FE 100 smoke

Hey Kansas,

Thanks for joining, I see you're pretty active over at Pelletheads and appreciate you moving the post here.

quote:

Can you cook in such a way as there is little to no smoke flavor? I

I'd say that's what people normally get if they just turn it on, smoke and go. USUALLY the question is can you get more smoke, so I'm not sure if you're saying you want it lighter or that you hear it's a light smoke and want heavier

I wouldn't say you'll ever have someone saying they had oversmoked food in an FE.

MY theory?

People who have oversmoked food from other smokers (log burners) that have been running heavy on the smoke get used to that food that is oversmoked and when they get something cooked right with a good smoke they think it's not.

Key is technique and pellets.

Obviously the guys win on the circuit with it, so it's not a limiting factor.

But I would say, if people are used to OVERsmoked food, you might have a hard time replicating that in an FE. You'll be able to come close, but it's not the norm for an FE.

That help?

OK that is helping me to zero in. Some times when I cook I do so a bit hotter to avoid the smoke flavor. But there are definitely times that I would like more smoke. I realize that the FE would not smoke like a stick burner. I must say that my own preference is a little extra smoke. But now that I have tasted food that has not been over smoked I see the light. The question is would those that I cater for see the light and then be disappointed? At this point my research has narrowed down between the FE 100 and the pitmaker smoke vault.

How low of a temp can the Fe realistically hold. Can you do a solid 170? Solid 150?

I've only had mine a few months so keep the salt shaker handy
In my experience, if I had a very small load I had trouble keeping under 190°. However, with 3 or more large cuts of meat I can hold 160° no problem. We've had nothing but compliments on our catering jobs.
If your customers are used to food that makes them belch smoke after a couple of bites they will be disappointed. I don't think you or them will be disappointed with the food from the FEC.

The problem with holding lower temps in the IQ is the external temp and win.

The fire can go out if you get very very low.

What are you trying to smoke so low?

If it's just more smoke, go with a heavier wood (mesquite) and 180 for 3,4,5 or more hours, then bump the temp up.

The two stage works great in an IQ. Set you first temp at 180, set time for say 3 hours. When it goes to hold, have you hold temp at your cook temp, say 250. Works GREAT! All while you're sleeping.

I was just thinking out loud. I like the idea of it bumping up to a higher temp on it’s own. Is there a function that will drop the temp back down when the IT you want is hit? Can you use the FEC to hold the meat prior to serving? Kind of like a big heated cambro?

Naughty Nurse poses an interesting question. How much difference does it make in holding a temp when it is a small load or a large load?

The price of the unit is really making me want to know all I can before I pull the trigger. I bet I have read thousands of posts and still want to read more.

Yes there is an optional temp probe that drop temp back down when your meat is done.
Yes it works very well for hot holding. We served a large group and kept pans of meat hot in the FEC until we needed them on the serving line.
Some have not had a problem keeping low temps ie: 160ish, with small loads. I solved that by putting a half pan half full of water in for an extra heat sink. The only thing to watch for in a large load is air flow.
And as a little extra enticement, we've "baked" brownies, potatoes, and sheperd's pie in ours for different catering jobs.

KansasQ,

You where asking about using your FEC as a warming oven."this was a first for us" We had a catering job this past weekend for 300 and we did just that. This job required us to be on site. I sat my FEC at 150 and it was within 15 degrees of that for about 4 hours. But like smokin said we had to get the FEC out of the wind, and the outside temp was around 70. Good luck in your decision

CB

STP, am I correct that you did a catering job for 300 with your FEC 100? You can cook that much. Now I am really interested.

It is really no problem. I cooked 12 sholders 3ea per rack with an average weight 10 lbs each. Which gave me about 80 lbs of finished product. This is nothing I do for a living only for jobs that pay well. I have owned my FEC for almost 2 years and cook on it almost every weekend and never had any problems with it. I use to cook on a stick burner but The older I get the less atractive watching a fire all night gets. Set it and forget it. "pretty much". I am so sold on cookshack quality my next purchase is going to be a pellet grill as soon as funds are available. Oh ya we have cooked for as many as 700 but it took 2-loads and a good vacuum sealer
Take care
CB

Thanks for the info. I am still not to a point of having a good understanding of the quantity of smoke flavor. I have looked at so many different smokers and so many different brands my mind is mush. I will get a bigger smoker, I'm just not sure which one yet.

Call Cookshack and find out where a restaurant near you might be cooking with one of their pellet smokers. Go by for dinner and see for yourself.

KansasQ,

The only way to know if a FEC will cook like you want is to use one. Where are you at in Kansas? if you where not too far from SW Missouri I could let you take my FEC for a test drive for a week or so. Let me know.

CB

That is an incredibly generous offer STP. Unfortunately I am several hours away. There is a guy not too far from me that offered to let me kick his tires. It’s just a matter of finding time to get there.

I also like the idea of finding a BBQ joint that uses them. In fact I know of one place that uses a FEC750.

kansasQ, if I may...
a few weeks ago I attended a BBQ Comp class conducted by one of the top teams in the country...winner of last year's Jack Daniels. He cooked his class on a Jambo pit along with a Backwoods Smoker. Both of those rigs produced a subtle flavor of smoke without the overpowering flavor of stickburners, belching out Creosote. I found the smoke flavor to be very comparable to that of my FEC100. I was pleased as punch as I was at first concerned that my FEC wasn't laying down enough smoke flavor.

Push come to shove, the FEC's will provide enough smoke to make Comp judges happy. Sure, you can add in a few tricks and tweaks to boost smoke flavor but you'll produce great BBQ without them.

quote:

Originally posted by kansasQ:
...I also like the idea of finding a BBQ joint that uses them. In fact I know of one place that uses a FEC750.

You really can't compare the 750 to the 100. The 750 has three burners and puts out a lot more smoke. Since that's what you're wanting to check, it's not a real comparison.