A taste of things to come!

[BurleyQue]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my little hissy-fit.

I've met Steve, and he seems like a really good guy, and I love my Smokin-It.

I guess I just get a little defensive of Cookshack because if I had to stick to the ones I had before I got my CS (charcoal,gas, wood, even a Brinkman electric), I probably would have given up by now.

I still have many fond memories of my Cookshack (which is now still turning out great Q "on long term loan" at a friend's house, who uses it every weekend).

I actually think the electrics are superior to the Fast Eddy pellet smokers, except for the fact that competitions won't accept Q cooked on electrics.

Why?

I'm convinced it's because they know we'd have a big advantage turning out better Que over all the good ol boys with their big rigs.

I don't care what the heat source is.

All I care about is how it tastes.

I had a long-time BBQ competitor -- the kind that has a hitch on his smoker -- over one day for some ribs from my Cookshack, and his comment (not to me, but whispered to someone else) was that they were better than any he'd every turned out.

So rather than competing with each other, we should all be evangelists for Cookshack and Smokin-It and even SmokinTex,  cause they all turn out better Q more reliably and with less work.

No offense intended and no offense taken.

[UWFSAE]

Burley,

After my offset smoker was sent to the great outdoor kitchen in the sky by Hurricane Ike, I debated for several years what type of smoker to get and electric kept bringing me back since I thought it would be ideal for building into a permanent outdoor kitchen.  I looked at the Viking built-in smoker and wasn't impressed and, to be honest, I kept revisiting the Cookshack page and was seriously leaning towards the Amerique.  SmokinTex was a serious contender but then I found the Smokin-It and after a few months of soul searching pulled the trigger on the #3.

I respect any smoker and any smoking equipment so long as the product as good ... that being said, I think many of us will engage in a bit of good natured "my dad can beat up your dad" trash talk when it comes to our Smokin-Its.  We spend a lot of time with this hobby (and a lot of money) so I think a little pride isn't a bad thing.

Glad you posted this and I look forward to seeing more posts from you!

[DivotMaker]

Well-said, Burley and Joe.  It's all about results, and everyone's right.  I took a pork loin for sammiches to work today, and it got rave reviews!  Someone said "Better than Rib Crib!"  When I told them it was smoked on a Smokin-It electric, they were amazed.  Everyone said I must have been a competition smoker!  Hehe...our little secret is out; we can turn out Q every bit as good as anyone out there!

Joe said it best - a little pride isn't bad, and a little trash talk all in fun!

Thanks for taking the time to "clear the air," and we sure look forward to hearing more from you!  Welcome to the family!

[scotsys]

Thank heavens we have more  than one manufacturer to choose from, else most of us would still be rubbing two sticks together to make fire. But COST ALWAYS WINS THE TECHNOLOGY RACE. IBM learned the hard way, so did the American automobile industry, especially Packard which was the last hand-built car manufactured in America.

There is always a larger gap between the top, two leaders than there is between any of the manufacturers occupying the 2nd through the last positions. The end-user gets the benefit. It's nice to be Number One, but it's the most dangerous place to be.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.

[Rob Babcock]

Wow!  I thought my #3 was big.  There went my braggin rights!

Hahaha!   Just kidding.  Looks like an awesome smoker.  Since I have the #3 and a Traeger I don't need the #4 but it looks pretty sweet.

[DivotMaker]

You know this is killing me, being the owner of a #1!  I love my little beast, but I've been accused of being one of the "the best is barely good enough" kind of guys.  I can't even imagine a situation where I would fill a #4, but I would love to have that kind of Q-heaven real estate....just in case!

Seriously, though, I will eventually pull the trigger on a #3.  The #1 is a great little unit, but I find very limited by the size.  The #3 is plenty big for the vast majority of us out here.  The #4 lives only in the realm of BBQ dreams for most of us! 

[MNGuy1959]

I agree Smke..  Cookshack should be very worried.  Steve has a great price on this beast.  Makes my #2 seem like a baby smoker.  It may have to be my next smoker .... Just need to budget. 

[Joe Rinaldi]

That is impressive!!  I especially like the M shaped element.  Will this have the capacity for higher temperatures in the 300 to 325/350 range for "crisping up skin on critters"?

Has anyone tried the 325/350 range for finishing chickens to crisp the skin?  Perhaps set the temp probe to 150 and then bump the cooker to 325 to get IT to 165.  Thanks,

[Texan in Tulsa]

That is impressive!!  I especially like the M shaped element.  Will this have the capacity for higher temperatures in the 300 to 325/350 range for "crisping up skin on critters"?

Has anyone tried the 325/350 range for finishing chickens to crisp the skin?  Perhaps set the temp probe to 150 and then bump the cooker to 325 to get IT to 165.  Thanks,

Joe the "D" models can reach temps of 375. Like you I'm curious as to whether that's hot enough to make the skin crispy. Others on the forum have recommended throwing the chicken into a 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Sounds like mixed results with that technique as well.

[NDKoze]

I put them under my broiler for 5-8 minutes or so. Works all the time.

[Walt]

I believe Brian, aka Pork Belly, originally posted this technique. I use it when doing chicken.  I prepare the smoker including wood & set to 350. Let it get up to 200+, about 20 minutes on my #2, then quickly put the chicken in. I run the James Jerky Drier as soon as I put the chicken in until I remove the bird. As soon as I put it in, the temp drops to 165 but eventually the temp rises to a steady 330. I have an older #2 with the smaller element (i think). The newer #2s can probably reach a higher steady temp. The pictures are a boneless, jambalaya stuffed, whole chicken from a small joint in Iowa, Louisiana called Rabideauxs. The skin is fully rendered however it is not completely crisp but pleasant none the less. It took 3 hours & I used about 2 oz of cherry with this one.
Sometimes I remove the skin after the smoke & render down on a pizza stone in the oven. Great crispy/salty/smokey addition to a salad.