Weber Performer Grill with Gas Ignition System Review

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(More customer reviews)My parents purchased this grill recently, and the convenience of the gas ignition counters the argument of first-to-cook from the gas grill crowd. Also, nothing beats the look of the stainless steel surfaces on the cart when you're aiming to combine good looks and great cooking.
The inaugural meal was a ham cooked with the optional rotisserie attachment. The coals (natural wood charcoal, of course) were ready very quickly, and the indirect cooking method kept the ham juicy and flavorful. The thermometer in the lid was great for knowing when to add coals or adjust the vents to maintain the temperature without having to constantly lift the lid and lose the heat.
After helping prepare the meal and tasting the food afterwards, I was sold. However, the. . . price tag was too high for my wallet, so I purchased the Weber One-Touch Platinum, which was $200 less. . . this would be a 5-star product, but the high price knocks it down a notch.

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Meet the ultimate charcoal grill: the Performer with Touch-N-Go Gas Ignition System. Now you can light those coals with the mere touch of a button from the 5-pound, propane fuel tank (included). The Char-Bin Storage container keeps 20 pounds of charcoal dry and at the ready. A hinged, triple-nickel-plated cooking grate makes it easy to add more fuel to the two welded steel Char-Basket Fuel Holders during longer cooking times. Beneath the handsome stainless steel work surface you'll find a rugged, robot-welded steel cart made of heavy-walled steel tubing sealed in weather¡resistant polyurethane enamel coating. Is dinner ready yet? A dual-purpose thermometer monitors the cooking temperature inside the grill and doubles as a traditional quick-read meat probe to accurately check food doneness. Rugged wheels and locking casters make this grilling station easy to move when you're done cooking. Bravo. Available in 22-1/2-inch-diameter size only.

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Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18 1/2 Inch Smoker Review

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(More customer reviews)As a fan of the earlier Smokey Mountain Cooker, I'm surprised and gratified with the changes they made to the smoker.
The previous smoker was an easy 5 stars in my book. I guess I'd have to give this one 6 stars, because it's better!
After using my old smoker for some time, I began finding ways to improve it. It seems that Weber thought so too, and their changes include all of mine plus a few more.
Here are some important improvements:
Wider door for adding charcoal & such. This is NOT a small detail but rather a much appreciated design change. The older model's smaller door made it more difficult to place wood chunks or new charcoal where I wanted them and once upon a time I knocked the water pan down into the coals trying to put a wood chunk toward the back of the smoker.
The door latch is spring loaded and features a lever type handle. The previous door latch is not spring loaded and had a featureless round knob. It was less secure and not always easy to tell if the latch was fully closed. Now it's obvious -- for those of us who need things to be obvious. :)
Built-in thermometer! To think I paid more than Amazon's current price on the smoker and then another $50 on a thermometer. Mine is even in the same place on the lid. Great minds think alike, I guess... and Weber added this useful feature while keeping the price under control.
Bottom ash catch pan. I never thought of that one but then again I have a concrete pad set up and it was never a big deal to sweep up a few stray ashes.
Overall, the smoker performs as well as the older model but is much easier to use. With the thermometer, it will be much easier to maintain temperature and smoke up some great grub right out of the box.
I am by no means an expert, but here are a few quick tips for using this smoker.
0. If you are interested in instant gratification, get a gas grill or go out for dinner. It takes some work, time and patience to use and maintain this smoker.
1. Keep the temperature as stable as you can.
2. Don't lift the lid any more than you have to (for mopping, adding charcoal, etc.
3. Use briquets, at least at first. It's much easier to work with compared to lump charcoal. If you do choose to use lump charcoal, don't add any extra wood chips or would chunks! You'll oversmoke the food and that's bad!
4. Start early. Give the charcoal time to start up, and the liquid in the water pan to get up to temperature before you put on the food.
5. Line the water pan with aluminum foil. Trust me; it will be much easier to clean later if you do!
6. Make small changes to the vents when you need to adjust the temperature. Give it some time to work.
7. Get a good book on smoking. I think we all know a good place to look for one...
8. The internet is your friend. Check out Weber's site, some of the bbq forums and most definitely Virtual Weber Bullet.


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There's nothing better than slow-cooked barbecue, and there's no better way to get authentic smokehouse flavor at home than with this charcoal smoker. An updated version of the Weber 2820, the smoker provides a spacious interior, which makes it possible to cook a whole turkey and an entire ham at the same time--perfect for large gatherings. Made of porcelain-enameled premium-grade steel, the smoker provides two, heavy, nickel-plated cooking grates that measure 18-1/2 inches in diameter--plenty of room for larger birds. A porcelain-enameled steel water pan adds steam to the cooking process, so meats stay moist and juicy. Even more, individual vents on the bowl and lid offer optimal air-flow control for tender meats and longer-burning charcoal, the heat-resistant nylon handle on the lid stays cool to the touch, and a handy thermometer makes it simple to check internal temperatures at a glance. The charcoal smoker measures approximately 19 by 19 by 41 inches and carries a 10-year limited warranty.

