# American Made



## pargolfr (Feb 28, 2015)

Does anyone know of any company that offers electric smokers that are actually made in the U.S.? I know Masterbuilt and Smokin It are American companies but they out source their production to China.  I'm not a business expert, but I realize that China produced products are a fact of life for many companies because it boosts their profit margin. I'm not rich by any means but I usually tend to buy American made products when I have the choice, even if it costs me a few extra bucks: I drive American cars (even though my wife's Lincoln was assembled in Canada...dammit), I have WeatherTech floor mats in all of them, I wear a Shinola watch etc etc. You get the idea. Anyway, I've been thinking about upgrading my smoker and if I can find something that's American made for under $1000 I'd like to take a look at it. I have no doubt that if it exists somebody on SMF will know about it. Thanks guys and have a great weekend. I have 2 slabs of St Louis ribs going in later this morning if anyone is hungry :)


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## dls1 (Feb 28, 2015)

Cookshack!


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## a g k (Feb 28, 2015)

From: Fred
Subj: FW: MADE IN AMERICA - IF YOU CARE

- Made in the USA

READ ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM! LOTS OF GOOD INFO HERE!

Costco sells Goodyear wiper blades for almost half the pricethat you will pay
on the outside and they are made in the U.S.A.
Read and do the following.

.

Unfortunately our politicians and top CEO's (GE etc) have
pushed for trade to China and
Mexico for years so Americans are now out of work. Did
You Know that there is no
electric coffee maker made in the US and that
The only kitchen appliances made in the US is
Viking?

I DIDN'T KNOW HALLMARK
CARDS WERE MADE IN CHINA! That is also why I
don't buy cards at Hallmark anymore, They are
Made in China and are more expensive!
I buy them at Dollar Tree - 50 cents each and made in USA

I have
Been looking at the blenders available on the Internet.
Kitchen Aid is MADE IN
The US. Top of my list already...

Yesterday I was in Wal-Mart looking for a
wastebasket. I found some made
in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked
the lady if they had any others.
She took me to another department
And they had some at $2.50 made in USA. They are
Just as good. Same As a kitchen
rug I needed. I had to look, but I found some made in
the USA - what a concept! - and they were $3.00 cheaper.

We are being
brainwashed to believe that everything that comes from
China and Mexico is cheaper. Not so.

I was in
Lowe's the other day and just out of curiosity, I looked
At the hose attachments. They were all
made in China. The next day I was
In Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I
checked the hose attachments there.
They were made in USA ..

Start looking, people.....In our current
economic situation, very Little thing
We buy or do affects someone else - most often, their job.

My grandson likes Hershey's candy.
I noticed, though, that it is
Now Marked "made in Mexico."

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico

...

now I have switched to Crest.

You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. . . I needed

60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets

I was in the light bulb aisle,

And right next to the GE brand I

Normally buy -- was an off-brand labeled,

"Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and

compared them: they were the same
except for the price . . .
the GE bulbs cost more than the Everyday Value
Brand, but the thing that surprised me the most was
the GE was Made in MEXICO
And the Everyday Value brand was made in - you guessed it.
the USA at a company in Cleveland, Ohio.

It's way past time to start finding and buying products you use
Every Day that are made right here.

So, on to the next Aisle: Bounce Dryer Sheets...Yep, you guessed
it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada.
The Everyday Value Brand cost Less, and was MADE IN THE USA !
I did laundry yesterday AND the dryer sheets
performed just like the Bounce Free I have been
using for years, at almost half the price.

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS to start reading the labels
when you shop for everyday things and
see what you can find that is made in the USA.
The job you save may be your own or your neighbor's!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to
OTHERS in your Address Book so we can
ALL start buying American, one light bulb at a time!

Stop buying from overseas companies - you're sending the jobs there.
(We should have awakened a decade ago....)
Let's get with the program and help our fellow Americans
keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA.

I passed this on.....will you???
If you care about American workers, you will pass it on.


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## gary s (Feb 28, 2015)

There are a lot of custom smoker builders scattered all over the country, You could get with your local fab shop or a welder and design and build your own, Doesn't get much more made in America than that

Gary


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## inkjunkie (Feb 28, 2015)

"Made in America".....with Overseas components.


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## daveomak (Feb 28, 2015)

Morning.....   The Sausage Maker has a series of Made in U.S.A. smoke houses....    I have bought from them....  Real folks answer the phone...   I have had no problem with customer service..  actually quite the opposite....    Click on the link below.....    The smokers are "high end" from what I can tell...  one of those should last  through probate at least once....  LOL .....

http://www.sausagemaker.com/smokehouses_meatsmokers.aspx


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## dls1 (Feb 28, 2015)

inkjunkie said:


> "Made in America".....with Overseas components.


You've got that right. The reality is that it's very difficult to find many products that are truly 100% "Made in America". The more appropriate term should be "Assembled in America".


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## pargolfr (Feb 28, 2015)

True it is difficult to find anything that's totally American but I still better for trying.... even if it is a pipe dream


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## old sarge (Feb 28, 2015)

The Cookshack, as already mentioned, is made in the USA.  Very heavy duty, and worth the price.  PK Seasonings also makes several smokers here in the US. Most are for commercial use but they do have 2 less ambitious but fully capable models.  I have included the link for the stainless steel model.  Ken Hanni is the owner and will answer all inquiries. The PK smoker is sold as a pro model at either Bass or Cabella's, cannot remember which, nor can I tell you whether it is the stainless or painted model. 

