Sometimes, I tell myself sternly, you don't *have* to get obsessed. I could have spent a lot more money for a smoker, but I wasn't sure that I'm committed to this kind of cooking. The Old Smokey was our compromise between the really cheap, rickety smokers we saw in the hardware store and the "serious" models that cost over $200. And it was the right choice.
After using it three or four times, I'm really glad I chose this model. The operation is simple, and the equipment was put together without cussing. The workmanship is good; this thing won't fall apart.
I had a friend sneer at our choice of an *electric* smoker, but nobody has complained about the food that came out of it. Its convenience can't be beat: we plugged it in outside, and we could walk away. I didn't have to worry about running out of propane or loading up more charcoal. (Of course, we _didn't_ walk away... we came back ever so often to mop the brisket. But I didn't have to fuss.)
The smoker has two shelves, each of which (I can say assertively) can easily hold a 10-pound shoulder of pork or an 8-pound brisket. It's a good size, does the job it advertises, and it's made well. I'd buy it again.
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Previous Reviews
Before buying this smoker, I poured through all the reviews to ensure I wasn't buying a dud. I found several to be helpful, but I didn't find one that covered everything I was interested in so here goes... But let me give you the punch line first, the unit operates as advertised and you shouldn't have any problems, but here's a few things to think about...
Vendor to buy from...
The first thing I noticed in the reviews were several said their smokers arrived damaged and recommended not to buy from Northern Tools. They said in most cases they were able to fix the problem themselves by bending the metal back in place. That's fine, but if I buy something brand new (and pay a brand new price), then it should be brand new.
I was extremely worried about the lid where this seemed to be a trouble point. I wanted the lid to fit snuggly as it should, not bent! I'm not buying a smoker to smoke meat just to have it escape through a damaged lid!
So I ordered from River Country. At the time, their price was the same as Northern Tools (if you realized theirs was $20 more, but you got the gauge) and the shipping was actually less. The unit arrived quickly, but the box was damaged. Upon opening the box, I found the unit to be very poorly packed. This is an Old Smokey problem, not River Country or Northern Tools. Just one piece of bubble wrap seperated the top from the unit, but nothing wrapped the unit inside the box. So I did have dent
in the side of mine. But the lid was fine so I was placated. Nothing was missing.
Construction
The unit is easy to assemble, instructions are clear, but this isn't a high durable item. The handles just screw in with nuts and loosen over time unless you are able to really ratchet them down. The socket to plug the power supply in is loosening on mine as well (although this part came preassembled), but I should be able to tighen this too.
The one feature I really don't like on this unit is the way the shelves and drip pan are held in place. You put in screws, tighten with nuts and then the shelves and drip pan just sit on the screw lengths. From a weight stand point, I haven't had a problem, but let me tell you, if I had a dollar for every time my hand, sleeve, hot mitt etc... snagged on the screw, I could buy a nicer smoker. You constantly have to reach in, of course, and getting a little snag or a small slice in your skin due to a screw thread isn't fun. ESPECIALLY when you try to clean the unit.
The racks have folding handles, a very nice feature, so you can turn
them downward a little. This is so handy so you don't have to paw
the sides of the smoker with your mitts to get a hold of them since
if you didn't fold them down, they would be flush with the sides. The
racks are very light weight, but seem to hold weight well. The drip
pan is heavy duty! The small tray for the wood chips has very subtle
edges, but it's not enough to keep chips from falling off. If you accidently hit the tray, like when you're lowering it into the smoker, chips fall off. A wire basket or high edges would have been a nice feature, but not on this one.
The unit sits on a wire stand. It's not much to look at, but does the job quite well. Mine seems level and doesn't wobble or tip.
Last item to cover here is the cord. It's heavy duty, should hold up
well over time, but it's only 5 feet long. It may seem like a lot, but
it's not. Most of us have our outdoor outlets by our front door or back
door and so now the smoker is setting next to a door where people are
coming and going. 5 feet just isn't a lot to move the smoker out of a
traffic area. I'm sure you can use a grounded, heavy duty extension cord,
but I try to avoid extension cords on heating units.
The Gauge
Buy the temperature gauge! You absolutely need it to maintain the
temperature in the smoker. Outdoor temperatures really do affect
the inside temperature more than you might think. The gauge instructions
don't tell you where to place the gauge and this I understand. They
don't know what type of smoker or grill you might be attaching it to.
So I did fully expect the Old Smokey instructions to recommend
the best place to attach it, but it didn't. Very disappointing.
