You can get the type of thermometer you want at acadamey. Made by accurite and comes w/ the probe for the meat and a remote so that you can set your high and low
range and it will alarm if it gets to hot or cold.
Buy this one for the meat temp and they have a smaller cheaper one that you can use for the grate temps.
Ray i had the Old heavy new braunfuls pit for years and they do hold the heat alot better than the new crap they put out now.
Like Ray said never use charcoal lighter fluid , use a chimminey.
I have cooked on alot of smokers from a cheap wal mart smoker to a 250 gallon Lang , and what you buy just depends on how much work you want to do to smoke meat.
Low an slow is the key so no matter what smoker you buy the time it takes will on average be the same. For set it an forget it the MES is a great choice. If you like sitting around tending a fire then an offset is the way to go.
Just remember this . A smoker is just like anything else that you buy. You get what you pay for. A cheap smoker will put out good smoked meat but it is alot more work and usually will require a few modifications to make it function properly.
A good offseet like a lang or a bubba can be allmost as easy as the electric to use.
Once you get the wood going they will hold temps to a point to where all you have to do is throw a split on once an hour.
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