NEW Model 3 owner

[rickne]

Thought I would properly introduce myself to the group.  My name is Rick and I just took the plunge, buying my first electric cooker.  I've always enjoyed grilling and cooking outdoors.  I was introduced BBQ in 2000 when I lived in KC. My neighbor owned a small BBQ catering biz and a giant trailer pit.  It was more of a hobby than a money maker for him.  He taught me just enough to get me hooked...  and shared no secrets with me.  I bought an off-set cooker and learned with trial and error and a little help from him.

After 4 years of wrestling a 500lb off-set pit, I sold it when we moved to Omaha.  I don't regret it buying it because I learned alot about bbq and the cooking process.  I also don't regret selling it  ;D

I purchased a 18" WSM and loved it.  The 22" came out and I just had to have it.  Bigger is always better.  As it turned out, I didn't enjoy the 22" WSM.  It wasn't nearly as efficient and and easy as the 18".  I went through twice as much fuel and spent twice as much time babysitting it.  With my family growing and becoming more and more busy, I didn't have time to cook like that.

My family loves BBQ.  They would eat it 7 days a week if I cooked it.  My family favorite is Ribs, closely followed by Pulled Pork.  My pulled pork is always a hit.  It's the best I've ever had and most that try it agree with me.  I even placed in the top 10 in a few competitions when I lived in KC. 

So I decided to sell the WSM and go EASY.  I started my search for Electric cookers and even entertained some of the pellet cookers.  After way too much research, I decided the SI #3 was the cooker for me.  I ordered it Saturday night, it shipped today, and I should have it by end of day Wednesday. 

The selling points that drove me to the #3...  Size/$.  I wanted to be able to do 4-6 racks of ribs without rolling them up or cutting them and/or a full packer brisket.  The #3 allows me to do that and at a cost that is much less than the others.  I also liked the dual latch on the door, the 12' cord, and all stainless construction, inside and out.  I purchased the cart, cover, and a new Maverick dual probe along with it.  My wife was completely on board.  She loves it when I cook, mostly because she doesn't have to.  It's the only hobby of mine she supports so strongly.

I can't cook a brisket to save my life.  Everybody else's tastes great.  Not mine.  I will be on a quest to turn out a good brisket with my new cooker.  Also looking forward to experimenting a little with burnt ends, fatties, etc.  I'm hoping this style of cooking allows me to fire it up on a regular basis and get a little creative. 

Just wanted to say HI and introduce my self.  I'm new to Electric-cooker world and will likely have a lot of questions in the next 90 days.

Cooker will get assembled on Wednesday night.  I will season her on Thursday.  Unfortunately, I'm out of town all weekend, but I do think this thing will get a workout over the next 60 days with the holidays.  I've already been told that I am smoking the turkey and that I need to make a practice run or two before we serve it to family on Thanksgiving.  I'm gonna need help with one boys!

Rick

 

[es1025]

Rick
Welcome aboard!
I started in June and am by no means an expert, but I have had very good success on ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey breast and brisket.  I have cooked a couple of flats (not the packer) and they have come out darn good.  Go to the recipe section under beef to find some good techniques.  Our moderator Tony (Divotmaker) is full of great ideas.  When you get to your 1st smoke make sure you take some pictures.

Here is my last brisket:
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1010.0

 

[swthorpe]

Welcome to the smoking-it family, Rick!  You will not be disappointed in the #3, especially given the strong urging from family for smoked food!  You will be surprised when your #3 arrives...just slap on the caster wheels and assembly is complete...your will be ready to launch right into the seasoning session.  I think you will also find the ease of an electric smoker to be a real joy - set it, and forget it.  Of course, I still like to sit on the deck to enjoy the smoke and smell of the food, but essentially the unit takes care of itself.  I would recommend a remote thermometer (I use a Maverick) so that you can monitor smoker temp and IT of the food.  If you do this, don't be surprised to see variation in temp; when I set for 225F, the smoker varies +/- 10 degrees during the cook, but averages out at 225F.    But when I am doing turkey or chicken, I watch the IT of the food more so than the temp in the box.

