what is the best way to clean the outside of the PG500?Read More...

i started an overnight cook for a couple butts. At 225, this should be a 12+ cook. But I can’t get me PG500 to hold at 225. What am I doing wrong. I even dropped the set temp to 175 just to see what would happen. It was between 260-270. My LHT and HHT we’re both set to 25. Not sure what I’m doing wrong here. Any suggestions?Read More...

I was told by support today that I need a 15 Amp fuse to fix my broken PG500 grill. When I pulled the fuse it's only 10 Amp. Looking at the websites FAQ it states a 15 Amp fuse but it appears it's for commercial grade units. Does anyone know what I should use?Read More...

Just used brand new new cooker for the first time. After some time the thermostat box on top of cooker starts to say HOT. I'm thinking-yes, it is hot. IT'S AN OVEN. Then, unbeknownst to me, the cooker shut itself down at some point and my cook was ruined. Super disappointed. This is an expensive piece of kit. I had very high hopes for it. Now it’s basically an expensive and oily piece of scrap metal.Read More...

I need help with my chicken. No matter what cut of chicken I use I can never get the skin crispy when I smoke it. When I groll it turns out perfect, but I need advice. My skin is always rubbery and I have tried rubbing oil, cooking spray, etc on it before the smoke but nothing. Any suggestions? My other question is on the legs, the exposed meat always get hard and over smoked. Has a thick smoke taste that isn't pleasant. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!Read More...

The very first actual smoke with my new SM066. I used Mr T. Recipe. Using Sockeye Salmon I brined it for 18 hours. When I set the smoker to 200° it kept showing a temperature of 209°. So I set it for 190°, smoked for 60 mins then lowered the temp to 145° for 30 min.Read More...

I am considering purchasing a 2nd hand PG500. It is 6 years old. Are there any areas of concern that I should focus on with a unit of this age? Mechanical parts that tend to wear out? I'm told that nothing has been replaced or repaired in the last 6 years. How long do the auger motors and controllers and such usually last before needing replacement and are the parts that generally fail expensive or hard to obtain? Cosmetically, the exterior is nearly perfect, so I am certain it was well...Read More...

Does anyone have a manual for the FEC-100 s#GK-2110? It looks like the previous controller version. Is it an IQ4?Read More...

Hello all, looking for some ideas and interpretations of this disastrous cook (so far). I have wanted to do a "chuckie" (a smoked beef chuck roast to result in "pulled beef") for years. I reviewed methods by Smokin' Okie and andyj on the forum, and got a nice 3.2 lb pretty thick choice roast from the local BJ's. The idea is to add rub, smoke at low temp for smoke flavor until IT of around 170, then break or cut apart into large chunks. place in a foil pan with au jus or stock, and put back...Read More...

I've been trying for months to find a method to do chicken wings in my Amerique that would produce tender, tasty wings with skin that was not rubber. I tried low temps, long times, higher temps, shorter times, more smoke, less smoke, brine, not brine, smoke then grill for crisp skin, etc., etc. I always wound up with pretty tasty wings that were not really pleasant to eat because the skin was just not done right. I know those with smokers or pellet grills that can go above 300 F can do this...Read More...

I recently outgrew my decades old Rival Slicer. It had a 6 inch blade. My quest for something larger took me from the obscenely large and heavy commercial units to the more reasonable home style units. I looked at units with a bad diameter of 8 to 10 inches and finally settled on the Chef's Choice 665. I own a Lem Big Bite #8 grinder and the LEM MaxVac. For whatever reason, I could not justify getting a slicer from LEM even though the quality of their products is first rate. The CC 665 is a...Read More...

I’ve just finally smoked my first batch of Buck Board Bacon. I used a pork shoulder roast and cured it with Hi Mountain Buck Board Bacon Cure, following their directions. At the end of the cure I soaked the product for two hours changing the water every ½ hour. After that I let it rest for an hour or so, dried it off and placed in my PG1000 and smoked it until it reached 140 degrees internal. The next day I sliced some and fried it. I was pretty disappointed as the smell and taste of bacon...Read More...

