So what is the Locker Room consensus on propane smokers?

[FSUTribe76]

Anyone have success with them?

At the new house I’ve got a deck I’ll be devoting to just outdoor cooking equipment. I’m definitely getting one of the combo gas grill/sideburner/charcoal grill/small smoker box and then I’m definitely getting a Kamado grill, but I’m struggling with what to get for a slightly larger smoker. I definitely don’t want to get a large whole hog wood smoker or anything extreme like that, I was just trying to decide between small to medium sized pellet, propane and woodbox smokers.

 

[billanole]

Well, it’s not a smoker, but check this cooker out.
https://arteflame.com/
Here is another one.
https://www.sylvansport.com/shop/firedisc-24-deep-cooker/
There are different sizes for each. I like the minimal cleanup involved.

 

[ncnole1975]

My neighbor has a propane smoker that he flavors with wood chips. Works well.
I also enjoy the Traeger

 

[FSUTribe76]

My neighbor has a propane smoker that he flavors with wood chips. Works well.
I also enjoy the Traeger

Yeah, I’m leaning right now towards a pellet smoker as it seems to be the right balance between price, convenience and taste. But the ease and price of the propane smokers are making them tough to pass up.

 

[BelemNole]

My pellet smoker has a pizza oven insert bitches.

 

[TPANole]

I just ordered an Akorn Jr to try for some smoking. A small Kamado but friends are having success with Big Green Eggs. I had been having good results with propane and wood chips mainly for fish but thought I needed more for meat.

 

[Nole Lou]

I just ordered an Akorn Jr to try for some smoking. A small Kamado but friends are having success with Big Green Eggs. I had been having good results with propane and wood chips mainly for fish but thought I needed more for meat.

I've owned this for years. About to replace it when I move, as I didn't take great care of it, and it's rusted out in parts. Char Griller makes pretty great value grills, but they aren't made to last forever if you don't take great care of them.

I think it's a great intro to Kamado cooking, and I've had a lot of success with it. It's not SUPER air controlled, but if you check the forums there are a few mods you can do to make it much more air tight. I don't smoke enough to have done it though. Main challenge I've noted is that it's hard to bring the temperature down when you overshoot it, and to maintain, you have to have the vents almost completely closed, just the tiniest shred of airflow you can imagine. It was tough to finally accept that, and get the feels of cutting it down to the tiniest slit of air. I think the mods that cut off other airflow make that a little more manageable.

Been thinking a lot about it, and I think I might circle all the way back to my roots and go Weber kettle. I do mostly grilling, and ultimately I think the Weber kettle, simple and overpriced as it can be, is about the best option for me. I know a Kamado can get hotter, but I think all in all I should be able to manage.

But I would want to combine that with a dedicated smoker (although I know you can still smoke on a Weber), so I'm really interested in this subject. I remember something once about gas vs electric...any thoughts on that? I don't use propane for anything else, so if electric is just as good I would go for that. I don't know much about them...do you literally put in the meat and chips, and the things does it all for you? As far as keeping the heat steady throughout the cook and everything? Is there any babysitting required at all?

 

[Fijimn]

My pops loves his Traeger. I’ve been looking at one of those smoker oven things for cold smoking. My McGyver set up works ok for small things but wanted to move into larger stuff

 

[BelemNole]

If you're looking at pellet cookers look further than Traegers. They're not made in the US anymore and there are several very US options that are much better put together with nicer features. Same with the pellets, they are the poorest quality pellets you can cook with.
That said, I'm pleased with the pellet cooker. It doesn't put as much smoke on the meat as my old stick burner did, but I don't have to get up at 3 am anymore an throw logs in the hopper. Temp stays at exactly what I set it at - give a consistent quality. And there are lots of pellet flavors to chose from. I spent many a night tending a smoker, now I'm too old for that ish. If I'm buying a $50-60 USDA prime brisket I want to know I can sleep without worrying about screwing it up.
Plus, with the pizza attachment on mine I can make woodfired pizzas or sear steaks at 900 degrees. Oh, an it will do a burger. My stick burner and weber kettle haven't been used in years.

 

[FSUTribe76]

If you're looking at pellet cookers look further than Traegers. They're not made in the US anymore and there are several very US options that are much better put together with nicer features. Same with the pellets, they are the poorest quality pellets you can cook with.
That said, I'm pleased with the pellet cooker. It doesn't put as much smoke on the meat as my old stick burner did, but I don't have to get up at 3 am anymore an throw logs in the hopper. Temp stays at exactly what I set it at - give a consistent quality. And there are lots of pellet flavors to chose from. I spent many a night tending a smoker, now I'm too old for that ish. If I'm buying a $50-60 USDA prime brisket I want to know I can sleep without worrying about screwing it up.
Plus, with the pizza attachment on mine I can make woodfired pizzas or sear steaks at 900 degrees. Oh, an it will do a burger. My stick burner and weber kettle haven't been used in years.

