Smoker

[Jimss]

I just returned from Alaska and would really enjoy smoking some of the salmon fillets. Does anyone have a favorite smoker? Any tips on what to look for in a smoker?
Thanks!

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Adjustable thermostat!

Electric and well insulated is good, but being able to maintain a constant, low temperature is crucial for fish

 

[Jsunkler]

I am very pleased with my Masterbuilt Cabinet smoker, it resembles a college mini fridge. It is an electric smoker that is super easy to set the temp and time, it also has an internal thermometer which is nice on bigger pieces of meat. I have processed over 100 lbs of snack sticks and jerky, ducks, ribs, wings, and large pieces of BBQ so far and am very pleased with the results. Picked mine up pretty cheap from Cabela's

 

[muddydogs]

I have a Masterbuilt 40" electric smoker and a propane smoker. Both work great but the MES 40 is a lot more set and forget then the propane smoker. I've done the mailbox mod on both my smokers and smoke with wood pellets in a pellet tube or AMPS tray so I can remove most of the heat from the cabinet if I want to cold smoke items like cheese and butter plus the mailbox mod gives a nicer smoke then the chip loader in the MES 40 or the burn pan in the propane smoker when running under 200 degrees.
The MES 40 control panel works well enough for most smoking but I took it one step further and wired in a PID controller to manage the temp swings better. I've even reworked my propane smoker with a needle valve in the gas line to make temp adjustment and control easier.

 

[NJDiverDan]

+3 on the Masterbuilts. I have had one for 7 years and it still works great. One addition I added which I do not think they offer was the external smoke generator. It has a chip hopper and allows you to cold smoke if you want. It inserts into where the chip draw is and has it's own separate power. Picked it up a few years ago on close out for like $25. Allows me to load up enough pellets to smoke for several hours (overnight) without having to attend to it.

-dan

 

[Murdy]

I smoke a lot of stuff on my gas grill with a smoker box (like this Amazon.com: Grillaholics Smoker Box, Top Meat Smokers Box in Barbecue Grilling Accessories, Add Smokey BBQ Flavor on Gas Grill or Charcoal Grills with This Stainless Steel Wood Chip Smoker Box: Garden & Outdoor ). You don't get as heavy a smoke as you would in a dedicated smoker, but you can taste it. I recently bought, but have not used, a tube smoker ( Amazon.com : A-MAZE-N 12'' Pellet Tube Smoker Oval Design : Pellet Smoker : Garden & Outdoor ) to use on the grill in addition to the box to augment the smoke and hopefully increase the smoke flavor.
Basically, this is a more economical way to go if you want, particularly if you have a decent grill that will hold a relatively consistent temperature.
I've been looking at trying this recipe (but haven't yet): How to Smoke Salmon: A Step-By-Step Tutorial

Good Luck

 

[CorbLand]

Pellet smokers if you want a set and forget. Green Mountain Grill, Traeger and Camp Chef all make a solid smoker in varying levels of quality and costs.

Masterbuilt builds great electric box smokers that are easy to use and dont break the bank.

 

[muddydogs]

Pellet smokers well really pellet grills since there grills that burn wood for cooking are not really the best smokers. You can only go so low on temp before you don't have enough heat to burn the pellets and if you turn the heat up to high your smoke output is low because the pellets are burning hot and not producing much smoke. I can get a better smoke in my gas barbecue using a pellet tray or tube as the pellet tube puts out a constant smoke no matter the temp. Lots of guys that I know who purchased pellet grills end up also running a pellet burner of some kind to increase the smoke flavor. For doing fish one will have a hard time keeping the temp low and smoke rolling. Pellet grills make a great barbecue but if you truly want to smoke stuff and think you might really get into it there's a lot better choices out there that are way more affordable then the over priced pellet grills.

 

[Bubblehide]

louisiana Grills has about the best pellet/burner design I have seen, and I've used a few different brands. They also come with a PID controller (a very nice upgrade to most brands). If you in the southern Ca area, I have a supplier for Trager and Louisiana Grills, generally lightly use demo models at a significant savings.

