Electric Smokers?

Jim

The quick answer is YES. CS electric is the best lazy'Q. Tastes just as good without losing all the sleep. Go for it!!! Plus, read through several pages of the forum.... the people here are great and the CS customer service is the best anywhere.

Yes you can! No doubt. If you are used to a stick burner or water smoker the only thing you will (somewhat) loose is the smoke ring. That problem can be solved by adding a couple briquetts of Kingsford.

Do a search on electric smokers. There has been plenty of discussion here.

And finally, take it from a SmokinTex owner and a former ECB user (I see in your profile that you are leaning toward the ST), if you do decide to go electric, go Cookshack! Made in the good ol' US of A and has Customer Service second to none!

PS Don't go electric unless you want to get totally bored or have a fetish for tending fires and if you don't want more sleep at night, stick with the fire-powered smokers! All in good fun.

Good luck whichever way you go and "Welcome to the Forum!

Wow, I can't believe the quick response. I can see why this forum has such a good reputation.

The reason I'm leaning torward the ST is my wallet. For years I been doing multiple smokes.
The other week I had to do 3 smokes in my Smoke'N Pit to cook up 4 12~14 lb briskets and 6 racks of pork ribs. I need something cheap and big.

I suprized about Wheelz coment about the smoke ring. I thought that was from the slow smoke.
Would a couple of chucks of natural hardwood do the trick?

Thanks for responding so fast.

Hi Jim, welcome to the forum.

A chunk or 2 of well seasoned and dried natural hardwood is for smoke flavoring purposes only in the CookShack electric smokers. The heating element does all the cooking. Maybe I misunderstood your post.

Is something trivial and for appearance purposes only such as a smokering that does not contribute to taste very important to you?

Jim -- A couple of chunks of wood about the size of a golf ball is all it takes to smoke a load of meat in these smokers. Much different from a stick burner.

SmokinOkie can explain it better than me but... there are not enough nitrates/nitrites in that small amount of wood to give a smoke ring. Adding briquetts gives off just enough of them to produce a smoke ring.

Hope that helps. Keep firing the questions. People here love to help!

Ok, now that I have experienced this forum and thinking more about what I really need maybe I could be swayed to go CS55 instead of ST1525.

It seems like I would be getting extra sleep going with an electric smoker so maybe the size isn't as much of an issue.

I haven't seen either of these smokers in person. If there that much of a difference between the two?

If I go CS who get the commission

Well,if you smoke year round in your area with that S n P,you are a real man.

The amount of fuel it takes for windy,cold,rain to hold temps in it,you'd pay for the CS in the first month of winter.

I'd be afraid a Cookshack would bore you to death.

Tom,

I'm looking forward to being bored. I have smoked through a few Nor'Easters through the years. At times I had to wheel the hot smoker into the garage and jury rig a smokestack going out the garage door, with a tarp going over the garage door to keep the smoke out of the garage. I used a metal trash can under the fire box. So far I haven't burned down my house.

I see the rack size on the CS55 is only 14"x14"
I read the online manual and it says to keep the meat 1" from all sides. Can a whole 12~14 brisket fit on a rack? How about a whole rack of spareribs? The ST1525 racks 18"x18".

Don't worry about touching the sides.

The brisket will shrink away,as it cooks.

CS is not wanting you to occlude all the air flow around the edges.

You can turn the point up or down and set the packer diagonally.

As to ribs,some of the folks use CS ribhooks and hang them in the 55.

As to flat,that will depend on the size slab.

Some folks halve the slabs for greater load of meat.

quote:

Originally posted by jimfromweymouth:
I see the rack size on the CS55 is only 14"x14"
I read the online manual and it says to keep the meat 1" from all sides.

Jim -- You'll be surprised what a 14"x14" grate will hold. I have done 5-6 6# butts in my ST (same size as the 008/009 and never had a problem. I usually fo flats when it comes to brisket but have done one whole 12 pounder without issues.

Tom is correct about not being concerned with touching the sides. As long as the air can flow from bottom to top you're ok.

