Brinkmann Masterbuilt and Cookshack Smoker Comparison

[sickb2200]

I love my Cookshack SM025. I bought it new, but dirt cheap from someone that won it in a raffle. Lining the bottom and covering the wood box top with foil makes cleanup a breeze. The very tight sealing of the unit makes for tender and juicy meats and also holds in smoke so you don't need much wood. I'm also lucky enough to live in the town where the company resides. Great company - always donating smokers for charity auction events and fundraisers.

[texbotany]

I wanted to get a smoker that would let me smoke fish in it (as well as other things), which is supposed to be around 90-100 degrees for a few hours, then you bring it up to an internal temp of 160....anyway, I was contemplating getting the Brinkman and making modifications to it to get the temp down to 90-100. Do you think that's possible or have any suggestions?

[fattybombattysmoking]

@texbotany :: The Brinkman with mods is probably going to be the cheapest way to go. You should be able to find a heating element with a heat control pretty easily. There is a smoker called the Little Chief that might be worth looking at, but it is much more expensive, and from what I've heard, can have trouble getting up to temp for things that smoke around 225º. If you were only doing fish or cold smoking, sounds great, but may not be flexible enough for you. Worth checking out though.

[texbotany]

@fattybombattysmoking Thanks man. That gave me the idea to set the Brinkman body over a plug-in stove burner and smolder some chips or something in a cast iron skillet like Alton Brown did on his show. I would think that could bring me up to 90-100 F and I could finish it off with the regular heating element. Thanks again.

[thepupils209]

Great video/review. I just received the brinkman gourmet from a neighbor and am looking forward to using it for the first time tonight. This video was perfect for the non-experienced "smoker." Thanks.

[fattybombattysmoking]

@thepupils209 :: Glad it was helpful! Hope you have success on your first smoke with the Brinkman Gourmet.

[fugiman13253]

Well...I might be a lil bias as to which one I'd own, but I would save up for the Cookshack. I have the FE-500 pellet grill myself. I know every part of the cookshack smokers are made right here in Ponca City, OK USA bc I work for cookshack and see what time and quality goes into them. The quality and performance are well worth they wait to save up for one! Trust me!

[fattybombattysmoking]

Glad your Cookshack is working well for you, and that you enjoyed the video. Bacon is something I've been itching to try but just haven't had a chance yet. I bet it is amazing!

[AnotherAmateur]

Very nice. I got a Cookshack SM025 that I've used for about 10 months. Sure makes smoking easy and very consistent. My favorites in it are pulled pork and smoked salmon, but I also got good results with homecured ham, brisket, bacon, spare ribs, and baby backs.  This was a great video to see.

[bkd2117]

I bought the electric brinkmann last year for my first smoker. It actually cooked way better than I expected. I smoked fish, salmon, brisket, and other stuff and it all turned out great. Sadly the electric burner just went out and I wanna buy a more advanced smoker but I could never see myself buying one for 600. I've.narrowed it down to the masterbuilt, old smoke electric, and the weber electric. Which should I get?

[fattybombattysmoking]

@bkd2117 :: Not to throw a wrench in your plans, but it might be worth considering the Smokin' It. There is a link to it in the amazon affiliate store section of the fattybombatty website. Everything I've seen from it shows it to be as well constructed as the Cookshack, but at a fraction of the price. I think you'd have issues getting the Old Smokey Electric up to temp to smoke things like brisket - it seems a bit more specialized for the lighter smoked stuff. Hope that helps!

[barrowsb]

I got a lot of use out of my Masterbuilt, but had to rewire it a year or so ago, using instructions I found online, discovering in the process that this unit is very prone to this defect. Sure enough, last month, the heater again failed on me in the middle of a cook. Time for a new smoker. I'm trying to decide between a Smokin' Tex and a Cookshack. The new Masterbuilt model looks nice, but I think I'm steering clear of it.

[fattybombattysmoking]

@barrowsb :: I've been finding a lot of reports that confirm what you are saying about Masterbuilt having longevity problems with their electric smokers. Quite disappointing. I haven't researched the differences between the Smokin' Tex and the Cookshack, but when I was looking a few years ago, the Smokin' Tex was a copy for less money and quality (fewer weld points, less insulated, made in China). Lately, the price difference isn't as dramatic. I'd lean Cookshack or check amazon for Smokin-it.

[barrowsb]

@fattybombattysmoking That's what I did. I'm now the proud new owner of a Cookshack Smokette Elite (SM025). This will hopefully be the last smoker I own.

[rmd19691969]

cookshack is the best! i have one. there is no equal. 100% MADE IN the USA

[kevinsiscoe]

Really appreciate you taking the time to make this review. Definitely helped me make a decision.

[DOWNRANGE06]

Thank you for the video. I am going with the masterbuilt.

[3zib]

Nice review mate!!