What pellet smoker did you get?

 

[BelemNole]

I have the green mountain grills Daniel boone. It's their medium sized grill.
Rec-tec and Yoder are also quality grills. Yoder will be the priciest but if you see one in person you understand why. They're like battleships.

 

[Nole Lou]

If you're looking at pellet cookers look further than Traegers. They're not made in the US anymore and there are several very US options that are much better put together with nicer features. Same with the pellets, they are the poorest quality pellets you can cook with.
That said, I'm pleased with the pellet cooker. It doesn't put as much smoke on the meat as my old stick burner did, but I don't have to get up at 3 am anymore an throw logs in the hopper. Temp stays at exactly what I set it at - give a consistent quality. And there are lots of pellet flavors to chose from. I spent many a night tending a smoker, now I'm too old for that ish. If I'm buying a $50-60 USDA prime brisket I want to know I can sleep without worrying about screwing it up.
Plus, with the pizza attachment on mine I can make woodfired pizzas or sear steaks at 900 degrees. Oh, an it will do a burger. My stick burner and weber kettle haven't been used in years.

How's that work? I was reading that they max out at 350-450 degrees?

 

[TexSkills]

We got a Traeger as a gift last year and we use it all the time. Ribs are foolproof on that thing

 

[cmanole]

If I did a lot of smoking I would get a propane smoker, but I only do it a few times a year and part of the enjoyment for me is making the fire...

 

[Semiologist]

If I did a lot of smoking I would get a propane smoker, but I only do it a few times a year and part of the enjoyment for me is making the fire...

Do you use one of these to make the fire? I have found that even with welding gloves on, it is foolproof arm depilatory device, while dumping the coals from it to the smoker.

 

[cmanole]

Do you use one of these to make the fire? I have found that even with welding gloves on, it is foolproof arm depilatory device, while dumping the coals from it to the smoker.

lol I do and it does...

 

[BelemNole]

How's that work? I was reading that they max out at 350-450 degrees?

Different brands have different max temps. Mine maxes out around 500 for grilling but the pizza insert funnels the flames directly up to the stone so it gets much hotter. I think the yoders max out around 600-650 for grilling.
If I'm just doing burgers, chicken, etc the 500 is fine. I DO use some grill grates which seem to focus the heat - or get better char marks anyway. For steaks I break out the pizza oven insert.

 

[Nolezilla]

This site has loads of reviews on a number of smokers, grills, accessories. www.amazingribs.com

 

[SoddyNole]

Different brands have different max temps. Mine maxes out around 500 for grilling but the pizza insert funnels the flames directly up to the stone so it gets much hotter. I think the yoders max out around 600-650 for grilling.
If I'm just doing burgers, chicken, etc the 500 is fine. I DO use some grill grates which seem to focus the heat - or get better char marks anyway. For steaks I break out the pizza oven insert.

How does it work at very low heat say below 200 applications, making jerky or such? Does it maintain heat well or do you need to check it every hour or so? Does it automatically auger the pellets into the box or do you control it? Any issues with getting too much smoke? How often do you have to refill your tank and can you convert these smokers over to natural gas?

Asking for I have enjoyed cooking this way and my electric smoker is a bit small for a brisket and need to a bigger set up and considering a different method as well.

 

[BelemNole]

I've made jerky a few times. I can run mine down as low as 150 degrees for a "cold smoke". At that temperature I could probably run it for 2-3 days before having to refill the hopper. Maybe longer, not sure. At 500 degrees it will run out in a few hours. When I run a brisket at about 220-230 I fill it up at the start and I usually have about a third left 12-13 hours later. There is no checking the temps - set and forget. Although the new ones do have wifi controls and an app if you're that much of a control freak. But mine lets you set the temp in 5 degree increments and it will hold the temp within a few degrees for the whole cook so long as you keep the lid closed.
Too much smoke? No, the issue is the opposite. I usually augment my smokes with a smoking tube that lets you burn/smolder addl pellets right in the cooking box.
I don't know why you'd want to convert one of these to NG - to make it mobile? They run off of electricity to power the thermostat, auger and bellows. Auger pushes pellets into the fire box, bellows/thermostat keeps the fire at the right temp.

