I'm an utter newbie to Cookshack's products and forums but have been around smoke and competitive Q circles for over a decade.
I've heard things about Cookshack and after a very long time researching and reading these forums, I decided I was going to add a Cookshack to my smoke arsenal.
I took advantage of the Father's Day sale and the additional promo sent by email and basically stole my 009 for a shamefully low price. I wanted the stainless because of its appearance and durability.
I've read other new owners experience disappointment when first seeing their new smokers. Personally, I was impressed by the obvious hand-made craftsmanship. The welding was obviously done by hand and done by someone who knows what they're doing. The casters and stainless framing for the box were solid and well-mated. No rattles or loose-fitting parts. And to top it all off, the entire shipment smelled like smoke. No factory solvents or scents.
I seasoned up the box for over 4 hours with some good hickory and pear and apple I keep in my dry bins. I was literally shocked at the amount of smoke generated by 2-ounce blocks and at the low heat which was maintained constantly. I used a Polder to gauge the temp, thinking the thermostat on the unit was probably not accurate. I discovered that it's more accurate than my eyes and hands: I noticed it running cooler than I had set the dial- I was shooting for 225 and saw about 218. Then I noticed that I had turned the dial just shy of the 225 mark. Dead-on right. They didn't seem to just slap a thermostat in there and toss a label on the outside. This machine was accurate.
So for my first Cookshack product, I used an old Paul Kirk baby back recipe. I was very apprehensive about sleeping in until 6am, being used to getting up at 3am and priming my wood-fired smoke rig for a while before putting on the goodies. So I said "what the hell" and took the ribs right out of the fridge (overnight with rub); loaded them cold on the racks and loaded the smokebox with hickory and apple; plugged it in at 225 and let it go.
For the rest of the day, I ignored it. This is a VERY hard habit to break. No matter how tough a Smokeman you think you are, you need to tend your fire, work your dampers, check your temps and maintain those waterpans. I just pretended I did this each time I leaned over and inhaled that insane smoke wafting up from my new box.
I did some mopping after the first 5 hours and every 2 after that until I had them where I like after about 10 hours.
The results? Indescribable. I do good ribs. I win with my ribs. I have never done ribs this good. My family was blown away and I was just amazed. I practice the Art of Q diligently and have never accepted that there's a "best," only ways to get "better." Some of it was the Baron's rub recipe- that's why he's the Baron. We know this. Some of it is the choice of ribs: I got them from a local, "old-timey" style butcher.
But I'm here to tell you these ribs were as good as they were because of this Cookshack Smokette. I'm not a paid endorser of Cookshack and don't know anyone who works there. I was just that damn impressed by what came out of this little, silver box. It was narcotic and I wanted to share it with you folks.
I like the 009's size which while a small-footprint utilizes cooking surface very efficiently. The insulated quality of the machine keeps the internal temps very even throughout and the exterior is cool to the touch (the top does get warm but that's a good place to keep your mop).
The forum suggestions about lining the bottom with foil- especially the woodbox- are essential. There is quite a bit of runoff, as you'd expect, and you need to keep the box and the heating element spotless.
Other than that, a quick wipe of the inside to remove loose sediments off the walls is all you want to do.
I don't sell my Q and only make enough for friends and family. The 009 is just the right size to do that as well as compete in most competitions which sanction electrics.
I've even followed on of the suggestions in the "Show us your setup" thread on one of these forums for how to convert a small garden tool shed into a Cookshack setup.
So, my thanks to the people at Cookshack (great customer service) and many folks on this forum for great suggestions and advice.
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