Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Thinking About Getting a Meat Smoker

I have pretty much decided on this one. It's electric. I know that is not the most self sufficient meat smoker I could have but ...

1. I don't know a lot about meat smoking yet and want to start with something easy...and
2. I am pretty sure that I am way too busy (lazy) to want to have one where I have to keep a fire going or keep tending all day.

This one I just add chips to every 45 minutes to and hour. I think I can do that. There also seems to be a device you can buy to lengthen the time and make it work better. I have yet to check into all that.
I have found an amazing forum on meat smoking (sorry I had to delete the forum link since they insisted on deleting the link to my blog on said forum-I never have understood this competition thing  that some forums do--to me it is all about sharing good information--not making money so any links are welcome on my forum but I sure will  not promote their site when they can't even leave up my link when I just posted it on the "get to know you" part of my forum so they could get to damn know me).  I am sure it is going to help me out a lot. If you are thinking of learning to smoke meat, they also have a free little e-course that sends you a chapter a day and they have some really great newsletters.

13 comments:

  1. Do I detect the Gastrogardener's influence here??

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  2. Lovely, I would love one of these.

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  3. We got a smoker just before Christmas and we love it. Ours runs on bottled gas like a BBQ it's so easy to use even I can do it! Lol

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  4. Definitely, Mark, as well as a few others. I have always been interested in it but like everything else you don't know it is possible for you to do until you see someone else do it.

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  5. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it after you finally get it. I'd really like one, I was leaning towards one like that, but hubby's not sold on an electric one yet.

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  6. That looks like a good smoker. I have a bradley smoker and love it. They have a great forum to learn a lot from which I am a member. You should kick around the forum for a few and ask some questions before you purchase the masterbuilt http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/. The only Cons i see about a Bradley smoker is you have to buy there wood pucks at about 25 cents a shot or $1.50 per smoke. Good luck with your Smoking!!!

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  7. Thank you but I think a Bradley smoker is a bit more than I want to spend to start with and I have issues with a smoker that can't just burn regular wood chips. I don't mind my smoker being electric but I have to draw the line somewhere. I will check out your link anyway and appreciate you posting it.

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  8. We haven't done much meat smoking, just a bit of salmon when we lived in the North West. My brother is good at it. We have a "'lil smoker", or something like that. It's a thin aluminum box, not very big, electric. I guess you can smoke about 5 -8 pounds at a time. We turn the cardboard box it came 0ver the top to better insulate it while smoking. It works. We wish we could get something better for storing meat. Nitrates, ugh! It's something at least. I look forward to hearing how yours works.

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  9. Oh a smoker would be exciting. I look forward to hearing about it.

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  10. Becky - The only issue I have have with it, is that it is electric. No power = no smoking. But the reviews seem generally positive so that's a good thing! I think you will enjoy it!

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  11. But you know David, I am thinking that even if you didn't have power, you could make adjustments so that you could still use it.

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  12. I don't have anything in mind really David. I just think if the power ever went off forever. I could figure out how to smoke something without it, that's all. a whole lot more labor intensive, I am sure and maybe not even worth it but I could do it if I had to, I'm sure.

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