 

[BelemNole]

This site has loads of reviews on a number of smokers, grills, accessories. www.amazingribs.com

You can also check out this site if you just want info on pellet grills. http://pelletheads.com/

 

[SoddyNole]

I've made jerky a few times. I can run mine down as low as 150 degrees for a "cold smoke". At that temperature I could probably run it for 2-3 days before having to refill the hopper. Maybe longer, not sure. At 500 degrees it will run out in a few hours. When I run a brisket at about 220-230 I fill it up at the start and I usually have about a third left 12-13 hours later. There is no checking the temps - set and forget. Although the new ones do have wifi controls and an app if you're that much of a control freak. But mine lets you set the temp in 5 degree increments and it will hold the temp within a few degrees for the whole cook so long as you keep the lid closed.
Too much smoke? No, the issue is the opposite. I usually augment my smokes with a smoking tube that lets you burn/smolder addl pellets right in the cooking box.
I don't know why you'd want to convert one of these to NG - to make it mobile? They run off of electricity to power the thermostat, auger and bellows. Auger pushes pellets into the fire box, bellows/thermostat keeps the fire at the right temp.

I have NG hooked up to my grill on the back deck from the gas lines that run to the house. All it does is save a trip to refill propane and much cheaper even though cost isn't that big of a concern. I wasn't sure how well NG works with a smoker to be honest and wasn't sure if a conversion was an option you ran across in the past.

 

[Nole Lou]

Different brands have different max temps. Mine maxes out around 500 for grilling but the pizza insert funnels the flames directly up to the stone so it gets much hotter. I think the yoders max out around 600-650 for grilling.
If I'm just doing burgers, chicken, etc the 500 is fine. I DO use some grill grates which seem to focus the heat - or get better char marks anyway. For steaks I break out the pizza oven insert.

Cool, thanks for the info. Very interesting stuff.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with a Weber kettle, but add a smoker inset and an automatic temperature control device for when I smoke. I'll probably end up pushing the price of the cheaper pellet smokers by the time I'm all in, so I have to at least think about it. Ultimately for that kind of money, I probably need to go with the thing I KNOW I'll like and is more grilling focused.

But it does make me wonder...I always say that I don't want to make the decision based primarily on smoking because it's such a small percentage of my usage...but how much more might I smoke if it was that easy/foolproof. Something to think about at least.

 

[Fijimn]

Cool, thanks for the info. Very interesting stuff.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with a Weber kettle, but add a smoker inset and an automatic temperature control device for when I smoke. I'll probably end up pushing the price of the cheaper pellet smokers by the time I'm all in, so I have to at least think about it. Ultimately for that kind of money, I probably need to go with the thing I KNOW I'll like and is more grilling focused.

But it does make me wonder...I always say that I don't want to make the decision based primarily on smoking because it's such a small percentage of my usage...but how much more might I smoke if it was that easy/foolproof. Something to think about at least.

The Weber Smokey Mountain works much better than the kettle. But get the Santa Maria-style kit for the kettle.

 

[BelemNole]

The Weber Smokey Mountain works much better than the kettle. But get the Santa Maria-style kit for the kettle.

Agreed. I still have a kettle but only use it every blue moon to char a steak. Would never smoke anything on it again. WSM can do both.

 

[Fijimn]

Agreed. I still have a kettle but only use it every blue moon to char a steak. Would never smoke anything on it again. WSM can do both.

The Smokey mountain does a great job grilling chicken-especially the dark meat because the grill is far enough to avoid flare ups. We do a jerk chicken on it that great.

 

[nole71911]

I have the Cabelas Brand Pellet Smoker (dude told me same company makes Traeger and it was about $150 cheaper). Only thing I wish is I had gotten the biggest one, since I got the middle one. It really is super easy to use, and next to no headache. Not to mention you can use it as a smoker or a conventional grill. Whenever this one breaks I will definitely get another one.

 

[Nole Lou]

So the Weber Kettle is out of my plans for now, thanks to Craigslist.

Someone in the Locker Room caped up big time for these grills in one of these threads a few years ago. Ever since then I've kept my eyes out on Craigslist from time to time and never caught one...until yesterday:

Doesn't look like much, but people adore these things, called the Portable Kitchen Grill. We'll see how I like it...if I like it, it will last long enough for my grandchildren. If I don't, I shouldn't have trouble selling it for what I bought it for.

My main concern is that it's a bit on the small side, and the grates suck, but I've got some Grill Grates. But for what I paid for it, and whatever I can get selling my Akorn, I should be able to pick up some kind of dedicated smoking device at some point as well.

 

[BelemNole]

stainless steel grate upgrade link

 

[Nole Lou]

stainless steel grate upgrade link

Yeah, glad they make them. Not crazy about that price tag though, considering what I paid for the grill. I got a good amount of the rust off the grates this weekend with vinegar and heat and brushing, but not quite enough for my satisfaction. I think I'm going to try to throw some electrolysis on them and see if I can get the rest of the rust off. Want to make sure I like this thing before I spring for $80 replacement grates.

Also, the set of Grill Grates I used for the Akorn fits this grill exactly, I just need one more panel for complete coverage. I could just grill on those exclusively sitting on the standard grates. But while I love the Grill Grates for steak, I don't usually cook everything on them, not sure how I'd like doing that.