<p>What can anyone tell me here about outdoor gas smokers? If you have one, what do you use it for, or what do you have the best luck cooking in it? What features could you not do without? This is for someone who has a Weber charcoal grill, but would like a smoker, too.</p>
<p>teri, I like the title of your thread! :)</p>
<p>Sorry, I personally can not help you with this type of cooking devices, but I’ll bump the thread for you. 
My friend who moved from Texas to Oregon dragged his Texas-style charcoal BBQ/smoker with him. He would not touch anything propane or NG fuelled.</p>
<p>Anybody?</p>
<p>AH! Smokers! That’s something I happen to know something about. We have a large/ 5 rack/ propane smoker that we bought at Costco last year. It burns wood chips - we use alder for fish and cherry for poultry. We use it to smoke salmon - but have also done turkeys and chickens. We also have an electric box smoker called a Big Chief - we use only for fish.</p>
<p>we have a Costco membership, so if I go that route, I can check it out. So what’s the difference between propane and charcoal, as far as cooking goes? Is it kind of like the difference between charcoal and gas grill?</p>
<p>update - went to Home Depot… they have very few models, and not top of the line ones. Went to Expo, they have nothing in right now, but the guy selling gas grills told me if I want the absolute very best, to go with The Big Green Egg, and you can generally get them at fireplace and patio stores; it’s also what he has. So across the street I go to a fireplace store, and the woman says, “The only smoker we sell is The Big Green Egg.” While she’s educating me on this item, my cell phone rings… it’s my brother/amateur gourmet cook in Houston calling to confirm our plans this week. I tell him what I’m looking for, and he (the purist he is) says he only uses a Weber charcoal grill (we already have one), and you’d be amazed at what he creates with a Weber (the best beef tenderloin I’ve EVER had!). But he says, “If I were to get a smoker, there’s only one kind I’d get; a good friend of mine has one, and it’s the best smoker I’ve ever seen.” I ask, “Is it The Big Green Egg?”, and he says yep. The funny thing was, right before I went into this store, I was talking to one of my daughters, letting her know where I was and what I was shopping for. She said, “Mom, you should just call Uncle ____ or Uncle ____ (my other brother) and ask them what they recommend.” </p>
<p>So after my brother called me, I saw it as a sign that it was meant to be… The Big Green Egg.</p>
<p>Wow! Never heard of it, but see they have a dealer in town. Will check it out. Any idea how much $$ ?</p>
<p>lots! let’s just say it’s now a Christmas present, birthday present, Easter present, Memorial Day present, 4th of July present, etc.</p>
<p>But it does come in 4 sizes (XL, L, M, S) and I got the large.</p>
<p>Holy cow! I’ve never heard about it either, but if a guy from Texas recommends it, it’s gotta be the best!</p>
<p>[Big</a> Green Egg, World’s Best Smoker and Grill](<a href=“http://www.biggreenegg.com/]Big”>http://www.biggreenegg.com/)</p>
<p>Actually the owner of the fireplace store said the product has caught on much more in the South, than in colder climates… people are afraid the ceramic egg will break if kept outside during extreme temperatures. The egg comes with a lifetime warranty, though, and included cracking due to extreme temperatures.</p>
<p>I also learned something new about charcoal (not all charcoal is the same). Kingsford, et al, are made from sawdust, which is why they leave so much ash behind. The Big Green Egg company recommends lump charcoal, which is much, much more efficient, takes much less to cook (burns hotter), and leaves very little ashy residue behind to clean up. Each lump charcoal can lasts through several cooking sessions because they’re so dense (petrified wood). I’m particularly looking forward to the lack of messy clean-up, and having to restock charcoal in the Weber every time you cook.</p>