Oh man, this is exactly the type of response I knew QT3 would deliver :) I may have to pony up a bit more and go for a pellet smoker based on what everyone is saying here. And thanks for the tip on AmazingRibs. My first stop of The Wirecutter was extremely underwhelming as they only tested two smokers and went in knowing they would pick a Traeger… it honestly came across as a way to write their grill off as a business expense.
Checking Amazon they have a couple deep discounts on propane smokers right now - the Camp Chef Smoke Vault for $229 and the Masterbuilt I mentioned above for $289… even though I just said I might spend more on the pellet grill, that difference will buy a lot of meat. AmazingRibs gave both of these their top rating so I’m sure it’s hard to go wrong either way.
The ones that have a sear feature (which essentially exposes the firebox) might be able to. But frankly a pellet smoker usually makes for a poor direct griller. The manufacturers try to market them as all-in-ones, but I wouldn’t recommend them for that, unless you’re really low on space to also have a direct griller. I personally have a weber charcoal kettle grill, a propane grill, and a pellet smoker.
I bought a Camp Chef pellet grill/smoker. You can buy an accessory to fit on the side of the smoker that you then can attach accessories such as a small grill or a griddle or a pizza oven. Those use propane from a small tank. I’ve used the side grill to cook 4 large burgers and another time 8 large sausages…it’s not big but it works and super quick since it’s small and heats up fast.
The pellet smoker is fantastic. I used to have a stainless steel custom electric smoker and that worked great but the first smoke I did a few weeks ago of a large pork loin was amazingly moist…better than the 30 or so pork loins I smoked with the custom smoker.
And, the Camp Chef comes with an app that you can use to watch the cook times and temps and the smoke level while in bed playing Elden Ring. Also comes with 4 temp probes that will show the internal temps on the app. It’s amazing…best grill/smoker purchase I’ve made in a long time.
The smoker also has a sliding cover to uncover the fire pit so there is more flame coverage on the grates themselves to make it somewhat of a direct grill also.
I have a Traeger – mostly because it’s what Costco had plus a deal/promotion. After lots of time at AmazingRibs and r/pelletgrills, I probably would have gone for a Camp Chef or a Grilla (the horn handles on the Recteq are too much for me). Traeger is a solid starter, but it’s definitely paying for the name and you can make your dollars go further via the competition. When I decide to upgrade, I’d be looking at something like a Yoder.
Anyhow, I regularly make pulled pork, and have also done tri-tip, brisket, pulled beef, pork belly burnt ends, pork and beef ribs, and beef jerky. I get nice smoke rings and pellet grill is very easy/low-maintenance especially for long (overnight) cooks.
I still use my propane Weber for fast/hot grilling, like searing my tri-tip after smoking it.
I’ve gotten a ton of mileage out of my electric smoker, it’s very easy to use/maintain and a bag of chips goes a long way. Of course you’ll want several bags for different varieties of wood. However, in the back of my mind I think about “upgrading” to a pellet smoker as it feels more authentic or something.
On the wood topic, does anyone love pecan wood as much as I do? The standard fruit and hickory chips are all good, but pecan has a much different flavor that I really enjoy.
Most pellet grills aren’t easily set up for direct cooking like that. Those that are, you are probably looking at a more expensive product (my Yoder has this feature).
I can understand that, but I HIGHLY recommend Recteq for someone looking for a midrange smoker with a lot of features. They also have the best customer service you will find.
I’ve not tried that but will based on what you’re saying. I can say this though, my go-tos are cherry and apple, they are mild enough not to be overpowering but taste really good on chicken/turkey. I tend to go traditional on pork with hickory. I’ve also tried mesquite and man it’s harsh. Yowza.
I’ve heard oak and maple are also good ones to try.
I like pecan with pork, especially. I also really enjoy apple and cherry and peach for fruit woods. Usually will add some hickory along with the fruit woods to up the smokiness a bit. Usually only go full hickory for beef, which is a protein I only very rarely use anymore.
Grab a few and freeze them. Essentially it’s corned beef in brine, usually with a spice packet inside you can use for part 2. You take the brisket out and put it in cold water in the fridge overnight to de-brine the meat. Then you take that spice packet along with some whole peppercorns and either grind them in a hand grinder or spice grinder or food processor just a bit, then cover the brisket with them and smoke in hickory until just over 200 in internal temp. You’re making pastrami and hands down it is the best thing I’ve ever smoked in my life. Amazingly delicious.
Meathead has a good writeup on it but certainly most recipes are about the same. You can also do the curing brine on your own, but if anything I’m lazy around here and after many holidays those corned beef packs go on sale and get reduced.
Question for those of you who smoke beef brisket way more than the couple of times I’ve done it. I’m looking for any tips for about a 4 lb flat my wife brought home.
