Which smoker to buy?!

Hey Bob,

I had a brinkman electric water smoker. If your looking to smoke without the hassle,the brinkman is NOT the way to go. Not only will you still have hassle, but you won't be overly impressed with the product that comes out of it. It was one too many dried out briskets that led me to the point where you are, researching alternatives. I bought my cookshack smokette about 3 months ago, and I can't say enough good things about it! So far I've used it for pork butt, brisket, baby back ribs, turkey and baked beans. With each cook it gets better and better and easier and easier. Its as close to fool proof as bar-b-q can get. As long as you keep an eye on the internal temp of your foods with a decent thermometer (Polder-type) you just can't miss. I rarely even open the door to check on the food when I cook.

I probably sound like I work for the company, but I'm just a New Jersey guy who loves the taste of smoked foods!! Trust me on this--get yourself a cookshack and get started cooking the best q you'll ever eat!!!

I've got experience with 2 of them and haven't heard much about the 3rd.

For CS's, just read the forum and you'll get a sense of what people say. And I don't delete the posts about the product being bad, poorly made, etc, there aren't any posts like that.

As for the Brinkman Electric. The biggest issue is heat loss. Because of the construction, the walls of the unit aren't insulated so you won't get much consistency there.

As for the bradley. Haven't heard much good or bad. About the only thing I've heard is how much wood it takes to cook (sounds like a lot) and you have to use their biscuits to produce the smoke. I've heard some mention they liked it for cold smoking.

Just keep asking around, hopefully someone with a Bradley can chime in on their experiences.

Smokin', Didn't contribute to this thread because we have no experience with either of the other two smokers the poster mentioned.

However, you opened up a very pertinent fact: That there is a forum here to discuss the pros (and cons) of CS cookers; And, that this forum is owned by CS, and is not censored.

That impressed the dickens out of us when we were considering our first CS; That, and the enthusiam of fellow CS owners.

If the other two cookers he mentioned have a forum, we'd advise him lurking there a bit, too.

However, he can search until he's blue in the face and he'll not find another pit manufacturer who cares more about their Customers (capital C on purpose) than does CS.

In short, they run their business exactly as we try to run ours: Please the Customer. Period.

Regards, Mike

Bob,
Welcome to about the friendliest forum that I have ever visited. I have never seen a flame here (all pun intended! ) and everybody is all out to help, newbies like myself to the most experienced, to the manufacturer and their reps. It's one of the most comfortable, helpful and fun groups I have found on the net.
I can't say too much about the other cookers, I can tell you that the Cookshack experience has been great for me. The equipment is easy to use and produces the best product that I have ever tasted. And it keeps getting better, the more I use the oven! I'd like to take credit for that improvement, but I think that it's just the oven breaking in and doing what it's supposed to do . . . only better! And I am living proof that it is almost idiot proof (see my post about drip pans and beginner mistakes in the Beginner Forum!)
If I have any advice, especially to someone who already owns a large unit . . . it's get the largest oven that your budget will allow. While Cookshack has a trade-in program (where in the industry have you seen that before?) I think you'll be happier with a bigger unit that will handle large crowds and still do a small load to perfection as well.
Good Luck!

A very grateful and humble THANK YOU to each of you who wrote such nice things about our company. (And we aren't even paying you!)

Donna Johnson
Cookshack, Inc.

and here is something else...

...Cookshack has a money back guarantee (don't you Donna? haven't heard of anyone sending one back since 2 years ago). If you don't like it, send it back. They want you happy (which you will be).

tell me what other manufacturers off that for their smokers?

We have a similar guarantee:

If at any time we ever become dissatisfied with your money, we will cheerfully refund it.

Goes right along with our slogan:

You can find better quality, but you'll never pay more.

Regards, Mike

I quit cooking on the big pit for two reasons ,son 18 months (the official mustard rubber)and a daughter 3 years old (the official spice shacker).
They like to help me cook ,and I don't have to worry about them getting burned on a fire box,and they are to easy too cook on.

I sold my brother on one just thursday he laughed when I originally bought mine, well he was going on a fishing trip and wanted me to cook a brisket for him, (the first one he has seen me prep start to finish ) 1 hr later it is on the pit, told him to get it off the pit in the morning and enjoy, went to bed and never saw the brisket again,the best brisket he has ever had extra pecan 6oz smoke,with mesquite 2oz.
You can use it with a timer to cook baked potatoEs I just put them in when I leave for work and set the timer to start cooking they are done when I get home.

There was one fact that was not brought up. You can smoke no matter what the out side temp is you can smoke away. I did ribs this last January when it was 10 degrees. I agree with all the posts on this subject. Don't wait buy noe. Check cabellas.com

Jimbo

Texasingfish-what kind and how heavy of a timer did you use? Did you get it like someplace we all have like a K-mart, Wal-Mart or the such?

I think it came from Lowes or Home Depot.It it the outdoor type that look like the landscape lighting timers.