Smokin-It User Forum!
General Discussions => Introductions => Topic started by: t-motheviking on August 30, 2017, 12:08:38 PM
-
New to the forum though I have been lurking for quite some time while i secured funds for purchasing a smoker. This will be my first smoker. A bit about me I am an IT contractor who mostly works in a clinic in the small town of Morris, MN and am currently an online college student to further this career. I own my own little two bedroom house where it's me and my dog Si and occasionally my girlfriend. I take too many pictures of the mutt and have attached pics of him. I fish and also hunt pheasant, fowl, and deer religiously although if I could hunt only one thing it would be waterfowl as I am absolutely die hard in my chase of them no matter the weather.
Now about my cooking and how I got here. I love grilling and cooking in general. I own a cast iron charcoal grill that I use all the time when it's nice out. When it's winter I use my various cast iron skillets at least 5 times a week. I firmly believe in cooking with fire and iron and will admit that I was planning on my first smoker being a WSM. However between a full time job and online college I decided that a pellet grill or electric smoker would suit me better as I won't often have time to watch a charcoal cooker. For the longest time I thought electric smokers were poorly made and didn't last because I only knew about Masterbuilt and Bradley smokers and had read too many reviews about the heating elements going out. When I learned about Cookshack and discovered that electric smokers can in fact last and turn out quality food I decided to save the money for one. As I did more research I came across the smokin-it website and originally thought that since they were in a way "copies" of cookshack they were inferior. After more research I found this forum and started reading through it and decided I was definitely wrong about the quality of Smokin-It. Since I could get more space for less money I decided this MIGHT be money better spent then on a Cookshack. The folks on this forum seemed very helpful and positive and were honestly what helped me decide between Cookshack and Smokin-It. I will have the rest of the cash I need on Friday and will be most likely ordering a 3D. Still slightly on the fence between a 2D and 3D but everyone here seems to say if you can afford to that you should go bigger!
Sorry this was so long winded I'm a college student and frequently write more then I need to!
-
Welcome... 3D is the perfect fit for most, in my opinion. You will want that extra space, I promise you......even if just to put full racks of baby backs in, or be able to smoke enough Boston Butts at one time for 100+ eaters.
Good luck!
-
Welcome t-mo from SE Arizona. Get the 3D if the budget allows or the analog 3 if money is tight. Later on you can add a stand alone PID. You will like the extra room of the 3.
Nice looking pup. I have that same Lodge grill. Great unit. I've had mine about 20 years now.
-
Sounds like the 3D is the way to go. Because it's bigger then the 2D do I need to use more wood for the same amount of meat?
20 years? That's impressive! But also why I bought the grill. Every review i read said it would last forever if I cared for it like I do my skillets.
-
While I have the #2 and have had plenty of room for my use, the added room in a #3 my come in handy for some people. I don't have a cast iron grill but I love my cast iron skillets and griddles. All you have to do is take care of them and they will be with forever.
-
Sounds like the 3D is the way to go. Because it's bigger then the 2D do I need to use more wood for the same amount of meat?
20 years? That's impressive! But also why I bought the grill. Every review i read said it would last forever if I cared for it like I do my skillets.
No extra wood necessary. Depending upon your taste for smokiness as well as what you are smoking and the species of wood used 2 to 6 ounces is plenty. Start light and work your way up. An inexpensive digital scale is a big help as well as a camp hatchet for splitting.
-
Ok cool! So I've also read a lot of people use a foil boat for their chunks and wood chips. Do you need to foil chips even if you have a chip screen (smokin-it is sending one with the smoker)?
-
Foil is for leftovers or to cover the bottom of the smoker. I may be in the minority with that opinion but I get good results.
-
Ok cool! So I've also read a lot of people use a foil boat for their chunks and wood chips. Do you need to foil chips even if you have a chip screen (smokin-it is sending one with the smoker)?
I don't foil boat. There is no need to with quality wood, with proper moisture content.
You do not need to put chips in foil if you have the chip screen. You will only be using chips for cold smokes or short smokes (less than a couple hours), like fish for example. For the most part, you'll be using chunks. The foil boat method with chunks, which entails wrapping the bottom half of the chunk with foil, is only necessary to prevent combustion. Combustion indicates your wood is too dry. Soaking doesn't help that much if it's already too dry throughout. Big box and hardware store wood, like that from Western and Weber are too dry right from the start. You might consider purchasing wood specifically for smoking with the right moisture content, such as the double-filets from smokinlicious.com.
With nicknames like "The Bear, Big Mo, Big Fuzz, The Viking", I think a 3 or 3D is in order. 8)
-
You do not need to put chips in foil if you have the chip screen. You will only be using chips for cold smokes or short smokes (less than a couple hours), like fish for example. For the most part, you'll be using chunks. The foil boat method with chunks, which entails wrapping the bottom half of the chunk with foil, is only necessary to prevent combustion. Combustion indicates your wood is too dry. Soaking doesn't help that much if it's already too dry throughout. Big box and hardware store wood, like that from Western and Weber are too dry right from the start. You might consider purchasing wood specifically for smoking with the right moisture content, such as the double-filets from smokinlicious.com.
With nicknames like "The Bear, Big Mo, Big Fuzz, The Viking", I think a 3 or 3D is in order. 8)
Ok awesome good info. I'm excited to be able to do a lot of short smokes for myself on week nights with small cuts.
Haha yeah when you're taller, wider, and heavier then all your buddies you get such names. But we do have plenty of cookouts/parties year round so extra space will be appreciated!
