My first smoker

ZimmerNole

$200 budget

Electric or Propane?

I've read up on BOTH plenty and understand the advantages & disadvantages of both. What I'm really wondering is at my pricepoint what would be best? As in if you could do it over again and had $200 to spend what would you do? I've looked at Masterbuilts in the store plenty.

I'll primarily be doing pork shoulders, chicken quarters, small turkeys and TON of fish. Honestly, I'm getting the smoker for fish....LOVE it and the gf loves making the dip. It has just become a hassle to bring my fish to my buddies house, smoke it over there (hang out the whole time) and then bring it home afterwards.

I appreciate any and all input, please don't feel the need to say anything negative as this is not the place for that.

Thank you & Tight lines!

ShawnV

First, last, only post??????????

RexLan

I'd buy a smaller cheap propane at Walmart. It will/can do an excellent job on the fish , can do a butt and will certainly do a fine job on whole chickens and leg quarters. Whole chickens are stupid easy and they are excellent ... much better that quarters.

I stay away from the charcoal ... spendy in the end.

Electric, without a PID, is difficult to control.

If you want to do it 1st class wait until you can afford a Masterbuilt 40" ... the 30" is too small IMO.

ZimmerNole

ShawnV wrote: »

First, last, only post??????????

**** is this about?

If you want to do it 1st class wait until you can afford a Masterbuilt 40" ... the 30" is too small IMO.

I was looking at the 30" and thought the same thing...thanks for the input! Of the "cheaper" wal-mart smokers is there one you recommend? Are the Char-broils as [email protected] as they seem?

hossmoss

You sure you don't want to get a Weber Bullet? Lots of championship Q has come off them and they are very close to your budget.

Between propane and electric, I would choose propane for quality product, but electric if I was just interested in convenience. Try to get one that will hit and hold something around 350°.

jakedge

I started with a cheapo Walmart propane smoker and threw it away after a month. Temperature control was awful. Changes in wind and sun and clouds would cause huge temp changes. I got the smaller Masterbuilt electric and ran it for several years. Terrific thermostatic control. Volume was adequate for our needs. It'll do enough ribs for six people or a couple of butts. It will not hit temps anywhere near 350 but I didn't need it to at the time. A couple of years ago I graduated to the BGE. Nuff said!

Android77

Bass Pro has the large Masterbuilt coming on sale for fathers day soon $159 real good deal love mine try a corned beef with a dry rub really good

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2

ZimmerNole

Android77 wrote: »

Bass Pro has the large Masterbuilt coming on sale for fathers day soon $159 real good deal love mine try a corned beef with a dry rub really good

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2

This may be just the ticket! I'm hitting a few fathers day sales! Home Depot will have a 2 piece dewalt 18v screw gun + impact driver + lithium batteries (2) + charger for $99

Panhandler80

I've been without a smoker for a few years now. Went with an el-cheapo (relatively speaking) charcoal deal form Lowes with the fire box off to the side. Made some good stuff, but three years in it rusted out. I think the problem was that we also used it for grilling and that cheap metal couldn't hold up to high heat.

Anyway, my mom has been using a homemade electric deal for going on 35 years now and loves it... FWIW. It's a stainless cylinder about hip-high and maybe 24" wide. The element has been replaced maybe 3 or 4 times which can be a pain if you can't find the exact same element that was in there before. All that being said, she's made some GOOD stuff (turkey, chickens, pork shoulder, fish) in that electric smoker, but I don't know how much different it is than what you'd find on the market. Some semi-green hickory nuts in a drip pan over that element makes for some good eats.

haydenfox!#$

If you're only considering electric or propane, just get one of those oven smoker pans and some dust. I mean lets be real, not really foolin' yourself just because you're outside, are you..:shrug

RexLan

Well I still have my Walmart cheapo and it is ~ 12 years old now ... works just fine. I doubt anyone would throw one out after a month either. There are many ways to control the gas and the temps.

Anyone who thinks they can smoke in the house or in a 350° smoker is simply nuts!

Fish is you thing and it is quite delicate ... you will need control and at $200 your only choice is propane. Put it in a proper location, in the shade, and it will give you many years of service.

@Android77 ... if you can buy the Masterbuilt 40" for $159 I recommend you buy a truckload of them. Put them on eBay and you will easily be able to blow them out pronto for $259 and make yourself a pile of $$$

Or, just build one like this:

ZimmerNole

haydenfox!#$ wrote: »

If you're only considering electric or propane, just get one of those oven smoker pans and some dust. I mean lets be real, not really foolin' yourself just because you're outside, are you..:shrug

What other options are there? Sorry dude, the post is my FIRST smoker. If you'd like to educate me, then fine but there is no reason to come on here to post that rubbish.

