Living in bear country and a wind tunnel, latches on the lid would be the first mod.Quote:
Originally Posted by hobowh
Printable View
Living in bear country and a wind tunnel, latches on the lid would be the first mod.Quote:
Originally Posted by hobowh
Mmm. Enjoyed some homemade baby backs tonight. Thanks for the idea, guys!
If you have the patience for it nothing beats a traditional offset stick burner. Have a friend who recently opened a BBQ place in Greeley, cook for him my spare time to help him out. I cooked 15 pork butts, 11 briskets, dozens of spares, babybacks, chickens and sausage this past Friday evening. Some of you may have sampled it at the Harley dealership Saturday. Best of luck on your quest, PM with questions (don't want to come across as advertising - for him or me).
btw- here's a link to another great BBQ site http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/index.php
I'm at the Costco at Park Meadows. They have the Vision Grills Kamado Phase 2 for $569.99. Comes with stand with locking casters, 2 side tables, and cover. Looks nicer than the BGE to me.
Looks like this except the stand is stainless;
http://www.visiongrills.com/wp-conte.../b-series2.png
http://www.visiongrills.com/grills/classic-b-series/
Sent from my tactical android.
Peace Pit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Whistler
Higher-quality smokers are expensive! I'm going to have to do some serious research.
Thanks for the tips and links!
Do you find the insulation (or lack thereof) to be a factor in smoking meats?
This is mine: Stainless Steel Premium 7-in-1 Smoker/Cooker http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home-...3Bcat104582880
http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/c...J6ELC3xMDlD-DS
Craig's List special: it works good, I only use the charcoal, I think retail is too much and I would not pay for stainless. Use it a few times and then it gets dirty. A nice feature is that you can take it apart and adjust the racks while cooking, unlike the brinkman, which my neighbor uses.
The cabelas smoker is a pain to add charcoal and wood to though.
Look into that same company. They make a dual setup with a gas grill on the left side with a sep. gas burner to boil on, then on the right it has a charcoal grill that you can attach a smoke box to. I have one so I can use the gas for quick meals and charcoal when I want to do some good steaks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ah Pook
I got this one at Bass pro Shops for ~$170 or so, on sale. I liked this model because there's a separate door for accessing the fire, wood pan and water pan. I built the wood cabinet to get it up to an easier working height for me, to keep the wind away from the burner flame, and to make it mobile so I can roll it around on the patio. Works pretty damn good IMO, I haven't killed anybody yet. Propane, obviously.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrey
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/DSC_0181.jpg
It holds a decent load.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/DSC_0178.jpg
rondog, I'm impressed! I'd never considered a mobile cabinet. That's a very good idea.
Used to be, Whistle Blowers now, different management and recipes/methods.Quote:
Originally Posted by blacklabel
Lowes carries the Char-Griller. I have had mine for 4 years now...works great. I have the $299 model with gas grill on the left...charcoal grill/smoke body on the right...I added the $70 side firebox for true smoking pleasure. Also has a gas burner on the far left that you place a charcoal chimney over and use gas to start the charcoal. Best value out there, and wood from the firewood place on Iliff between Quebec and Parker is dirt cheap compared to the bagged chunks you buy.
I just left Park Meadows mall and they now have a Traeger store in the mall. It's a kiosk right in front of JC Penny's on the second floor.
Traeger has now improved their EZ pay plan and will let you EZ pay up to 5 payments instead of 3.
I went to their store because they carry pellets for a pretty reasonable price, if you buy 5 bags they'll give you the 6th for free. My wife doesn't know it yet but a Lil Tex Elite is going to be on my doorstep in a few days. :) they threw in a cover, 6 bags of pellets and several cook books so I couldn't refuse. They also have a $75 rebate on them right now.
Nice. You'll have fun with it. 6 bags of pellets would last me a little bit.
If they want guys to know about it, why would they put the shop in Pork Meadows Mall? Guys don't graze shop. We do some intelligence to find our quarry, we pull the trigger, and then head back to the house. Their limited market are guys trapped in the mall with their women looking for an oasis in the desert.
