Hi From Maryland!

[bigfoot21075]

Hi Everyone!

I am on the fence about taking the plunge and getting a #3 smoker and cart. I admit I have Gear Acquisition Syndrome or GAS. I currently have a Natural Gas Weber, a Weber Silver Kettle, a large Big Green Egg, and a large Superior SS2 Gravity fed smoker. They all are great in their own way, but I am finding myself skipping BBQ or smoking because they all take a fair amount of time to get going. Even with my old trusty BBQ guru, the SS2 takes over an hour before it is ready to go. After that I admit it is pretty much set it and forget it, but I have far less time these days and would use an easier solution much more often.

My thought was to sell the Superior SS2 and get a Smokin-it #3. I am slightly concerned with the end result of the cooks though. I have read that at least for ovens, electric ovens tend to dry food out. I was wondering what others have experienced who have gone from Charcoal or wood to an electric. What is the downside if any that you have noticed?

I APPRECIATE your input!

THANKS!

Rob

 

[jpittssr]

electric ovens tend to dry food out. I was wondering what others have experienced who have gone from Charcoal or wood to an electric. What is the downside if any that you have noticed?

Forget the drying out!
I will tell you right up front the only thing I miss  since making the change is the smoke ring.
I owned lots of grills and smokers over the years. The last one was a reverse flow stick burner that did a wonderful job. BUT, it was a lot of work and a LOT of time involved.
If you (like me) like to see a smoke ring there are other ways pf getting a beautiful ring on your electric smoker.
You sound like you might also like something more of a "set it and forget it" type smoker? If so you might consider adding a Auber PID controller to your SI#3.
I bought the model #2 and an Auber. I finally have a "set it and forget it" smoker. I just smoked 2 -five lb chickens this week that were the best I have EVER had. Moisture? I didn't even use a water pan (as we sometimes do) and in two hours @275 the chickens were done and when I opened the door it looked like a steam cabinet.
Go ahead! I don't think you will ever look back.
PS. I sold my Lang 36 Patio. I only kept 1 gas grill for a quick burger.

 

[swthorpe]

I agree totally with Ed.  I have never had a problem with moisture or meat drying out in my SI#2.  While you can always add a small loaf pan of liquid in the bottom of the smoker, it is often unnecessary (esp for short smokes).   

This is definitely 'lazy Q', where you can turn on the smoker and walk away.  I can't say that I have had a bad outcome yet, and that's over a year of smoking pretty much every weekend!

 

[NDKoze]

Actually the two small holes, one at the bottom and one at the top let very little moisture out of the smoker.

In fact, probably the biggest benefit of the Smokin-It smoker is the moisture retention.

The other thing is that the SI smokers heat up almost instantly. I typically have smoke within 10-15 minutes and up to temp easily within 30-60 minutes depending on what I have the dial set to. In fact, I typically ramp up my temp starting at 140 for the first 30-45 minutes or so because the big element in the #3 heats up almost too fast and your wood can start on fire and combust. Others have had good luck with wrapping their wood in foil or even just wrapping the bottom of the wood pieces.

The other thing is that you will use very little wood in these smokers. In fact, you will want to buy a digital scale, because we use very specific amounts of wood in these smokers because you can over smoke your food if you go by amounts you used with your other smokers. Amounts of wood range between 2-6 ounces depending on the type of meat you are smoking and the length of the smoke. Chicken/Ribs/Fish etc typically need 2-3 ounces of wood, where Butts/Briskets need 5-6 ounces.

The Auber is great for those that want the ability to program their smokes or have the option to smoke higher than the 250 max (controller bypass needed for this) for chicken and/or other high tempt smokes.

But the bottom-line is that based on your comments from your original post, it seems like the Smokin-It smoker would fix exactly what you are looking for.

Regarding finished results, I would put my results up against any stick burner. I have had many people tell me that these were the best ribs, pulled pork, etc that they have ever had.

 

[bigfoot21075]

THANKS!!! This is a HUGE help!

 

[DivotMaker]

Welcome, Rob!  Ditto on what the guys said - perfect advice!  You won't believe how much you'll use an SI smoker, over the traditional smokers!  Very tight, with great moisture-retention.  No need to foil anything while cooking, no need to spritz, no need for human intervention!  Lazy Q, man!

Btw, if you want a pretty smoke ring, put a 1/2 tsp. of #1 Instacure in your brine; check out this brisket pic from this weekend.