Smokers (cooking)

PorterhouseMusic

PorterhouseMusic

Mitakuye Oyasin
So I'm thinking about upgrading my smoker situation. For many years I used the cheap upright charcoal canister smokers - went through several of those. Then prolly about 10 years ago I bought a Masterbuilt electric smoker because I wanted to be able to better control temperature and not have to baby sit that as much. But that came with the loss of the charcoal flavoring. And I've never been able to nail a killer brisket in that thing.

So I've done some homework and I'm seriously leaning towards the Traeger Pro 780 pellet smoker. Looks pretty slick. Easy enough to clean, wifi capable, has a temp probe, and big enough to smoke enough meat for a large group - and fits my budget. And I'm seeing that a shot at a better brisket (among other things) will be within reach.

Thoughts? Experience? Talk me in or out of this?

Here's that dude:

www.traeger.com

Traeger Pro 780 WiFi Pellet Grill - Traeger Grills®

Free Shipping. The Traeger Pro 780 is a WiFi wood pellet grill and smoker includes a D2® controller with WiFIRE® (WiFi) technology. Best selling pellet grill. Shop now.
www.traeger.com www.traeger.com
 
I've never used anything like that. It should make the smoking process pretty much fool proof.

Mine is a side box smoker more like this. I start it with charcoal, but I've got a bunch of apple and cherry logs that go in afterwards. Of course the trade-off is that you really need to tend it, watch the heat and how much wood is still in there.

8235_1_Studio_Front.jpg


My son-in-law just bought a Pit Boss gas powered smoker. He uses wood chips for the smoke. He said he likes it better than the electric unit he had before.
 
Looks like my old smoker. It was great until we had a weekend-long cookout where I ran the grille 48 hrs straight BBQing chicken - all the grill grates warped and sagged. Great for smoking, though.

smoker.jpg
 
My old smoker just had the wire racks, but this one has nice cast ones that are easy to lift out. They even include a nice tool that is used to pick them up. It also has a tray that can be pulled out with all the ashes. To clean out my first smoker, I used a small plastic shovel to scoop out the ashes after everything had cooled.
 
Yeah, mine had the wire racks. Flimsy. Those grills get pretty hot at times, some nice cast iron grates like the ones used for street drainage would do nicely.
 
Alright - my smoking destiny is set, trigger pulled. Or maybe I should say Traeger pulled.... :-)

I considered a number of options - I've got natural gas piped to the grill location - so going with a gas grill/smoker was always an option. But what sold me on the 780 was the comments and testimony of people I've read and talked to personally. Everyone seems so happy with their Traeger pellet smokers. It's all about the results.

BTW - I've got not one but two of these commercial pressure smokers for sale. $1000.00 a piece - buyer pays for shipping.

Smokaroma Bar-B-Q Boss – Taylor Freezer Sales

taylorfreezersales.com taylorfreezersales.com
 
The first 90 minutes or so I was at 210F - then went to 235F to finish. Marinated it for several hours - then on with the rub. It took a little longer than it might normally as I started a little lower. Every recipe out there suggests 225F.
 
Yeah, that's a nice smoker. Not sure I want to go the pellets route, but it has got me thinkin'.

What internal temp are you going for in a loin? 165? 145?
 
That looks more like a pork loin. Tenderloins tend to be smaller cuts, and come two to a pack where I shop. I just did a tenderloin last week, and it only took a couple of hours, and I kept the temp down to about 200. In the oven it will cook in about 20 minutes!
 
TalismanRich said:
That looks more like a pork loin. Tenderloins tend to be smaller cuts, and come two to a pack where I shop.
Click to expand...
Yep, corrected I stand. That is a pork loin. And a good one - enjoyed that for dinner again last night.

Target temp was/is 145-150 - then I wrap it in foil and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
 
PorterhouseMusic said:
So I've done some homework and I'm seriously leaning towards the Traeger Pro 780 pellet smoker.

Thoughts? Experience? Talk me in or out of this?
Click to expand...
The Traeger Pro 780 is fairly fool proof smoking machine - for a long smoke like Brisket you will end up adding Pellets - for a shorter 4 to 5 hour smoke - like Pork Shoulder you may add it only once - the thing I don't like about them is they are a one trick pony - you can't really grill anything - you can get the Temperture up and it will resemble grilling - but it's not the same - But if you are concerned only with smoking they are fantastic fool proof Machines.