Welcome, and happy smok'in!  Cheers

 

[rickne]

I've always cooked to internal temp on my big cuts, which has been limited to butts and "failed" brisket.  I have a couple of Polders that I use, but I did order a Maverick along with the #3.  I think I can live with the temp swings.  I always had temp swings in my big pit.  The difference then was I couldn't go to sleep because I had to tend to them.

Thanks for the Warm Welcome!

 

[DivotMaker]

Hi Rick!  Welcome to our little (but growing) party!  You made a great decision in going with the #3 - no way you'll regret it! 

Sounds like you have some really good Q experience; can't wait to hear your ideas and recipes!  The hardest part, for you, will be realizing that all the work you put into your previous smokers is just not necessary with these little beauties.  Most of us started out trying to employ all the "traditional" methods of cooking, and many of us have now realized all that does is a) make life a lot more difficult than it needs to be, and b) produce a sometimes inferior result!  You have lots of "non-babysitting" to look forward to!  You'll have time to actually enjoy the family and other hobbies and cook great Q at the same time!! ;D

Hang out here when you can, and throw all the ideas and questions out that you care to - we're a like-minded bunch that is here to help one another!  The journey is half the fun!!

 

[Bigumdaddyo]

Welcome Rick! I have to say it is a great feeling when the wife suggests BBQ. Just last week my wife wanted some more pulled pork. I just love the fact that you can rub the pork shoulder with your favorite rub, place it in the  Somkin-it, add about 3oz. of hickory chunks, insert the probe, set the temp and come back to take your meat out when the internal temp reaches 195. Now my ribs are a little more involved because I like to take them out of the smoker after about 4.5 hours and finish them on the charcoal grill with a little sauce for another half an hour or so. So far I have done 5 racks of baby backs in my #3 at one time with no problem. I am sure 8 racks would be no problem.

 

[DivotMaker]

Our moderator Tony (Divotmaker) is full of great ideas.  When you get to your 1st smoke make sure you take some pictures.

My wife tells me I'm full of something else, Ed!  Thanks for giving me some ammo to prove her wrong!! LOL ;D ;D

 

[rickne]

Christmas came early today (as I suspected).  I tried and tried to get out of work early but didn't end up leaving until 4:50.  Never even changed clothes.  Unpacked everything and got the cart assembled.  I had a little scare when I opened it up.  The racks and rack guides were crooked and bent.  It wasn't until I removed them when I realized that was intentional, to keep things from moving around during shipping.  I give the packing and shipped 10/10.

The cart went together well.  The smoker on the cart was a little tricky but nothing concerning.  One leg on the smoker was a little off of 90 degrees and didn't want to line up.  Once I got by that, it sure turned out solid when it's all assembled.  Not nearly as tall as I expected.  I would not want this without the cart.  It's still a bit short with the cart...  but a good height for me because I'm short.  I was a little skeptical of the cart as I was assembling, but once I got the smoker on it, I was impressed.  I give the cart/smoker combo a 9.5/10

Now remember, this is my first electric.  My previous experiences were with a large pit and both the big and small WSM's.

The Model 3 is smaller than I envisioned.  I'm sure glad I went with the Model 3.  I would have been disappointed with the Model 2 (or any of the other smaller brands).  I know there is plenty of capacity in side, but it looks tiny...  to me.  Maybe I should say it looks "efficient".  I do like the capacity.  10/10

My first impression of the quality was that it is well built.  Not perfect, but it is a smoker.  What I mean is it doesn't look like my stainless fridge in the house.  A also realize how difficult Stainless is to work with.  And that this is all stainless...  my fridge is NOT.  Overall, a very well built unit.  The door is TIGHT, as I would hope.  The grates are very nice and straight.  the "wood house" is well built.  I'm impressed.  9.5/10

Not so impressed with the cover.  I guess I was expecting something heavier.  Not a big deal because this will actually be stored inside. 

So I had it all together and the packing cleaned up by 7PM.  Glad tomorrow is trash day.  So I thought, "Why the heck wouldn't I fire it up?"  So I did and set it at 250.  At first, I as a little worried.  It smelled like I left some packing inside.  I checked it again to be sure but there was nothing in there.  Once the wood started smoking, all I smelled was the sweet Hickory.  I quickly got bored, dropped my polder probe in there and went inside.  I went back out to check it at 7:20 and it's smoking away.  Cabinet temp is 255 degrees. 

I never knew doing nothing could be so fun!!!

