Electric inferior smoke flavor to charcoal, gas, pellets?

[snakyjake]

Here have been some comments from Amazing Ribs (MeatHead & Greg) that I'm trying better understand.  The SIT produces blue smoke, why would it taste different than other heat systems that produce blue smoke too?  Is the smoke different?  What is the difference?  Is it because the smoke in the SIT is concentrated?  Absorbs differently?  The total duration of the smoke is less?

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/zen_of_wood.html

Cookers that get heat from logs, charcoal, gas, pellets, and electricity each produce noticeably different flavors because each fuel produces a unique combination of combustion byproducts.  [I presume the smoke color tells the combustion, hence flavor, so I don't understand this statement.]

Even if you put wood chips on an electric coil, the flavor of the smoke is vastly different, and to many tasters, inferior for most foods because it lacks the complexity that the combustion gases from wood or charcoal produce. [Apparently something to do with the temperature the wood burns at.  But again, doesn't the smoke color tell us the flavor?  Meaning that if both heat systems produce blue smoke, it is the same smoke flavor?]

Thanks.

 

[SconnieQ]

I recognize several quotes in your post directly from the amazingribs site. As I mentioned in another thread, that site is pretty biased against electric smokers. Sounds to me like you are thinking seriously about an SI? I was almost brainwashed by that site into not buying an electric smoker. That would have been a terrible, terrible mistake. I couldn't be happier with my SI. Burning wood is not an exact science, no matter what your heat source is. Wood is an organic product, and all sorts of factors can be going on to affect smoke color and flavor, like wood species, moisture content, density, bark, oxygen, and source. If you buy quality wood from a reliable source, you are going to have a chance of some consistency. I personally don't believe that smoke color directly translates to flavor. There are a lot of other factors at work there too to affect flavor. You just need to smoke something and come up with your own conclusions...and does your family think it's awesome. Don't try to overanalyze it, or you will make yourself nuts. If you get yourself an SI, you can leave all of that overanalyzing behind, and just let it do it's thing. The more I use mine, the less I think about that stuff (and I used to study it religiously). Now I just pop in the wood, pop in the meat, and go think about some other things.

 

[BedouinBob]

Well said Kari. I believe smoking wood is pretty much smoking wood. I personally can't tell the difference in flavor.

 

[dibiase]

I used a charcoal kettle smoker for years and I switched to the SI 3D a few months ago. The food in the electric taste just as good if not better to me than the charcoal smoker.  I also find myself smoking a lot more frequently because it is so much easier.  If fact I'm starting my brisket at 11 PM tonight before I go to bed.  I couldn't have dreamed of pulling that off with my charcoal smoker.

 

[DivotMaker]

Meathead, at amazingribs, has some informative articles, but he is biased against electrics.  Take him with a grain of salt.  I'd go head-to-head with him on anything he wants to smoke! 8)  Simply put, he's full of hot air, when it comes to his opinions about our smokers, and thousands of happy owners & eaters would back me on that assessment!

 

[old sarge]

Fully agree!

 

[TexasSMK]

I am a happy electric Smoker--easy, clean, controllable, and damn tasty.  Took me 10 minutes to prep for my latest smoke, and I bet my ribs are as good as any.  Inferior--I think not sir!

 

[DivotMaker]

I am a happy electric Smoker--easy, clean, controllable, and damn tasty.  Took me 10 minutes to prep for my latest smoke, and I bet my ribs are as good as any.  Inferior--I think not sir!

THAT'S what I'm talking about! 8)

 

[Glock_21]

Smoked food doesn't get any easier than with the Smoking-IT.  It truly is a "set it and forget it" solution. 

 

[drains]

Everyone is entitled to thier opinion and my opinion is No Way I'm going back to burning logs! Tell them to get a life. Personally I think we scare em a little.

 

[SconnieQ]

I think we scare them too! If I am not mistaken, electric smokers are banned from competition BBQ. And I think we all know the reason for that. If electric smokers produced such awful Q, then there would be no need to ban them. The BBQ snobs could not take being beaten by an electric smoker. It would be like when California won the international wine championship in France, and all of the French judges wanted to try and change their vote!

 

[DivotMaker]

I think we scare them too! If I am not mistaken, electric smokers are banned from competition BBQ. And I think we all know the reason for that. If electric smokers produced such awful Q, then there would be no need to ban them. The BBQ could not take being beaten by an electric smoker. It would be like when California won the international wine championship in France, and all of the French judges wanted to try and change their vote!

