Pellet Smokers

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Sidekick BBQ box. FWIW, cast iron pan on the sidekick is better. I was a little worried about deforming the BBQ box though (that burner is impressive). Unless I make hot dogs or burgers, the BBQ box might be permanently shelved. Seared crust > grill marks

I totally agree.

I use alumigrates on my Weber, and I keep half of them flipped over so the flat side is up for burgers and the like. such a great crust!

Awesome info.
@rob_s you were so right as I have discovered about searing.
How valuable do you guys find the pellet dump feature?
Im asking because there is a camp chef smoker bought this year and used minimally for sale locally to me for $300. It doesnt have pellet dump, sear or bluetooth/wifi but it does have the digital controller. Ill probably leave my smoker outdoors year round. It is set up to attach the sidekick.
The guy I posted about earlier who worked with Weber told me some water got into his pellet box and the pellets dissolved and set up like concrete. He said he had a heck of a time getting the auger freed up.
Will normal humidity cause the pellets to degrade if left in the smoker?

[BobLoblaw]

How valuable do you guys find the pellet dump feature?

I don't use my pellet dump feature because I keep it in the garage and generally run hickory or competition blend. If I decide to change pellets, I just pour them on top whatever is already in there.

Im asking because there is a camp chef smoker bought this year and used minimally for sale locally to me for $300. It doesnt have pellet dump, sear or bluetooth/wifi but it does have the digital controller. Ill probably leave my smoker outdoors year round. It is set up to attach the sidekick.
The guy I posted about earlier who worked with Weber told me some water got into his pellet box and the pellets dissolved and set up like concrete. He said he had a heck of a time getting the auger freed up.
Will normal humidity cause the pellets to degrade if left in the smoker?

That's a great deal but if you're planning on keeping it outside, I'd be cautious. I'd probably at least run it once a month or if it's going to sit a while, scoop out as much out as possible then open the burn pot dump, remove the ash cup, toss a bucket underneath, and hit the feed button to empty the auger tube.

[scjbash]

How valuable do you guys find the pellet dump feature?
Im asking because there is a camp chef smoker bought this year and used minimally for sale locally to me for $300. It doesnt have pellet dump, sear or bluetooth/wifi but it does have the digital controller. Ill probably leave my smoker outdoors year round. It is set up to attach the sidekick.

I like it but I'm also switching back and forth between apple and hickory regularly, and pretty randomly.

[JclInAtx]

Awesome info.
@rob_s you were so right as I have discovered about searing.
How valuable do you guys find the pellet dump feature?
Im asking because there is a camp chef smoker bought this year and used minimally for sale locally to me for $300. It doesnt have pellet dump, sear or bluetooth/wifi but it does have the digital controller. Ill probably leave my smoker outdoors year round. It is set up to attach the sidekick.
The guy I posted about earlier who worked with Weber told me some water got into his pellet box and the pellets dissolved and set up like concrete. He said he had a heck of a time getting the auger freed up.
Will normal humidity cause the pellets to degrade if left in the smoker?

Regarding pellet dump and humidity- for reference here in Austin it gets to mid 90% humidity overnight during the summer.
For $300 it's a good opportunity to learn what works for you. As long as it's working I don't think you can go wrong. You can work around pellets and humidity if it's an issue for you.

Thanks for posting the Lone Star Grillz video. It had me reconsidering pellet grills again. I had been eyeing the offsets but a pellet grill would be more practical.

The stepped cook was interesting; I've seen this mentioned before. I've also seen somewhat related discussion of whethor to put meat on the smoker right out of the fridge or to let it come to room temp first. Some had said that smoke "adheres" to meat better at lower temps. Not sure I buy that, but if you're wrapping that's going to stop the smoke getting to the meat. So the longer you smoke before wrapping, the more smoke flavor you'll get.

A caveat on the video is they didn't wrap. I experimented and my family preferred unwrapped brisket. However I found it has great bark and is tender when first cooked but leftovers are tougher. I wonder what their brisket is like the next day? Now I wrap in butcher paper and rest in a cooler for an hour or two.