What would you do? If you'd like to add something constructive to the thread, then by all means I'm all ears....

I think I might go for the $159 masterbuilt from BPS I checked the ad last night and it's legit!

Fish is you thing and it is quite delicate ... you will need control and at $200 your only choice is propane. Put it in a proper location, in the shade, and it will give you many years of service.

@Android77 ... if you can buy the Masterbuilt 40" for $159 I recommend you buy a truckload of them. Put them on eBay and you will easily be able to blow them out pronto for $259 and make yourself a pile of $$$

Thanks bud! I appreciate the info on the propane vs electric

RexLan

That Masterbuilt is a propane smoker ... a decent buy. Wally's usually has them for $149. That's what I have for my quick and easy butts and stuff.

It is not the electric which is what I thought Android77 was suggesting.

IMHO ... you're a bit rough on folks when you're new and asking for help. Dude, bud and rubbish aren't forum friendly terms ... IMO.

Good luck with your new toy ... ots of good stuff come out of them!

ZimmerNole

That Masterbuilt is a propane smoker ... a decent buy. Wally's usually has them for $149. That's what I have for my quick and easy butts and stuff.

All I'm looking for is a quick, easy smoker. I appreciate the input you have given me, I really do.

IMHO ... you're a bit rough on folks when you're new and asking for help. Dude, bud and rubbish aren't forum friendly terms ... IMO.

I'm not new to the forums in anyway, shape or form. I will apologize to the guy I jumped on, it has been a hell of a day. The "older" forums did not have as many cynics on them, it was a place for information, sharing fishing reports, tricks, tactics etc. I may be new to the "kitchen" side but I'm a fairly active poster on the other formats. Thank you for mentioning that to me, when I re-read my post I do seem like a pretty big ******.

Sorry hayden fox, that wasn't necessary. However I do not wish to smoke ANYthing indoors and I'm looking for a propane or electric smoker in my price range.


Is there a wally world smoker you'd recommend over the MB for $159?

RexLan

They used to have the MB at Wallys ... I have never found a good deal at BPS when it is over. That smoker will cost you ~ $208 at your door.

Amazon has the Master Built for less than $200 delivered in gas and electric. The plain door 30" electric is a good buy ... don't need the glass door at all as it will get dirty anyway.

If fish is really your main event maybe consider the MB 30". It is excellent and with the good temp control it can produce some fine product. It's big enough to do butts as well. However, I have processed and smoked perhaps 5,000 pounds of King and Red salmon over the past 40 years and I almost exclusively use a quick brine and a hot smoke so temps aren't critical. I like to run mine around 250° .... the trick is a proper brine and getting the pellicle before the smoke starts. Most folks brine the holly crap out of fish and turn it to junk.

ZimmerNole

First, thank you for all the advice! :wink

They used to have the MB at Wallys ... I have never found a good deal at BPS when it is over. That smoker will cost you ~ $208 at your door.

You're referring to buying one online with delivery I presume? Luckily, the BIG outdoor world is 2 miles from my house so the hassle isn't really there (for me at least)

Amazon has the Master Built for less than $200 delivered in gas and electric. The plain door 30" electric is a good buy ... don't need the glass door at all as it will get dirty anyway.

So you'd prefer it in electric vs propane if it were the same price? Yeah, the glass door is going to get caked up quick I thought about that myself when I looked at them online.

If fish is really your main event maybe consider the MB 30". It is excellent and with the good temp control it can produce some fine product. It's big enough to do butts as well.

I have read contradicting reports on the 30" vs the 40" and I'd really only do 1-2 butts at a time, a few chickens and maybe some ribs on occasions. We just catch a lot of kings, and I'm tired of having to run all over the place just to get some smoked fish if you know what I mean. I'd rather pop a few tops and have the luxury of doing it at home. I'm assuming you're referring to the MB 30" in electric (for the temp control?)

However, I have processed and smoked perhaps 5,000 pounds of King and Red salmon over the past 40 years and I almost exclusively use a quick brine and a hot smoke so temps aren't critical. I like to run mine around 250° .... the trick is a proper brine and getting the pellicle before the smoke starts. Most folks brine the holly crap out of fish and turn it to junk.

Wow, I'd like to pick your brain a bit more about the fish then! I've read quite a bit about the pellicle for salmon and other fish. Question, is it as important for king and white meat fish? I'm curious about this. I've brined, and seasoned the king (and tilapia) that we have done and luckily it has come out fantastic! I could see how someone could turn a nice fillet into a salty, smoked mess really quickly. I usually use the standrad mix of salt, brown sugar and h20. How long do you brine your fish?

