Author Topic: Hello from Fayetteville AR  (Read 1223 times)

Chromdome35

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Hello from Fayetteville AR
« on: August 10, 2019, 01:03:43 AM »
I've been trying to smoke meat for years, I like to say I suck less at it today than I used to.  I have a couple of upright cabinet propane smokers and a custom built offset firebox stick burner.  Both my propane smokers (GOSM big block and a Smoke Hollow) are not that much fun to cook on.  I have a devil of a time getting the temps to level out where I want them.  My stick burner requires pretty constant monitoring to keep temps.  I find as I get older that the process of cooking is not as enjoyable to me as it used to be.  I really just want to eat some good BBQ.

SO, I've been thinking of selling my three smokers and buying a Smokin It electric smoker.  I'm having a hard time picking between the Analog #3, the #3DW, and the #3.5DW.  I will probably go with the #3 size, but struggle with which version to get, the Analog or the #3DW.  I see in the stats that the Analog only cooks up to 250F, when I cook chicken, I usually go for closer to 275.  Do any of you find the max 250F on the Analog 3 limiting?

LarryD

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Re: Hello from Fayetteville AR
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2019, 01:13:55 AM »
Hey Chrome... welcome!

I used the #2 (analog) for a little over 2 years and have had the 3DW (digital) for ~4 months now.  The #2 is pretty much identical to the #3 except for the #3 being 7" deeper.

I've never done chicken, but I've done multiple turkeys in both.  In all honesty, I throw away the skin in both cases.  If I wanted to keep the skin I would, for either smoker, throw it into a really hot pre-heated oven for a few minutes to crisp it up after smoking it.  I would imagine you could do the same for chicken.

With the analogs you're going to get temperature swings as high as +/- 40 degrees.  However, there was never once that it ever mattered regardless of what I was hot smoking.  I did briskets, butts, loins, ribs, and much more in the #2 and loved it.  It really was the ultimate in simplicity and function of set it and forget it.  The 3DW actually requires more effort because you have to program the PID and a probe failure or mis-placement could have significant consequences whereas the analogs do not suffer in this way.  If I were starting from scratch with no smoker I'd probably get the #3.  I ended up with the 3DW because I got a deal on a barely used one that I just couldn't pass up.  :)

The #2 and #3 are both on sale at 10% off right now, by the way...
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old sarge

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Re: Hello from Fayetteville AR
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2019, 11:22:52 PM »
Welcome from SE Arizona.
David from Arizona
US Army 70 - 95
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Durangosmoker

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Re: Hello from Fayetteville AR
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2019, 02:54:24 PM »
Welcome from the Hudson Valley. I, too, have an analog smoker (actually 2, if you count the one at the cabin), and have never found it to be an issue. and since mine lives outside on a covered porch, and winter can be rough, I wonder how the electronic would hold up in cold and damp weather. I dream about upgrading to a 3, but am increasingly leaning towards an analog.
Eric in New York's Hudson Valley, unless I can get out to Durango.
SI #1 in Durango, #2 in NY, and thinking about a 3D.