Electric Smoker help.

[lewdog]

I have a vertical charcoal smoker but I am also looking at getting an electric smoker with more room and the convenience it can provide.

I am having family from out of town and plan to do a pork butt and pork ribs next Saturday. However, with the charcoal smoker and the babysitting it requires, I have to be home most of the day to cook like I want. I'd rather set and forget the electric smoker for hours at a time so we can be out doing things rather than hanging around the house.

Anyone have any they like? I'm looking a something similar to the style posted below but not set on size or company.

How do you put the wood in these to smoke? I've read some still just put the chunks in there on the heating element and let it burn as the wood box doesn't allow much wood to be present.

Anyone have any recommendations?

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I don't understand throwing it in the water pan. You need the water so the meat doesn't dry out, so if you're throwing it in the water pan, you must not be using water?

And would it work with larger chunks?

Lew, one thing I learned early with the electric and pucks - make SURE you keep water in that pan. If you don't have water, the pucks will drop into the pan and continue to smolder, and after that 20 minute burn they start emitting off flavors.

See I don't get it either but he said he puts the small wood chips right in the water! And it's hot enough to give off smoke. He does it this way when he doesn't use the pucks.

So when they drop in the machine they just drop into the water pan?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by lewdog

See I don't get it either but he said he puts the small wood chips right in the water! And it's hot enough to give off smoke. He does it this way when he doesn't use the pucks.

So when they drop in the machine they just drop into the water pan?

Yes, the water extinguishes the puck.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I'll let GloryDayz clarify because I don't really get it either but he said heat it up past 150 and then he just throws some wood chips in the water pan when he doesn't want to use the pucks. I don't really get that either but he says it works and he's a God around here.

So you are part of the Bradley crew!? Oh boy, I feel pretty cool now!

I don't have a Bradley, I have the El-Cheapo electric Brinkman. I do use chips (and chunks) of many varieties and I do soak them for the long part of the burn. That being said, I also have been known to have the first round be dry to heat-up the smoker very hat and bark the meat, then it's be to wet chips and lower heat.

But I'd like a Bradley.....

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Yes, the water extinguishes the puck.

Unless you're GloryDayz and you have the most ignitable wood in the world which goes right in the water and smokes anyway!!!

I bet he's writing a long winded response to show my ass up. And rightfully so!

[Fire Me Boy!]

OK, so I'm looking at the manual (page 11) - http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91NkMF1vgGS.pdf

There's a "drip bowl" for the pucks, then a tray underneath that. Maybe he's putting the chips in the bowl and water in the tray?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Unless you're GloryDayz and you have the most ignitable wood in the world which goes right in the water and smokes anyway!!!

I bet he's writing a long winded response to show my ass up. And rightfully so!

So he did respond, and he SOAKS the chips, which makes perfect sense. That's normal. Putting them in a bowl of water will not work.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

So he did respond, and he SOAKS the chips, which makes perfect sense. That's normal. Putting them in a bowl of water will not work.

Well my question to him was how do I use the Bradley with wood chips/chunks of my own if I don't want to use the pucks. He told me to throw them in the water bowl!

He's trying to sabotage me!!!

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

OK, so I'm looking at the manual (page 11) - http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91NkMF1vgGS.pdf

There's a "drip bowl" for the pucks, then a tray underneath that. Maybe he's putting the chips in the bowl and water in the tray?

Is there anyway that you see to use your own chips in there if you don't want to use their pucks and have time to monitor things instead of setting and forgetting?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Is there anyway that you see to use your own chips in there if you don't want to use their pucks and have time to monitor things instead of setting and forgetting?

I've never tried. I think they might get hot enough to smoke just sitting in the water bowl. But I've never tried it, so I can't vouch for it. If GD is using a non-Bradley, his water tray might be closer to the heating element.

I've read some people will put them in a washed out tuna can, but they have to refill all the time, so that's not good.

[Fire Me Boy!]

I wonder if you could put something bigger on the heating element, like a small cast iron pan? Then the second question would be whether it would get hot enough to start the chips smoking.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I've never tried. I think they might get hot enough to smoke just sitting in the water bowl. But I've never tried it, so I can't vouch for it. If GD is using a non-Bradley, his water tray might be closer to the heating element.

I've read some people will put them in a washed out tuna can, but they have to refill all the time, so that's not good.

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I wonder if you could put something bigger on the heating element, like a small cast iron pan? Then the second question would be whether it would get hot enough to start the chips smoking.

Yea I've heard the Tuna can thing and only thing that would make that work would be lining a shit ton of them up but they'd still burn out too quickly and you'd be replacing very often.

A pan would work if the element covers enough of the bottom of the pan to get it hot enough. Is there enough room to put a pan in there near the element?

[mlyonsd]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I wonder if you could put something bigger on the heating element, like a small cast iron pan? Then the second question would be whether it would get hot enough to start the chips smoking.

My Brinkman bullet smoker has a thin steel pan you put the chunks into and directly on the burner. They smoke well. Not sure about a cast iron pan though.

[TimBone]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Well my question to him was how do I use the Bradley with wood chips/chunks of my own if I don't want to use the pucks. He told me to throw them in the water bowl!

He's trying to sabotage me!!!

I believe it was BRC that also mentioned putting the wood chips in the water pan with the water. It's confusing the hell out of me. I wish we could get that question clarified.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Just use regular wood chips. It's no different. Just make sure you use the thin chips, not the thick ones. They don't burn evenly and to hard to control the smoke. Thin chips work great. Been using them in the Bradley and Madsterbuilt electric smokers for over 10 years. Like these below.

You are right TimBone. I got my avatar assess mixed up! Both are fine assess I might add!

FMB check this, it was BRC who said he throws the chips in the water pan. ****ing Houdini!!!

[TimBone]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I use the bisquettes when I'm not going to be around. Use the automatic feed.

When I'm around I use wood chips. Usually a combination of hickory/Oak/Apple/Cherry chips. Just throw them in the bowl with a little water.

Here's some pics of the last round using the bradley cheater smoker.

Here is the post where he mentiosnputting them in with water. To be fair, it says just "a little water." I didn't notice that before. Maybe they last longer because they slowly begin smoking as the "little" bit of water evaporates? But, if you already have a water pan, why would you need water with the wood at all? It just threw me off.