A philosophical question


 
P

Phil R.

TVWBB All-Star
My dad has a Mr. Meat Smoker electric smoker (o.k., you can stop snickering now). Anyway, he swears by his Mr. Meat smoker, and I have to say he has produced some decent baby backs in it.

My question to you is: If there was an electric smoker that maintained 235 (or your favorite low and slow temp) throughout the entire cook, and it produced smoke by way of wood chips, etc., would you use it?

I ask because I am hard pressed to find a difference between heat generated from burning charcoal and heat produced from an electric heating element. I mean, both produce smoke, right (wood chips or chunks)? And both produce heat, right? So where do the differences lie? I guess the bottom line is, does burning charcoal produce any flavor in food?

Give me ammo to argue with my dad so that I can convince him to get a WSM!

Phil
 
Wood Chips = <sub>smoke</sub>

Wood Chunks =smoke

Can you smell and taste the difference?

I don't see how you can get as much smoke from chips as you can from chunks.
 
No,I wouldn't use it. But I'm afraid I can't give you ammo. I wouldn't use it for the same reason I do not own a gasser. They do not interest me.

There are plenty of Q joints that use gas-fired commercial units with wood for smoke that turn out great stuff. It's kind of the same thing. There are those that argue that only coal/wood burning Q has the best flavor. As much as I do not like to admit it, I've eaten at Q joints all over the country that cook by several different means. Based on my experiences, I'd say it is not the equipment (usually), it's the meat, the temps, the rub, the smoke (generated in whatever way), the doneness, and the sauce that makes it horrible, mediocre, good, or great.

For me, it's the same thing with rubs and sauces. if you told me tomorrow I had to cook on an electric I wouldn't Q anymore. And if you told me tomorrow that I had to use commercial rubs and sauces I wouldn't Q anymore either. The interest would vanish. I've had plenty of good Q made with commercial rubs and sauces. And plenty of good Q cooked on commercial equipment--gas, electric, giant coal/wood burners. But the only justification I have for doing it the way I do it is that it's the way I like doing it. That's it.

Sorry. I wish I could help you out with an apt rejoinder.
 
That's a good question phil. Raichlen claims that there is little difference in the product delivered by an electric smoker and a charcoal one. I used a char-broil electric water smoker for three years before I bought my first wsm. And, I would like to think there is a difference. I guess you could say the proof is in the pudding as I don't believe an electric smoker type has ever won too many Q' competitions. That in itself has to be indicative of the charcoal, or nonelectrical, smokers superiority.
 
A propos the question and Scott Hoofman's appearance in the thread: There are also plenty of places that, no matter what the claim on the sign out front, have pretty horrible Q. I remember when Scott joined the forum his claim that people in SW Mich do not know good barbecue. I can't say a whole lot about that specifically as I'm only passing through--but I just had 'award winning' ribs at a place called Sam's Joint. They weren't very good. Can't imagine who bestowed the 'award'. I have never tasted your father's ribs. But I'm betting they're a lot better than the 'winners' I just had. (The Stoli helped make them palatable.)
 
Can Mr. Meat do a turkey breast at 350? Can he use Mr. Meat to grill a steak? I have a small family (four of us) and the WSM works okay as the only outdoor cooker that I own.

Doe Mr. Meat have a cool, independent website where you can get all sorts of great information?

Actually, I looked at getting a L'il Chief a couple years ago. They seemed to be just the ticket for low heat smoking. I ended up with the WSM because I thought it would be more versatile.
 
Without a shred of evidence, I'll just say there's a certain je ne se quois about live fire, which includes charcoal, imho.
 
First of all, Stoli helps everything taste better...not just bad Q
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Tony, there is no question the WSM can do more than any other smoker out there! BUT...do you think you could tell the difference between a butt cooked at 235 on both smokers, with the same smoke wood, and the same cooking parameters (assuming multiple other things are equal)?

Scott, I think your argument is a good one. Then again, how many serious Q teams use an electric smoker? And that brings up more questions...do they not use them because they produce inferior results? Or do they not use them because they are not "traditional"?

Don't anyone get me wrong here...I'm a WSM man through and through. But it is a cogent question...
 
If you enjoy fire building and tending-I do then by all means cook with fire.

If you do not enjoy a 'fire' why bother?

Is charcoal or wood fired bbq better? I believe so.

(Lil Chef does a good job in the right hands.)
 
Well i've seen some teams on the Foodnetwork BBQ specials using electric smoke generator cookers in BBQ competions. I wonder myself
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Originally posted by Susan Z:
Without a shred of evidence, I'll just say there's a certain je ne se quois about live fire, which includes charcoal, imho.
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I concur. Susan, with her French, has expressed the matter more eloquently that I could have.

But the question still remains...is there a "paletable" difference between the two?
 
Well for me, I"ve always been a fiddler. No not the country music kind...the kind that likes to tinker with stuff, including my barbecue.