I own a Kamado Joe - it can do just about anything = Brisket - Pork Shoulder - Ribeyes - Pizza - semi cold smoke Cheese - it takes a bit to understand how to control the temp ( took me a couple of days of Smoking and understanding the wood chunk content ) - but for Brisket and Pork I can get it to a solid 235℉ in 1/2 hour - and it will stay there 12 hours in a row - for Pizza I've gotten the thing up to 900℉ for 10 minutes - more than enough time to bake a pizza well - for Steaks I've get it to 600℉ and seared them - then put in the heat deflector and cooked them for the requisite 4 minutes a side with delicious results - now I'm cold smoking Cheese - 135℉ - Heat Deflector - about 3 hours - plenty of smoke - Turned out some fantastic Gouda, Chedder and Swiss - but I will say it took me a while to get the technique down.
 
I've got a pretty decent and reliable method for smoking cheese using my Masterbuilt electric smoker. It's got a water pan in it that sits immediately below the lowest of 4 racks. I fill that water bowl with ice cubes and water. Then I set the cheese blocks on foil and stand them on end on that rack just above the ice water. I open the top vent 100% and keep the door cracked, slightly ajar. Set the smoker at it's lowest temp so the heat vents out also keeping the element on which keeps the smoke coming - but also not to intense because it's venting at the same time. There's probably better methods - but this works well.:thumbs up:
 
Papanate said:
The Traeger Pro 780 is fairly fool proof smoking machine - for a long smoke like Brisket you will end up adding Pellets - for a shorter 4 to 5 hour smoke - like Pork Shoulder you may add it only once - the thing I don't like about them is they are a one trick pony - you can't really grill anything - you can get the Temperture up and it will resemble grilling - but it's not the same - But if you are concerned only with smoking they are fantastic fool proof Machines.

I own a Kamado Joe - it can do just about anything = Brisket - Pork Shoulder - Ribeyes - Pizza - semi cold smoke Cheese - it takes a bit to understand how to control the temp ( took me a couple of days of Smoking and understanding the wood chunk content ) - but for Brisket and Pork I can get it to a solid 235℉ in 1/2 hour - and it will stay there 12 hours in a row - for Pizza I've gotten the thing up to 900℉ for 10 minutes - more than enough time to bake a pizza well - for Steaks I've get it to 600℉ and seared them - then put in the heat deflector and cooked them for the requisite 4 minutes a side with delicious results - now I'm cold smoking Cheese - 135℉ - Heat Deflector - about 3 hours - plenty of smoke - Turned out some fantastic Gouda, Chedder and Swiss - but I will say it took me a while to get the technique down.
Click to expand...

Kamado Joe here as well. The design and felt whatever the material it is that seals the lid when closed makes for absolute airflow/vent control, and thus consistent temp control. No leaks, at all, which can cause fluctuations. I have the 18" diameter, round, of course, which I do find on occasion lacking. I think they make one size bigger, the big un. But yeah, it'll do it all. For a long smoke, bring it up to temp, adjust the vent(s), and you're good for hours. With confidence. It weighs a ton. Egg shaped and top heavy. I moved it 200 miles or so in the back of a U-Haul. I wasn't trusting the cart with all that bouncing so lifted it out wedged it in and had it strapped in pretty damn good to the wall of the U-Haul. If it had busted loose it probably would have cleared a path through everything, including the wall, and taken out a few fellow travelers as well. Left everything except the grates and deflector inside. I was sweating it the entire way, and was almost afraid to look upon opening it to access once arriving. All good. I had it in a storage unit for a while, but when I finally moved it out here to the country I found an old tire the previous owner had thrown in the woods and used that, lined the tire with a couple of towels and placed it right in the middle. Strapped it in and it wasn't going anywhere. Mine is red, it's real purty, I love it. I keep the cover on it most of the time. Sealing the way it does I don't see how it won't last a long, long time, no rust. No cycling through rusted out "old" grills every few years. Mine still looks and functions as good as the day it was delivered, a birthday gift from my wife. Was delivered to my driveway, on a pallet. I wasn't there to see, I guess they had a forklift. Yeah, it weighs a ton. I do at times wish it was a little more roomy. Other than that I love it.
 
