Smokette vs Model 50

Cookshack is very conservative in their estimates ,as to volume cooked.

Better to give the customer a pleasant surprise.

They have suggested they might increase the loads to more what we actually see here on the forum.

A few years ago,folks used to recommend getting the two smokettes.

You can cook different products,at different times,for different time lengths,at different temps.

Folks here will explain how to cook up to 30 lbs of heavy meats overnight,several slabs of ribs in the morning/afternoon and 30 pieces of chicken-right before serving.

You can usually sneak some sausage in for snacks.

If I were to buy only one,I'd buy the 50.

An increased single volume and it will suit you for many years.

As to hanging ribs,a few folks on here do.

I don't and have never personally seen folks that repeat hanging to cook.

Most folks seem to lay them flat.

Some can sneak a little more volume by using weber racks,etc.

Maybe some 50 owners will chime in.

Hope this helps a little.

smoke ring,

I've had my 08 for a year now and love it . I cook mostly for 2 and pretty much fill it up each time I use it, so there's always a lot in the freezer for quick meals. I just smoke one type of food at a time - haven't tried mixed cooks yet.

Cookshack recently came out with 5 slot side rails for the Smokette which greatly increases the capacity for smaller foods. I talked to Karen Lundsford last weekend at the Fiery Foods Show here and she said there is enough space between the 5 racks for ribs so I'm ordering them and two extra grills.

Maybe someone who has this 5 rack set up will give you more info on how well these work.

Mudgie

My friends that have the 008's once they see my 55 wish they had the bigger one. I generally smoke once a week, jam that baby full of meat, close the door and pull the pin on a beer grenade for the day. Sunday's were made for smoke so I will have anywhere from 5 to 20 people over. When I open the door for the final time and they see, ribs, brisket, yard pimp, and hog all smoked and ready to eat I am a hero!

Mudgie, I am NO expert. BUT, I would have bought the 50. I went with the 09 simply because of the freight issue. USPS has a 70# limit and I live in Italy. However, there is something to be said for the more than one small equip. it does offer more versatility.
David A.

I have the 5 rack set up in the cs 08 I love it. I can cook all the ribs I want, and then some. When I cook butts I usally only cook two, I only cook for about 6 to 10 people as a rule. NO one goes home hungry. I am not sure what you are cooking or how many your cooking for. just my .02 worth

I have the 5 rack setup in my 008 and LOVE it. In fact, I put the 3 rack setup up and away and havent used it since the 5 slot rack showed up. yes, Yyou can get ribs between the racks as long as they arent curved a LOT or exra meaty. Where I really use this is when making jerky. Using jerky screens, I can get 10 of them in there in a pinch... more if I use wooden blocks.

Bob

Well, I usually only cook for 2 but went with the model 50. Cost was not an issue (for me) and I just like having more room. I don't like having to fiddle around to cram things in. I have done ribs hanging but I like to foil them for an hour or two so I guess this somewhat deters from the convienience of hanging. I seem to be getting faster cook times than 008 owners (like for brisket) which I attribute perhaps to the increased wattage and quicker recovery times?

It would be helpful if you can tell me how much you guys & gals are loading in your 08 and 50 models. Can you fit more than 20# of ribs in the 50? How about a mixed load of ribs and butts/briskets.

Thanks Again Craig

I get 2-3 full racks of ribs, A couple butts and or picinic hams, A large chicken and Beans at a time in my 55.

Smoke Ring,

I had the same problem when I bought my CS55. We have eight to ten people over for BBQ and everyone brings something. I don't believe I could have smoked enough meat at one time to feed us all if I had bought the 008.

I smoke six full spareribs at a time hung on hooks. Keep in mind the spareribs is much larger than St. Louis ribs and I believe I could have forced a seventh sparerib in with no trouble.

I smoke nine 2 lb mullet at a time in the 55 and have smoked two pork shoulders at a time. The larger size gives you more options and I am looking forward to the new Cookshack Residential even larger model that will be out soon - I hope.

smokemullet

I have the 008 and after the initial shock at it's size, or lack thereof, I have grown to love it. It's all about how you really cook, not how you think you cook.

I have had 4 butts in my smoker at one time, about 40# worth. It was full. Totally full. But it is rare when I need to cook that much. A normal cook for me would be 1 butt and several racks of ribs, which the 008 can do easily. Or 1 butt and a brisket, also easily handled by the 008. I cook ribs laying on edge BTW, so really I think I could get maybe 8 racks on one shelf if I tried.