This post has had me intrigued since it was made and I've been doing a lot of looking online because of it. While I love myQuote:
Originally Posted by Parf
(BTW: Bass Pro has this model smoker on sale right now for $199.97 - $40 off regular price). The 30" Masterbuilt @ Cabela's comes with a meat probe, but is almost 100 sq inches smaller.
My question to Parf: Looking at the interior pics of this smoker, where do you put that AMNPS? Can you post a pic of how you have it installed/placed? Without the AMNPS, how long do the pellets last before needing to add more in this 30" Masterbuilt?
Nice! I'm selling my offset and going with a pellet.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDee
This is my second one. I have a Traeger Jr. now and it's been great. I am hoping my wife wont make me sell the Jr. I think having 2 smokers would be pretty nice since you can have 2 smokes with two different types of wood going at the same time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jmetz
Park Meadows is one of the busiest malls in America so it's a pretty good location for them. The sales woman told me they sell several grills every day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gman
Makes sense to me! A lot of people love their Traegers and I came close but after a lot of research I'll most likely be going with a GMG.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDee
Ginsue, it goes inside the smoker, and rests on the rails coming off the side of the built in smoke box.Quote:
Originally Posted by theGinsue
http://cdn.smokingmeatforums.com/c/c...e8_MES302.jpeg
It is really not very big, but puts out a great amount of smoke inside the MES. It will run for as long as I want it to overnight, putting out a nice thin blue smoke.
With the built in chip loader, I had to add more chips or pellets every hour and a half, and sometimes it didn't want to make smoke for me. It worked better if you preheated the whole unit to 275 degrees at the beginning, but it really was pretty lame overall.
The AMNPS turns a stupidly easy to use smoker that makes "meh" BBQ into a very good smoker. It's really set it and forget it until it's time to eat.
When you use the AMNPS, halfway open the inside chip tray, and the outside chip loader for increased airflow, and leave the top vent fully open. Works for me all 4 seasons here in Lakewood, you just need to know a simple trick to get the MES to kick on when the outside temps are below 32F.
Thanks for the info (and pic, as I need all of the help I can get) Parf.
Yesterday I pulled the trigger & picked up the 40" MES from Sam's Club ($299..ouch, but it was $ my company paid me for per diem for the training class I attended - and the smoker was something my wife wanted me to get). Going to order a cover for it as well as an AMNPS. I need to learn this "trick to get the MES to kick on when the outside temps are below 32F".
Today, I stopped by Sportsman's Warehouse and picked up a 20lb bag of Traeger hickory pellets, a 5lb bag of another brand of Apple pellets, and a small bag of Maple chips. I always temper hickory with a fruit wood to prevent hte bitter flavor pure hickory would create.
I also picked up another rib rack. I'll be smoking ribs and a chicken for the 4th of July.
How easy are those pellet smokers to clean? That's the one thing I don't like about my cabinet unit, I hate to clean that nasty motherhumper out.
According to the YouTube videos I watched, the chip bins are nothing more than pouring out the ash and the tray pulls out the front. The rest of the unit...well, like yours. Several videos recommended lining the drip deflector and tray, etc. with foil to simplify cleaning.
Rondog - I'm already using your cart in my head as a template for something to build for myself to protect from wind & to lift it up.
Look for a smooth metal "stud" sticking out of the inside back wall of the smoker. That is the temperature probe. I don't know if they have updated the software since they made mine, but when the probe was registering 32 degrees or less, the control unit would error out with a divide by zero error. The easiest solution is to take a hot and wet washcloth, and hang it from the end of the probe. Then you turn the unit on and it will heat up. Just take the washcloth out after the unit hits 100 degrees or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by theGinsue
People were doing stupid things to try and fix this, like removing the control unit and bringing it inside, or bringing the whole cabinet inside to warm it up. They all assumed that the cold weather was bad for the electronics, but that is just not the case.
A Traeger is as simple as pulling the drip tray and vacuuming out the ash. I cover the drip tray in foil and change the foil with each use. Cleanup takes less than 5 minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by rondog
Anyone here with an electric MES ever have flare ups? I've had 2 so far and they scared the holy shot right out of me. They act like a propane flare up and come with a loud whooshing sound and flame throughout the inside of the MES. The first one even warped the door & pushed it out from around the window frame a bit.
