Average Reviews:
(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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Smokin Tex 1400 Pro Series Electric Bbq Smoker
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