Susie - My wife recently also had a choice of gifts to mark her tenure with her company. I, too, was eyeing a smoker in the catalogue. She thought it more appropriate to get something that SHE wanted. So she got a necklace. Yawwwwn. LOL!

That's an extremely awesome anniversary present!! Give it a few weeks-- all those well-clad ladies will be begging for ribs.

A little more info please. Electric, propane, charcoal / wood fired? Water pan? Number of racks?

Steve

FOAS....thats too funny!!
I picked the smoker and the fancy shmancy dog bowls....what does that say about me LOL???

This is the Meco 2 rack charcoal,wood smoker-grill- steamer model.

I asked some friends and it seems I am the first to get one so I am on my own.

Can I use any wood??
Ribs sound great but here they are pricy so I think during my virgin attempts I will use chicken.

Thanks
Susie

Susie hamburgers on the smoker are AWESOME.My fried and I did some last weekend.

Shelley

I have been using a very "primitive" wood fired, off-set firebox smoker for the past 10 years and there is a fairly good learing curve when you have to manage the fire to keep the temp where you want it. Before you put any food in, build a smallish fire with your fuel of choice and sit there and watch what the temp does, and what you have to do to control it.

There are two types of smoking hot, and cold. Cold would be for seafood and cheeses, and more delicate proteins. Hot smoking is for meats and poultry that you want to cook either as it smokes, or after, but before eating. Hot smoking is the only kind you will be able to manage in your style smoker, and is usually done no hotter than 225 degrees F. That is whay I say you need to learn how your smoker works so you can maintain that temp for a few hours. You want the smoke to penetrate before the food is "cooked".

Most experienced smokers will agree that the meat is going to absorb as much smoke flavor as it will in about 3 hours. After that you are just using the wood as a heat source to finish the cooking. Final cooking can just as easily, and much more effeciently, be done inside in the oven.

Check out this website, www.bbq.about.com, I've learned a lot there, play around and have fun with it. You can create some amazing things!

Steve

Susie, mine is an electric Masterbuilt, but I have some good recipes from "Charcuterie" for sausages, pastrami, bacon.

When you get the hang of the simpler stuff in your smoker, like chicken or pork butt, you'll want to branch out. Ribs are awesome in the smoker as is duck and we've hot smoked freshly caught steelhead and salmon very nicely. The maple cured bacon is outstanding, I love the stuff.
Still working on sausages and brisket....

I know Tricia did mac and cheese in the smoker and Elery has tossed in baked potatoes so as not to "waste" room.

We use a lot of apple because I prune the apple trees, LOL, but we also like hickory and I've got plum trees to prune next, so that's going to be an experiment too.

Annie

You asked about wood...any non resinous wood will work.

No pine or fir or such, you get a "taste"

Good smoking woods are alder, fruit tree wood, hickory, maple, mesquite. I use mostly alder and pin cherry, both ditch weed type trees around here, always available.

However, if you aren't adventuresome in chopping and etc. your own trees, most hardware stores and certainly a full service BBQ store will carry bags of chips. Outdoor stores, I don't know what to generically call them.

In the type of smoker you have (I do as well) you aren't so much smoking food as adding smoked flavour to food as you cook it. So, just like any new appliance, you will be subject to some experimentation at first.

Good thing is you can mostly consume your mistakes as even they taste pretty good unless you soot them up. You will get it, just don't worry about being perfect right off the bat.

I've been smoking stuff for 20 years, have a vertical smoker not unlike yours, an offset smoker (like the competition ones you see) and a small smoke house and I still make mistakes.

I absolutely killed a bunch of salmon last year...pure rookie mistake but I wasn't paying attention because I've dome it a million times, right? So mistakes happen, the fun of it is you are out there doing it.

Take notes, keep a record of what you did. That way as things turn out you can see what you did and the other way around.

Now, get something in that thing and report back!

Susie, that was what I picked too for my 10 year anniversary gift form work too!

You can use hickory, mesquite, alder, cedar and applewood chunks in the smoker. Bags are often for sale at home centers and I think at TJ's. Be sure to use the chuncks for long cooking items like ribs, pork shoulders, etc.

There are several sites out there that can help you too.

Here in Nj being right on the river we get a lot of down limbs from the river breezes. I have no idea what type of wood they are LOL..remember I was a city girl the past 22 years.
My neighbor let me take down a few trees on his property because the blocked the sun on my veggie garden so I have all that wood stacked in a shed.

I think the one big concern I have is the actual cooking time involved. I am pretty busy so I would have to plan in advance when to start the smoker and make sure it stays hot ect...all the while going about my day.

I "should" be off on Monday so I think I will play a little and see what happens.

Cheers!
Susie

ps...I have a gas grill and fire pit with a food grate so there is always a backup plan LOL!!!

Well, now I'm jealous. It seems that other people actually get something for longevity in their jobs. I've been here 32 years and I did get "Happy Holidays" printed on the bottom of my check stub at Christmas, but that's it.

No smoker. (sniff) Not even a dog dish....

Annie

I avoid mesquite because of the nitrate content. If you are not familiar with trees I'd buy my wood already bagged. Almost any wood could be used... as in campfire cooking. Hickory is my favorite because it is a strong flavor so I only need a little bit... I use charcoal for heat and wood for smoke/flavor. If you are upwind black pepper can be sprinkled on the hot coals... don't get that smoke in your eyes. Use a coarse grind as fine powder will flash flame.... it has a fair amount of pepper oil that burns for peppery flavor.

Fryer chickens seem to be the cheapest meat I can find to smoke... about $4 each if I shop. After smoking I break them up into sandwich meat, snack wings, and soup meat/bones (boil the carcass and strain the bones). I almost feel bad throwing out the boiled clean bones which leave nothing for Mr. Possum to enjoy.... they get ate anyways.

Many people won't smoke fish because it can flavor the whole smoker so the next batch of meat tastes like fish. We have a spring sucker(fish) run so a few people have two smokers... one for just fish. Salmon is noted for leaving a fish taste in the next batch of jerky.

I use a Weber grill. For smoking it is just a load the charcoal and let it fly operation. Frequent checking lets out heat and just extends the cooking time. A friend put a drip cup under his smoker and claims the meat is done as soon as the fat stops dripping.... I don't watch that close.

I also like to smoke corn on the cob and potatoes while the main meat is going. My dog Dolly loves smoked corn eating it cob and all (cold leftovers so she don't get burnt). Other veggies like carrots and cabbage can be wrapped in tinfoil... the smoke penetrates a bit.

: )
lyra

Below is a website put up by a fan of smoke cooking.

He's got stuff to sell (don't they all!) but if you wade past that and through the site there are some good overviews and such for a beginner.

In smoking you go from beginner to intermediate in no time. Whereupon there you sit forever. Very few have the time or patience to progress to advanced. Its a curious mix of art, craft and Ninja.

As I said above, I've been doing it for 20 years and would put myself at somewhat advanced intermediate.

Treat your upright cooker like a smokey crock pot and you will be fine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hope this helps.