Customer Reviews

Old Smokey Electric Smoker

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

First, let me say that this is a great product. It is very sturdy and reliable. However, my first experience was less than positive.

When I first bought the Old Smokey, I had several high-quality ribeye steaks I wanted to smoke prior to grilling. When I removed the lid after smoking, it was as if the steaks had been steamed. They ended up tasting washed out and bland. Another time, I tried a turkey. When I opened the lid, the breast skin had split and the turkey had lost almost all of its juice.

If used with the lid sealed, at least in my experience, this is great for brisket and beef ribs. The ribs were an tender as I have ever seen. But for poultry, or smoking something prior to grilling (steak, burgers, etc.), I recommend not sealing the lid and leaving about a 1 inch gap. This makes a huge difference.

Sure, it may take a little experimentation. But once you figure out how to work the Old Smokey, it's a great asset.

My coworker turned me onto the idea of an electric smoker. His, however uses a water pan that has to be refilled and the old smokey doesn't use added water. I read many reviews and finally decided on the old smokey due to its construction (no paint that will peel off), its made in USA (boy, is that hard to find nowadays), and all the good results that people had using it. I was so excited when it came; smoked a chicken in it right away. Came out super! I marinated it in a 30 minute teriaki marinade first, then just put it on. I smoked mine slower on about 225-250 degrees and it took about 4 hours. (4 lb chicken) You won't be disapointed by this smoker! I am thinking about buying a couple for family members. You can go directly to old smokey's website for additional info on their company and tips on cooking, etc. Happy Smoking!!!

Being an electric smoker you get absolutely even cooking temperatures. No need to fill a water pan. I would recommend a temperature gauge that you have to install in the lid to accurately set the temperature. My wife and I were stunned by the results, all I can say is "spectacular flavor and tenderness". Better than anything you will get in a restaurant. While the manual doesn't mention ribs, we smoked them at 220 degrees with a dry rub for 4 hours and then put them on the gas grill and slathered bbq sauce on and cooked them for 10 minutes on low to finish. The best ribs I have ever had, period.

Buy one, you won't be disappointed!!!!

Folks, this thing is flat out awesome. It maintains a quite consistent inner temperature (Don't open it!). It has room for a lot of meat in that little space. Buy some rib racks.

It doesn't look like a smoker, does it? No matter. You'll dig the food you turn out with this thing.

Sorry, Amazon, didn't get mine from you. Got mine shipped from Texas Gas Works with a free bag of mesquite chips for just over $135. Yes, shipped. And they couldn't have been nicer.

What I really wanted was a cookshack. But I don't have $500 to spend on a smoker, so that wasn't an option at this time. What I found was that this item will give you results like the cookshack for far less dough. No, it can't be built in, and it doesn't look like a fancy piece of restaurant equipment.

But you can get it to work like one. First thing I did when I got mine was drill a 3/16" hole in the side to fit my temperature probe. Stick that baby in your turkey or pork shoulder, set the desired temperature and listen for the beep. That's all there is to it.

Would you drill into something you paid $800 for?

This item looks like it's been made this way since the '50s. Awesome. Why screw with success? By the way, if you let your neighbor taste your pulled pork before you show this thing to him, he'll wind up buying one for himself.

Most of us have got some kind of propane or charcoal grill out back. Very few think they can afford the space or expense of a separate smoker appliance--so most of us don't smoke food as often as we'd like. Now you can put your brisket in the rub packet overnight, pop it in ol' smokey in the early AM of Super Sunday, and by game time you have a feast.

Offset smokers use a lot of wood to get that smoky flavor by burning the wood in the firebox. This baby can smoke your meal with a few soaked wood chips or a little pile of soaked sawdust in the pan. It's almost a sealed system, so it doesn't need constant water replenishment like the good old Weber Smoky Mountain. It's so nice that way that I use mine in the breezeway between house and garage--I just turn on a big fan pointed out the door when the lid comes off, and blow the smoke out into the yard.

Plus this thing is portable. If your little league team is in an all-day tourney or your church is setting up a pavilion in the park, just show up early, set up your cooker on a table by the AC outlets and load 'er up with the biggest pork shouler picnic you can fit in there. Then spend the morning in the park with your family--not cooking. By the time everyone shows up, nobody will want those burgers and hot dogs. You can bring this thing to parties at friends' houses or anywhere else you have outdoor access to standard ac current.

Did I mention I absolutely love this cooker? It has so many advantages you'll find yourself looking for cheap cuts on sale every time you're in a location that sells meat of any kind.

You are flat out going to love this thing too, and you'll find advantages I forgot to mention. To recap:

*Cost (no fear of slight mods like temp probe)
*Convenient, small footprint
*Portable
*Uses little wood
*Set-and-forget "la-z-cue"
*Food quality up there with the fancy ones
*A tasty poke in the eye to pyro traditionalists

Old Smokey. In twenty years when you wear this out, you'll probably buy another one just like it.

I cook with charcoal. In fact, I use an indirect heat technique with my Old Smokey 18" charcoal grill to cook/smoke roasts, briskets and beer-can chickens. Everything else gets the direct fire, and the unique design of the Old Smokey makes it a versatile charcoal grill that provides fabulous value. To cook with anything else is almost sacrilegious!

Still, I decided to buy the Electric Smoker mainly out of curiosity. My justification was that my charcoal grill was a tad on the small side for turkeys and larger shoulders and roasts.

Unfortunately, I experienced the same problems others have who've bought their smoker through Amazon and Northern Tool...Shipped late, bent lid lip and dented body... I was able to fix everything with a hammer and some pliers, but when I got to the handle assembly for the lid I realized they shorted me two 1/2 inch machine screws. Ok, mildly annoying but not really worth the trouble of contacting the company. Still, I would have paid another $5 just to have had it shipped on time and in good condition with all of its pieces.

As for function, this lives up to the Old Smokey name! I cured the grill and cooked some chicken quarters and a 6 pound duckling over the weekend. Delicious! It was pretty cold outside and there was a stiff breeze, but I found the smoker performed admirably in winter conditions. It cooked everything in short order. I may have to adjust the lid lip a little, because I couldn't get a good seal without adding some pressure and then it would "stick" until I dislodged it with a tap from my hammer. Also, I notice that the smoker "steams" the meat, but the end result was a very moist duck with a proper hint of smoke. You can't beat the flavor. The steam issue could be a lid problem (I may need to allow some more O2 to escape), so I'll try to refine my technique until I get the meat the way I like it. I was hoping it would be more on the rotisserie side.

Bottom line? This is probably the best deal running for an electric smoker. Combined with a good charcoal grill, this is really all you need to make world-class BBQ. The two racks make it ideal for a clam bake or mess of ribs for you and the neighbors.

I'd add a thermometer to the lid and would also ask that the electric cord be longer. But I can't complain. It cost me about $[...].

If you are interested in this smoker, I strongly recommend you check out the Old Smokey web site and consider one of the other vendors they have listed. I've had good luck with The Barbeque Store ([...]).