Sorry for all the questions, but I appreciate any and all help i can get from those who are much more experienced than myself.

Tight lines!

loco

Try a cheap one first... ~$50

Start at 8:00 or so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtJ7nkslBv8

Here is a pic of mine... works great!

RexLan

I was taught by a native in Alaska where I am from. Lester lived at fish camp on the Yukon all summer and he put up about 1500 #'s of strips and 2-3000 #'s of fillets every year. He cold smoked his fish for 6 weeks with waterlogged alder. Just a hint of the smoke constantly. He sold all he could make.

Loco actually has a great idea and I assume he is using a cheap hot plate for a heat source.

I make a simple brine and it is THE most important part. Use all the water you want but add enough salt until a potato will float in it .. that is the correct concentration. Sometimes I will add brown sugar but it doesn't do much because of the short soak time. I am not sure you could pick out one with and without in a taste test either. The King fillets were about 4-5 pounds and I cut the belly strips off first (premium) and squared them in 2 x 2 pieces. Then cut the fillets about 4" wide the full width of the fillet. These are over an inch thick. Of course all have the skin on and unfortunately the fat layer between it and the muscle.

The thick pieces get brined 60 minutes
Tail sections and thinner pieces 45 minutes
Bellies 35 minutes.

I have seen people brine for hours and overnight ... junk IMHO and certainly not necessary. Really breaks down the muscle.

Never reuse the brine ... toss it out.

Rack them and pat them dry, get them by a fan and dry them until the pellicle forms, usually an hour or a little more. This should be real sticky, not wet, and then it will almost dry .... in the smoker and watch them close after an hour. It is always important. If the fish has surface moisture the smoke will not penetrate it and it will be only on the surface. Just like sausage, it needs to be dry first so the smoke can do it's thing.

If you get the fish too hot or over done it will get a white pus looking thing on it which is a protein called Albumin. It gets forced out of the tissue but won't hurt you ... just unsightly. You will always get some but careful control of the temps and monitoring generally will keep it to a minimum.

I have only smoked Mullet down here and it is OK, not a top fish IMHO. I hear the AJ are real good. White meat fish I would think may be to lean. I did a lot of lake trout too but they have good oil content like salmon.

I personally like propane because it also adds moisture (a little). BUT ... it is difficult to control.
For your primary application I would but the 30" masterbuilt if I really could not get the 40" for another buck. You will also need a pellet smoke tray like the AMNP. The one in the unit is junk and few folks use it.

I do the fish with hot smoke always ... 250°-275°
Chickens (whole, I don't fool with leg quarters anymore) at 285° ... they like it a little hotter. If I do chicken and butts I will comp at 260° or so.
Ribs never over 225° and foiled after -3 hours of smoke, else dry.

Here is one of my butts ... we take it to the table and pig out, then re-heat the next day and pull what is left. Pull at 170° for table fare - reheat to 210° to pull.

That's all I know! I'm in Port Charlotte ... too far away.
Most of my pictures are on my computer in Virginia ... but here are a few out of the smoker.



Turkey/Chicken with smoked potatoes is PDG


Ham and bacon wrapped cream cheese hot peppers


Buckboard Bacon

ZimmerNole

loco wrote: »

Try a cheap one first... ~$50

Start at 8:00 or so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtJ7nkslBv8

Here is a pic of mine... works great!

I've seen the Alton brown episode, and I have a friend who made one of these. He ended up spending about $75 in materials, the burner broke after the 3rd smoke session PLUS the time to make it...I'd almost rather just buy this for the same price http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brinkmann-Smoke-N-Grill-Food-Smoker/19898399?findingMethod=rr

Anyone ever seen/use one of these? I know it's smaller than the 30" but it's also $80 less than the MB 30"

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Smokey-Mountain-26-Electric-Smoker/23709386?findingMethod=rr

loco

Well, I paid $50, and put it together in like 2 minutes. I do know what you mean, spend the money on a more permanent solution if you are going to smoke a lot.

Flash

hossmoss wrote: »

You sure you don't want to get a Weber Bullet? Lots of championship Q has come off them and they are very close to your budget.

Between propane and electric, I would choose propane for quality product, but electric if I was just interested in convenience. Try to get one that will hit and hold something around 350°.