One thing no one has mentioned is that these units are insulated to the hilt (to 1500˚)! Your Boston weather and the worst nor'easter can blow thru and the CS just keeps chugging along. It won't effect your cook times at all. Talk about boring! LOL

You might also want to check out MainelyDave's website. Scroll down toward the botton and read about his "Sub zero pork picnic shoulder" experience.

PS -- Kind of interesting that this 1000th post is from a ST user pointing a stick-burner toward a Cookshack

Call the toll free number at Cookshack and see where the nearest dealer is. This way you can see one in person. Also do a member search by state and we may have a member near you that will gladly show you their Cookshack. Good luck on your decision.

Knew there were pics of hanging ribs somewhere colse by. These seem to be in an old ST but still gives you an idea of what you can do in an 008/009. The 50 & 55 will definitely give you more space!

Jim, welcome to the forum. I posted some pictures of 6 full racks of ribs I did in my CS 50. I don't have a clue how to link to the topic but it was in the open forum, topic: "Full Racks in a 50", Aug 25, 2006. I got the smoke ring by adding some of the charcoal left over from previous smokes.

I bought the CS 50 instead of the 55. They are identical except for the 55 has SS sides and its a bit more pricy. I am extremely happy with my 50!

zonen - Here's Here's your pics.

Tom - Thanks for the info.

zonen - Great pics, they look close to what I do with sticks.

Wheelz - Thanks for letting me see the pics.
I did a search smoke ring and saw the nitrate stuff you referred to.

It looks like I'm back to my orignal dilemma for quantity smokes verses a product with the best reputation. My SnP cooks the same amount as the CS which I was trying to increase. My dream was the Lang 84 but with a wife and 2 kids in college I know that's not going to happen.

Thanks to everyone for all of your input.
I'll let you all know what I end up getting.

I have been telling my wife for years that size doesn't matter I ordered the CS 55 this afternoon. If this does everything I think it does I'll be doing a lot more small smokes that I did with my SnP.

All of you were very convincing.
Thanks for all of your help.

Jim

Jim,

Now that you've placed your order, keep this in mind.

You can't ever tell anyone how much easier it is to use a CS than a stick burner. Like for a month or two you will need to roll over from your sleep to check to see what internal temperature your meat is running. Provided you get a remote control temperature probe. If you don't have a remote thermometer you might find yourself sleep walking to the smoker, just out of habit.

I understand this passes in a few months, but do not become overly anxious over all the wood you will be saving on all the sleep you will be getting. The Q will quickly ease your anxiety.

Amen to that!

My fiance was just saying the other day, "this is the best investment we have ever made."

Sounds like you've got a keeper Tony!

Congrats on your purchase Jim. You'll not soon regret it!

This wait is killing me. I keep checking my email multiple times a day for the it's been shipped notifcation.

Do any of you guys/gals have tips on seasoning the smoker. The manaul shows a minimum of 4 hours. Would seasoning overnight have any benifit? From what I have read on the forum I plan on using some lump charcoal for the smokering I love. Should I season it with charcoal along with the 6 oz of wood?

Jim -- I don't see where seasoning over night would help any yet don't think it would hurt. I guess you might get a creosote build up which could cause a bitter taste. Someone else may chime in on that subject.

Four oz of wood is penty for seasoning.

"Pure lump" (pre-burned wood) won't help any with the smoke ring (SR) as all of the (well, most) nitrates/nitrites have been burned out of it.

Use Kingsford briquettes, and NOT the pre-soaked in lighter fluid, easy start stuff (unless you like the taste of lighter fluid basting your meat).

Make sure to read Lessons for new users and SmokinOkies 101's, hidden somewhere on the forum.

Good luck & let us knw when your new toy arriver!

Wheelz

You're starting to scare me Use a Kingsford briquette over lump. In my entire smoking life I have been dissing everone who used briquettes over lump. I suppose as a hopefully X stick burner I must change my ways Thanks again for all of your input. You must be on the CS payroll

Don't forget the large hunk of fatty pork for seasoning after the initial wood seasoning. You can use more wood then.

Hey Jim -- I may scare a lot of people, LOL. Once ya get a smokin, do a test - one smoke with pure lump charcoal and another with Kingsford and compare smoke rings.

