Vault smokers

[Hunt eat repeat]

I am looking for a vault smoker or vertical smoker that is of decent quality. It seems most are pretty cheap. I have a Traeger but it’s not ideal for summer sausage and snack sticks. I need lower heat and more space. The reviews are all over the place. Should I be looking at a more commercial unit maybe?

“Amazing”!
“It caught my garage on fire”
“Zero customer service”

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Check out Bradley smokers. Where else but on Amazon. From $400 and up. I have had one for about ten years. I up graded mine with higher wattage heating element. For my needs it works great. I have made lots of elk summer sausage among other things.Lots of bacon.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

Bradley is a decent option other than having to buy their little compressed discs of sawdust

Had one for many years. Not bad for what your talking about but I had some issues with temps and things getting too hot towards the bottom near the heating element. The digital version is the way to go there for ease of use.
They are limited on capacity for larger batches or big things like brisket or pork buttt and struggle to maintain temp in colder ambient temps when loaded with much unless you do as stated above and upgrade heat element. The feed mechanism needs taken apart and cleaned/lubed every once in awhile if you use it alot and/or store outdoors.

I've got a new camp chef XXL
pro I'm digging so far. Its built resonably well for being a non-comnercial unit but still light enough to move around easy and has casters to do so. You have to mind you sausage tube length just a bit. The high mountain tubes are just a hair long. Understuff them by a couple inches and they fit perfect.
i loaded it up full at ambientbtemps in the 20s first time and it had zero issue maintaining temp.
The built in meat probes are decent, off by a few degrees...like 3-5. But being ablevl to just glance out the window and see meat temp on screen is handy if you dont have wireless probes already.
The blower system and dampers in this thing keep heat very evenly distributed.
its not too hard on the pellets and easy enough to clean out and empty pellet hopper after a smoke.
Biggest gripes I've read are people butching about the 'App' you can use with it...I dont use apps when cooking...set temp, monitor meat temp...not rocket science.
Other gripe wad assembly and poor instructions...
My 10 year old put the whole thing together with almost zero input from me short of making sure things were tight enough...if you can't figure it out you didn't play with enough Legos as a kid.
Not a ton of use on it yet but i like it over my bradley so far.
Its a bit on the pricier side but not as much as many other pellet grills. Will do temps from about 150-350.

I've got some friends with cheaper propane/electric upright units that turn out some good stuff, just requires a bit more attention and hands on time.
Lots of options out there from mild to wild, just have to poke around and see what seems to fit your style best.

 

[wowzers]

I’ve built several like this over the years. I use a turkey fryer burner for the heat source.

 

[Hunt eat repeat]

I was actually looking at the Bradley this morning. There is one on Market place for $150 off , so $400 and has been used once. Scheels makes a commercial one that looks pretty sweet but at a cost. $1800. I’ve also thought about building one. Haven’t looked at the camp chef. I’ll check it out.

 

[huntinfool84]

If you are up to building one look up the thread by @92xj on building one. I Built one like it just half the size and it’s awesome!

 

[mahnster]

I have a Bradley and would not recommend. I end up finishing in the oven or pellet grill because it torches anything in the bottom half when trying to increase temp over about 125 degrees.

Don't have the XXL but I'm happy with my Camp Chef pellet grill.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

My dad and his brothers built a walk-in smoker in the early 40's so I was told, I wasn't born yet. The walls were about 12" thick oak log walls. They would smoke anything they would catch of kill, from small fish to moose. I had lots of different smoked meats when I was growing up, my least favorite was smoked lake trout and carp. I wish I could find the pictures I have of me standing inside (1958) it hanging some kind of meat.I just sold the house about two years ago. the guy who'd bought it tore the smoker down, fool. Southern Wisconsin.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I have a Bradley and would not recommend. I end up finishing in the oven or pellet grill because it torches anything in the bottom half when trying to increase temp over about 125 degrees.

Don't have the XXL but I'm happy with my Camp Chef pellet grill.

Weird, I have never had that issue with mine. The only problem I have is getting temp up when I need higher temps. on cooler days, in the 40's. That is why I updated the heater element.

 

[mahnster]

Weird, I have never had that issue with mine. The only problem I have is getting temp up when I need higher temps. on cooler days, in the 40's. That is why I updated the heater element.

I really wanted to like it since it was able to start at a lower temp than my previous methods.

I thought it was due to cooler ambient temps as well since it was around 10 degrees. I ran into the same thing when I moved it into heated garage that was over 60 degrees.

I did some research and it seemed like there were a bunch of people adding controllers, elements and/or fans to help. If I'm doing that I'm going to make one from scratch with larger capacity.