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Smokin Tex Pro Series 1400 Stainless Steel Electric Smoker Review

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(More customer reviews)I have owned my SmokinTex (ST) for over 6 years and have been throughly pleased.
The unit is well built (in China) and very well insulated (I'll explain the insulation later). With the 800 watt heating element, maintaining a consistent temp is easy. I have smoked ribs, pork butt, brisket, chicken & turkey and jerky with fantastic results. The cook box will easily hold enough meat to feed 15-20 people. I have smoked as many as five 5# pork butts without a problem.
One of the fantastic advantages of this smoker is that you use only a few ounces of wood per smoke. I average 4 oz per smoke. One oz of wood is about the size of a golf ball, no kidding, that's it.
Another advantage is that, unlike a stick-burner or conventional smoker you don't have to tend a fire on a long smoke. Set the desired temp and you are good-to-go. No more sleepless nights wondering if the fire is still going. This alone is worth the price if you do much smoking.
The vents on this unit are small, one on the top and one on the bottom, both about the size of a nickel. This serves two purposes: first, there's not much air movement (static environment) so your meat stays moist, doesn't dry out - no need to mop or baste. Two, with the slow movement of air, the smoke stays in the box and permeates the meat, thus the need for not much wood. The ONLY disadvantage to this is that the skin on fowl (chicken & turkey) doesn't crisp up. A few minutes on the grill or in a hot oven takes care of this.
This unit is insulated to about 1000*. Yeah, it didn't mean a lot to me either, but here's the skinny: Being so well insulated, it doesn't matter if the outside temperature is 80* or below zero, your cooking time and temperature will be effected little if any. I've cooked on a windy, 14* day with little to no variance from a 75* day. Very impressive!
The unit comes assembled but you will have to thread the casters in. Don't be concerned about smoke leaking around the door when you first start smoking. This will eventually seal itself off as the unit cures - 4-8 smokes maybe.
"Keep the door closed!" This is key. Learn to cook by internal temperature of the meat. Each time you open the door you loose moisture and add about 30 minutes to your smoke. Buy a digital thermometer and run it thru the vent hole into the thickest part of your meat. Shoot for a certain internal temp and resist the temptation to open the door. It's a difficult lesson to learn but well worth it!
DO NOT clean the smoker after each use - only the grills/grates. I scrape the walls with a credit card or plastic scraper and wipe it down with a damp cloth about once per year.
I have nothing but high praise for this unit. It has served me well. If I had but one complaint it would be with customer service. I did have to replace the heating element about a year ago. It took them forever to return a call or answer an email.
If you like smoked food and don't want to spend hours tending a fire, this unit is for you. Yes, it seems a bit pricey but if you've spent sleepless nights wondering if you fire is still going, you'll know what I mean.
Hope this review helps someone! =)

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The Smokin Tex Pro 1400 Smoker is easy to use, just plug it in, put in the wood and food, shut the door, and set the temperature. Enjoy authentic old-fashioned pit barbecue and delicious natural wood smoked foods. Your food is slow cooked with exact temperature control from 100-250 degrees. No attention needed while cooking! All stainless steel construction to survive the elements. 2 inches higher for extra ribs, sausage, or jerky. 14. 5 in. X 14. 5 in. Cooking rack with a 700 watt heating element. Cooks approximately 33lbs per load. Item Dimensions (in inches): 17. 5 w x 21 d x 29 h including wheels. 26. 75 h without wheels.

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Bradley Digital 6-Rack Smoker Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this machine. I owned an original Bradley Smoker that gave up the ghost. When I saw the digital one for sale I thought that it would be more precise and a "set and forget" solution to smoking. I have tried it four times now and have discovered that the temperature variation on the unit is as much as 28 degrees over the set point and as much as 16 below the set point for a temp swing of 44 degrees. It turns out that Bradley has a forum for owners and those interested (look at their web site). Quite a number of new owners have been dismayed and disappointed in the temp swing on this unit. When I called Bradley they just said "that's the way it is with this unit" and told me it is similar to my house oven. I doubt that my home ever varies that much. The cycle time for this variation is 15-20 minutes so the food is never at the set point for very long. I don't recall swings like this with my old one.
If you look carefully at what you get for the hefty premium, it is not much. The basic unit has the automatic biscuit feed and when its out of biscuits there is no more smoke so the smoke timer on the new one means nothing. The timer on the cooking side has a time limit according to the Bradley owners so you can't leave it more than ten hours without going out and resetting it. The temperature control is not reliable so what do you get for the extra bucks. Not much to my way of thinking.
By the way, look at the photo carefully. This unit is not aluminum. It has a door that is painted an aluminum color and the body is black. I have to say that the fit and finish is very nice on the unit.
My advice is buy the original model and save yourself the extra bucks.