 

[Bubblehide]

Pellet smokers well really pellet grills since there grills that burn wood for cooking are not really the best smokers. You can only go so low on temp before you don't have enough heat to burn the pellets and if you turn the heat up to high your smoke output is low because the pellets are burning hot and not producing much smoke. I can get a better smoke in my gas barbecue using a pellet tray or tube as the pellet tube puts out a constant smoke no matter the temp. Lots of guys that I know who purchased pellet grills end up also running a pellet burner of some kind to increase the smoke flavor. For doing fish one will have a hard time keeping the temp low and smoke rolling. Pellet grills make a great barbecue but if you truly want to smoke stuff and think you might really get into it there's a lot better choices out there that are way more affordable then the over priced pellet grills.

That depends on which model one has. The model I have has 4 different smoking chambers, with the final chamber designed to be a cold smoke chamber.

 

[jmez]

Masterbuilt 40. I have 2 of them. Great little smoker for the price. If you get one you need to also get the external smoke generator or do the mailbox mod. For an extra $60 the generator they sell is well worth it. Unless you are smoking above 180 degrees they basically generate no smoke. The add on smoke generator gives you constant smoke without raising the internal temp.

You also need a 12x12 piece of ceramic tile. Set this on top of the heating element box in the back right corner. If you don't the back right will be much hotter than the rest and it won't cook even. You have to rotate racks and food or live with very uneven cooking if you don't do this.

 

[camping1601]

Masterbuilt 40. I have 2 of them. Great little smoker for the price. If you get one you need to also get the external smoke generator or do the mailbox mod. For an extra $60 the generator they sell is well worth it. Unless you are smoking above 180 degrees they basically generate no smoke. The add on smoke generator gives you constant smoke without raising the internal temp.

You also need a 12x12 piece of ceramic tile. Set this on top of the heating element box in the back right corner. If you don't the back right will be much hotter than the rest and it won't cook even. You have to rotate racks and food or live with very uneven cooking if you don't do this.

This but you really do need the A-MAZE-N pellet maze and the mailbox mod. The ease of use and bang for your buck can't be beat.

 

[Read1t48]

I have a Bradley and have been pleased.
Can you do a cold smoke on a Masterbuilt?

 

[FlyGuy]

I picked up a Rec-Tec Bull over the summer and I am super impressed with it. A bit pricey, but it is freaking solid. HUGE pellet storage, incredibly accurate computer to control temps, Wi-Fi, completely stainless steel construction, and solid support and customer service. I don't think there is a better made pellet grill/smoker than this.

They have a Kuiu sales model, so you won't find them stocked anywhere locally, direct to consumer only.

https://www.rectecgrills.com/bull-rt-700-wood-pellet-grill/

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[camping1601]

I have a Bradley and have been pleased.
Can you do a cold smoke on a Masterbuilt?

Yes with the Maze and mailbox mod.

 

[Chad5658]

Master built 40 electric and love it. Had a propane but had trouble keeping proper temp on windy days. I was in Alaska last year and brought back some halibut and it is awesome in smoker. Lots of pod cast with great recipes

 

[S2R1820jc]

I’ve got a Bradley and the little bit that I’ve used it so far I really like it

 

[Cubby]

I picked up a Rec-Tec Bull over the summer and I am super impressed with it. A bit pricey, but it is freaking solid. HUGE pellet storage, incredibly accurate computer to control temps, Wi-Fi, completely stainless steel construction, and solid support and customer service. I don't think there is a better made pellet grill/smoker than this.

They have a Kuiu sales model, so you won't find them stocked anywhere locally, direct to consumer only.

https://www.rectecgrills.com/bull-rt-700-wood-pellet-grill/

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

I also have a RecTec and love it. The big thing about not having retail stores selling them is the customer service is top notch. I had emailed them once to tell them that they should consider making there cover just a little bit bigger because in MT with the cold weather in winter I had to be really carful removing my cover because the fit was so tight. Sent the email and with in less then an hour a customer service rep called me and said he had noted the concern and would send me a new cover just in case this one failed. Now that my friends is taking care of the customer.

 

[tarheeler247]

Bradley and mbuilt are bith good ones

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[Antarctica]

I have a masterbuilt 30 with a cold smoker kit. Would definitely recommend the cold smoke kit not matter what you are doing (i.e., even if you don't intend to cold smoke, which I never do) - it just makes thending the smoke aspect much easier. I do fish (salmon/steelhead), sausage, turkeys and pork shoulder.

I also use the hardwood smoking pellets from costco, whcih you're not supposed to do in the cold smoker. Sometimes they clump up, but you just stick a knife down in there and break them up.