Stainless

[Infalable]

1st thread. Looking to buy my 1st smoker. Will buy a BS after Xmas. Cant wait. Is there an advantage of stainless steel over the regular model???? Also, Is the digital worth the extra $$. Thanks all.

[West Coast Kansan]

Stainless steel may be better in the sun to stay cool - heard you have to give it some attention to keep in pretty.  The origional vs digital is a toss up.  Digital may be easier if you have not smoked before but the same money gets you an origional with PID control. No wrong choice. IMO (I have the digital).

[manxman]

Hi Infalable and welcome to the forum,

I have the SS original model, not convinced it is worth the extra money over the black model as apart from looks as they are both exactly the same. Lets just say the SS is not the highest grade in the world and benefits from a bit of TLC to keep it looking good and more importantly lasting the distance.

I give mine a wipe over regularly with a damp cloth and a coating with a light oil to maintain the finish though most people probably give their BS's a wipe over from time to time in any case.

Original v digital ....... for example cold smoking is easier on the original, control is better on the digital straight from the box although the original does leave room to add to if you are so inclined as WCK said. The point I am making is that there are some advantages and disadvantages to both but whichever you get you will not be disappointed.

I use an original without any upgrades and it is excellent and quite capable of producing great food easily..... to my mind anything else is a bonus.

The other thing is that if you are working on a tight budget it may be better to get the cheapest BS model available and spend some extra $$'s on bubba pucks, the jerky racks, a separate (internal temp) meat thermometer and a wider range of wood bisquettes? Also as more money becomes available you can upgrade at leisure.

Food for thought??  ;)

[Wildcat]

Hi Infalable and welcome to the forum,

I have the SS original model, not convinced it is worth the extra money over the black model as apart from looks as they are both exactly the same. Lets just say the SS is not the highest grade in the world and benefits from a bit of TLC to keep it looking good and more importantly lasting the distance.

I give mine a wipe over regularly with a damp cloth and a coating with a light oil to maintain the finish though most people probably give their BS's a wipe over from time to time in any case.

Original v digital ....... for example cold smoking is easier on the original, control is better on the digital straight from the box although the original does leave room to add to if you are so inclined as WCK said. The point I am making is that there are some advantages and disadvantages to both but whichever you get you will not be disappointed.

I use an original without any upgrades and it is excellent and quite capable of producing great food easily..... to my mind anything else is a bonus.

The other thing is that if you are working on a tight budget it may be better to get the cheapest BS model available and spend some extra $$'s on bubba pucks, the jerky racks, a separate (internal temp) meat thermometer and a wider range of wood bisquettes? Also as more money becomes available you can upgrade at leisure.

Food for thought??  ;)

This is my opinion also.  With regard to the SS, I keep mine indoors when not in use and a simple wipe down keeps mine looking like new.

[Wildcat]

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

[Infalable]

Thanks for the comments. I think I will purchase the basic model. My plans are for briskets and ribs and I will be a weekend smoker, but not every week. I like the idea of have many different bisquettes.

Also, I thought briskets took like 20 hours to smoke but many threads show folks smoking from 5 to 10 hours. I guess I have a lot to learn.

[Gizmo]

Typical Smoke time is around 4 hours.  The rest of the time is cooking which varies on the product.
I also agree with the others on the type and features and would save the money for an original (I have a digital) and upgrade to an internal PID for a controller.  I usually finish long cooks (after the 4 hours of smoke) in the oven as it is convection and dead on heat control.  Don't have to get the feet wet in the middle of the night either if it started to drizzle out. ::)

[manxman]

Thanks for the comments. I think I will purchase the basic model. My plans are for briskets and ribs and I will be a weekend smoker, but not every week. I like the idea of have many different bisquettes.

Also, I thought briskets took like 20 hours to smoke but many threads show folks smoking from 5 to 10 hours. I guess I have a lot to learn.

Good luck Infalable, let us know how you get on.  :)

[Habanero Smoker]

Infalable,

Welcome to the forum. Just wanted to add that each pucks smokes for about twenty minutes, so in an hour you will burn 3 of them. A typical smoke of four hours requires 12 pucks.

[Infalable]

Gizmo mentioned a PID. Since I am new here please expail what a PID is. Its like being in the Army again. An acronym for everything.

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Gizmo mentioned a PID. Since I am new here please expail what a PID is. Its like being in the Army again. An acronym for everything.

Infalable,

Welcome to the forum. PID stands for Proportional, Integral, Derivative, . It is a type of control scheme that smoothly applies a control (in this case, power) to maintain a setpoint (in our case, temperature). This approach is distinct from say a thermostat, that applies on/off control around a setpoint (like your house thermostat).

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Oldman]

Also, I thought briskets took like 20 hours to smoke but many threads show folks smoking from 5 to 10 hours. I guess I have a lot to learn

It all depends upon the poundage.... 10 pounds with FTC for me is close to 18 hours....