That's it, in a nutshell!  Unfair advantage, because we can make Q far better than any competition Q I've ever eaten!

 

[SconnieQ]

I think there is a lot of "romanticism" surrounding traditional BBQ methods. And competition BBQ wants to preserve that, and preserve the old ways. It's kind of like an elite club. If it were about flavor alone, there would be no need to ban electrics. For those of us just trying to put out awesome Q for our families, and crowds on holidays, without staying up all night babysitting our smoker like competition BBQers do, we can get equal to competition quality with our SIs, romance or not.

 

[Mr.Ed]

OK here we go. I don't argue with any thumper who says it's one way or the highway.
I came to Si with a background in competitive smoking. I've been up against the best on the national circuit, sometimes I beat them many times I don't. I was trained by the winningest man in BBQ. We are all friends and the community as a whole doesn't cut down any BBQ. Yes electric is not allowed in competition but it's not that it can't produce some of the best BBQ out there. It's because of TRADITION flat and simple.

NASCAR drives counter clockwise on the oval circuit, but if a unorthodox group of pro drivers decided to drive clockwise would they drive worse than the other guys. No but they would be oddballs in the eyes of the left turners.

Health reasons forced me to back off the competitive BBQ game. I wanted  a simple way to produce a great BBQ and I was introduced to the Si "Lazy Q"

Now I'm only on the third week of running the S3 through it's paces and I've turned out some of the best tasting BBQ I have ever made. It's a little different on the palate, but damn fine Q in my book.

This bickering between forums by mostly armchair cooks is no different that politics depending on the side you are on.

I love stick burners, I love natural wood charcoal wood burners, AND I love my Si D3. It's the best investment in the KISS method of BBQ there is period!  I've been there, I've tried them all and now I'm a Si "Lazy Q" man and I'm not looking back.

The people on this forum know what they are doing with this appliance and I've learned allot from these men and woman.  Buy an Si, get the biggest you can afford, you will be happy you did. When you hear the words inferior you can just smile because now you are among best.           

 

[SconnieQ]

Thanks Mr.Ed for providing a valuable perspective coming from the world of traditional competition BBQ.

 

[DivotMaker]

Well-said, Mr. Ed!!  I will NEVER "knock" another's method of smoking, but have little tolerance for folks that knock mine, due to ignorance and superstition!  I also am fine that competitions ban our smokers, but some competitors/know-it-alls think it's because it produces "inferior" BBQ (hence the Kool-Aid promoted, and consumed, by Meathead).  Having participated in a couple of competitions, I fully understand that a lot of what folks see is the tradition of managing the smoker, time, temp, the whole bit - not just about the taste of the food!  I love to joke about them not allowing us 'cause we'd beat them, without even hanging around the smoker all night, but fully understand the BBQ competition is about the showmanship. 

Great perspective, Ed, and I appreciate it!

 

[RG 2.0]

I am late to reply, haven't been too active lately :-[

I own an arsenal of cookery stuff, have cooked on almost every type of grill I could get my hands on and I can tell you that I prefer using my SI3 to smoke most things. It's easy, consistent and the food is damn good! Inferior? No way. Superior? Yep, most times I'd say so!

 

[DivotMaker]

Welcome back to the party, Jason!  I know you've been busy lately!

 

[snakyjake]

Thanks for everyone's kindness and gracefulness for letting me ask the questions, and truly permitting an "anything goes" question.  I especially liked reading the posts that understand exactly where I'm coming from, because they have been there too.

I'm looking forward to doing more smoking!

Thank you!

 

[es1025]

Great comments, I have been a electric smoker since 2013, and have had some much fun smoking ribs, butts, brisket, and other tasty goodies. I bought this smoker #3 becuase i did not want to baby sit a fire. I would rather create some awesome rubs and sauces. I tend to enjoy meatheads web site but i really dont care for his opinions.

Funny, my friends at work call my smoker the easy bake oven, but they dont complain when they are stuffing their faces with some goodies.

I only bought a smoker because i was getting annoyed paying $20 for a half rack of ribs loaded with sauce.


I am so happy, i bought this smoker. I have met some many people via this forum, its been a fun ride. Now i can wait to smoke a butt or ribs this weekend. I am getting hungry.