On the CS payroll...? LOL Shhhhhh... I own a SmokinTex. Didn't know about the CS until after my purchase. If I had it to do over again it would be Cookshack, hands down!

quote:

Hey Jim -- I may scare a lot of people, LOL. Once ya get a smokin, do a test - one smoke with pure lump charcoal and another with Kingsford and compare smoke rings.

Jim, there's no reason for you to run that test. I already ran it for you. When I got my Smokette I started using lump to create a ring and got nothing. Posted that here on the forum and friend Wheelz said to use two lumps of Kingsford. Well son, ol' Wheelz knows his stuff. I got a real nice ring with that Kingsford. Oh, by the way, Wheelz really doesn't work for Cookshack. He works for Kingsford.

quote:

Originally posted by TaktEZ:
Oh, by the way, Wheelz really doesn't work for Cookshack. He works for Kingsford.

LOL TaktEZ -- Let's see, two lumps per smoke times about a dozen who do the Kingsford trick times one smoke per week and 52 weeks a year = 1,248 briquettes per year; thinking 60 per bag = 20.8 bags per year...? Hmmm! I think I just got fired! Cool!! More time to BBQ! Woo Hoo!!!

Oh mercy me! I love it! Top shelf!

Today I was getting ready to cancel my order and go with the ST. I didn't hear anything since I placed my order. I sent an email to Karen today and didn't get a response. When I called I found out she was out of the office setting up for a show. A few hours later my wife called me at work too tell me my new toy was sitting in the driveway I'm lucky I didn't kill myself getting in up the 13 stairs onto the deck by myself.

I'm in the process of seasoning it now. I'm very happy with the look and feel of it. My initial concern was the CS55 was small. It looks like it can hold a good amount of meat and it doesn't take up much deck space.

Looks like I'm off to the butcher tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a whole brisket and pork butt to get tasty fat going.

Let the fun begin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Jim!

My first smoke was a success. I smoked 2 pork butts (15lbs) for 15 hours. I went light on the wood and will increase it next time. I brought it into work and everyone agreed it was up to par with what I have smoked with sticks maybe a little moister. The missing smokering was the only obvious difference. I will be picking up some Kingsford as per Wheelz suggestion. Thanks Wheelz

I have heard that you should not add any more wood once the smoke starts. My question is once I removed the first batch of food, and add a new batch without cleaning the smoker is that considered a new smoke and I can add more wood?

From my 1 smoke I know I will be keeping my CS and retiring my SnP. I should have looked into this years ago.

quote:

I have heard that you should not add any more wood once the smoke starts. My question is once I removed the first batch of food, and add a new batch without cleaning the smoker is that considered a new smoke and I can add more wood?

The short answer is yes. On long smokes with butts or brisket I have added extra wood 1/2 way through. That adds some time to your smoke from the door being opened. (I like extra smoke flavor- it's very subjective and YMMV)

Yes you CAN add more wood. Some people will do it for longer cooks or because they REALLY like to add lots of smoke. Problem is the wood box will be very, very hot.

You can add wood anytime you want.

The main reason people don't recommend it is you will extend your cooking time because you're opening the door up and letting all the heat out.

if you're a lookin' you're not cookin'

Jim,
I'm not far from you, Methuen, so we live in the the same area.

Trust me when I tell you that you'll really be glad you went with the Cookshack come this winter.

I've had my Smokette for over 3 years now, and love the fact that I can have BBQ even in the dead of winter, without having to babysit the smoker.

You won't regret your choice..

Hey, I thought you guys told me I would be getting more sleep. I smoked 4 oven stuffer roaters last night approx 28 pounds. It took me 12 hours I thought it was going to be closer to 6. My remote thermometer has been acting up and I saw the meat stall for about 4 hours.

I just got back from a day of drowning worms and put on 4 racks of spare ribs (20lbs) hopefully they will be done by midnight. In the morning I have another 15 lbs of chicken to put on.

Thanks for the info on adding wood during a smoke. I'm still trying to go light. It's nice to know I can add more. I need to ease my way to a heaver smoke. It's been years since I've over smoked my Q.

Last night I was living that saying it's done when it's done.

Wheelz - If you're ever in Boston let me know. I owe you a couple of beers. I used the Kingsford last night and got a beautiful smoke ring on my ribs. Thank you