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Bradley 6 Rack Digital Smoker will hot smoke, cold smoke and roast to perfection.Full digital control panel allows you to set the amount of smoke, cooking temperature and cooking time.Unique smoke without fire system operates for up to 8 hours without refueling.New Larger Size

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Bradley Digital 4-Rack Smoker Review

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(More customer reviews)It looks like a very small refrigerator.
Every piece of sheet metal is sanded on the edges, no cuts from sharp edges.
Easy to put together, no more difficult than putting together a refrigerator.
Quiet as a refrigerator too.
Read the instructions and season it first as directed.
You will need extra wood pellets. It does not come with any in the box, so order some extras. Each pellet lasts about 20 minutes.Bradley Apple Bisquettes 48 pack
NOTE: you have to put at least 4 pellets in the stacker to get it to burn 1 pellet. Just the way it works. I put in two pellets and nothing smoked. It needs 4 pellets to push the pellets along the tray to the burner. Not a problem, just try to remember that 3 of the pellets won't burn. So, if you want to cook for 4 hours you need: 3 pellets per hours x 4 hours = 12 pellets + 3 pellets to get them to burn plate = 15 pellets.
I tested a Butterball Turkey Breast first. I followed the Bradley instructions in their cookbook Bradley Recipe Book Volume 1 for the turkey cooking temperatures. I used their glaze recipe under the skin. I also used a wireless remote meat thermometer Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer feed the probe wire through the roof vent of the smoker. I used the apple pellets from Bradley Apple Bisquettes 120 pack
I sat back and waited. A few hour later the Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer began to chirp "almost done" "Almost done". The wireless thermometer is great because I was smoking the week of Thanksgiving and it was in the 30's outside so not having walk out to the smoker to check the meat was ideal. (My wife was concerned about the smoker being able to maintain cooking temperature in the cold outside. This smoker was stable, the temperature stayed steady. the outside of the unit did not get hot to the touch, except around the smoke vent which is to be expected.)
I used a Taylor Analog Instant-Read Dial Thermometer to verify the temperature of the meat when the wireless told me it was done. Both thermometers were within a degree of each other.
I took the turkey breast out of the smoker and let it rest for about an hour. The color was extremely golden skin. Not black or Smokey but as if was dipped in golden lacquer. A gorgeous turkey breast. No burnt places, not excess smoke, perfect. When I carved the Turkey breast it was as moist as a wet sponge. Unbelievably tasty, nothing like store bought smoked turkey. The taste of the turkey was like that of caviar compared to fish sticks, it was rich, smooth and wonderful.
This smoking robot works. Just add a Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer to you don't have to walk outside and let it do its job.
Also, we ran the smoker on our back porch, about 10 feet from the house. It only exhausts a small amount of smoke while working. It did not look like a fire at the, just a little smoke, less than the steam from a tea kettle. If you cheat and peak while it is cooking you will get your clothes smoked and have to change for dinner, but the smoke from the smoker did not get into the house otherwise.
Easy to setup, easy to control and easy to cook with. Oh, the trays are 11x15 so you could put a 12-14 pound turkey in it. Next is a Roast, Ribs and some Cheeses. The Bradley Recipe Book Volume 1 also includes recipes for cheese, fruit, and more. Just follow the instructions and be patient. It can do both hot and cold smoking.


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The Bradley 4-rack Digital Smoker includes all the features of the Original Bradley Smoker, along with the benefits of digital technology. Temperature, time, and smoke are now completely controllable so you can decide how much smoke you want, how long your food is going to be smoked for, and at what temperature. Perfect for entertaining, creating gourmet foods in your own home, or just enjoying the flavor that smoking brings, the new Bradley Digital Smokers offer an easier and better way to automatically roast, smoke and barbecue in the outdoors.The exterior is Powder Epoxy Steel and the interior is Polished Stainless SteelInternal Cooking Vol : 2288 cu in Internal Heater: 500 watt cooking element / 125 watt smoking element Power: - 110 V 50 - 60 Hz , - 5.5 Amps (240 Volt Model coming mid 2006)ETL & CE ListedMax Temperature: Controllable up to 320F.Min Temp: subject to ambientDigital Controls : Temperature, Time, Smoke

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