Any preferred rub beyond salt/pepper that’s easy enough to find or add to that?
It won’t be a long smoke time based on the weight but I’d like to keep it a bit more moist than when I tried before and speeding up through the stall sounds like a good plan along with that. I’m going to Texas crutch wrap it with parchment paper around 170F, does that sound right?
I’ll have a probe in it, I’m shooting for a final temp of 190F, does that sound right?
I was planning on a mix of mostly hickory with some mesquite, maybe 4 to 1. I haven’t been a huge fan of mesquite when I used it before, can I just go with all hickory for brisket? Am I breaking a commandment doing that?
Beyond that I plan to rest afterward about 30 minutes to an hour based on approximately when I think it’ll finish tomorrow. Is that too long or too short?
At any rate, tips appreciated. These things aren’t cheap right now and I don’t want to screw one up, even if it’s a small flat.
I’ve never used mesquite with brisket. The cooks tend to be long for brisket, and I’d think mesquite would be too much. Hickory is probably not too strong, but oaks and fruit woods is the usual thing for brisket.
On resting, the usual advice is the more the merrier. I tend to rest in a cooler for 4+ hours and have gone as long as 10 hours (because of when guests were arriving). I think you should do at least an hour.
Did a 9 lb bone in pork shoulder a couple weekends back. It was delicious.
How did I do this you might ask?
Why… I did it using my Weber kettle grill.
If anyone is looking into getting into smoking, if you have a weber kettle grill, you have a smoker right there. You can either use the minion method or snake method to set up coals for low/slow. I added in applewood chunks as well. Fire burned for at least 8 hours, with probably 4 hours of coals left. Once you get the vents dialed in, it is pretty much set and forget, burned at around 250 for most of the day with little interference. I got one of them meat/grate thermometers with a remote, so I can see the meat and grill temps at all times.
Honestly, I don’t think I would ever buy a pellet smoker, as it moves you into the territory of too many moving parts, and I don’t see myself smoking meats for a huge crowd that would need more than a 9 lb pork shoulder. You can do an entire brisket on the kettle as well. I also don’t like being stuck buying pellets, and having something hooked up to electricity.
I bought a 4 lb chuck roast to smoke like a brisket this weekend. Going to use pecan chunks.
Right now I am using my basic 18 inch weber kettle, I think I am probably going to upgrade to a 22 inch master touch this summer. If I really get into smoking, I will probably buy a weber smoky mountain.
Pellets have two main advantages, ease of use and consistency. Smoking in your Weber is an all-day affair, you have to baby it, add wood, adjust vents, etc. Lots of variables and ways to mess up.
To many people that’s part of the pleasure of BBQ, they get a cooler of beers and sit next to the pit all day. To others, they got other shit to do today and just want juicy pulled pork at 6PM.
Forget the day, for me, it’s about reclaiming the night. I put my brisket or pork into the pellet smoker the night before, it goes all night and into the morning. Finishes in the early afternoon to give me a nice, long rest period before serving it for dinner. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving a charcoal smoker going overnight unattended, no matter well I had the vents dialed in.
Even though I have a wireless remote with my electric Masterbuilt, I bought a third party wireless probe and alarm. It’s probably the best thing I did, as I can also use when grilling, etc. That alone frees me up to go inside and pretty much ignore things until I have to interact with them.
Mine was pricey, but I’ve seen it has come down in price since then to $99. There are a number of vendors who make them, however. If any of you is going without one, jump on whatever one fits the bill and your desired price. If possible, get one with two probes. You put one one near the cooking grate for ambient smoker temp, and the probe goes to the middle or bone of what you’re smoking. You can typically set low and high alarms for both. This also prevents losing heat to temperature checks if that’s what you’re doing now. I should also mention they have models now that do both bluetooth and wireless, so you could even leave the house but still keep an eye on things if you’re smoker doesn’t already have wireless capability.
Anyone on this gaming forum who isn’t monitoring BBQ from afar is just missing out on gaming time.
Planning to do a whole smoked chicken this weekend. Has consistently been something I find to taste better than individually smoked pieces. Brine it overnight and then I tend to cook it at 225 in the smoker until it’s nearly up to temp and then throw it on the grill to really crisp up the outside. Has always worked really well.
So I’m not looking to smoke things like you fancy lads, just do some basic burgers/skewers/brats/veggies etc.
Ease of use is definitely my biggest requirement here. I’m lazy, you see.
Current plan is to buy a Weber propane grill off Craigslist, but there’s a TON of different models (and manufacturers, but my gut says Weber?) out there.
Anything in particular to look (out) for, o wise grill sages? Or just “Eh, whatever you can get a decent deal on is probably fine”?
