Transplanted Cajun in Texas

[meldou]

Hello everyone!  I've been using an old charcoal smoker for my holiday turkeys and decided to bite the bullet and get an electric smoker.  From all that I've read, I'm pretty safe with one of these bad boys.  Just wondering about size???  I hate to buy the #2 if all I'm going to use it for is holiday birds, but don't want to buy the small one and have it too small.  I'm open to y'all expert opinions.

 

[DivotMaker]

Welcome, Mel!  I have a #1, and love the quality of Q I can produce with it.  I generally only cook for me, my wife and son, so the #1 is perfect - 90% of the time.  If I want to do, say, a 15 lb turkey, or a whole packer-cut brisket, I can't.  If I had to do it over again, I would have gone with the #3, and will probably upgrade in the spring.

My advice is to get the largest unit you can afford.  You can always cook less in a #2 or #3, but you can never cook more in a #1. 

Welcome to our little party!  Whichever way you go, you'll definitely use it more than once a year, once you realize how easy it is to make some really good BBQ!

 

[es1025]

I would recommend going with the #3.  The larger heating element 1200 watts is worth the extra dollars.  I have used the #3 almost every weekend since June.  You will use this machine.  It's almost foolproof to operate.