Anyone use smokers??

[The Kid]

hey guys i dont know if this belongs here but i figured it would get more hits,, I have both an eletric and nonelectric smoker and was wondering which one i should use and how I actually "smoke" the meat do I cook the meat first or do i just let the smoker cook the meat any info would be greatly appreciated

[buckee]

Let the smoker do the cookin and don't try to rush it.

[The Kid]

Let the smoker do the cookin and don't try to rush it.

how long does it usually take

[buckee]

it really depends on what you're cooking. I had 30 salmon in my smoker once, and just kept rotating the racks for 2-1/2 days. That way they all got smoked evenly. You should search online for some good recipes for whatever it is you want to smoke.

[GWSmith]

Check out the RealTree Chuckwagon Room at the bottom of the main forums page...Snipe, wtnhunt, and others have mesquite, hickory, and apple woods running through their viens...LOL

Here's an example...

http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91253

[wtnhunt]

In my opinion charcoal smokers give better flavor, however it is hard to beat an electric when it comes to getting the temp just right and keeping it there. Have had pretty good results with our masterbuilt electric.

[redkneck]

I'm with William. Takes a little more practice with charcoal, but it's simple. Make sure you get it burning really good for a while before adding your meat so you dont get the taste of starter in there. When you are smoking all day with charcoal you'll have to get some more coal on there in intervals before the temp starts dropping. I just cut some green hickory trees about 1" or so in diameter and 5-6inches long and put one in there from time to time. If you use dry wood, soak it for several hours in water. Smoking is fun, if you want to do something super simple, plug in the electric and throw on some leg quarters. Put a piece of wood in a pie pan over the element. You'll be doing great in no time.

[Heavy Metal]

I'm going to assume that the two smokers you have (electric and non) are both vertical(small Brinkmann style-direct heat under the meat)? If that is the case I would try charcoal first. The small vertical smokers cook really fast, ESPECIALLY the electric ones. I have a charcoal Brinkmann. I ended up buying an element kit from Cabelas and it fit's and works fine. The only problem is that sucker is at 220° all the time and only a foot directly under the meat. So it just cooks the crap out of it in a hurry. I would stick with charcoal on the small verts so you can really manage the heat and keep it low and slow. Which really is hard to do on the little verts.

Oh yeah one more thing, only use "lump hardwood charcoal" for heat. Don't use regular grill charcoal briquettes (like Kingsford) because when you go to ad more as your cooking it will put that bad taste/smell of fresh briquettes right into the meat. Lump or hardwood chunk style charcoal does not do that. The two popular brands at Walmart or Home Depot are "Royal Oak" and "Cowboy Brand." Royal Oak being the best.

I use a Charbroil Silver Smoker.

[Heavy Metal]

Spend some time at Snipes smoked meat forum. It will save you a ton of meat/money and trial and error!

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/