.Newbie here from Queens NY..

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soon2bsleeved

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 2, 2012
9
10
Queens NY..
Hey everyone,

New here and really want to learn the art of smoking.. I have not bought a smoker just yet because I am unsure of what type of smoker is best for the NOVICE. Should I start with electric, gas or coal? I am not sure if looking online has helped me or confused me even more..lol

I am going to use the search feature as much as possible to answer my questions..

from what I see there is going to be a wealth of information here and I can't wait to dig down. I am also going to look into the 5 day Ecourse to see what I can learn.. cause I'm sure I have a lot to learn..

Thanks in advance for all the help I'm about to ask for..

Jim
 
Welcome!  This is the right place!  

As far as the right smoker?  They all have their benefits and drawbacks.  

Cost, how much do you want to spend?  You can get good results from $50, but the more expensive units of the same style usually are easier to work with.

I still love the flavor best from wood and coal, but love the simplicity and ease of my electric. Get the smoker that fits your free time/life style and taste best.   Do you like to tinker and tweek or do you want the simplicity of an oven?  

These are the main points I consider.  In all, it is all great food and time well spent.

The best advice is to just jump in and do it.  

Ron
 
Hello Jim and 
welcome1.gif
to SMF
 
Welcome to SMF it's nice to have ya. Great people and lots of info. Have fun and happy smoking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have fun and Happy smoking :)
 
Quote:
Welcome!  This is the right place!  

As far as the right smoker?  They all have their benefits and drawbacks.  

Cost, how much do you want to spend?  You can get good results from $50, but the more expensive units of the same style usually are easier to work with.

I still love the flavor best from wood and coal, but love the simplicity and ease of my electric. Get the smoker that fits your free time/life style and taste best.   Do you like to tinker and tweek or do you want the simplicity of an oven?  

These are the main points I consider.  In all, it is all great food and time well spent.

The best advice is to just jump in and do it.  

Ron
I have looked at 2 different somkers.. the Weber SM 18 or 22 (not sure yet).. (but bigger is better) and the Traeger JR (the bigger one's cost way to much).... they are both in my price range and the Weber.. well it's a Weber.. I have read some good things about the electric Traeger also. I want to get a unit that will last and work well.. no time for hiccups.. gotta smoke so everyone can eat..lol

If I went with electric smoker, should I expect a ridiculous electric bill at the end of the month?? lol

I watched some youtube videos of the WSM and they seem pretty straight forward to use..

Thanks again and look forward to learning..

Jim
 
Quote:
Welcome!  This is the right place!  

As far as the right smoker?  They all have their benefits and drawbacks.  

Cost, how much do you want to spend?  You can get good results from $50, but the more expensive units of the same style usually are easier to work with.

I still love the flavor best from wood and coal, but love the simplicity and ease of my electric. Get the smoker that fits your free time/life style and taste best.   Do you like to tinker and tweek or do you want the simplicity of an oven?  

These are the main points I consider.  In all, it is all great food and time well spent.

The best advice is to just jump in and do it.  

Ron
I have looked at 2 different somkers.. the Weber SM 18 or 22 (not sure yet).. (but bigger is better) and the Traeger JR (the bigger one's cost way to much).... they are both in my price range and the Weber.. well it's a Weber.. I have read some good things about the electric Traeger also. I want to get a unit that will last and work well.. no time for hiccups.. gotta smoke so everyone can eat..lol

If I went with electric smoker, should I expect a ridiculous electric bill at the end of the month?? lol

I watched some youtube videos of the WSM and they seem pretty straight forward to use..

Thanks again and look forward to learning..

Jim
 
I know the Weber Smokey Mountain is top notch.  It is loved by everyone.  You will never hear a bad thing about them.  The same great Weber quality and function.

I don't know traegers real well.  You can search for them on this site.  They burn pellets only, so they seem limiting to me but they have their fans.  I am acquainted with someone whose husband has one and she loves theirs. 

With the weber, you can use wood that a friend or neighbor has trimmed from their apple, pear, peach tree or any other interesting wood.  Free smoking wood is always good.

