297920 Mon Jul 26 20:27:19 -0700 2004 1 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1645718 Does anyone have first-hand experience using a Luhr Jensen smoker to do slow cooked BBQ? I read a mention of this in Serious Pig by John Thorne. Mon Jul 26 20:27:19 -0700 2004 0 Phil 1 1645729 I used a Lil' Chief for about 10 years - actually 2 of them. It got me started in smoking meats and fish. Even though there's no control over the electric element and the temp tends to be low, I've had excellent results on everything from ribs and brisket to hot and cold smoked salmon (cold only in the winter). I only graduated to using "real" wood about 5 years ago, but still bought an electric element from the sausage maker to use in the wood based bullet smoker - and I still do fish, mussels, duck breasts with the electric and wood chips, although I pretty much go for the (hardwood) charcoal and wood in the big pan for the brisket, pork shoulder and ribs. A small pan of wood chips on the electric goes for about 2 hours and brings the internal temp up to about 200. I'd do the ribs for 2 cycles (about 4 hours) and then finish them over hardwood charcoal - low direct heat on the weber kettle. For Brisket and the Pork shoulder, I'd go all day - about 4 cycles of pans, then finish over indirect heat (usually gas - gasp!). The pork, I'd put in an aluminum pan with sauce and foil cover (braising) for another 2 hours or so - until it was pull-apart tender. I did the brisket the same way - but not as long so it was sliceable, or I would just finish dry over indirect heat, esp if the piece was fatty. The biggest pain with the electrics is to keep filling the pan every 2 hours. But with the wood, I have to keep looking at the temp and adding wood periodically anyway - so its not a whole lot different. The results are fine. Someone wrote "no electric" in a previous thread but offered no reasons. The electrics are definitely a step above trying to smoke on a grill or inside the house, simply from the fact that there is a whole lot of smoke created, and the meat can sit in the smoke. The recipes that come with the Lil' Chief are great and easy to follow. I think it's a real good starting point. Mon Jul 26 23:58:34 -0700 2004 1645718 0 applehome