-
Welcome from Texas! I have many cast iron utensils and use them regularly. Lots of good points about the 3d and the standard #3, which I own. I dont need the pid so I went analog. Your needs may be different. Just wait until you unbox your smoker and you'll see what a value these smokers are. Good luck and hope to see you around the forum often.
-
Model 3D is ordered and will hopefully be here next week! I believe it's coming with a chip screen, which will be great for short smokes and because I always have chips around for my charcoal grill. I think I also get a bamboo cutting board and shipping was free! Talk about a heck of a deal! I also ordered a bag of hickory wood and a bag of cherry wood from them as well. And yesterday I ordered a Cen-Tech digital pocket scale so I can weigh the wood because that seems to be important to do for consistent results. Very excited to get my 3D and get smoking!
-
Congratulations t-mo! Your going to love it!!
-
Howdy from South Texas.
-
IT'S HERE!!! I had high expectations from the rave reviews here and somehow when I first got it out it exceeded them. Shipping was fast and it was all packaged really nice. I got a free chip screen and bamboo cutting board. Always nice to receive free gifts when buying a product! The booklet for the instructions was bound into a folder so I don't ruin it instantly. Not a big deal but it's a nice extra touch that shows the company does put forth the effort on this. Maybe I'm weird for noticing that. It also came with the starter wood and my two bags of hickory and cherry that I ordered.
My first impression is that this thing is truly built like a tank. 125lbs doesn't sound like much but man is it stout. The doors latch really well and feel like they create a good seal. The casters are really nice and it rolls around on them extremely well. I am definitely glad i went with the 3D over the 2D. Seeing all the space in there and knowing how much I can do at once has me (and my buddies) pumped to put this thing through its paces. I'm very critical of products I spend a good deal of money on and up until it arrived I was worrying if this is really worth the extra money over a masterbuilt or cajun cooker (the electric smokers an uncle of mine swears by but who will soon be outdone!) and did I need to buy the bigger one. The moment I had it on it's casters and got to really examine it I can honestly say it's worth the extra money over cheaper electric smokers. I can't imagine the quality of this smoker being outdone by any other brand that makes a similar product. Every buyer's doubt and fear I had melted away the moment I saw this beauty set up! My only advice to other buyers is to buy the cart if you have the cash. These things do sit pretty low to the ground. The big reason I didn't buy the cart was that my buddy and I are going to make a rolling rig on a large garden cart that will hold the smoker and we will construct storage shelves and a tabletop to make an all in one kind of stand. Couldn't be happier with my early birthday present to me and I can't wait to fire it up!
-
I was worrying if this is really worth the extra money over a masterbuilt or cajun cooker (the electric smokers an uncle of mine swears by but who will soon be outdone!)
Are you sure your uncle "swears by" and doesn't just swear? ;D ;D I've seen plenty of posts online by frustrated Masterbuilt owners with elements burning out in less than a year, and not having user-replaceable parts. And the build quality of the SI (ALL stainless steel, etc.) is night and day. Your uncle will be jealous! Even when you compare features side-by-side to Smokin-Tex or Cookshack, the quality is much better, and at a lower price.
-
Ha believe me he definitely does both! He has the Cajun Injector model and makes some pretty good food on it and has never said anything about replacing the element even after years of owning it. I've seen A LOT of reviews where that was an issue though so decided it wasn't worth the risk. I totally agree on the quality of the SI! I have never personally seen the other two brands except in online reviews but I just don't see how they could be any better then the SI! I haven't even started using it and I'm in love!
SconnieQ I see you are from Wisconsin...are we allowed to talk to each other with the NFL season starting today?!
-
SconnieQ I see you are from Wisconsin...are we allowed to talk to each other with the NFL season starting today?!
I am required by law to dislike all Vikings fans. ;D ;D ;D
If there is anything I understand, it is passion for your team. And I respect that. The Bears and Pack, so much history there. My two favorite teams. But you are required at birth to hate the Bears due to loyalty. Not really true. ;D Lots of hard feelings with the Vikes though because of the Brett thing, but I don't share that. Brett loves to play, and however that ended up, is fine with me. There are other things with the Vikings in recent history that tarnishes their image, but you can find that with many teams. I feel sorry for Vikings fans, with so many seasons starting out so promising, then fizzling out half-way through. All football fans are good with me. Vikings, Seattle, Dallas, I will always support the Pack though...but with a good attitude! We sucked for so many years, and I don't think we've forgotten that. ;D ;D ;D
-
Haha trust me it's mutual. I will say though there was never a wilder weekend then when the gophers played the badgers in anything. Yeah our time will come again! What's really painful is when ESPN says EVERY week that if we had a better offensive line we would be a 10 win team easy. We've tried everything and we just can't get a good O Line anymore and it sucks! I will admit being faithful to them after so many disappointing years is hard to do but dang it blow the horn one more time and we will all still yell SKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! At least now I will get to cry on ribs as opposed to frozen pizza! ;D
-
Haha trust me it's mutual. I will say though there was never a wilder weekend then when the gophers played the badgers in anything. Yeah our time will come again! What's really painful is when ESPN says EVERY week that if we had a better offensive line we would be a 10 win team easy. We've tried everything and we just can't get a good O Line anymore and it sucks! I will admit being faithful to them after so many disappointing years is hard to do but dang it blow the horn one more time and we will all still yell SKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! At least now I will get to cry on ribs as opposed to frozen pizza! ;D
You look at any team with success, including the Pack, and you will find that their success came with the arrival of a good GM/coach combo. The good players came after that. Good managers know how to recognize talent (that others don't), and find them young. Maybe Minnesota needs some changes at the top?