propane vs. electric

j.t.delaney

j.t.delaney

Hey there,

I'm looking at buying a smoker, but really, I'm almost a total n00b when it comes to this. There are some smokers for sale locally for a really good price, and I see a couple that look really nice, with the main difference being one is a propane heated system, and the other is electric. All other things aside, what are the pro's and con's of these heating systems? To date, I've only used charcoal for barbecue, but I'm thinking of getting into charcuterie, and a little more control could be handy. Any advise?
 
I have been looking at the Mastertbuilt smokers with the digital temp monitor and remote. I unfortunately did not get to Basspro in time to get one for 1/2 price. The reviews look pretty good.
 
We recently purchased a Masterbuilt electric smoker from Cabela's for $150 (plus shipping! ouch!)

We're very happy with the ability to control the heat to a wide range. Some of the other smokers got bad reviews for their ability to get to a high heat. I like the analog electric element controller. It seems to work well for small adjustments to the temp. When we first fired it up, the weather was warm and we got it up to 400F for the burn out and then we were able to control the temp from 210F up to 225F with the element thermostat.

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recent turkey-
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The chip pan and the other pan for liquids-

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The only gripe I have is...it has trouble getting to a high temp while working in the 22F ambient temp of our winter right now. I was trying to get up to 325F to cook the turkey yesterday, but it never got up that high. So after ~1.25 hours of smoking at ~250 cabinet temp, I brought it into the oven and finished it off. It turned out GREAT.

We've used it for turkey, brisket-type roast, habanero chiles, shoulder roast. No ribs yet....pork roast tomorrow- We're total smoker n00bs also, so this unit seems to be pretty noobie-friendly. I don't know if I'd have the patience to master briquets.

good luck and have fun! Post Pics!
SL
 
Burning Colon said:
i have a mecca electric and it has done everything i have asked, including cold smoking.
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clarification please... BC, do you mean smoking in the cold weather or smoking at a low cabinet temp? Thanks. SL
 
salsalady said:
The only gripe I have is...it has trouble getting to a high temp while working in the 22F ambient temp of our winter right now. I was trying to get up to 325F to cook the turkey yesterday, but it never got up that high. So after ~1.25 hours of smoking at ~250 cabinet temp, I brought it into the oven and finished it off. It turned out GREAT.
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In winter, smokers should be insulated.

This may fit: http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=indietalk-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B001Y9HSKG
Or just get: http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thehotpepper-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B002JFMT94

Cheers
 
thanks, Boss,

I was figuring something along that line was out there somewhere. We knew it would be a push to get the cooker up to temp, so we had the back-up plan with the oven and it worked. There's a pork roast slated for cooking tomorrow, I'll see what we have around here to rig up some insulation.
 
salsalady said:
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quick hint from a total noob- cover your pans and the bottom of the cooker with foil. Grease/sauce/etc drips everywhere.......

I think this was the first smoke we did and the smoker got trashed. I'm looking to use our smoker for chiles as well as meats, so I'm thinking I want to keep the grease residuals to a minimum. We cleaned the bottom of the smoker after this smoke and use foil to catch most meat drippings now.
 
Are you familiar with a UDS, an Ugly Drum Smoker?

Here is a link on how they look
https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&ix=c2&q=ugly+drum+smoker&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1111&bih=641&sei=PWPQToWLG8bY2gWpno2WDw


Here is a link on how to build one
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43943&highlight=redneck+uds

These are homemade smokers that once you learn how to cook on it you can pit your meat, and not bother with it till it is done... up to 12 hours if need be.
 
UDS is a very good idea for a 1st smoker. One bag of coals, minion method, smoke all day, even temps.
 
clarification please... BC, do you mean smoking in the cold weather or smoking at a low cabinet temp? Thanks. SL
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doh, make me log back in again, ya, i am one of the many that only logs in, when i have something to post!

low temp salsalady, i have to watch the the mecca like a hawk, but on its lowest setting with the vents open and my cheap thermometre, i keep the temps below 95F. once the woods starts smoking, the key is to keep the the unit below 95F or at least at a constant. i can put up blocks to keep the heat from rising but only allowing the smoke to filter through.

for salmon, i have a ritual of packing the flesh with salt and brown sugar and letting it hang in the fridge, this process lasts about 2 full days and nights, then i set the smoker up on low heat and get the wood smoking. with the vents open and monitoring the of the heat, it usually takes about 24 hours to infuse the flavour.

so, i am going back to my sleep state and logging off!
 
Thanks BC! interestng technique for trhe salmon. Thanks for sharing. SL
 
Wow, what a response! I was actually looking at the same model of Masterbuilt as you showed off, salsadaddy. That settles it: I know what I'm getting for Christmas! :)
 
Smiter Q said:
Are you familiar with a UDS, an Ugly Drum Smoker?

Here is a link on how they look
https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&ix=c2&q=ugly+drum+smoker&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1111&bih=641&sei=PWPQToWLG8bY2gWpno2WDw


Here is a link on how to build one
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43943&highlight=redneck+uds

These are homemade smokers that once you learn how to cook on it you can pit your meat, and not bother with it till it is done... up to 12 hours if need be.
Click to expand...

What's the valve for on the bottom? Are they hooking propane up to it?
 
Propane is not usually used as a refrigerant and if it were, I would imaging it would operate at a much higher pressure than 11" WC (1/3 PSI), probably more like tank head pressure of about 200-250 PSI. I would say that because it has to be held under pressure to maintain it's liquid state, otherwise it vaporizes at about -42F. Since propane is FLAMMABLE, I would say that it would be a bad idea to use. Now, if you are instead asking about propane heat, ANYTHING is cheaper than electric as a heating fuel and propane or natural gas are probably the most efficient and cheapest alternatives, as well as being a clean burning fuel as opposed to wood, oil, or coal.
 
I like my electric unit for colder smoking. I use it mostly for sausages, jerky, salmon, and sometimes peppers. I use a propane or charcoal/wood smoker for hot smoking/bbq.

Electric smokers will not give you the desirable smoke ring in your meats, you need a real flame for that to happen
 
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