my AMNPS in my MES 30". I did ribs a few weeks ago and they were amazing, and the AMNPS was a champ. For the shoulders I did on the weekend, it couldn't breathe (I think) because of where I had it placed, and basically didn't smoke for poo poo. So, that'll do it.
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Jun 27, 2013 00:11
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LTBS posted:There isn't really a low and slow for loins as they aren't really fatty enough. Grill them until they are done but throw some soaked wood chips on the fire to get some smoke into them. I could be wrong. I've smoked a few pork loins with excellent results by hanging really thick bacon on the racks in my MES above the tenderloins. As the bacon cooks, the fat renders, and drips onto the loin. So you end up with nice, crispy bacon and a super-delicious tenderloin. Yes, its likely cheating/is wrong, but it tastes so right.
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Nov 14, 2013 00:07
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jonathan posted:Ok, about the tenderloins, if I wrap them in bacon and them smoke them, can anyone give some tips ? I've never wrapped anything in bacon and then cooked it before. Wrapping works, but you don't get as much bark/smoke ring in the loin. Cut some ~good~ bacon (key part of this) nice and thick, and then wrap it around the loin like you were making a meat-mummy. Then just slap it in the smoker for...well, depending on the size, 2-3 hours or so @ 225, or a little longer at lower - use your thermometer, and once the center is 145 or so, you're done. I usually pull mine at 140'ish, wrap it in foil and let it finish cooking/re-absorbing juice before I cut it. Prepare to enjoy deliciousness.
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Nov 14, 2013 05:30
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jonathan posted:Hutterite turkeys. Any opinions on these ? Depends on the colony, but quite likely amazing. Always used to get a free Christmas one from a local colony at the old computer shop I worked at. They were fantastic.
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Nov 28, 2013 13:46
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jonathan posted:Top sirloin roast, 1.1kg (2.5lb). As a fellow Canadian, I can tell you that she'll get there. I got mine up to 275 in the -35 weather we had out east here a few weeks ago - just takes a while. And loses a poo poo ton of heat anytime you open the door. I'm debating throwing a cast iron pan in there to hold heat. Stuff smoked in the winter tastes awesome to, since the air is...fresher? I donno. The MES works like a champ as long as its not in the wind (I have mine in my huge not-at-all sealed woodshed, so its sheltered from the wind/snow).
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Dec 28, 2013 04:01
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 21:27 |
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GrAviTy84 posted:Ribs own. You should do spareribs instead of bb backs. They're way meatier, more flavorful, and cheaper (like often less than half the cost per lb of BBBacks here). This is Gods own truth. Spare's are SOOOOO loving good on the smoker its not even funny. Now that its warming up from the coldest depths of hell here, I might smoke something this weekend during the forecasted blizzard. BlizzardbackRibs? :P
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Jan 6, 2014 16:06
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