I, like many here, have the Masterbuilt 40" Electric smoker that has been very good.  One complaint is that it doesn't put out enough smoke, but there are things you can do to increase that.  Masterbuilt has a larger chip tray they send out at request.  They burn chips so you can burn any chip, even if you have to make them with a knife.  It can also use pellets.  I use an amazin pellet smoker with my electric to assist in adding smoke, so that limits to pellets or sawdust if I want a stronger smoke.  When researching, I read that the electricity for the masterbuilt was much cheaper than the coal for a coal and wood smoker.  It is actually quite cheap to run.  I think less than $2.00 per smoke.  I bought it at Sams club for $299.  I am not selling the Masterbuilt, but I know it so I am using it for an example.  The Bradley is a well loved electric, but again it uses wood biscuits for smoke.  That again seems limiting.  

They will all do great for you.  You just have to learn the unit with a little practice.  The benefit of all electrics is you don't have to tend them as often as coal.  

In the long run, you will always win.  It will just take practice and there are people that can help.  Find the units you are most interested in and post it on the smoking equipment forum and you will get answers.

Ron
 
I know the Weber Smokey Mountain is top notch.  It is loved by everyone.  You will never hear a bad thing about them.  The same great Weber quality and function.

I don't know traegers real well.  You can search for them on this site.  They burn pellets only, so they seem limiting to me but they have their fans.  I am acquainted with someone whose husband has one and she loves theirs. 

With the weber, you can use wood that a friend or neighbor has trimmed from their apple, pear, peach tree or any other interesting wood.  Free smoking wood is always good.

I, like many here, have the Masterbuilt 40" Electric smoker that has been very good.  One complaint is that it doesn't put out enough smoke, but there are things you can do to increase that.  Masterbuilt has a larger chip tray they send out at request.  They burn chips so you can burn any chip, even if you have to make them with a knife.  It can also use pellets.  I use an amazin pellet smoker with my electric to assist in adding smoke, so that limits to pellets or sawdust if I want a stronger smoke.  When researching, I read that the electricity for the masterbuilt was much cheaper than the coal for a coal and wood smoker.  It is actually quite cheap to run.  I think less than $2.00 per smoke.  I bought it at Sams club for $299.  I am not selling the Masterbuilt, but I know it so I am using it for an example.  The Bradley is a well loved electric, but again it uses wood biscuits for smoke.  That again seems limiting.  

They will all do great for you.  You just have to learn the unit with a little practice.  The benefit of all electrics is you don't have to tend them as often as coal.  

In the long run, you will always win.  It will just take practice and there are people that can help.  Find the units you are most interested in and post it on the smoking equipment forum and you will get answers.

Ron
Ron,

Thanks for all your input, it has been very helpful..

I just did some reading on the Forum in regards to the Masterbuilt 40" and I liked what I read. I also like the window feature and that I can use chips which are easy to come by and not so expensive..  I was thinking about the limitations of having only a pellet smoker and those draw backs. One thing I did not take into consideration, was the cost of coal, so thanks for pointing that out.. I hope to purchase my smoker this weekend so I can get to eating some good food..lol

It seems like it will be either the MES or the WSM 18/22. I will do some internet searches for pricing and go from there.

Thanks Again.

Jim
 
Glad i could help.

You don't have to limit to what I recommend.  There is a ton of great equipment out there.  You could start a thread on the smoker pages for recommendations.  Propane is also very good, i just have no experience.
 
welcome1.gif
 to SMF. You have come to the right place for smoking info. This site is loaded with great info just use the search bar at top of page to find what you are looking for. If you can't locate the answer just ask folks here are willing to share there knowledge.I think you will like  the 5 day e-course on smoking its chuck full of great info.
 
welcome1.gif
 to SMF. You have come to the right place for smoking info. This site is loaded with great info just use the search bar at top of page to find what you are looking for. If you can't locate the answer just ask folks here are willing to share there knowledge.I think you will like  the 5 day e-course on smoking its chuck full of great info.
Thanks Sprky.. I have been doing a bunch of reading so for.. I have also finished the E-course and purchased Jeff's;s recipe which sounds very tasty.. Now all I need is a smoker..lol I hope to decide soon as there are so many recommended units but I am really liking the WSM.. I want that charcoal/wood flavor. I am having some trouble finding a unit in a local store so I might be forced to purchase it online. but we'll see.

Thanks again.. loving the site so far.
 
 
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