Deciding on my first smoker....

[wookie]

I've decided to go get a proper smoker for myself (been using my gas grill), and hopefully take advantage of some end of the season sales going on. I'm going to go with a gas smoker. It suits me best for now. Reading around the forum, I tend to think the wide body GOSM would be the best bet for my newb-self, and they're going for only $120 at wal-mart right now. I've got two concerns though...

First, is the GOSM able to hold temps low enough to smoke fish? Mostly concerned about salmon, but my father-in-law likes smoked whitefish a lot too. I'm not interested in cold-smoking the fish (yet!), just normal hot smoking. I've read about a mod to get low-temps by installing a hotplate, but I'm wondering about the GOSM when running off of gas. Is it able to pull it off, or should I be looking at a different model?

Second, is there a natural gas conversion kit for the GOSM? My patio has a NG line, and I'd love to take advantage of it. I've seen the afterburner kit listed at www.gassmoker.com, but after shipping that'll run $80. That's quite a pricey add-on for a $120 smoker. I've read suggestions about drilling out the orifice, but I'm not trusting myself with DIY projects on my home's gas line. I've seen gas grill conversion kits at lowes and home depot, but they always carry warnings about making sure your grill is dual-fuel compatible. Any idea of those are safe to use on a GOSM? I've heard mention of a GOSM that's designed to run off NG, but I can't seem to find one. One poster stated it was model #3605BGD. According to the manual, that model is for LP use only.

If anyone has any other suggestions for NG smokers to check out, I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[richtee]

Well, if yer brave... NG's orifice is larger than LP's. The proper application of a drill bit... and perhaps an adjustment of reg pressure... maybe consult johnd49455 and/or coley on this.

 

[billyq]

Hey Wookie. I'm sure you'll be pleased with your purchase of you decide to go the GOSM route. I have one and I am very pleased with it. As for the lower temps, I cant say so myself, as I'm usually smoking some kind of beast. I would think the NG conversion thing can get pretty complicated, and dangerous for that matter, but I really don't know anything about it. That smoker is a steal for $120.

 

[walking dude]

well......don't know bout a gasser.......BUT i do know gas dryers...........in a gas dryer to convert from NG to Propane, OR back.........is just a change of the orifice itself........not sure if a smoker has changable orifices......but i wouldn't see why not...........and orifices are fairly inexpensive.......least for my gas dryer any hoot

hth

d8de

 

[wookie]

Any GOSM owners out there care to comment on wether or not the GOSM has a changeable orifice?

 

[meowey]

Great deal! I don't know if there is a conversion kit. Check out http://www.cfmcustomercare.com/conte...t-information/ to see if CFM has any kits. That's the company that makes (made?) my GOSM.

Hope this helps!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[walking dude]

wookie

try starting a new thread entitled Question for GOSM owners.....

then ask your question.........this will let other GOSM owners know you are asking specifically bout your smoker...........

hth


d8de

 

[deejaydebi]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...?threadid=9350

 

[wookie]

So still poking around and reading all I can about the GOSM I found something interesting: there's more models than just regular and wide. (D'oh!). In case anyone else is checking around on GOSM prices and wondering why the big discrepancy, there's 4 out there that I saw that are commonly sold. Thought I'd summarize them here for anyone else that may be in the market for a GOSM.

At Wal-Mart:
3405BGW - $128 (inside dimensions = 20x14x34, 1 vent)
3405GW - $98 (inside dimensions = 16x14x34 1 vent)

At a lot of other places
3605BGD - about $200 (outside dimensions = 24x16x36, has 3 vents)
3605GD - about $150 (outside dimensions = 16x16x36, has 3 vents)
3005G - about $120 (outside dimensions = 16x14x30, has 1 vent)

I know there's more available, but those are the ones I saw most often.

The extra cook space is always nice, but I really like the fact that the "D" models have the lower vents. With all the temperature regulation issues that some GOSM owners are reporting, that could be a real necessity.

 

[walking dude]

good post........i have been tossing around the idea of one of these...... this one REALLY sounds like a big block
3605BGD - about $200 (outside dimensions = 24x16x36, has 3 vents


thankx for the info


d8de

 

[wookie]

Well I finally took the plunge...

Bought a Camp Chef Smoke Vault. The SMV24S model. 24 inches wide and stainless. Couple of reasons pushed me that way. Seemed to have some solid support here on the forum. It was available locally, and I'd seen a few threads and read reviews on other sites about smokers getting really banged up in shipping. And also, i saw a bit less modding and fiddling with hardware in my future with this model over some of the other propane smokers. Not nearly as many threads about people trying to get their Smoke Vault to get down to 225* as compared to other models. I spend a lot of time putzing around with hardware in my homebrew hobby and my music hobby (I play a few different instruments). I figured with this one, I wanted to spend my time concentrating on the cooking and not the tools. There's only so many hours in the day!

Hopefully I'll be able to season it tonight or tomorrow and do up some pork ribs on Sunday. Couldn't ever get the gas grill low enough to do pork, so it'll be a nice way to do the maiden smoke. I've seen a lot mentioned about the 3-2-1 method for ribs, so thats probably what I'll go with.

 

[fatback joe]

Congrats Wookie. Enjoy the new smoker.

 

[gypsyseagod]

very cool score. i'm debating on 1 myself- let us know how well it works for you . i also play a few different insturments-mandolin being the latest. we have quite a few musicians here too.

 

[billyq]

Great choice. I have that model also, although not in stainless. You're gonna love it. Use chunks instead of chips on the wood tray, you'll get longer smoke time.

 

[wookie]

Banjo is my latest instrument...along with guitar, bass, and a few different key instruments.

I picked up a bag of hickory chunks and a small bag of briquettes when I was at Gander Mtn. I heard that tossing one briquette in the wood tray with your chunks can help the smoke ring. I'll probably add a few chips to the tray also just to use up the small supply that I have left.

Forgot to mention, for those that may be eying one. It was available at Gander Mtn for $299, but if you sign up for their credit card you get 10% of your initial purchase. So that makes it about $270 for the stainless 24" model. Oh, and they threw a couple of free hats into the deal also.