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TheLocNar

TheLocNar

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Now that's awesome. Guess it helps that I'm close by in IL too. This will be my first smoker I've personally owned. I've been a professional chef for 9 years and counting but never bothered to smoke anything outside of work. Took a month to research and decided in electric given the cold winters here. I came close to going cheap with the Home Depot Brinkmann red bullet (family member has it. Actually works ok) but know I'll be using this thing very often. So I decided to go for broke with the #2. I'll check in again tomorrow while its seasoning. :)
 
Nice!  Now that you made the right decision, and that you have joined the team, go ahead and put a first name and town in your signature line.  Then, head over to the Introductions section and tell us a little about your chef experience.  I look forward to hearing about it!

Welcome to the club!  Oh, and you most definitely made the right decision over the Brinkman!  If you think they "work OK," you ain't seen nothin' yet! ;)
 
I know. I know. Need to work on my profile. Will do when I get on a computer instead of this phone. ;)

I actually had some smoked salmon on that red bullet that was pretty fantastic. But my big deal is longevity and customer support/parts availability. The red bulle is pretty much disposable if the heating element breaks down. And dang. That sheet metal is so thin. That's a no go here in Chicago during 2 of 4 seasons.

Between my Anova sous vide/Vacmaster 210 gadgets, it seemed like a smoker was the next thing to splurge on. I'll get back to you on career stories. lol
 
Yes, Jeff, the #2 is definitely a better choice for your winter weather!!  I've smoked down to 9°, but many of my northern brothers and sisters have gone much, much lower, with no problems!  These are well-insulated, and maintain temp very well!  Here's one of our members enjoying a nice balmy day in northern Minnesota!
 

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TheLocNar said:
Between my Anova sous vide/Vacmaster 210 gadgets, it seemed like a smoker was the next thing to splurge on. I'll get back to you on career stories. lol
Click to expand...

I just purchased the Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator (Precision Cooker). The Bluetooth+WiFi version. They have $40 off right now, so it's a good time to buy. These things have gotten pretty affordable for the home cook, and simple to use. And a lot of folks here already have a vacuum sealer, although you can use ordinary ziplock bags with the Anova.

http://store.anovaculinary.com/products/anova-precision-cooker
 
Seasoning it now.

One question. I put both locking casters on the front. That should be fine I'm assuming. Easier to reach the locking mechanisms for me if the lockable ones are up front.

This thing puts out some decent smoke. Impressed with just the seasoning. lol it did spike to over 300 degrees with my probe hanging in (Thermoworks Orb) but levels off to 255 or so. I don't see any issues. Things working well!
 
I put my locking casters on the front too. Seems like the temperature swings are larger for the first few smokes. Once it gets some good seasoning built up, they seem to narrow, but you will see some swings with the built-in controller. It's fine though.
 
Trial run with a tiny, thin piece of salmon. Been sitting overnight in brown sugar, salt, pepper, cumin (cumin adds a whole new profile that I just love). Will see how this goes! If well, then I'll make the rest for dinner. I'm not worried. The cherry wood smells great on its own. :)
 
Small piece came out great. So now I'm getting the rest of it ready. :)
 

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Salmon looks great, Jeff!  And I too have the locking caster wheels on the front, which keeps the front stable with opening the door, etc.
 
Looking good, Jeff!  Just FYI...you saw the big temp swings, when seasoning, because the smoker was empty.  Nothing but hard stainless, and no heat sinks (meat, water pan) that will absorb heat and keep it more stable.  That's why I tell folks to totally disregard box temps during seasoning.  Freaks some people out! :o
 
DivotMaker said:
Looking good, Jeff!  Just FYI...you saw the big temp swings, when seasoning, because the smoker was empty.  Nothing but hard stainless, and no heat sinks (meat, water pan) that will absorb heat and keep it more stable.  That's why I tell folks to totally disregard box temps during seasoning.  Freaks some people out! :o
Click to expand...

Understood about hose temp swings. As always, curiosity and my analytical nature got to me. lol It was never anything I was worried about though!

Going to try a half slab of ribs I've had seasoned, vac'd and frozen for a few months tomorrow. It's thawing out in the fridge now. Should be interesting since I saved it for sous vide. Updates when appropriate.  8)
 
Put them on a half hour ago with some applewood chunks. Going to fool them after 2 hours with parkay, brown sugar, honey then pull them after 1.5 to check and go from there. Will update. :))))

Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome and tips!
 
The half slab came out great. Forgot pics as I dug into them immediately. lol

Loving this smoker.

One more Q. Is heavy duty foil necessary to line the smoker box and bottom? I'm running low, but have plenty of the regular stuff.
 
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