Is smokenator worth the $$ ?

[okq]

I have been using the Weber Kettle for many years with great satisfaction and would like to know how much improvement, if any, the smokenator would provide over the indirect cooking style of coals on either side of the grill and a water/drip pan under the cooking grid.

Family, friends and neighbors have enjoyed turkeys, ribeye and pork roasts, chops, chickens etc cooked this way. Is the smokenator really worth the money?

[BB-Kuhn]

It sounds like you are asking whether the smokenator would work for indirect grilling - and the answer is no.

It really only has a good purpose serving as a smoke/low heat generator. The size/shape/design keeps a nice small fire for the coals and acts as a shield for the meat.

I wouldn't expect it would be worthwhile unless you wanted to do some smoking.

[okq]

Thanks for the response. What I'm trying to find out is if the smokenator is that much better than using wood chunks with the setup in my original post. I'm able to obtain a smokey flavor and a smoke ring. Is the meat more tender? Is it really worth waiting longer for the finished product?

Don't know if I can take the aroma that long!

[lsutiger]

I've cooked ribs before I had the smokenator on my weber. They turned out ok but was not that tender. Just smoked some over Memorial Day weekend (3-2-1) and they turned out perfect. Not fall off the bone but were tender as could be. I agree with BB-Kuhn if you want to add a smoker to your cooking method it is well worth the $.

[briano52]

Yes, I just got my Smokenator and have cooked on it twice. I have cooked for many years on Weber kettles and find that they are great for direct heat grilling and indirect heat rotisserie. Not so great for indirect smoking. I have used an offset smoker to get the good traditional low and slow BBQ results that I want for ribs, pork shoulder and birds.

I bought the Smokenator because I was intrigued by the simple design and also wanted to increase my BBQ capacity for occasional larger crowds. The first try I found that my temps varied more than I'm used to on my offset. But after getting the hang of it, I was able to control things pretty well. My second outing, I did two large pork shoulders and was able to bring them to shredding doneness in 11 hours (with the Texas Crutch method). That is pretty good and comparable to offset performance.

I am now a fan of the Smokenator. It works as advertised. The learning curve is pretty easy if you are already experienced at low and slow smoking. If you are not, I am sure that it will take longer to master things. Many good books on BBQ are out there that will help you get going and the Smokenator manual is really pretty good. Do use a high quality digital thermometer placed at the grill level. The dome thermometer on the lid reads very different than what a grill level unit does!!

[okq]

Thanks to those who responded. The concept is interesting and I might have to get the smokenator and try it out.

Any New Englanders out there that can share their winter experiences with the smokenator?

[flbuckeye]

May 29, 2013 15:02:43 GMT -5 BB-Kuhn said:

It sounds like you are asking whether the smokenator would work for indirect grilling - and the answer is no.

It really only has a good purpose serving as a smoke/low heat generator. The size/shape/design keeps a nice small fire for the coals and acts as a shield for the meat.

I wouldn't expect it would be worthwhile unless you wanted to do some smoking.

I have used the smokenator when I cook ribeyes using the reverse sear method. I start out with a normal SN setup and let the steaks get to 120 degrees. I then push the SN over and add more coals and let them get hot. Over high high heat, turning the steaks every 30 seconds, I get a perfect medium rare, with no gray (overcooked) area just below the surface.

[jsperk]

Jul 8, 2013 13:45:25 GMT -5 flbuckeye said:

May 29, 2013 15:02:43 GMT -5 BB-Kuhn said:

It sounds like you are asking whether the smokenator would work for indirect grilling - and the answer is no.

It really only has a good purpose serving as a smoke/low heat generator. The size/shape/design keeps a nice small fire for the coals and acts as a shield for the meat.

I wouldn't expect it would be worthwhile unless you wanted to do some smoking.

I have used the smokenator when I cook ribeyes using the reverse sear method. I start out with a normal SN setup and let the steaks get to 120 degrees. I then push the SN over and add more coals and let them get hot. Over high high heat, turning the steaks every 30 seconds, I get a perfect medium rare, with no gray
(overcooked) area just below the surface.

I like using the smokenator. I smoked with fire brick and the circle of charcoal but not completely connected. I just like the moist environment when using the smokenator. I use over my ceramic grill sometimes. In the winter the ceramic does all the smoking.

I love the ribeye idea. I may do that but have my ceramic cranked at up for the sear. Thanks for the idea.

[djl777]

As one other person pointed out, it's not really intended just for indirect cooking, and yes it's possible to get a smokey flavor without it. You cannot however, even cooking indirectly with out it, get the same results. You can smoke (real BBQ) up to 16 hours or more, if you desire with it. This is because of the way the charcoal is made to burn in the Smokinator; this is key. You can get excellent results in the 2-6 hour range and the flavor will be better than trying to cook indirectly without it. Better moisture retention and you can stoke the Smokinator to smoke for up to 6 hours without adding more fuel. That cannot be done without it. Well worth it, IF you like to truly smoke your food.

[flbuckeye]

Jul 8, 2013 20:14:32 GMT -5 jsperk said:

Jul 8, 2013 13:45:25 GMT -5 flbuckeye said:

I have used the smokenator when I cook ribeyes using the reverse sear method. I start out with a normal SN setup and let the steaks get to 120 degrees. I then push the SN over and add more coals and let them get hot. Over high high heat, turning the steaks every 30 seconds, I get a perfect medium rare, with no gray
(overcooked) area just below the surface.

I like using the smokenator. I smoked with fire brick and the circle of charcoal but not completely connected. I just like the moist environment when using the smokenator. I use over my ceramic grill sometimes. In the winter the ceramic does all the smoking.

I love the ribeye idea. I may do that but have my ceramic cranked at up for the sear. Thanks for the idea.

Here is the reverse sear technique explained fully. Have had fantastic results doing steaks, burgers, tri tips and more.

www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/cooking_temperatures_and_reverse_sear.html