In addition to the Thermapen. I also have an infrared, thermometer with laser pointer. I got mine at Harbor Freight Tool Co. and have found it to be almost as handy s the Thermapen. Here's the link to the product. I use it for measuring the surface temperature of a skillet when pan searing steaks or chops. I use it to measure the surface temperature of my pizza stone which I get to about 650 degrees, the surface temp of the interior of my smoker, and, best of all, I use it to amaze my grand...Read More...

Hello- I am planning to purchase an electric smoker in the near future.. I have narrowed it down to a Cookshack Elite 45 or a Smokin It 2D. I want something large enough to smoke 5 to 7 racks of ribs without having to cut them in half. I will also be smoking brisket and pork butts. The Cookshack 025 would probably work for me but I didn’t want to get something to small and regret it later. Temperature where I live usually falls into the 20’s so it will need to be able to hold temperature...Read More...

Ok I have read on many forums that have talked about the PG500/1000. There always seems to be someone that says they use the 4zone quick guide to know what temp to set it at. Anyone know if this actually exists, if anyone has it, if this is BS or something that one has to create on their own. I do not mind doing something I just hate reinventing the wheel. Thank you. 2 day New PG500 owner and very impressed so far.Read More...

I smoked an 11.2 lb Prime packer yesterday and the results were very perplexing. See smoking methodology / details below. 11.2 lb Prime beef packer 3 oz (2 small chunks) hickory wood Total smoke time of 11 hours 40 minutes at 225F... details below Inserted into un-preheated smoker with fat side down at 225F at 11:30pm (was a bit too large for so I folded tip of the flat underneath) Inserted two temp probes into the thickest part of the flat about two inches apart from one-another, and a...Read More...

have had 2 of these for 3 yrs have had to light with gel after 4 months as keeps tripping and burning out igniters bought so many and also had direct o& cookshack USA still dose same bought new motherboard at a cost of £589 pounds uk and it still dose same would no5 recoded these cookshack smokers to any one especially in uk as Americans bbq do not care as long as they get your money advice keep well away from cookshackRead More...

I've had my PG 500 since May and have went thru 5 bags of pellets. I really gets used more than my FEC 100. A couple of weeks ago, while trying to remove the offset side grate, I noticed the steel divider wall, which separates the direct and offset side is badly warped, obviously from the heat. It's really difficult to get the offset-side grate back in without using a screwdriver to pry the wall over. Has anyone else experience this? Maybe I'll call cookshack. Works fine otherwise. I do get...Read More...

Fixing to compete in a small hometown bbq comp this weekend and we have a FEC300 in our BBQ trailer. We are doing Brisket, Pulled Pork, Ribs and Chicken. I know chicken is not supposed to be cooked above the other meat but its a rotisserie so how is that supposed to work health wise? And has anyone on here competed with a FEC Rotisserie model and what are your suggestions for temp probes besides turning off the rotisserie?Read More...

Something got into my FEC100 and there are wires disconnected and frayed. I can't tell what goes where and have no Idea how to read a schematic. Does anybody know of a service that can re-wire a FEC100?Read More...

I started up my Model 66 to smoke some ribs. As it was getting to temperature I heard a loud pop and what appeared to be an explosion inside. I opened it up to expel some smoke, closed it again, and it happened again. What should I be concerned with, besides flying ribs?Read More...

Hello all, I have some Moruga Trinidad Scorpion peppers going full blast on my plant. Has anyone dried / desicated them on your Smokette SM025 or similar?Read More...

Does anyone have problems with the pellets backing up the feed ramp and letting the firepot back fire into the pellet hopper? This has happened 3-4 times and I can't figure out what's going on. It has happened in the hold pattern and in the cook pattern. The firepot is vacumed between each use [ I need some ideas.Read More...

Greetings All, I've owned an FEC-100 before, moved on and sold that for two Gateway Drum smokers, sold one (kept the other), and just got a new PG500! I was pretty impressed with my first cook but was curious on your thoughts with the drastic temp swings. Long story short, the swings may not matter too much, as I said above... I was pretty impressed with the final product. I intentionally didn't wrap in an effort to get more smoke and a firm bark... I achieved both! I used Cookshack hickory...Read More...

