Greetings, Mike from pigsmoke pounding the keyboard at this end;
I just moved and had to leave behind my beloved barbecue pit... for obvious reasons.
To hold me over till the next pit is designed and built, I rummaged around and finally settled on the Model-1.
When I look at it I can't help but see it as a cartoonishly small Southern Pride smoker we're all familiar with
in the restaurant industry. I keep thinking 12 rodeo clowns will come piling out of it when I open the door.
I have a culinary degree and I worked as a pastry cook but I'm retired now. I'm starting a small business making stuff out of locally grown farm products. I've been around barbecue for some time. I've owned at
least one of every type and style of barbecue cooking device known to man, from the cheapest little
Brinkman to a custom built Klose, and finally down the path to real barbecue using a brick pit and wood coals.
I've used my little #1 a few times now and I'll offer up these tidbits to anyone considering one of these;
> they appear to be very well built. Its not clear what his intentions were for management of the cord but
that part seems a little under-thought. It's an electric smoker for chrissakes, the cord is not an option, yet the
cheap little hanger for it is. I'm considering chopping mine off and leaving just a little 4" bobtail with a male
3-prong plug so I can just use my long heavy duty extension and not have a cord to deal with when the smoker is in storage.
> don't season the bottom of the smoker, or the lid of the wood box. This might not seem intuitively obvious, as during the "seasoning" step your not accumulating any animal fats. However, the "seasoning" causes the
surfaces to get a little tacky. When you do go to line the bottom of the smoker with foil for your first cook you'll
quickly find out that the foil adheres to the "seasoned" surfaces. I made this little flub and had to get on my hands and knees to scrap out the foil remnants with a putty knife.
> they don't recommend cleaning your smoker but I do. Animal fats will go rancid. You definitely want to clean
any accumulated grease and fats out of your smoker after each use. A small bowl of hot soapy water and a soft scrub pad will do the trick. Rinse it out good, then wipe it dry. Be sure to clean the little drip lip on the front too.
Keep the drip pan in place during this step to catch the soap and rinse water.
> spend your money on the extra rack. I don't know why it's an option like the cord hanger, but this thing is TINY, your gonna need the extra space the third rack provides, just get it.
> make sure the drip hole is completely open. When you line the smoker with foil, use an ice pick, awl, or some such device to ensure no foil is blocking this hole. It is the only way that the smoker gets air, and you want it to breath.
> use a digital probe to determine how hot it runs. The cheapo thermal couple that regulates the temperature results in the smoker running a bit hotter than the dial would indicate. Get to know how far off yours is and proceed accordingly.
> less is more when it comes to loading the wood box... nuff said.