I really only had 2 options, in the lid or near the bottom. Anywhere
else it would interfere with the screws that hold the racks and drip pan
in place. I opted for the lid. Didn't want it too close to the heating
unit. This turned out to be a great choice. Now I can just glance
at the top and see the temperature and it seems to be representative of
the whole unit's internal temperature. I drilled a hole in the lid as
instructed, but the metal is so thin and pliable, it bent when I drilled
through it. But once I put in the gauge and tightened it down, the
metal evened back out and it looks nicely installed.
Operation
The unit operates very easily. Just layer the absorbant on the
bottom, put chips in the tray and turn on. It heats up very quickly.
Put in your drip pan and meat and you're smoking! As I said in
the very beginning, it operates as advertised. Remember though,
it's a tool, not a chef. I saw many reviews that talked about how
great the food was. That is more of your talent, not the smoker.
It will smoke to the temperature you select, but the rest is up to you.
Everything from the type, quality and cut of meat (or vegetables), rubs, marinades, sauces, type of wood chips, volume of wood chips, how long you smoke etc... One quick note, I have read from several sources, not to mop (baste) in electric smokers...
Size
Serious smokers may want to consider buying something bigger.
This just isn't going to hold a lot food. It will hold a whole pork
shoulder of average size on one rack and maybe a chicken
and some vegetables on the other. But whole slabs of brisket
for instance, will need to be cut down and then, will still probably
not all fit.
Final Thought
Overall, I am very happy with this smoker. It has a few annoying
features, but it performs well. It's a great buy for the casual smoker.
Best Deals for Old Smokey Electric Smoker
The closed system of this smoker works effectively and cooks efficiently. Everything I've smoked is juicy and tastes great. Much, much better than the water steamer smoker that I've been using for the last 10 yrs.
Honest reviews on Old Smokey Electric Smoker
I bought this product after reading so many good reviews. I cannot explain why so many people like it, but after 4 months of experimenting and tinkering and producing food my family will not eat I do not. I have decided to buy the Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch Smoker instead.
The old smokey electric is not a real smoker, because it is sealed there is no air flow past the meat,no combustion oxygen, and no place for steam to go. This results in the following problems:
The smoker will produce a tiny amount of smoke that will supposedly stay in the can to flavor the meat, then then it will produce no more, as all the oxygen will have been consumed, this smoke will eventually condense out into the bowl due to all the steam that invariably forms and will not penetrate the meat.
Over time creosote and tar will build up on the inside of the can, the steam produced by cooking mixes with this horrible tasting soot, and then impart the flavor to the meat. The first few things I made were OK, but over time the taste steadily degraded, this may explain some the positive reviews. They may not have used it as much or as long as I did.
The meat will not form a crispy outer layer (" the bark") that is a critical part of smoking. The steam washes away most of the rub you put on the meat and leaves a rubbery skin.
The meat will not seal, as the meat cooks the juices that would normally be kept in by a crispy skin will be squeezed out into the bowl, resulting in meat that is dry inside. You could sear it yourself first, but this would completely block out any smoke from possibly getting in the meat.
There is no online user group or recipe book for this smoker, you are on your own with recipes. The ones that come with it are completely wrong. You cannot cook a brisket by cooking it for 20 minutes a pound on high as the recipe book says. Ultimately I think this its biggest downfall. If you buy a smoker, buy one with a big user community that can help you.
If you really want to steam meat with a tiny bit of smoke you can do this yourself in the oven, just put some wood chips under your broiler pan and put your meat on top and you have created your own old smokey, or you can do it with something like the Cameron Cookware Gourmet Mini Smoker, or you can do it like they do it on the food network show "iron chef" with a "hotel pan", you don't need to buy this to do that.
In the end mine is but one review and you will need to look to places other than the overly positive Amazon reviews to make your decision:
Search the web for "amazing ribs" "virtual weber bullet" and "bbq source forums"
After reading through these you will learn that others have tried and failed with the old smokey electric, you will learn about what true smoking really is. You will find a massive following for the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) with loads precise details and recipes. Yes the WSM a little more expensive, but its a lot cheaper to buy the right smoker the first time, than it is to buy the wrong one first, and then buy the right one like I did.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Old Smokey Electric Smoker
I am buying my 3rd smoker. Each one I have owned lasted 8 to 10 years. I use them about once a month for many different dishes.
My absolute best use is for the holiday turkey. It is a no brainer. Just put it in, then take it out when it is ready. The turkey doesn't take up room in the oven and it is moist without basting.
You can season it any way you prefer, or stuff it. You can control the amount of wood chips for a light or heavy smoked taste or don't use any wood chips if you don't want the smoked flavor.
Other meats work about the same way.
Vegetables can be cooked in the pan below the meat. This is fix it and forget it method.
