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!

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of smoker to get. Read a million reviews, the pros and cons of different types, the whole deal. Finally decided I wanted an electric smoker. I am new to this, so wanted the benefit of ease of keeping the temperature right for hours on end. This smoker ended up being in the sweet spot, not too expensive, but not a cheap smoker either.Got this home, assembled it, without any problem. Bought two additional accessories. Bought an old smokey 2 inch thermometer, and drilled a hole in the lid and installed it. Also bought a electronic meat thermometer, drilled a small hole in the side of the old smokey to allow the probe and wire through it. There was a little extra space around the wire, so I have blocked it with aluminium foil.Proceeded to roast a Boston Butt, to make pulled pork sandwiches. Rubbed it, in the fridge overnight, and then smoked for 9 hours. Pulled it out and it was the absolute best pulled pork we have ever had. We had a bunch of teenage kids over, and it was gone before you knew it.Then this last weekend, put in 6 pounds of St Luis Ribs. Smoked those for 5 or 6 hours, and they were literally the best ribs I have ever had as well. Took them out of the smoker, brushed on a little bbq sauce and then put them on a hot grill for a minute a side to caramilize the sauce. 6 pounds of ribs for 6 people, and they were completely gone in 10 minutes. Insanely good, meat had a great smoke ring, tender, moist, and fell off the bone. So incredibly good.I can't recommend this smoker enough. I love mine. The only potential downside is that because it is so moist inside the unit (because it is sealed, has more smoke and moisture that remains in the unit) you don't get a hard crust or bark on the final product. But that is easily obtained by broiling or grilling the meet over high temps for a short amount of time before serving. And honestly I love the ease of use of this unit, the temp control is simple to set and adjust as necessary, it takes only a handful of wood chips, and if you have a electronic meat thermometer you don't even have to open the unit to check temps. Just set it, monitor the interior temp to keep it at your desired level (about 220 to 225 for me) and then sit back and adjust every so often. Hardest part was keeping the kids quiet so I could read my book and drink my beer.

I smoke a lot of tuna. It tastes great but can be a little dry. I thought I would try Old Smokey because it advertises keeping the meat moist with the tight fitting lid. It works great for keeping the fish moist and has a nice Smokey taste. I gave it a 4 star because I don’t think most people who smoke meat would like that on a pork shoulder or brisket you’re not going to get smoked look and bark however it will be moist. I would think that chicken and vegetables would come out great. I have a traditional smoker that I will use for meat that I want to create a bark and use Old Smokey for things I want to keep most.

Love this thing

I bought this smoker for my husband to replace the 20 year old smoker from the same manufacturer.He used the smoker for the first time, a few days ago. The smoker performed like a champ, even in 20 degree weather.

This American-made smoker fits nicely on my apartment deck. The setup process was simple. The smoking part was easy - The steaks we smoked...were out of this world good! We also smoked potatoes, pork, sausage, corn on the cob, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower. All veggies turned out great, but some take longer than others. I'm so happy with this purchase! Can't wait to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving!

I bought this for my parents and they say it works as it should. Giving two stars because the description is a little misleading. Material listed says stainless steel. There may be a stainless component but it’s not a stainless steel smokerThe company doesn’t make one in all stainless steel