Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Propane vs Electric smoker?

And always needs a plug.

Cut the cord and go propane.

I use this funny thing called wood! Yesterday I did a 15lb ham with pecan wood. For New Years I’m doing pork butt which takes 17 hours at 225 degrees.

Better yet is my Weber Smokey Mountain.

My smoker is ceramic.

I have an electric Cookshack, and it is worth the money. Easy and consistent. Probably 20 years old now, and I use it all the time.

Cook Shack model 50 since 2004..
No problems... Have few buddies that borrow it, they all love it..

A bit of advice to save on the learning curve. Especially poultry and pork tenderloin.

Turkey for example, most places you look will say 180 internal in the thigh and 170 in the breast. But If you dig further it’s not needed, it’ll save you from having a dry finished product.

According to the USDA's own data, as long as your turkey spends at least 3.7 minutes at or above,150°F it is safe to eat. No dry turkey here.

Brisket is another story. Google the fork test but around 195 internal is where it’ll be. Same with pork butt.

Thanks for all the info. I'd love to do a brisket someday. Not sure where to even buy one around here though.

Really?

I have an electric smoker I got as a gift. It makes delicious food. I’d just use whatever she bought you. I’m sure I’d be happy with a propane model. Smoking takes time, patience, and a meat thermometer.
I smoked a turkey injected with Cajun marinade yesterday. It was awesome!

Get a traeger, thank me later

Bradley 4 rack electric. Can smoke 15 pounds of pork bellies at a time. Or 2 full racks of spare ribs. Add pucks and walk away.

My grocery store is pretty limited. I believe costco sells a giant one though.

I use a Bradley up here, mostly for cold smoking cheese and bacon. I usually cold smoke around 60 to 70 degrees so I suppose it depends on what you intend to use it for. I love mine, best smoked cheese you've ever tasted. Just ask my granddaughter if you don't believe me. I also have a Traeger and a Weber gas fired grill I use for steaks, brisket, burgers, or whatever.

BINGO!

Enjoy the process. Donut stacking or stack the middle with hot coals. Charcoal, wood chunks, bourbon or beer. A two probe thermometer helps out tremendously.
The "Smoke" thermometer is what I use.

A friend along is fun.

Best flavor of all.

The real question is: Are pellets and pucks really considered “smoking”?

Never impressed with the level of flavor they provide. I’ll be the 3rd to say WSM….or an offset….or a BGE. Basically ANYTHING that uses lump coal and woods chunks of choice.

You can use and get good results with either electric or propane. There is a learning curve to getting the temps right, but it's a pretty easy process. I have a smoker that can use either gas or charcoal but I've never used anything but propane. They don't make them any more and mine is almost 40 years old and going strong.

I mostly smoke turkeys, using a water bath under the bird and apple wood chunks for smoke. I put the bird in, fire it up and check the temp every so often. Come back in four hours and it's done. It really is that simple.

Who has the best deal on wood pellets?

Cabelas branded pellets are rebadged Lumberjack's, which are great. Only $10/bag too. Tractor Supply has Bear Mountain for the same price and their great too.

My electric Masterbuilt has done fine for me for a couple years now. For longer smokes I use a smoker tube, which will last for about 6 hours. I don't like watching the fire, monitoring temps, or any of that. I like set and forget and use an internal meat thermometer on almost everything because it's foolproof. Makes great food.

This smoker is excellent - easy temp control, good sealed smoke box, and not a huge pain to clean.