Considering buying

[Nanuk]

Hi guys and gals , I was considering buying a # 4 Bigg Daddy . I'm a converter from gas , well not yet anyway . Can anyone give me some pros and cons I was also looking at the competition the Amerique... Are these units made in the USA ? Do you get a descent bark on pork butts or brisket ?? Thanks for all your help

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[gregbooras]

First of all welcome from Saint Augustine Florida.

Others will join in on the conversation but here are my thoughts.

I currently own the #2 and could not be happier with my purchase. I also looked at a lot of other smokers before decided to buy the model #2.

The customer service if the best.

The units are built overseas, to keep the cost down, but the quality is amazing.

If you take time to read through some of the forum you will find that the members here are great. You will find really good recipes and step by step info on about everything you need to turn out the best smokes.

As far as the bark, see some of the smokes I have done below!






Greg

[Grampy]

Welcome, from SW Arkansas! +1 to what Greg has said.

[SuperDave]

Nanuk, welcome from a #4 owner.  I, also was a propane smoker prior to getting my #4.  I still love using both.  Some great pros for the #4 are the overall size and the fact that it comes with an Auber controller.  The Auber controller not only keeps dead on temperature control but allows me to program it and go watch a little league game and never worry about what's happening in the smoker.  These smokers use next to nothing when it comes to wood consumption and produces great meat.  On the con side, I find that my propane smoker does a much better & faster job on all my smoked side dishes and appetizers.  SI's, or electrics in general, don't like the door opened frequently if at all.  It's great having both smokers so that my meat can be smoking with little to no attention required and I can work on other dishes in the propane smoker.  I think it gives the best of both worlds.  Oh, and I can smoke a lot of things in a cold smoke in the #4 that we could never do in our propane units.  Learned to smoke cheese last year and it was fantastic! 

[drains]

Unless you need the sheer size of the #4 then the #3 is a better value. Just my .02.

[gregbooras]

Other pros are:

Low cost to use vs LP (electric cost is minimal, smoked brisket cost around $1.00 in #2)
Low use of wood 2-6 oz. for most smokes.

Con (if this is important to you)
With an electric smoker you will not get a smoke ring
Your skin on your chicken and poultry will not get crispy.

Greg

[Nanuk]

Thanks guys , I'm really confused .... I just finished watching Cookshack videos on Utube and I like the idea of set it and forget . I like the controller on that unit but not familiar with the smokin'it model . There's no full explanation of how it works . Does it compare with cookshack Internal meat probe , external box temp ??
Thanks again

[smokeasaurus]

I have had a Cookshack and I have Smokin-It #3. Both are excellent smokers. Both are built like brick $hit houses. The food off both are excellent. You will not in a million years tell which meat came out of which smoker. Cookshack has been around longer and their units are made in Oklahoma. Smokin-Its are made overseas. Smokin-it has constantly strived to improve their product while Cookshack has stood still. Smokin-It has the longest warranty in the industry. Smokin-it has a longer cord so you are less likely to need an extension cord. The larger models like the #2 and #3 have double latches for an even better fitting door. Awesome customer service. Low priced replacement parts (you won't need em anytime soon).

Who needs the built in meat probe?? Just set your thermo on top and run the lead through the smoke vent......it will save you hundreds of dollars......

Don't make the same mistake I made when I paid hundreds more for the Cookshack....come join us and get a Smokin-It...you will be very glad you did 

Also,  the #3 has -4- 15" x 22" cooking grates...you can feed an army with this bad boy for around 500.00 bucks...this is a no brainer my friend.......a no brainer.....

[SuperDave]

The Auber controller has both a box temp probe and a meat probe.  The Auber controller also has 6 programmable settings.  You don't even have to be home when the meat is done.  It can be programmed to go into a 140 degree warming mode when the meat temp hits your desired temperature. 

[DivotMaker]

Nanuk, welcome!  Smokeasaurus gave you the best answer you could hope for.  While the Cookshacks are great units, you'll pay triple, and they don't have anything comparable in size to the #3 (best value with Smokin-It).