I've got the drip deflector and everything else in place, but still, WHOOSH!
Ideas?
I do something similar but I use heavy duty foil and only replace the foil as needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDee
If anyone is looking to get the Masterbuilt propane two door smoker it is on sale at Bass Pro for $149. I was able to get Home Depot to price match it and get another 10% off as well. [Flower]
Man, that does not seem right. I've never had any kind of flare up. It's grease in the drip/water pan that is catching on fire? That has never happened to me, but we don't have the exact same unit. I have a smaller 30" without any windows. How does the grease get into the enclosed chip box to come in contact with the electric element? Or was it dripping onto the pellet smoker box?Quote:
Originally Posted by theGinsue
Masterbuilt is very good about their customer service, and would probably be willing to ship you out a new door under warranty, if you tell them that it started to pop out while you were using it.
I'm looking at a vertical propane smoker, maybe like this one http://www.basspro.com/Masterbuilt-E...SSSELL_PRODUCT. Can the pellets for a Traeger be used instead of the chips on vertical styles? I'd also have to look for a cabinet as I like rondog's setup, but have no woodworking skills at all. Right now I have the Char Broil offset charcoal smoker, and it's OK, but as it's aged the temp control has been getting worse, so I'm trading out.
Dave - Yes, the smoker you're looking at will easily take the Traeger pellets. This "MES" we keep talking about is the Masterbuilt Electronic Smoker. Their electric & gas models are very similar in many ways - particularly the basic operation. Until I got this 40" MES, I had always just used wood chips/chunks in a horizontal offset unit like the one you're retiring. I'm finding these pellets much easier to deal with.
I know you didn't mention one, but in case you continue looking at other options, I would discourage buying a bisquette type of smoker as those bisquettes get pretty expensive and really increase the cost of smoking. With about 5 hours of smoker use this 4th of July, for 3 full racks of ribs & a whole chicken, I spent less than $5 for the pellets I used.
Well I had my mind set on Weber smokey mountain smoker until I started watching this thread. I have a question for you Traeger fans, how well do these pellet smokers do in high wind and especially cold temps like using in the winter time?
I've had a Traeger for about 5 years and love it. Before that I used a very basic water smoker, but I got lazy and smarter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trout Hunter
Thanks Ginsue, I was glossing over the other posts and didn't make the connection between MES and Masterbuilt Electric Smoker for some reason. I can't really do electric on my back porch, but figured propane would be easier to maintain than charcoal, and I don't mind loading new wood or checking water levels since it gets me a peak at the meat real quick. The extra wide Masterbuilt one there at Bass Pro seems like it would handle the big sparerib racks and briskets easier.
In cold temps or high winds I toss a welding blanket over my traeger. Works great. Or a wool blanket from a military surplus shop.
Dave, I have a friend with that same propane smoker - he loves it. I think if you do decide to go with it you will be very pleased.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave
Thanks colorider that's a great idea! One of my biggest drawback to the WSM is it being a seasonal smoker. I have heard of people using hot water heater blankets on them in cold temps but that sounds dangerous me especially for an overnight cook. The More and more I learn about the Traeger the more I am liking it. Now I have to decide which model for a single guy, the Jr. or bigger?Quote:
Originally Posted by colorider
Not to take away from the Traeger, but I feel there are better pellet grills/smokers for the money. You might look into a Green Mountain Grill or Louisiana Grill. Both are capable of low temp smoking and also hitting high temps for grilling/searing that the Traeger can't. Essentially a wood fired grill and smoker.
Thanks Jmetz that was the piece of info/advice I needed to make my decision. Buy once dry once but probably ended up saving in the long run. Did some research and ended up with a GMG Daniel Boone! Did get to compare it side by side to the comparable Louisiana grill and while I liked the heavier gauge metal on the LG I did not like the rheostat type temp control nor the fact that it operates at a temp between 180-600 degrees and the GMG operates between 150-500 which I prefer due to some delicate fish and veggie dishes that I need closer to the 150 range. I also really like the auto detect "turbo" fan for cold temps and high wind. Can't wait to try it out and now i can start dreaming about someday being able to afford a fast Eddy cook shack!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jmetz
Congrats! I'm after a GMG as well.