Smokin It 3. Christmas for me.

[litterbug]

I've been smoking on propane for awhile now and finally decided I would go electric. Propane was nice at first, (did the mods) but after getting into snack sticks and summer sausage, I realized that I would prefer to go electric. Long time debating on which way to go with all the choices.
Decided to go with Smokin It model 3. Couldn't afford the 3D. Being I am only a little over 2 hours from the warehouse I saved on the shipping and thus got the larger size, (as opposed to the #2).
Drove out and picked up the smoker on 12/12 and seasoned it last night. Smells like a little piece of heaven.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Congrats! Now let's see some Q!

 

[old sarge]

The SI3 without the digital has been a stellar performer for years. You will not be disappointed. And later on, if you want to add digital, you can pick up the Auber or the retro-fit kit that Steve will be offering. But I think you will be very happy with what you have for years to come. Enjoy!

 

[divotmaker]

Congratulations, and welcome to Club Lazy Q!

 

[thelocnar]

Good choice! I have had my #2 for a few months and it's served me very well. I wouldn't worry about the new digital models. If there's a power outage while you're away, it'll just reset itself and you're SOL. With the analog, it'll pick up where it left off.

Envious of your #3 but I only cook for myself and maybe a handful of other people rarely so the #2 is perfect for my needs. Enjoy!

 

[litterbug]

Thanks for the kind words. It's always nice to here other peoples inputs. I'm curious about the James jerky drier or more importantly the do it yourself replica that people are making on the SI site. I have two computer fans to replicate it out of. My question would be, should I use the larger one that seems to move more air or the smaller one that moves air but not as harsh.

 

[litterbug]

IMG_20151220_232954558.jpg

• litterbug
• Dec 20, 2015

Here is a picture of my two fan choices

 

[old sarge]

Judging by photos of the jerky dryers on the SmokinTex and Smokin-it sites I'm thinking they use a fan similar to the larger of the two that you have.  Pretty hard to tell, looks can be deceiving.  Like yours, they are 12 volt.  The larger fan may be a tad more robust and better able to handle the hot exhaust and smoke coming from the smoker. Plus, should it not work out well such as moving too much air much too fast, it is easier to shrink down a large housing than stretching a small housing to a larger size. I believe you need a filter between the exhaust port and the fan. Again, just looking at photos.  If nothing else, I am sure that some owners of the SI have made their own.  You might look through all the posts; use the search bar.  And good luck.

 

[thelocnar]

I would also check the smokin-it forums themselves. There's a link on their homepage. Good luck!

 

[litterbug]

IMG_20151221_193518801.jpg

• litterbug
• Dec 21, 2015

IMG_20151221_193546234.jpg

• litterbug
• Dec 21, 2015

And the results are:
Perfect amount of smoke as told by my wife and FIL. The ribs were in for 6 hours 30 min. I almost forgot about them. Oops. I didn't get much pull back from the bone as you can see but the flavor was very good. I was going to put them back for another 30 minutes but was told they were fine. The bend test was 90 degrees. Next time I will definitely do atleast 2 racks minimum and let them go just a little longer.

Thanks for looking.

 

[litterbug]

old sarge and thelocnar
Thanks for the input. I do find myself at the SI site quite often but find that there are many more users here with more responses so I have not joined there site. Now that I have an SI smoker I may have to rethink myself and also join the SI site.

 

[old sarge]

The ribs look like dinner to me!  There is a large SI section here at SMF ( http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/97559/smokin-it-smoker) and a user group here as well (http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/groups/show/31/smokin-it-owners).   One can never belong to too many forums. And I use the same name on all.