Thanks Steve,
The Cookshack is a very well made electric smoker. It is expensive though. They come in several sizes. Mine is the model 55 which is basically the model 50 with all stainless steel. There is 1 model smaller than mine called the "smokette" which is really just shorter with less racks and no wheels. I chose the stainless steel model to prevent any rusting or corrosion which can happen with the carbon steel (especially if you live near the ocean). It produces excellent BBQ and hardly uses any wood. It is insulated and sealed so well, it doesn't require any water pan. You just set the temperature and you are good to go, the thermostat takes over from there.
It is great when you want to Smoke meat while you are sleeping or at work or away from home. You do not need to check anything, you just load 4 - 12 oz of desired wood into the wood box, load the meat, and run your polder thermometer probe through the smoke hole on top. Set the polder for your desired internal meat temp and just forget about it. A nice thing about it is that if it is raining, you can just open the garage door or put it in a carport or on your porch. Cleanup is pretty easy. I cover the woodbox housing and the bottom of the smoker with foil. The racks all come right out. There is a drip pan that slides in underneath. You can check them all out at:
http://www.cookshack.com
The down sides about the Cookshack are:
1. The 5 racks are only 14" x 14" unless you buy the larger commercial models which have 18" or 24". They cost a horrendous amount of money though. Just my model 55 cost $1,000 with all the accessories. It is a hassle smoking whole briskets on 14" x 14" racks. You have to fold the flat end under to fit it on the rack.
2. Very expensive (but very well built).
3. You can't keep opening the door on the smoker to check on the meat. If you do, you release the heat and smoke and it takes about 30 minutes to regain what you lost.
4. Since you can't open the door, you can't use a mop or baste during the smoking process.
5. You don't get to play with any fire or coals or vents. (this can be good at times).
6. It is electric, so you can't really take it on the road with you unless there are electrical hookups. And you can't use it if the power goes out, and if the power goes out in the middle of your smoking, you have a serious problem.
7. You don't get quite as good of a crispy bark on your final product, although it surprises me how good it does get. If you use a good dry rub, it crisps up pretty well.
As far as Klose BBQ Pits, I think they are the best made wood-burning offset Pits built. Yes, they are expensive but you get what you pay for. They have been building them for 20 years and always use the best materials and expert craftmanship. The only thing I have ever heard a Klose Pit owner complain about was that they wished they had bought a larger model. They have a waiting list when you order one, it can take 8 - 14 weeks for them to build it. Freight charges are terrible, so you might want to either go pick it up yourself or wait until Dave is delivering pits near where you live.
I ordered my 24" x 60" Backyard Pit about 8 weeks ago. They should start building it in a couple weeks hopefully. Dave will be delivering mine around the end of October or early November when he delivers some pits to Tennessee. I live in western North Carolina, so he will be passing right through this area.
I ordered my 24" x 60" pit with 1 large 48" door with a counter-weight. The main chamber is made with 1/4" steel. The firebox is 24" x 24" and I opted to pay more for the 1/2" thick steel for better efficiency and better performance for smoking during cold weather.
I ordered 2 full pullout racks which will give me 2,880 square inches of cooking area. I should be able to smoke a small 50-90 lb whole hog. I also ordered the stainless steel grate for the bottom of the firebox because the regular steel grates rust out within about 2-3 years. I am having this pit tuned so that there will be very little temp difference from left to right or from top to bottom (adding baffle and tuning plates). The large 8" wheels are necessary because of the weight of this pit as well as heavier angle for the legs and frame. The 2" ball-valve drain makes cleanup much easier for draining grease, water etc.
This pit is really setting me back financially, but it is going to last several lifetimes. It will pay for itself rapidly once I start cooking for the Lions Club, Rotary Club, Jaycees, Masons, VFW, American Legion, Elk's Lodge, Moose Lodge, Shriners, and many others.
Eventually, in a few years I will also invest in a nice 30" x 8' Klose Mobile Pit.
But after saying all this....there is a very important place in all this for my 2 WSM's. They are fantastic smokers that can be moved around easily, you can pretty much set and forget if done properly, and they are built to last. I love WSM's. They completely round out my regiment of smokers.
Sorry for such a long post, but it was a 2-part complex question that deserved detailed answers.