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I had some brisket at a local place recently it was excellent but the leftovers the next day heated in a microwave had lost all texture.

Regarding pellet dump and humidity- for reference here in Austin it gets to mid 90% humidity overnight during the summer.
For $300 it's a good opportunity to learn what works for you. As long as it's working I don't think you can go wrong. You can work around pellets and humidity if it's an issue for you.

Thanks for posting the Lone Star Grillz video. It had me reconsidering pellet grills again. I had been eyeing the offsets but a pellet grill would be more practical.

The stepped cook was interesting; I've seen this mentioned before. I've also seen somewhat related discussion of whethor to put meat on the smoker right out of the fridge or to let it come to room temp first. Some had said that smoke "adheres" to meat better at lower temps. Not sure I buy that, but if you're wrapping that's going to stop the smoke getting to the meat. So the longer you smoke before wrapping, the more smoke flavor you'll get.

A caveat on the video is they didn't wrap. I experimented and my family preferred unwrapped brisket. However I found it has great bark and is tender when first cooked but leftovers are tougher. I wonder what their brisket is like the next day? Now I wrap in butcher paper and rest in a cooler for an hour or two.

[David S.]

You guys have me looking at $2000 Yoders.

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Some had said that smoke "adheres" to meat better at lower temps. Not sure I buy that, but if you're wrapping that's going to stop the smoke getting to the meat. So the longer you smoke before wrapping, the more smoke flavor you'll get.

A caveat on the video is they didn't wrap. I experimented and my family preferred unwrapped brisket. However I found it has great bark and is tender when first cooked but leftovers are tougher. I wonder what their brisket is like the next day? Now I wrap in butcher paper and rest in a cooler for an hour or two.

Im by no means a pitmaster. My buddy who just got the Camp Chef I keep directing him to Amazing Ribs.com As others prior to this have mentioned its a great resource. Pretty much everything I know about smoking I learned from there. One cool thing about his website is he has this guy who used to work for Bell Labs as some kind of scientist. They have done all manner of experiments on traditional ways from the smoking community and have proven or disproven them. I found them most helpful when I was learning and still refer back if Im unsure about something. As I recall he says put them on cold and that smoke is absorbed when they are wet or sweating. I think the time frame is the first hour or so. I assume since the stall is an evaporating phase it absorbs then but I dont recall exactly. I think primarily the first hour or so gives you the smoke ring and after that you are building bark. Of course I could not be entirely accurate in my description but I think Im in the ballpark.

Another option is to wrap then put back unwrapped to firm up the bark.
I usually pull and vacuum seal so Im not concerned about the firmness of the bark Id rather capture the juice and mix it with the shredded meat. Ive just become aware of a method where you only smoke for a few hours then wrap and finish in the oven. When it was explained to me it was attributed to Harry Choo I think but going back to articles recently I see it actually is attributed to another pitmaster quite a bit earlier than current times.

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So in spite of my initial plan, having set up my friends Camp Chef and the postings of people here my 36” Woodwind with Sidekick was just delivered. I also got the insulated blanket, front shelf and rain cover. Thanks everyone who contributed. The best part Im still under budget from what I had originally planned to spend for just a smoker.

First time PF has saved me 💰 😂

[David S.]

I found a NIB Woodwind sans Sidekick on FB Marketplace for a solid price. The app is pretty bare bones so I use my Meater probes to monitor and graph trends.

I saw a couple screaming deals on Yoders too but didn't catch them fast enough.

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I found a NIB Woodwind sans Sidekick on FB Marketplace for a solid price. The app is pretty bare bones so I use my Meater probes to monitor and graph trends.

I saw a couple screaming deals on Yoders too but didn't catch them fast enough.

That graphing function is pretty sweet to know exactly where you are in the smoke without constantly monitoring. I found a basic CC pellet on FB marketplace and turned a buddy on to it. Where do you look for used smokers for sale? Besides FB.
A buddy who smokes multiple time per week year round, he buys his pellets by pallet, is now wrapping and putting in the oven. He told me he wouldnt go back to start to finish on the smoker. Im looking forward to trying that as I am not a big fan of extreme bark.