Except those aren't fish smoking temps. You want more the 180 to 200º region for smoking fish. For other items 225 to 250º is all you need. The 350º is good for chicken. If you go with propane you'll need a needle valve adjustment. I added a variable 10 psi Turkey fryer regulator to my Charcoal to Propane conversion. Hard to hold real low temps during windy days, so here the Electric would shine. Of course you lose power during hurricanes and bad storms, the Propane keeps on chugging.

RexLan wrote:

I do the fish with hot smoke always ... 250°-275°
Chickens (whole, I don't fool with leg quarters anymore) at 285° ... they like it a little hotter. If I do chicken and butts I will comp at 260° or so.
Ribs never over 225° and foiled after -3 hours of smoke, else dry.

You will find your own temps depending on the smoker you buy. Personally if doing fish like mullet, blues or spanish, never over 200º or they will not be in the smoker very long. Chicken can go quite high, as it does not really benefit from the "low and slow", lower temps will allow it to stay in the smoke longer, but you need temps in the 300º range if you want to crisp up the skin. We're close on ribs, but I have never had an issue of using 250º.
Using a smoker is not rocket science and you will find overtime many of these methods mentioned will work for good meals. It will be up to you to find tune them to your own personal tastes and YOUR smoker to make great meals. Good luck. And start out with chicken for you first smoke. It is cheap and won't make you cry too much if you mess up.

ZimmerNole

RexLan wrote: »

I was taught by a native in Alaska where I am from. Lester lived at fish camp on the Yukon all summer and he put up about 1500 #'s of strips and 2-3000 #'s of fillets every year. He cold smoked his fish for 6 weeks with waterlogged alder. Just a hint of the smoke constantly. He sold all he could make.

Loco actually has a great idea and I assume he is using a cheap hot plate for a heat source.

I make a simple brine and it is THE most important part. Use all the water you want but add enough salt until a potato will float in it .. that is the correct concentration. Sometimes I will add brown sugar but it doesn't do much because of the short soak time. I am not sure you could pick out one with and without in a taste test either. The King fillets were about 4-5 pounds and I cut the belly strips off first (premium) and squared them in 2 x 2 pieces. Then cut the fillets about 4" wide the full width of the fillet. These are over an inch thick. Of course all have the skin on and unfortunately the fat layer between it and the muscle.

The thick pieces get brined 60 minutes
Tail sections and thinner pieces 45 minutes
Bellies 35 minutes.

I have seen people brine for hours and overnight ... junk IMHO and certainly not necessary. Really breaks down the muscle.

Never reuse the brine ... toss it out.

Rack them and pat them dry, get them by a fan and dry them until the pellicle forms, usually an hour or a little more. This should be real sticky, not wet, and then it will almost dry .... in the smoker and watch them close after an hour. It is always important. If the fish has surface moisture the smoke will not penetrate it and it will be only on the surface. Just like sausage, it needs to be dry first so the smoke can do it's thing.

If you get the fish too hot or over done it will get a white pus looking thing on it which is a protein called Albumin. It gets forced out of the tissue but won't hurt you ... just unsightly. You will always get some but careful control of the temps and monitoring generally will keep it to a minimum.

I have only smoked Mullet down here and it is OK, not a top fish IMHO. I hear the AJ are real good. White meat fish I would think may be to lean. I did a lot of lake trout too but they have good oil content like salmon.

I personally like propane because it also adds moisture (a little). BUT ... it is difficult to control.
For your primary application I would but the 30" masterbuilt if I really could not get the 40" for another buck. You will also need a pellet smoke tray like the AMNP. The one in the unit is junk and few folks use it.

I do the fish with hot smoke always ... 250°-275°
Chickens (whole, I don't fool with leg quarters anymore) at 285° ... they like it a little hotter. If I do chicken and butts I will comp at 260° or so.
Ribs never over 225° and foiled after -3 hours of smoke, else dry.

Here is one of my butts ... we take it to the table and pig out, then re-heat the next day and pull what is left. Pull at 170° for table fare - reheat to 210° to pull.

That's all I know! I'm in Port Charlotte ... too far away.
Most of my pictures are on my computer in Virginia ... but here are a few out of the smoker.



Turkey/Chicken with smoked potatoes is PDG


Ham and bacon wrapped cream cheese hot peppers


Buckboard Bacon

Thank you for the info!

ZimmerNole

Except those aren't fish smoking temps. You want more the 180 to 200º region for smoking fish. For other items 225 to 250º is all you need. The 350º is good for chicken. If you go with propane you'll need a needle valve adjustment. I added a variable 10 psi Turkey fryer regulator to my Charcoal to Propane conversion. Hard to hold real low temps during windy days, so here the Electric would shine. Of course you lose power during hurricanes and bad storms, the Propane keeps on chugging.

