Natural gas Smoker????

[midwestcop]

Hey, I am thinkin about gettin a gas smoker.. mainly cuz I want a smoker that I can do just a couple racks of ribs on without firing up my Mamoth wood smoker..... My question is, I have a propane grill that i converted to run on Natural Gas.... can I do the same with a propane smoker... or is it better to use propane over the NG Just curious if anyone else has done this.

 

[franco61365]

Just my 2 cents, but I have found the LP burns hotter then natural gas, so depending on how large your cooking compartment is, and how it holds heat, need to be considered.

Maybe someone else has a different view, but that is mine, and I am working on converting my Horz side box smoker to gas, looking to gut an old stove to do it!

 

[midwestcop]

Thanks franco.... i was just looking at another post on here talking about the GOSM which is what I am looking at purchasing...... seems that they runa bit hotter than desired on the LP... so maybe an NG conversion would be a good modification

 

[az_redneck]

I have a GOSM gasser (propane) and controlling the heat is an art in and of itself. Can be difficult at times. It's hard to do a "cooler" smoke for stuff like bacon, slim jims and stuff like that that have to be at 140'-150' for an hour or two. I generally have to keep the door and vent propped open..

 

[midwestcop]

OK so maybe I wont get a GOSM then, it seems it is a bit finicky..... what are some good easy to use, reliable models/brands?? I dont really wanna spend more than about 300 bucks

 

[deejaydebi]

Midwest -

I migt cost a bit more than a GOSM but I have complete comtrol of my Camp Chef Smoke Vault down to as low as 90°F and as high as 375°F without any problems. Now the coldest it's been since I got it end of April was only about 20°F about and I do have a wind screen around it. Haven't tried any really low smoke since it got hot out but I thought I'd just throw a few coals in there with wood chunks instead of using the gas.

NO mods required or needed and there is an optional 5th rack you can buy if you want it. The thermometer is right on to - all you have to do is clean it with a greeny pad after you smoke to keep it accurate.

Also I have gotten an average of 38 to 40 hours on one 20 lb. tank of propane (not included) which seems to be double what I see on some others.
Best price I've seen with free shipping is amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_2/...smokers&page=2

I'm not sure but Jeff's an afiliate if you click through the forum he might get a stipen. I asked once but never got an answer - worth a try though.

Good Luck!

 

[watery eyes]

If you are going to smoke traditional BBQ fare....the GOSM is fine.

If you are going to smoke bacon, haomemade sausage, jerky, fish....get something else.

 

[texan]

I converted my big ole, stainless steel gas grill to natural gas when I had natural gas plumbed to my patio. I built the house I'm in so I was able to do that in the construction phase vs. having to come back in and do it later. More to the point, the propane dealer I was getting my LP from drilled the orifice out in the gas grill, making it able to run off natural gas. Variances in temperature are not a question on this gas grill because it is more like an oven on the patio - a Holland Grill. Anyway, before on LP, it would get to 400 degrees and that was it. With natural, it gets to 400 degrees in the same amount of time. I would think that if you were to take the orifice out of any gas smoker and take to a LP dealer, he/she should be able to drill it out and make it such that you could run natural through it. I found that most LP grill manufacturers either don't offer a natural gas orifice, or to purchase one would be costly. But most gas grills don't last for year after year, like mine has. I just got tired of fooling with the LP tanks and converted.

 

[squeezy]

Hey Mom, how did you get your CCSV down to 90º? Did you turn the tank valve down or?

 

[deejaydebi]

Squeezy -
Turn the knob all the way down and turn the valve to just enough gas without shutting it off. Pretty hard when it's over 70 though! I just through a smoking chunk of wood in the other day with no gas and it was over 90!

 

[squeezy]

Thanks Mom ... pretty much what I thought!
Did that a bit earlier while seasoning it.

 

[chrish]

heres a good way of going lower temps with a GOSM smoker, i went to wal-mart and got a $10 electric hot plate, I havent gone this far yet but make a hole either in the back or bottem for the cord (if you have a bottem vent thats better) and use a tin smoke box and youll be able to produce smoke at alot lower temp, and those setups work best with sawdust rather then anything else.

 

[deejaydebi]

The outside temperatures have been to hot to do cold smokes even with a shade over the smoker the ""cold box" temperatures are over 90 degrees! Those black boxes really absorb the suns heat.

Anyone ever air condition there smokers?