I'm smoking a 12 lb packer Wagyu brisket tomorrow morning. This is my first time doing Wagyu so I was just wondering if I should approach it differently than regular Prime? For example, I read that it finishes quicker and should be pulled around 185-190 (or whenever it passes the doneness test!). I normally wrap my prime briskets at stall, but should I even bother wrapping a Wagyu? Any tips would be much appreciated!Read More...

Has anyone tried to use a griddle on the grill side of the PG500 or 1000? If so what did you use and how did it work?Read More...

An increasing number of non-relevant (to barbeque) posts have been appearing lately, most appended to very old topics, pushing those topics to the top. This is making the forum much more difficult to enjoy than it already was. I think CS needs to make the "About This Site" banner at the front of the forum much more prominent.Read More...

I picked up one of the A-Maze-N pellet smokers thinking I would use it for cold smoking in my SM-045. I have the cold smoke baffle, but thought I would give this a try. The instructions say you can use saw dust or pellets. I didn't have either. I used some chips which are like course saw dust. I started the box outside of the SM-045. I could get it to produce smoke for more than 15 minutes at a time. I know that I have seen mention of using these things in the SM-025, and or the SM-045. What...Read More...

i have a 9 lb flat, very thick layer of fat,if i cut off some fat and cook fat side down and put cut fat on top, think it will help the drying problemRead More...

Up until now, all my ventures with smoking have been day events: cook, and sell off what you have. Now, I'm getting ready to start up a brick and mortar, and have a couple questions: Although I would absolutely prefer to serve daily prepared fresh out of the smoker, we all know that's pretty difficult. So, for back up, how do you re therm frozen product? Sous vide? Any other methods working for you out there? B&M will have around 40 seats plus take out. Have an SM260 and an FEC120. Menu...Read More...

Hello all. New smoker here that needs some advice. I have the sm45 and had a question about the best way to get a more even smoke? i soak my chunks for about an hour before use. Before my smoker even gets to the desired temp I see a billow of smoke coming out of the top vent. When I open the smoker the smoke is so strong. Sometimes the product is over powered with smoke. I never use more than 2 oz of wood. Any tips.Read More...

Used MrT's salmon brine recipe. Smoked for about 1 1/2 hours in the FEC with maple pellets at 200. Glazed with 2/3 maple syrup 1/3 bourbon, three coats about 10 minutes between coats. Outstanding. Thanks for looking...Read More...

Buddy of mine gave me a M050, needed a thermostat. Just got it in tonight, cleaned it up & ready to go. Firing it up tomorrow. Any pointers for a newbie? Doing a pork tenderloin for first smoke TIA....Read More...

Hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! I am always passing by the "Hillshire" type sausages in my Grocer's meat dept. as well as those Summer Sausage displays. Does anyone have a favorite recipe for the "store bought" type sausages available out there...i also love those Brats, and Polish sausages that are found in the Pork section. Keep in mind that I am not a sausage maker ,any sausage I buy is from the store or the butcher...(although I do have an LEM catalog on its way) as always I...Read More...

Have just used my FC-100 at a competition a couple weeks ago and it ran fine, tried to fire it up today and am getting Over Temp error message ,checked wires to terminal and all good? Ideas? TerryRead More...

Our Executive Chef wants to smoke several whole pigs. We have the cook shack SM 360. I’m not new to smoking meats and vegetables, but I’ve never done a whole pig. I have time to do several test runs. Does anyone have some helpful advice. I’ve been doing all the smoked meats and “other things” for the 5 venues at a casino for at least 15 years. The SM 360 is new to me and I’m still trying to fine a sweet spot with the amount of wood, smoke time and cook time.Read More...

I have a Smokette Original Model smoker and it seems that the cooking times listed are way, way too long for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If I smoked for 1.5 hours on 250, the chicken is really dry. Is my smoker running hot? I've started cooking them for 45 minutes, removing them, and putting them in a bowl and covering them to increase the residual heat and cooking time. Should I just go off meat temp rather than cooking time? How can I tell if my smoker is too hot? Would my electric...Read More...

