Smoker recommendations?

[seez52]

My son is wanting a smoker. I know nothing about them. He wants an electric one and one that can be left unattended. I think the pellet style is what he's wanting. And of course he would like all the bells and whistles of a phone connection etc. I'm sure there are some members here with experience using these. Any suggestions as to what would work well?

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by seez52

[MacGyver]

If I was buying another one today, I’d buy another Pit Boss in a heartbeat. Their Pro Series 820 is just about perfect. 

[KahrMan]

I have been very happy with my Camp Chef Woodwind series. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by KahrMan

[E4 No More]

I have been through about 3 smokers (including a Bradley) before I ended up getting my Traeger. I too do not like to spend my time babysitting a smoker, and the Traeger allowed me the freedom not to do that. The advantage of the pellet over the puck is that the hopper for the pellet holds a lot more wood to burn before refilling, and pellets are ubiquitous unlike the Bradley pucks.

Edited November 17, 2021 by E4 No More

[Luckyforward]

11 hours ago, MacGyver said:

If I was buying another one today, I’d buy another Pit Boss in a heartbeat. Their Pro Series 820 is just about perfect. 

I second the motion!  I LOVE my Pit Boss!  Controlled, even heat and easy to manage.  About once a month I fire it up and put on a variety of meats and smoke away!

[Luckyforward]

Just now, E4 No More said:

I have been through about 3 smokers (including a Bradley) before I ended up getting my Traeger. I too do not like to spend my time babysitting a smoker, and the Traeger allowed me the freedom not to do that.

Exactly!  Pit Boss is the same.  I used to have a smoker that I had watch constantly . . . "babysitting" is a perfect term and a royal pain!

[peejman]

I'll be the contrairian here... babysitting the smoker is the best part. It's an excuse to be occupied all day while actually doing very little.  I get to stand around with a cold beverage while fiddling with fire, what's not to like?

The electric ones are so easy they're basically just a glorified crock pot.  There's no sense of accomplishment.  You don't get to come back in the house hours later, dirty with charcoal dust, smelling of smoke, giving the appearance of having worked hard all day to provide such a delectable bounty for your family. 

 

 

[RedlegEd]

Hi,

The smokers recommended are good. I personally like RecTeq and just bought my son the RT340 with pellet bundle plus a cover. He's very much like @peejman, in that he likes the old school offset smokers, but there have been times he's said he wished he had the convenience of a "set and forget" type smoker. I have the RT340 and I love it. I just smoked two spatchcock chickens and some asparagus. Turned out great.

Ed

[OldIronFan]

I am and always will remain a fan of Kamados / Eggs for smoking. For all around use they really can't be beat. From Searing or cooking pizza on a stone over hardwood to low and slow smoking they just work. I grew up with them though. Back before the folks at Big Green Egg even began selling them Dad was using the clay versions that he bought in Japan. I was probably a teenager before I discovered the horror of dry oven backed thanksgiving turkeys. Dad always smoked ours on the Kamado. 

I had a cheap Akorn Chargriller Kamado for years and it worked well. I later upgraded to a BGE and even added a digital forced air fan with temp control. Even did ok at a few BBQ competitions over the years with two of the Akorns (they are more portable than the ceramics).

I will probably try a pellet grill at some point to accompany the BGE but I will get rid of my my Kamado.

In my opinion you can babysit a fire or you can put that energy and effort into the actual food being cooked. Selecting, trimming, brining, seasoning, basting, wrapping, ect. your protein rather than fussing over the fire and keeping ahead of temp swings. I would rather set a temp and let the cooker maintain it while I monitor the food. I equate it to an oven. I don't constantly change the temperature of the oven when I am baking something. I might cover, uncover, stir, or otherwise handle the food but seldom adjust the temperature. 

[peejman]

I got a WSM a couple years ago and it's very close to "set and forget".  I can load it with charcoal, tweak the vents for my target temp based on the ambient temp, and it'll sit there for 8-10 hrs with minimal adjustment. It's a lot lower maintenance than what I had before.