The other link is for Todd's Made in USA Forever.  If an item is made in America, Todd has it listed.  Initially there is some sticker shock, but when one looks at some of the warranties, realizes that the item is produced here rather than somewhere else, it is not too bad.  If for some reason the links are stripped, PM me and I will respond with the links. 

Hope this helps.

Dave

http://www.pro-smoker.com/pk-100ss

http://madeinusaforever.com/info.html


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## frijole smoke (Feb 28, 2015)

gary s said:


> There are a lot of custom smoker builders scattered all over the country, You could get with your local fab shop or a welder and design and build your own, Doesn't get much more made in America than that
> 
> Gary


I couldn't agree with this more.  Custom American ingenuity...that is the one thing that they will never be able to make in China.

As far as buying 100% "American"  I wouldn't stress about it quite as much.  Every country has a goal to have balanced import and export.  And to take that one step further, you want to export goods which you make more efficiently than the other country, and import goods that they can produce more efficiently.

I'm not saying that we have balanced trade with China because there is a lot more to it like currency manipulation and other factors...but as long as we're exporting things like jet airplanes, cars, construction equipment, and those heavy durable goods that take a lot of American innovation to make...I'm good.  It takes a whole lot of MES smokers and blenders made in China to balance the export of one 787...and from that sense, we are winning.

Although I will say that because the Chinese aren't innovative at all, there are a lot of Chinese companies making knock-off products and essentially stealing intellectual property.  I'm sure as heck not okay with that.   But that is not the same as an American company having the Chinese make their product.

Here's my dream if I ever win the lotto... http://www.pitmaker.com/product/vin/?vin=23362368    :)


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## gary s (Feb 28, 2015)

Frijole Smoke said:


> I couldn't agree with this more.  Custom American ingenuity...that is the one thing that they will never be able to make in China.
> 
> As far as buying 100% "American"  I wouldn't stress about it quite as much.  Every country has a goal to have balanced import and export.  And to take that one step further, you want to export goods which you make more efficiently than the other country, and import goods that they can produce more efficiently.
> 
> ...


Hey Frijole   here is one we built a couple of years ago  Reverse Flow, Insulated Vertical













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## old sarge (Feb 28, 2015)

Electric welders have gotten relatively inexpensive and many of the big box stores as well as Northern and Harbor Freight amongst others have them (your choice of stick or wire feed). Auction sites are selling Milwaukee 11 amp 4 1/2 inch angle grinders below $90. Metal at a scrap yard is inexpensive as are heating elements and controllers at auction sites. Going wood lowers the cost further. One is limited only by their imagination and careful shopping. And it will be truly Made in America. You might even be able to make a few for friends and neighbors to recover the cost of equipment.


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## frijole smoke (Feb 28, 2015)

Hey Gary...that's a very nice build.  I have about a 1000 questions, do you have a build thread?  I'm most curious about how you insulated it.  I think Pitmaker uses ceramic wool sheets and welds all those seams inside and out...which makes for a nice look, but man they have a lot of labor in those things just to make the pretty.  I've been wondering about building a double wall and filling the gap with masons sand and have drain plugs on the bottom to empty the sand for when you need to move it.  I think I like yours better than the Pitmaker.  Love the steel wheels.

I really think that is a great way for the OP to go.  A 1000 bucks would get him pretty far with a local fabricator.  Even if he did like Sarge says and get an affordable welder and grinder and maybe do some of the final welding or grinding and cleanup.  Or have the fabricator do the cuts and fit up, and finish it from there.


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## pargolfr (Mar 1, 2015)

Frijole Smoke said:


> I couldn't agree with this more.  Custom American ingenuity...that is the one thing that they will never be able to make in China.
> 
> As far as buying 100% "American"  I wouldn't stress about it quite as much.  Every country has a goal to have balanced import and export.  And to take that one step further, you want to export goods which you make more efficiently than the other country, and import goods that they can produce more efficiently.
> 
> ...


Hadn't heard of pitmaker but that is definitely a bad ass machine.  If I was a single man I'd probably throw down on one of these,  but no way the "Homestead Commander" is going for that price tag  :)


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## gary s (Mar 1, 2015)

Frijole Smoke said:


> Hey Gary...that's a very nice build.  I have about a 1000 questions, do you have a build thread?  I'm most curious about how you insulated it.  I think Pitmaker uses ceramic wool sheets and welds all those seams inside and out...which makes for a nice look, but man they have a lot of labor in those things just to make the pretty.  I've been wondering about building a double wall and filling the gap with masons sand and have drain plugs on the bottom to empty the sand for when you need to move it.  I think I like yours better than the Pitmaker.  Love the steel wheels.
> 
> I really think that is a great way for the OP to go.  A 1000 bucks would get him pretty far with a local fabricator.  Even if he did like Sarge says and get an affordable welder and grinder and maybe do some of the final welding or grinding and cleanup.  Or have the fabricator do the cuts and fit up, and finish it from there.


I didn't post a step by step  I've got a few more pics, the insulation was  
[h1]Roxul Acoustical Fire Batts, Mineral Wool, 2-inch (6PK)[/h1]


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