I had a great success tonight, for the first time smoking chicken breast. I brined 4 large whole breasts in a very simple solution (4 cups water, 30g salt, 30g brown sugar) for 1-1/2 hours, rinsed and patted dry. I had some cajun spice mix left over from the last time I made dirty rice which I applied liberally. Smoked at 225F until thickest part of breast was 165F using one small chunk of apple wood. The chicken came out amazing. The thickest part was incredibly juice, the thinnest part not...Read More...

Hi All, I've a "new to me" FEC100 coming and the wheels have rotted off. The casters still look fine so, I'd just need the wheels and (maybe) the bolt that goes through them. Has anybody replaced their and have a part number they could share (other than the complete cookshack caster)? Thanks Patrick PS: The forum format has changed since I was last on and now appears really clunky. Is there a setting I messed up? What happened?Read More...

Have an SM160. One if the wheels came apart. Looked at a replacement wheel from Cookshack they want $40 for one 3" wheel delivered. Went looking for one at Menards. Had to buy four 4" wheels because the mounting brackets are too small on the 3". Must be a custom part for cookshack. So I replaced all 4 wheels for less than the cost of 1.Read More...

Have an SM160. One if the wheels came apart. Looked at a replacement wheel from Cookshack they want $40 for one 3" wheel delivered. Went looking for one at Menards. Had to buy four 4" wheels because the mounting brackets are too small on the 3". Must be a custom part for cookshack. So I replaced all 4 wheels for less than the cost of 1.Read More...

Of course price is an issue, as with anything. I was trying to decide between the Smokette Original Model SM009-2 Electric Smoker or the Smokette Elite Model SM025 Electric Smoker . The 14 X 14 size on the original would be a problem. because I cook a lot of ribs and don't like to cut the rack. Any tips about buying one of these would be welcome. Any incite would be great. ThanksRead More...

What is the wattage of the heating unit in the SM066 AMERIQUE Smoker Thanks in advanceRead More...

I have acquired some authentic Scottish peat, discovered some Scottish roots and given my undying love for Laphroaig and Lagavulin, there is a higher calling here to smoke with peat. I am asking if anyone has any experience smoking with peat. What I have are basically charcoal brickettes of varying sizes. I would like to know if anyone has smoked anything with peat and how it turned out. I've just made about 10 pounds of homemade veal sausage and intend to experiment smoking it with peat,...Read More...

I have an FEC 100 Runs awesome But I've had a few bags of pellets lately that have been smaller and had a couple of over runs of the auger and kills the fire. anyone else ? these were a brand i have been using for years LJ New bags i just got are larger so ill load up here soon..spRead More...

Anyone had problems with a weak LCD Screen on your FEC? I spoke with Bill and he advised me to turn the pot that controls the brightness but it was already at its highest point from the factory. I cannot see the screen anymore to set times and temps making it useless till I can find a replacement LCD or as Bill advised replace the board for $1700.00+. Anyone know the part number of the LCD? I am sure it is a $2.00 part if I can find the number. Thanks for any assistance you can give.Read More...

Do I have a problem? Smoker is outside in Texas heat, but if I go to adjust, the setting that I put it on displays (225). My probe temp has actually gone down 5 degrees after 12 hours of smoking a 9 lb brisket. Any advice?Read More...

My PZ400 pizza ovens door weights needed attention. The door weights are made to counterweight the pizza door for opening and closing, but also to stop the door from over opening and stressing out the two hinges. If the weights do not bottom out on the inside of the door frame soon enough when you open the door, the door will over open and than put the hinges in a bind stressing them out. The weights and brackets were way off, so I shortened them up and set the proper angles. Than I re tig...Read More...

I just bought a PZ400. I am finally getting ready to do some pizzas. Just was wondering if anyone else has tried cooking anything else with it and had success!Read More...

Tune in tonight for the new season, 8PM Central time on Destination America and watch David from Butcher BBQ hopefully take down the competition.Read More...