Think in terms of how much you might need to cook to serve a party for 25 on a Sunday afternoon. Here's an idea:
***Starting Saturday night @ 10:00, put 2-10# butts in cooker at 225*. Pull cooked butts at 190* @ 9:00am Sunday. Foil and cooler.
***Put in 9 full racks of ribs(3 cryo paks from BJ's) at 9:15am. Pull them out at 12:30pm, foil and cooler.

You could stop there and start to eat, but you could also:
***Put in 60 wings(more if you have 5 racks) to smoke for about 1 hour, or 6 chickens cut in half for about 2.5hrs. If you do the whole chickens, you'll be pushing the time I would want to hold the butts/ribs just in the cooler, but you could hold them in a low oven while the bird cooks.

Worst case is that you sit down to eat at 3:00ish with 27-1/3racks of ribs, 24 chicken quarters, and about 12lbs of pulled pork. That's a pile of food for 25 people!, and it all came out of an 008. Assuming you did beans, potato salad, and slaw in house, you actually just cooked enough for about 50 normal people. Or me and about 10 of my friends.

It's all about planning. And even in the above scenario, you haven't been standing around tending the cooker.

The only cavaet I can offer is that I have not had ANY problems with long cook times in my 008. I've had no thermostat problems, heat problems, or any other kind of problems with my 008. Butts are dead on reliable to cook at about 1hr/per lb. or maybe even a bit less. I never open the door though, and I stick now to one meat supplier that is very consistent in product. I have seen variations with other butt suppliers that added as much as 20min per pound, so watch your meat.

Todd, that is more than I thought I could get out of a 08. It looks like with a little planning I can probably get by with the 08 for those occasions when I have to cook for a crowd and the new 5 rack kit may take care of the jerky and salmon. Its now hard for me to justify getting the model 50. The 50 may save me from having to start the night before. Is that worth $400???

Thanks to all Craig

Todd did a great job of explaining cook planning.

If you are cooking butts/shoulder/picnics or packer briskets,you will probably find yourself cooking at night in most cookers.

If you stick with the rest of the foods,you can cook all the day of.

Of course a grill would accomplish that.

Todd great explaination!

I purchased the 55 and don't regret it. If cost is not an issue I would reccomend it. Nice to have the extra room when you want to smoke some beans along with hanging ribs or a couple of butts. I am not as coordinated as Todd, he seems to really know his stuff. So I need the extra room. I have done 4 butts at a time with excellent results. The stainless steel is nice in our climate where we get a lot of rain in the summer and fall. Roger

Size is good, so if cost is not a concern go with the bigger 50, but for me the 008 has done a very good job. I may add a second unit since I've been doing some on-site catering. Smokette's are a good size to transport. Having the food that needs to be cooked prepped and ready to go when it needs to be ready is the most important part.

I suggest these accessories to maximize efficiency:
*Big roll of HD aluminium foil
*Some type of work area near smoker, ie, table, wheeled cart, etc
*Rubber insulated gloves to pick up butts
*A good supply of half sheet pans(maybe 6) to hold prepped items-if you don't know what these are, just ask for them at any restaurant supply house. Should be no more than $5-6 each.
*A supply of disposable foil pans. I use hotel size foil trays from BJ's. These are nice to put cooked things in for coolering or to serve from. Then just throw away when finished.
*Lastly, I use chrome letter organizers from Office Depot as rib racks. They are about 3" tall, and will hold 6-8 racks of baby backs on edge for good smoke coverage. Best thing is they cost about $5 when on sale. You can bend them slightly to help accomodate taller racks of ribs too if needed.

I like the letter holder idea but cannot find chrome holders at my local Home Depot, just Pewter and plastic.

Hey LJ.. I believe Todd said OFFICE Depot.. check it out. I went to my local ACE hardware and found a nice rib rack for about $11-12 that collapses. It works fine but I think I'll check out Office Depot for Todd's suggestion. I also have one that I bought for my Weber, but it is too long to fit into the 008... geez, wish that puppy was just s scosch larger..

Hi Smokenque.

I said Home Depot but meant Office Depot, I do that all the time.

Looks like a somewhat larger home smoker is on the way, maybe gussied up with electronic controls. In a perfect world it will sense a predetermined internal temp and reduce to a holding temp accordingly.

John