New smoker

I'm also taking the plunge with a Smokette. I've been getting a smoke ring of knowledge from the fine folks here on the forum over the last few months, all the while keeping an eye on E-bay for a deal. Last week I found someone who was moving and had an "only used 6 times" smoker, and ended up with a winning bid of $300. I think what scared some people away was you had to go to Johnson City to pick it up from him - he would not ship it. I live in the middle of NC. It would be about $100 in gas and 8 hrs. driving to pick it up.

Fortunately I knew someone from work who drives there frequently (commuter marriage), and made arrangements so that he'll pick it up tomorrow. We haven't discussed any transportation fees, though I want to prepare some tasty meat for him. I'll let him choose between ribs, brisket, pork shoulder or chicken. I'm guessing the latter two will probably be easier for a newbie to make successfully.

Soon the fun will begin - now where did I put those wood chunks?

One of the most compelling reasons for my finally pulling the trigger on a Cookshack was the fact that you usually can't find one on eBay. IMHO, that was crystal clear evidence that the overwhelming majority of Cookshack owners are extremely pleased with their smokers and after seeing post upon post, in these forums, from people who own multiple Cookshacks; I knew that I wouldn't have any post purchase regrets.

quote:

Originally posted by Dodge1:
One of the most compelling reasons for my finally pulling the trigger on a Cookshack was the fact that you usually can't find one on eBay

Great point for the people trying to decide which smoker to buy. Go to eBay and put in a search for that smoker company and see what comes up.

Thanks for the feedback.

I agree good luck finding used ones that are not close to new pricing.

quote:

Originally posted by Dodge1:
I think I've got the basics pretty well covered but does anyone know of something I'm missing?

Missed this the first time.

Check out the link at the top of the Owners forum "New Owner? Have questions? Start Here" and in the Open Forum "Lessons for New Users"

My 09 arrived late last night and I immediately seasoned it for 5 hours, with the recommended container of water. Put an 11lb brisket in at 6:30 this morning and as of 3:29 the remote is registering 174 degrees. I'm going to pull it when it registers 188 degrees and then let it rest for 30 minutes before the taste test.

BTW, being my first smoke with a CS I found that the hardest part of this whole affair is to remember that taking a peek is strictly verboten.

Why 188? If your thermometer is spot on, great. But I'd still "poke it" with the probe to see how it feels, it should feel little resistance. If it's for slicing, it could still need a few more degrees.

I've smoked a couple of briskets on my Weber Performer and any temp between 185 and 195 resulted in outstandingly tender brisket.

I did the poke test at 188 degrees and the probe slide in without any resistance and the end result was a great brisket. Next time around I'll take it to 195 and compare the results.

BTW, thanks for the assistance.

i have been smoking for 3 years on a bullet smoker that finally rusted out. I researched all the available websites and finally made the decision to buy the Smokette 008. I had never had much success with brisket before using the 008, but my first try was perfect. This thing is foolproof and I LOVE being able to start it at night and have a perfectly cooked meal ready for dinner the next day. One question I have is why are the smokette's banned from competition cooking vs. the Fast Eddy's which are not. I understand that the FE is a pellet smoker, but other than that what's the difference?

The heat to cook with is from burning pure wood pellets in an FEC.

The smokette gets smoke/flavor from the wood chunks that the heat from the oven element burns and the electric element supplies the heat to cook the meat.

Hope this helps some