Not to rock the boat, but...

[Guest]

Please forgive what is probably a stupid question, but bare with me, I'm new to smoking.

I recently bought a SMC and have loved it. I would have never thought I could make Q that tender and delicious. Having said that, it is my understanding that the real difference in the SMC and other cookers is in its heat control capabilities. Taking this into account, why wouldn't an electric smoker that uses wood chips for smoke be just as good, if not better due to its thermostat controlled hear source? Is this because the charcoal adds flavor as well as the wood smoke? I'm just curious.

 

[Keri C]

That's not a stupid question at all!

Part of the fun and tradition of BBQ is playing in the fire. My ultimate goal is to use fire to turn tough fatty hunks of unusable meat into delectable morsels. If you remove the fire from the equation, then you have essentially an electric oven with woodchips. Don't get me wrong - that setup is great for some purposes and situations, but I still have fun playing in the fire and continuing to develop my skills in controlling it, especially in the log-burner offset trailer rig. True, it's much more of a challenge to learn fire control with it than the WSM, but still, the fire's the thing for me.

For some, the electric smoker is the perfect thing to use based on time available, etc. - just not for me at this point in my learning curve. Too much fun feeding the flames...

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time

 

[Guest]

I have to agree with Keri. It is a personnal choice. I enjoy the fire and the smell of the WSM, it is an in-between smoker as far as maintenance is concerned. More work than an electric or pellet smoker, but less work than an offset. All are very capable of producing great food (with a little help form the cook of course), it just depends on the amount of time and effort you are willing or able to put into the food.

 

[Kevin Taylor]

Mike....

For the first 20 years of my smoking experience I used an electric unit. A cheap one at that! Worked just fine and the Q was great...after many, many failed attempts!

I switched for a number of reasons......competitions(which don't allow electric units), size, crappy weather cooks(cold and wind). Also, my element eventually gave out so one more reason to switch.

The biggest advantage I found was that it gave me time to learn to prepare the meats properly WITHOUT having to hassle with fire control. Once you learn how to cook the meats, then fire control is the next challenge.