I've been using an older Bradley Electric Smoker for years now, and it's wearing out finally. Its worked pretty well for me, but I had to learn to reduce the smoke time because it could be over-powering. Also, I didn't know until later that electric smokers are banned from competition BBQ. They don't make the same combustion gases that cause the meat to turn pink. That being said, I got a lot of good years service out of this, and it cooks surprisingly fast! 220 to 250 degrees tops is all you need. I've made some of the juiciest whole chicken and best pork ribs in this thing.
http://www.meatprocessingproducts.com/b ... 7AodvhQAsA
Last year, I decided I needed a BBQ that could do direct heat cooking too. I had a Weber Gold kettle for years, and have to say, it worked very well and lasted for many years. Hard to beat for the price. But after agonizing over it, I went with a Portable Kitchen or PK grill that smokes and grills. They last forever and are a reproduction of the original PK grill. They are a "poor man's" Green Egg and they really do trap moisture in and cook food evenly. Their only draw-back is they are a little small although they can be tweeked with some accessories. They also have a huge amount of support in how to cook with them from the factory including recipes. Its probably the last charcoal BBQ I will ever buy. It does have the benefit of being portable because of its smaller size.
http://www.pkgrills.com/
I want to supplement it with these for direct grilling of steaks. These are the bomb on the steak competition circuit.
http://www.mygrillgrate.com/?gclid=CKSu ... 7AodgEIA1A
Lastly, I stumbled upon these and might try them for my next smoker since my electric one is wearing out finally. I had a friend in Hollister, CA who had a home made version of these using a 50 gallon steel drum. He put whole wood into it, put the lid on it, and to this day made the best whole chicken I have ever had multiple times. I can come very close with my Bradley, but he still had me beat! So when I found these, it made sense to me.
http://pitbarrelcooker.com/
You can do perfectly well with any number of common grills and smokers, but like a fine Levergun, I try to look for a good tool anymore. Most of the time it boils down to the cook and his expertise with his grill or smoker of choice! And judging from the "July 4th Puerco" thread, some of you guys have it down!!!!!
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
But its nice to share information too. I love a good cooking tool! There are some really neat "wireless meat thermometers" out there now. They are on my "to buy" list too. Please share what you use and how it works for you!!!!
Regards,
-Tutt