Old SmokeyElectric Smoker

Previous ReviewsBefore 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 dentin the side of mine. But the lid was fine so I was placated. Nothing was missing.ConstructionThe 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 turnthem downward a little. This is so handy so you don't have to pawthe sides of the smoker with your mitts to get a hold of them sinceif you didn't fold them down, they would be flush with the sides. Theracks are very light weight, but seem to hold weight well. The drippan is heavy duty! The small tray for the wood chips has very subtleedges, 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 upwell over time, but it's only 5 feet long. It may seem like a lot, butit's not. Most of us have our outdoor outlets by our front door or backdoor and so now the smoker is setting next to a door where people arecoming and going. 5 feet just isn't a lot to move the smoker out of atraffic area. I'm sure you can use a grounded, heavy duty extension cord,but I try to avoid extension cords on heating units.The GaugeBuy the temperature gauge! You absolutely need it to maintain thetemperature in the smoker. Outdoor temperatures really do affectthe inside temperature more than you might think. The gauge instructionsdon't tell you where to place the gauge and this I understand. Theydon't know what type of smoker or grill you might be attaching it to.So I did fully expect the Old Smokey instructions to recommendthe best place to attach it, but it didn't. Very disappointing.I really only had 2 options, in the lid or near the bottom. Anywhereelse it would interfere with the screws that hold the racks and drip panin place. I opted for the lid. Didn't want it too close to the heatingunit. This turned out to be a great choice. Now I can just glanceat the top and see the temperature and it seems to be representative ofthe whole unit's internal temperature. I drilled a hole in the lid asinstructed, but the metal is so thin and pliable, it bent when I drilledthrough it. But once I put in the gauge and tightened it down, themetal evened back out and it looks nicely installed.OperationThe unit operates very easily. Just layer the absorbant on thebottom, 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 inthe very beginning, it operates as advertised. Remember though,it's a tool, not a chef. I saw many reviews that talked about howgreat 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...SizeSerious smokers may want to consider buying something bigger.This just isn't going to hold a lot food. It will hold a whole porkshoulder of average size on one rack and maybe a chickenand some vegetables on the other. But whole slabs of brisketfor instance, will need to be cut down and then, will still probablynot all fit.Final ThoughtOverall, I am very happy with this smoker. It has a few annoyingfeatures, but it performs well. It's a great buy for the casual smoker.

I have had an Old Smokey for over 20 years and we love it. I bought this one for my brother in law and he's super impressed with it too. These are well made easy to use smokers that consistently make great food with a little practice. Winner!

Why did you pick this product vs others?:This is my husbands favorite smoker!!! He has been obsessed from day one. It’s light weight and so easy to use! We use it at least once a week and make delicious smoked meats!!!

After wanting to get a smoker and reading tons of reviews on Amazon, I decided to give the Old Smokey Electric Smokers a shot. I've used it 3 times since I got it, and while I still have a lot to learn about the best way to use this thing, I've been pleased with the delicious results. The one thing I struggle with, is that this thing is a FAST cooker. The instructions direct you to cook everything at HIGH, but I dont think that's the way to go. When you read the BBQ and smoker cook books, it's all about low and slow. Optimal smoking temp seems to be 225-250 range, and to expect 1.5 hrs of smoking time per pound of meat. The Old Smokey has no problem hitting that temp (will get to 300+ no problem)and higher, and holding temps, but it cooks a lot faster. My take is that becuase it's a sealed system, more than a true smoker, and the moisture from the meat is trapped in the unit, which is great at keeping the meat moist, but it's almost like the meat is smoked AND steamed. I've done some racks of babybacks, they were super tender and had delicious smoked flavor. I did a 5.5 lb brisket. I overcooked it some, but it was still very moist and delicious. When I took it off smoker, I double wrapped in foil, then a towel, then put in in a small cooler to rest for 2 hours. It was still piping hot and tender when I served it. Last week I did a 7 lb pork butt for some pulled pork. Same thing...the cook books say it should smoke for 10-12 hours. Mine was DONE in 4 to 5 hours, with temp set at medium whichis about 250. Again, it was very moist and tender. As another reviewer mentioned, because of the trapped moisture, you dont get true smoke/BBQ 'bark' or a visible smoke ring. That's dissappointing, but what isnt dissappointing is the taste. It's pretty hard to screw anything up. I strongly suggest you buy the Old Smokey 2 inch themometer, and they will install it for you. You really need that to control the temp inside the unit. Also will need a good meat thermometer so you can tell when things are done by temp. So bottom line is, it's good company to deal with, and product arrived in great packaging. It's super easy to use, but watch those cooking times. It is a set it and forget it kind of cooker. Uses only a hand full of wood chips for a long smoking experience, 5 hours or more. Which by then, the meat has absorbed about all the smokiness you can expect. If you want the whole authentic BBQ smoke ring and bark and the likes, keep looking. If you want delicious smoked food, this is the way to go. This weekend - smoked turkey breast. Wish me luck!