Here's another reason to go with Smokin-It over any other brand:  The forum you just joined!  Take a look at any of the other manufacturer's forums and, though they've been around longer than the 2 1/2 years we have, they absolutely pale in comparison, as far as volume of active participants and posts!  The "support network" you will find with SI is second to none!  You will be hard-pressed to find negative posts here.  Have any owners had problems with their units?  Of course...they are machines built by man, so nothing is perfect.  BUT, the problems are always resolved, either by us figuring out what the issue is, or by Steve (the owner of SI).

Also, don't be fooled by CS's digital controller.  You will hear/read about analog controllers (like what comes stock on the SI) having temperature swings.  It is true, you will see swings of 10-20°, but the temperature "averages" to what it is set at.  One way we get tighter control than that is to add a P.I.D. controller, like those made by Auber.  This is a scientific controller that will literally hold box temps within 1-2°, very consistently.  While you don't need that kind of tight temp to make great Q, some of us BBQ nerds really like it (like me).  The point I'm making about the digital controller on the CS is it is not a P.I.D. controller.  It is essentially a analog controller with a digital display.  It also has temperature swings!  I wouldn't have guessed this, but one of our members who owns a CS actually tested/tracked the box temp and discovered this.  Plus, it that CS controller goes out, replacement is several hundred dollars.

And that's my 2¢, as a proud owner/active user of a model 1, 2 and 3, with Auber controllers!

[smokeasaurus]

Kinda hard to add anything.....but keep in mind...rock solid temps are darn near impossible to acheive....when I run my off-set. I can have swings from 225-275 and my grub is darn tasty.

Go to the Smokin-It store..getcha one. Join the forum (you already did so your job is even easier)     and get a good nights sleep knowing you are getting a great smoker and all of your new friends here 

[elkins20]

Hey Nanuk, first welcome from Kansas City, I am another proud owner of the #1 & #3. Will also say the posts before me are point on perfect. I will add this you can always smoke less in a large smoker. But, is hard to smoke more in a smaller smoker. So if you really need the #4 then by all means go for it. The added bonus is it comes with the Auber controller. These units turn out some great bbq and are very simple to use. Prep the meat, add the wood to the smoke box, put in a bread pan with water next to the fire box. Set the program and forget it. You have seen some samples of what Greg has turned out, and just go to either the pork or beef sections and you will see all kinds of pictures of very good looking smoked meats. Just wish they had smell vision fixed on this forum so could smell the finished product.

[Libohunden]

I've had a #3 for a year now and love it. It does just about everything that I want it to do.  If I had it to do over again, I would get the #4. I think it's a better value with the Auber and you won't need a cart (which I have never bought yet). It would allow me to cook for bigger events when needed. That being said, I have cooked 40 lbs of pork butt at a time in my #3 to feed 90 people. Rarely would I need more than that. 

[SuperDave]

One other small benefit of the extra volume of the #4 is that I can add a variety of other pans in the box without adversely effecting the cook.  I've read numerous posts from owners of the smaller units where things like an internal drip pan is enough to throw the heat off on their smoke, not so in the caverness #4. 

[elkins20]

I've had a #3 for a year now and love it. It does just about everything that I want it to do.  If I had it to do over again, I would get the #4. I think it's a better value with the Auber and you won't need a cart (which I have never bought yet). It would allow me to cook for bigger events when needed. That being said, I have cooked 40 lbs of pork butt at a time in my #3 to feed 90 people. Rarely would I need more than that.

Hey Libo, you must have better knees than mine. I hurt mine in high school running track. Now with Rheumatoid arthritis is very hard to bend down or even kneel on my knees. And found out that I also have it in my spin and right hip. Kind of is the pits in getting older. I am really glad I have both my smokers off the ground. Especially the #3 as seem to be using it more. I looked at the measurements of the #4 and could see it needing a cart also.