propane smoker?


 
S

StanSulli

TVWBB Fan
Hi smokers,

We have a neighbor moving and he said he will sell me his propane smoker and two propane tanks for $50.

I have some info on it. It's a Smoke Hollow model # 38202G and retails at around $225 and he's kept it nice. Does anyone here have experience with this model or any other Smoke Hollow products?

Heck, I looked up prices on propane tanks and the tanks alone are worth more than $50. I guess you can tell which way I'm leaning.

He lives two houses down and we tend to visit one another when there's smoke in the air. Of course, what comes out of my WSM is better but I have to say he puts out some very tasty stuff with this propane smoker. And he says the thing holds steady temps for hours.

Should I grab it?
 
Grab it NOW!! This was my first smoker. I love using it, but the WSM is my favorite. On days were the weather is bad (real, real, windy) I will use the propane smoker. It will be a nice change of pace every once in awhile.
 
Ryan P.K. said:
Grab it NOW!! This was my first smoker. I love using it, but the WSM is my favorite. On days were the weather is bad (real, real, windy) I will use the propane smoker. It will be a nice change of pace every once in awhile.
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I feel like a traitor. :)
 
My wife thinks I have too many smokers but we all know there is no such thing. Grab it and you've got a good option for jerky or smoked fish.
 
Stan, unless there's a huge temp shift in the air, that smoker will hold temp for as long as the propane holds out. One thing to watch for on long smokes is that as the internal temp of your meat rises, so will the chamber temp. Depending on the thermal mass in the smoker, you might start at 225 and end up at 300 when all is said and done.


BTW, another sweet thing about some propane smokers is that they make great outdoor ovens. At my last cookout, I did 40 bakers and 45 ears of corn in one of my SH44's.
 
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When I tasted ribs, chickem etc. cooked in this smoker I have to say there was no discernible taste difference from what I smoke in my WSM.
Please don't ban me for saying that. :)

How about you other vertical propane smoker users. Do you taste a difference?
 
DaveW said:
Stan, unless there's a huge temp shift in the air, that smoker will hold temp for as long as the propane holds out. One thing to watch for on long smokes is that as the internal temp of your meat rises, so will the chamber temp.
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Also, as the wood chips burn up, your temps will go up as well.
 
StanSulli said:
When I tasted ribs, chickem etc. cooked in this smoker I have to say there was no discernible taste difference from what I smoke in my WSM.
Please don't ban me for saying that. :)

How about you other vertical propane smoker users. Do you taste a difference?
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One thing you will be absent is the taste of charcoal. personal opinion as to whether that matters. This is going to be blasphemous/heretical, but what you might get is a more pronounced smoke flavor from the propane smoker. Reason for this is that many people don't use that much wood in their WSMs. I've seen plenty of posts where people talk about putting 3 or 4 chunks of wood in their baskets. I use roughly 2 chunks per hour in my SH44. Over the course of a 14 hour butt smoke, that's 20+ chunks.
 
Well, I bought it last night for $50 and planned to do a brisket tomorrow. But I sold it this afternoon for $150. My neighbor had it posted on the bulletin board of our neighborhood grocery store for $75.

The buyer called the neighbor and the gave the guy my number. He came over, looked, wanted it and bought it for $150. That's still a little more than $100 less than retail. Good for him and good for me. :)

But now I still want to try a propane smoker so I've been reading up on them.
 
StanSulli said:
Well, I bought it last night for $50 and planned to do a brisket tomorrow. But I sold it this afternoon for $150. My neighbor had it posted on the bulletin board of our neighborhood grocery store for $75.

The buyer called the neighbor and the gave the guy my number. He came over, looked, wanted it and bought it for $150. That's still a little more than $100 less than retail. Good for him and good for me. :)

But now I still want to try a propane smoker so I've been reading up on them.
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heh. You should have told the guy that you'd sell it to him next week. :-0
 
StanSulli said:
Well, I bought it last night for $50 and planned to do a brisket tomorrow. But I sold it this afternoon for $150. My neighbor had it posted on the bulletin board of our neighborhood grocery store for $75.

The buyer called the neighbor and the gave the guy my number. He came over, looked, wanted it and bought it for $150. That's still a little more than $100 less than retail. Good for him and good for me. :)

But now I still want to try a propane smoker so I've been reading up on them.
Click to expand...

Hello Stan,

I've been using a propane smoker since 2009. Mine is a Perfect Flame that I bought from Lowes. It was my first smoker and it has served me well. I still use it even though the thing is rapidly approaching the end of it's useful life. The ignitor doesn't work anymore (have to use a lighter to ignite it), and the burner and the bracket holding it are both starting to rust. That said it does work well and turns out really good food.

One thing with the standard capacity propane smokers. You are limited as to the size of the meat they will hold. The only way to get a whole rack of ribs to fit is to hang them and many of the smaller models don't come with a hanger. I have to cut the racks in half to get them to fit. A turkey breast fits (barely). A whole turkey? Forgetabboutit. A half ham (bone in) fits just fine though.

So keep this in mind when you're ready to buy a new smoker. I'm looking to buy a new smoker this spring after we get our tax refund and I'm definitely going to get a Large Capacity model.
 
Brian Thomas said:
Hello Stan,

I've been using a propane smoker since 2009. Mine is a Perfect Flame that I bought from Lowes. It was my first smoker and it has served me well. I still use it even though the thing is rapidly approaching the end of it's useful life. The ignitor doesn't work anymore (have to use a lighter to ignite it), and the burner and the bracket holding it are both starting to rust. That said it does work well and turns out really good food.

One thing with the standard capacity propane smokers. You are limited as to the size of the meat they will hold. The only way to get a whole rack of ribs to fit is to hang them and many of the smaller models don't come with a hanger. I have to cut the racks in half to get them to fit. A turkey breast fits (barely). A whole turkey? Forgetabboutit. A half ham (bone in) fits just fine though.

So keep this in mind when you're ready to buy a new smoker. I'm looking to buy a new smoker this spring after we get our tax refund and I'm definitely going to get a Large Capacity model.
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Yep, been there, done that with my first 2 Smoke Hollow smokers that I got years ago. At the time, I don't think there were any wide body vertical smokers. When I got my first SH44, I was in heaven. Just slide the rack out, lay a couple of full racks of ribs on it and off you go. I think Masterbuilt used to make a wide body one as well. Not sure who has them on the market now other than Smoke Hollow.
 
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