-It says this smoker is only capable of 250? I'm really not too worried about not being able to go up to 350.
-I already have the propane grill, so the smoker doesn't bother me too much if it is electric although I'm slowly starting to lean towards that MB deal at BPS.

You will find your own temps depending on the smoker you buy. Personally if doing fish like mullet, blues or spanish, never over 200º or they will not be in the smoker very long. Chicken can go quite high, as it does not really benefit from the "low and slow", lower temps will allow it to stay in the smoke longer, but you need temps in the 300º range if you want to crisp up the skin. We're close on ribs, but I have never had an issue of using 250º.
Using a smoker is not rocket science and you will find overtime many of these methods mentioned will work for good meals. It will be up to you to find tune them to your own personal tastes and YOUR smoker to make great meals. Good luck. And start out with chicken for you first smoke. It is cheap and won't make you cry too much if you mess up.

-I'm going to be doing chicken for sure the first go around. I have smoked fish plenty of times on my buddies smoker just not my "own" so I fully understand where you're coming from 100%

capt louie

All good info and a great reference for later.

Flash

ZimmerNole wrote: »

-It says this smoker is only capable of 250? I'm really not too worried about not being able to go up to 350.
-I already have the propane grill, so the smoker doesn't bother me too much if it is electric although I'm slowly starting to lean towards that MB deal at BPS.





-I'm going to be doing chicken for sure the first go around. I have smoked fish plenty of times on my buddies smoker just not my "own" so I fully understand where you're coming from 100%

Pretty much what I did with the chicken was to smoke it at 220º, a low temp since it does not take long to do ( 2 1/2 to 3 hours tops), then finished it up on a hot grill to crisp up the skin. That 250º limit can be an issue for some electrics and why I settled on the propane.





Works great, not that I eat much skin anymore.

Lunch Money Surf

loco wrote: »

Try a cheap one first... ~$50

Start at 8:00 or so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtJ7nkslBv8

Here is a pic of mine... works great!

That's awesome. I remember that Good Eats episode... and you appear to have found the perfect pot...

RexLan

Flash wrote: »

Except those aren't fish smoking temps. You want more the 180 to 200º region for smoking fish. For other items 225 to 250º is all you need. The 350º is good for chicken. If you go with propane you'll need a needle valve adjustment. I added a variable 10 psi Turkey fryer regulator to my Charcoal to Propane conversion. Hard to hold real low temps during windy days, so here the Electric would shine. Of course you lose power during hurricanes and bad storms, the Propane keeps on chugging.

We seldom disagree but we do about this. I always hot smoke my fish. I will go down into the 200-225° area sometimes but I have found that with the cooler smoke like I do on some sausage that the fish dries out too much. I like a moist final product ... not the rubbery stuff they sell commercially.

That said, however, everyone has a preference.

sp00n-

I have heard nothing but good things about the Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker. Its 300, not 200 but its basically like a less expensive version of the Big Green Egg.

http://tinyurl.com/lqr7r3h

Flash

RexLan wrote: »

We seldom disagree but we do about this. I always hot smoke my fish. I will go down into the 200-225° area sometimes but I have found that with the cooler smoke like I do on some sausage that the fish dries out too much. I like a moist final product ... not the rubbery stuff they sell commercially.

That said, however, everyone has a preference.

Ahh, that is the difference then. I will then agree with you. A majority of my smoked fish is made into dip and with that smoked fish you do want it drier, not moist at all. All the mullet dip boys around here use a low temp for their mullet, then into dips. I will even take this fish and chunk it on a ritz cracker with hot sauce. No way I would do that with really moist fish.

ZimmerNole

Flash wrote: »

Ahh, that is the difference then. I will then agree with you. A majority of my smoked fish is made into dip and with that smoked fish you do want it drier, not moist at all. All the mullet dip boys around here use a low temp for their mullet, then into dips. I will even take this fish and chunk it on a ritz cracker with hot sauce. No way I would do that with really moist fish.

Jalapeno slice is amazing as well

Baits Out

Like the OP, I am looking for a smoker in the same price range.

My research indicates the best deal for us at this time is the Masterbuilt 30 in. Vertical Digital Electric Smoker, Model # 20070106. It is currently $177.00 at both the Home Depot down the street or via Amazon with free shipping.

The only question mark is that others above have said that fish should be smoked at higher temps.

Will this MB be suitable and hold temps above 250?

Cheers! Bob

EDIT: Someone mentioned the need for a smoke tray and am guessing one of these:

http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNPS5X8

??