Yes, you can cook with an electrical heat element. Perhaps its even more environmentally friendly...(but the electrons come from somewhere, coal, gas, nuclear)...perhaps only slightly. By the same standard, you could have a nice FONDUE with an electric fondue pot.

For me it's the whole fire thing. I guess millions and millions of years of evolution are to blame. "Fire....cool", Beavis.

Fire it up! Q-on!

AR
 
OMG you went to Sam's!
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I'm so sorry kevin that you had to go through that. I haven't been to sam's in years. The last time I went, my wife ordered the full slab of ribs and they were so covered in sauce that you could hardly see them. It doesn't sound like they've gotten much better. Do they still have that kitschy faux antique/country look?
There are some good places to eat in G.R., but for the life of me I can't name one that makes decent Q'. A couple of friends at work claim that there is a small out-of-the-way place downtown that serves good Q'. I plan on looking them up this summer. I'll let you know how good they are just in case you ever come through this area again.

As for electric vs. char/lump etc. I wonder if there has ever been any blind taste testing to see if there is a true difference?
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
There are also plenty of places that, no matter what the claim on the sign out front, have pretty horrible Q. I remember when Scott joined the forum his claim that people in SW Mich do not know good barbecue. I can't say a whole lot about that specifically as I'm only passing through--but I just had 'award winning' ribs at a place called Sam's Joint. They weren't very good. Can't imagine who bestowed the 'award'. I have never tasted your father's ribs. But I'm betting they're a lot better than the 'winners' I just had. (The Stoli helped make them palatable.)
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Kevin, That just plain sucks. You ever just passing through Lancaster PA you best be lettin me know. I'll fix you some grub. Never won an award but it's got to be better than what you had for dinner.
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Would I use one? Sure. Would I buy one? NO. I think what you use to cook on doesn't really matter. It's all in how you cook it.
 
I impressed a friend at work with food from the WSM. Thus, he has been looking to buy a smoker...which lead him to an electric smoker from Cabelas. After listing the benifits of said smoker (easy cleanup, easy to start, consistant temp), he asked why I didnt buy an electric smoker. My first, and only, response was: "There is just something fundamentally wrong with cooking BBQ without a fire."

I still stand by that statement.
 
Originally posted by Bradley Chopp:
I impressed a friend at work with food from the WSM. Thus, he has been looking to buy a smoker...which lead him to an electric smoker from Cabelas. After listing the benifits of said smoker (easy cleanup, easy to start, consistant temp), he asked why I didnt buy an electric smoker. My first, and only, response was: "There is just something fundamentally wrong with cooking BBQ without a fire."

I still stand by that statement.
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Well said and i agree, but do they taste different in a blind taste test? Still wondering. IMO There's probably a texture difference between the two. That's just a guess though. Duno
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Bradley, I completely agree! Phil, sounds like a good arguement for your dad. There is just something fundamentally wrong with doing Q' without fire. Its just not right. That was my main motivation for dumping my char-broil. If I was going to get serious about Q' I needed to switch to fire.

By the way, the book I just purchased "Peace Love and BBQ" has a state-by-state listing in the back of good Q' places to visit. Michigan didn't make the grade. We didn't get any listed.
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Well, Scott. Now's your chance....no competition. If you build it ("Hoof's BBQ"), they will come.

Rita
 
After considering the question and reading some of the responses, I can't help but draw some similarities with the use of a Guru. At the rate of product development, how long before the talented Guru folks create a total "plug-n-play" BBQ set-up? Some could argue we may already be there.

The crux of the issue as I see it is really one of where an individual feels comfortable at departing from tradition in favor of convenience or perhaps technology. How is it possible that electric Q isn't the "real deal," but a computer controlled WSM is ok? Taken a step further, I can imagine stick burners scoffing at our use of good ol' Kingsford. There may even be a few out there who would remain steadfast that it ain't Q unless it's done over a wood fire from a tree you cut down yourself... with an ax!

We all appreciate BBQ for different reasons. For some it's the art, for others it's tradition, and for some it's just about the food. Personally, I'd love to have the money, time, and skills to run a traditional stick burning pit. Unfortunately the reality of my 21st century life is in the way, so I've drawn my line at the WSM. It offers me a comfortable balance of the art and tradition of real Q, and some pretty damned good food too. Yes, like someone's sig line confesses, "I ain't too proud to foil." I'm considering the use of wood pellets for smoke. But no, I won't be using a Guru -- or an electric anything. Those are the boundaries I've set for myself... everybody gets to set their own.

I don't mean to spin this as an attack on Guru users. Please don't take it that way. Technology is sure nice, but like I said; everybody sets their own boundaries. Perhaps the reason why nobody uses electric in competition is that the power isn't available?

It sounds to me like Phil's dad is only in it for the food. That's cool. At least he's not par-boiling then baking in his kitchen oven under a gallon of bottled "Bar-B-Cue" sauce... and calling it Q. Now that's just plain wrong.

Edit: I lied -- I use a battery operated digital thermometer, but I'm still gonna call mine BBQ.
 
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