 

[DivotMaker]

Congrats, Rick!  You've taken the first step to "Q Nirvana!"  I found seasoning to be a very rewarding experience!  I took a stinky, just-manufactured, assembly of stainless steel components through the process of becoming a bona fide smoker!  I was so excited when the machine oil smell turned into the sweet smell of hickory goodness, and I opened the door to find that glorious amber patina of seasoning!  Almost brought a tear to my eye! ;D

Now the real fun begins!  Whatcha' gonna smoke first?  The options are limitless!!

 

[Smokster]

Hi Rick, welcome to the smokin it club.  I would say that this is an addiction, but It sounds like you're already are there.  I have the #3 and love it.  I have smoked 8 racks at once in this unit, smoked 4lbs of jerky or a whole large turkey.  It works great and very efficient.

Keep in mind that these smokers do not need a lot of wood, a little goes a long way.  Like others have said, set it and forget it.

 

[rickne]

I did enjoy the experience.  It didn't smell good the first 5 minutes but was excited for it to start smelling like a smoker.  I also ran down to the rink to watch my boys play drop-in hockey.  I wouldn't have been able to do that with my other smokers.

Random thoughts...

1. Although I didn't monitor the temp swings, I suspect this unit runs a little on the lighter side of the dial.  I suspect most of my cooking will be set at 250 degrees.  I'm fine with that and I'm fine with the swings.  No different than any other bbq pit.  I will keep an eye on that closer, as I start cooking.

2. I did really enjoy the pure hickory smoke.  With my last smokers, I ran lump or kingsford with wood.  Teh charcoal certainly detracts from the wood smoke.  The pure Hickory was really pleasing.

3.  These things are tight.  I had very very little smoke from the door.  And the little that I had, I suspect those gaps will tighten up.

4.  I think I'm going to make a cover/blanket out of a hot water heater blanket and duct tape.  Something custom fit with a hole in the top so that I can drop it over the cooker, just like the cover, on cold all-night cooks.  It gets a little chilly up here during the winter nights.  Plus it will help keep the wind off of it.

I'm traveling this weekend so no "first cook" this weekend.  I might try a chicken or turkey breast during the week next week.  Next weekend, the plan is to cook two bone-in butts.  I will take one out at 170 IT and leave the other one in until 205 IT.  I'm planning to cube the first one and use part of that for beans and the other part will get dressed and put back in the smoker as Pork Burnt Ends.  I will also put the beans in at the same time so that when it's all finished, I have pork burnt ends, pulled pork, and beans.  Makes me smile thinking about it.

 

[DivotMaker]

Your plan makes me smile, too, Rick!  Sounds like a dandy!  Just a couple of thoughts on your comments:  First, if you were monitoring the internal temp during seasoning (while empty), disregard what you observed.  Without the mass of a food load and water pan, the temps will be all over the page.  Smoker temp is much more consistent with something in there to absorb and hold the heat - much more stable.

As far as cooking temps, my "go to" temp for any larger piece of meat (butts, brisket), as well as loins and ribs, is 225.  I get the best low and slow results at this temp.  Just my 2-cents...

I also highly recommend the use of a water pan (filled with apple juice or beer).  I use a disposable aluminum "mini loaf" pan 1/2 full, right on the floor of the smoker next to the wood box.  Works great for me.  This adds moisture, and helps stabilize the temp.

 

[Smokster]

Rick, further to Tony's note, you can also use an empty can for your liquid.  As for the smoke escaping from the door, that is normal when seasoning and during your first smoke, but the door will eventually seal nicely.

I like your idea for the insulated blanket for the winter smokes, I may have to invest in one in the near future as winter is just around the corner.

 

[DivotMaker]

The reason I use a loaf pan, instead of an empty soup can, is surface area and volume.  Just my way of thinking, but I believe a larger volume and surface area lends to more stable temp in the box.  I place it up against the smoke box, so it heats up and helps stabilize the temp swings. I've noted, many times, that I only see +/- 10-degree swings in my #1....I wonder if the large "heat sink" next to the heating element is the reason.  I know, from back in my Brinkman water smoker days, using a pan full of sand (instead of water) really helped to keep the temp stable.  Nothing wrong with using a tin can, mind you, I just use a larger pan due to the way my brain sees things!