# Royal Oak Electric Smoker



## mr mac (Oct 31, 2009)

Yesterday I called around to the four main Wal-Mart stores looking for the two door Brinkmann charcoal smoker everyone has seen on clearance. I hit pay dirt when I called the Grants Pass store as they had one left. 

I arrived at 6:30 am (my job gives me all kinds of freedom to do these kinds of things) and meandered around the garden center until I found their stash of grills and smokers. Looking around I didn't see anything from Brinkmann that wasn't bullet shaped or the lightweight side box. I then proceeded to find an associate who could help and George said that the department manager should be in if I cared to wait until 7 when she would be in. No problem.

7 am came and went without a sound or a department manager. I found another associate, Linda, a 15 year employee, if she had seen Sheila, the department manager. Her response, "I don't know," and she turns away from me and goes back into her little world. Okay...found George again who actually went and looked for Sheila. He couldn't find her so he went to the manager of the day (MoD) who said sharply, "No, none of them are on clearance." My take on that was, "Leave me alone!"

I left that store and went on to work and called the GP store manager and explained how things went (sour associates, managers unwilling to help in any way when one of the people who pays him is waiting, and George (the only courteous one who was also the only one to apologize). "Thanks, I'll take care of it." Sure, buddy. How about I take care of it and just not shop there anymore?

Later I called the Medford store and spoke to very nice and helpful gent named Bill. Bill told me they had a small Brinkmann for $20, a side box Brinkmann for $35, an electric smoker for $70 and a Char Broil vertical gasser for $100 but no dual door Brinkmann. The electric for $70 caught my attention and I asked if he could confirm the manufacturer and he came back and said it was a Royal Oak.

I have read a few things about the RO smoker and the positives were 75% and 25% for negatives and those were mostly concerning the distance between the smoker box and the coil. Other than those few complaints the folks didn't have any real big issues. I like the fact that it does have a thermostat to control the heat unlike the Brinkmann I had considered for $90 at Lowe's. With that, I headed down to that store and walked out with my new electric RO smoker.

Getting it home I first went through the manual which was pretty straight forward and proceeded to assemble it. I unwrapped everything and laid it out and all I had to do was attach the handles (two sides and one door), the four legs, the thermometer and the mini vent tube in the rear. Everything else was already assembled and ready to go. Before the thermometer went in to the door face I fired up the oven in the house to 200 and put it in the oven. It was only 10 degrees off but that may have been during the cycle of the oven to maintain. I will, of course use my small oven thermometer in the smoker to verify its accuracy.

So far, if I have to complain about anything it will be the small magnets used to hold the door shut and the fact that I have to open the door to add water and wood. I think I can solve those issues by adapting a couple of ideas found on the MES. Specifically the latch used (I’ll use two, one high and one low) and the tube they use to add wood to the burner box. I may also later add some oven door insulation to further seal the door on this unit. We’ll see. For now, I’m off to the grocery store to get some spray on oil to season and for the grates later when I stick some ribs in there for the boys here at the church. Later we’ll do a butt for potluck here tomorrow. So, for those of you who live near the Gold Hill area; stop by Lampman Rd Baptist Church tomorrow for some good preaching and some good food!

Mac

My apologies for using the camera in my phone.


Interior prior to seasoning.


Large thermometer for us blind old farts.


Foiled the tray at the bottom to ease cleanup later.


Later I may have to hang the chip box to get it close to the coil.


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## igolf2 (Oct 31, 2009)

Mac,

Looks like a nice smoker and the price was definitely right! Looks alot like my Kenmore GOSM but your interior and door look insulated.

Only potential problem I can see is the lower rack shares both the water pan and the chip/chunk box. IMHO I would sacrafice the third rack and put a full size side-to-side water pan there and a larger chip/chunk box over the heating element - In it's current configuration I see lots of grease falling into the chip box and posing a flare-up problem.


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## pineywoods (Oct 31, 2009)

Congrats on the new smoker nice buy!!!


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## bigwheel (Oct 31, 2009)

Well hope yall don't mind me jumping in here but I become the proud owner of one of them crazy thangs yesterday. Finally got to the Mr Mac stage of squirting it down and heating it up for an hour or two. I been doing quite a bit of research on it and figgered out fairly rapid the chips is too far from the heat source. Knew to give them chips an hours lead time to get going before adding the water pan etc. Followed that advice and did get some smoke but nowhere approaching a copious amount. I figger on sitting the chip tray direct on the element and a Sams Half pan fulla water on the rack where the existing water pan? And chip tray now resides. Just like the other fella say to do. I am worried cuz that element seems a little wobbly to go sitting stuff on it and it not be supported. I am wondering if a person stuck a firebrick or two under the element to prop it up would it be make the element mo prone to puke since it would be touching the bricks? Thanks. 

bigwheel


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## mr mac (Oct 31, 2009)

You know, BW, you can still lay the bricks in there and cut up a wire hanger to use as spacers between the coil and bricks.  That should provide enough clearance to keep the coils isolated preventing heat loss to the bricks.  

I have also decided the same coat hanger could be used to fashion a sling of sorts for the chip box thus lowering the box to within ½ to ¾ of an inch from the coil.  I’ll let you know.  For now, I did pick up a small SS dog bowl for under $2 that I’ll use for now.  It seems that finding wire hangers around isn’t as easy as it sounds!