Mick Doobie said:
Kamado Joe here as well. The design and felt whatever the material it is that seals the lid when closed makes for absolute airflow/vent control, and thus consistent temp control. No leaks, at all, which can cause fluctuations. I have the 18" diameter, round, of course, which I do find on occasion lacking. I think they make one size bigger, the big un. But yeah, it'll do it all. For a long smoke, bring it up to temp, adjust the vent(s), and you're good for hours. With confidence. It weighs a ton. Egg shaped and top heavy. I moved it 200 miles or so in the back of a U-Haul. I wasn't trusting the cart with all that bouncing so lifted it out wedged it in and had it strapped in pretty damn good to the wall of the U-Haul. If it had busted loose it probably would have cleared a path through everything, including the wall, and taken out a few fellow travelers as well. Left everything except the grates and deflector inside. I was sweating it the entire way, and was almost afraid to look upon opening it to access once arriving. All good. I had it in a storage unit for a while, but when I finally moved it out here to the country I found an old tire the previous owner had thrown in the woods and used that, lined the tire with a couple of towels and placed it right in the middle. Strapped it in and it wasn't going anywhere. Mine is red, it's real purty, I love it. I keep the cover on it most of the time. Sealing the way it does I don't see how it won't last a long, long time, no rust. No cycling through rusted out "old" grills every few years. Mine still looks and functions as good as the day it was delivered, a birthday gift from my wife. Was delivered to my driveway, on a pallet. I wasn't there to see, I guess they had a forklift. Yeah, it weighs a ton. I do at times wish it was a little more roomy. Other than that I love it.
Click to expand...
Yeah they weigh a lot - the Sealant material is a Nomex High Temp Gasket - in the 7 years I've had my Kamado I've replaced it once - it is fairly easy - You used a Tire to move the unit? If so that's pretty clever.
 
PorterhouseMusic said:
I've got a pretty decent and reliable method for smoking cheese using my Masterbuilt electric smoker. It's got a water pan in it that sits immediately below the lowest of 4 racks. I fill that water bowl with ice cubes and water. Then I set the cheese blocks on foil and stand them on end on that rack just above the ice water. I open the top vent 100% and keep the door cracked, slightly ajar. Set the smoker at it's lowest temp so the heat vents out also keeping the element on which keeps the smoke coming - but also not to intense because it's venting at the same time. There's probably better methods - but this works well.:thumbs up:
Click to expand...
You've gotten my attention because I have a Mastebuilt electic smoker that I rarely use because GF prefers grilled as opposed to smoked meats. What can I say? It's best to keep her happy.

Questions:

Why keep the door slightly ajar?

Do you have to replenish the ice during the process?

How many pounds of cheese are you cold smoking?

How many hours of cold smoking is involved?



I love smoked Mozzarella!
 
For clarity's sake - I only smoke cheese in the cooler/cold months because it's harder to keep the element on at really low temp setting when it's warm or hot out - like it is now. The element needs to stay on in order to keep the smoke going. This relates to your first question a little.


Why keep the door slightly ajar?

Because it helps vent the heat out and keep the heating element on which keeps the smoke coming. So I keep the vent in the top wide open and let the door sit slightly ajar. I think the ideal "cold smoke temp" is in the 70-90F range. My Masterbuilt has a lowest temp setting of 100F - so not ideal but close.


Do you have to replenish the ice during the process?

Yes. I like to smoke it for a 1-2 hours. So I rotate in fresh ice usually once or twice. I tend to baby-sit the smoker because it's critical that you don't melt the cheese. That's the primary aim - smoke the cheese without melting it.


How many pounds of cheese are you cold smoking?

I haven't kept track. It's usually a couple of blocks of gouda and a couple blocks of cheddar.


How many hours of cold smoking is involved?

1-2 hours gets the job done, as I recall.



Your mileage may vary. :thumbs up:
 
PorterhouseMusic said:
For clarity's sake - I only smoke cheese in the cooler/cold months because it's harder to keep the element on at really low temp setting when it's warm or hot out - like it is now. The element needs to stay on in order to keep the smoke going. This relates to your first question a little.


Why keep the door slightly ajar?

Because it helps vent the heat out and keep the heating element on which keeps the smoke coming. So I keep the vent in the top wide open and let the door sit slightly ajar. I think the ideal "cold smoke temp" is in the 70-90F range. My Masterbuilt has a lowest temp setting of 100F - so not ideal but close.


Do you have to replenish the ice during the process?

Yes. I like to smoke it for a 1-2 hours. So I rotate in fresh ice usually once or twice. I tend to baby-sit the smoker because it's critical that you don't melt the cheese. That's the primary aim - smoke the cheese without melting it.


How many pounds of cheese are you cold smoking?

I haven't kept track. It's usually a couple of blocks of gouda and a couple blocks of cheddar.


How many hours of cold smoking is involved?

1-2 hours gets the job done, as I recall.



Your mileage may vary. :thumbs up:
Click to expand...
Thanks much for the additional info. I'll have to wait until late fall until I attempt smoking cheese. Due to global warming and climate change.....it's a bit too hot right now. Thanks for the info!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top