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## mr mac (Oct 31, 2009)

So, it's been an hour or so into the seasoning process.  It is 55 degrees and damp out here this afternoon and the smoker kept the meter on at a constant 345 degrees (sheltered on two sides)and I burned through a lot of the nasty new smoker smells.  I then cranked her down to where she read 300 (as close as I could anyways and let it settle for another 15 minutes and then took these. 

For those whose thermometers are inaccurate, I say, I'm sorry for your luck!


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## bigwheel (Nov 2, 2009)

Well thanks for them coathanger tips. I got a few of those laying around I think. I would only need to hire a 12 year old kid to bend em up right:) Ya know I think you have gave me a brilliant idear here. Since my Brinkmann Electric element seems to thrive well whilst setting on lava rocks..perhaps I should prob be ok to put a spacer of leftover lava rocks twixt the element and the brick. Whutcha think? I knew that gauge was accurate. I could feel it in my heart. 

bigwheel


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## beer-b-q (Nov 3, 2009)

Congratulations, Looks like a nice smoker...  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Waiting patiently for first Qviews...


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## mr mac (Nov 3, 2009)

No need to wait!


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## raceyb (Nov 3, 2009)

Good looking smoker. I like the fact that it's insulated and stainless steel inside. $70 was a bargain.


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## beer-b-q (Nov 3, 2009)

Don't know how I missed that...


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## mr mac (Nov 3, 2009)

I'd be willing this has something to do with it...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





*Date of Birth*: November 13, 1948


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## bigwheel (Nov 4, 2009)

I had previously been browsing around in a pals General Store place and happened to notice he was peddling Smoke n Tex varity electric smokers..which I think is a cheap knock off of a Cook Shack Oven. Well the small one which was the size of Mac's new cooker was 600 bucks. Same basic principles involved. Think it most likely had insulation in the walls and was all SS seems like. Other than that they seem purty similar. Don't think I could afford the Cookshack since they wanting six for a clone. 

bigwheel


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## beer-b-q (Nov 4, 2009)

Eh ???  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





That one went over my head also, or has it to do with this Nov. 13th being Fri, 13th?


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## mr mac (Nov 4, 2009)

Just a crack about your advanced years!


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## raceyb (Nov 6, 2009)

My Walmart has one of the these smokers left, out of the box demo and they won't mark it down. The employee took my name and number, but manager never called back. They have a hand written sign on it for $124 and it hasn't sold in 2 weeks.

Sure wish that the outdoor manager was a friend of mine. I offered $60 and have not heard back or gotten a counter offer. Went by today and it is still there, along with numerous smokers all sitting outside in weather getting rained on... Is this guy an idiot? Nice of him to build them all, but no boxes and in weather and he won't clearance them.


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## mr mac (Nov 6, 2009)

One of these days these Wal-Mart people will wake up to the fact that low prices alone is not going to keep customers coming through the doors.  Remember that those who walk through the doors are the ones paying your wages!


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## raceyb (Nov 6, 2009)

LOL, when i asked the employee if he might discount them once they were all rusted she just shrugged her shoulders.....  Hahaha, I'll go back tomorrow and try again.


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## bigwheel (Nov 9, 2009)

Well having grilled the grill lady at Wally World once upon a time the problemo in them marking stuff down is that there isn't really any off season on smoking apparatuses. As soon as fall weather hits the yup wives start buying em up for Christmas presents. I think the only reason they are marking down the RO Electrics is because they dont cook worth a flip and they have been discontinued. The local Wally World by me had one left for 50 bucks as of last Friday. Only bargain in the place as far as I could tell..but then if it dont cook worth a caca..not sure how good of a bargain it is:)

bigwheel


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## beowoulf (Apr 26, 2013)

I got one of these for xmas 2 years ago from WalMart.  All built.  No manual.  Double-wall construction. $130.  I thought that was SUCH a deal!  Come to find out, it was their usual price.

Been searching the net to see if anyone else had one of these or if I was the ONLY person on earth who had one.  Should have used the "Search" function here, I can see.....

I have had some wonderful successes with it ... if you can call guests raving about the food and eating enough for an army "successes."

Seems to me the electric coil is on the weak side.  I can't get it much past 250 - not that i'd want to, as a rule.

I don't have any friends, let alone some who will spend a Saturday afternoon drinking beer with me, tending the smoker!  I need to get back to the USA.  Canada sucks (NO GUNS!!!!???) .... and QUEBEC .. well ... I might as well live on Mars!  Anyway, I circumvented the friendless, beerless Saturday afternoons. Canadian Tire was liquidating their supply of Smoke Bullets and pellet tubes.  I bit.   Seems to work great.  Gotta follow the lighting instructions closely, tho.  I get a 12+ hour smoke out of a tube with the unit on half power, and there seems to be plenty of smoke.  Smoke billows out of the vent tube and around the cracks of the door.  (A-HEM!  I will have to seal that better!) The neighbor says he loves the smell.  No friends, no beer ... but no tending!

You guys all talk so proudly of your 5-6-7-8+ hundred dollar units.  Makes me feel a bit ashamed of mine .. and I fully expect to poked fun at.

Does ANYone else on here still use the Royal Oak electric smoker?


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## beowoulf (Apr 30, 2013)

Odd ... my post never showed up anywhere....


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