Warning: that $200 pellet tube smoker was a complete bust for me

Bought a fancy stainless steel pellet tube from a brand everyone raves about and it went out three times during a 6 hour brisket cook in Omaha last month. I lost the whole brisket and $60 worth of meat. Anyone else have better luck with a different brand or method for cold smoking?

2 comments

2 Comments

paigep201mo ago

Dude I gotta say my experience has been totally different. I got a cheap 30 dollar tube off Amazon last year and it ran solid for 8 hours straight on a pork shoulder in February. Maybe the wind was kicking in Omaha or something cause I know that can mess with pellet burn. I always start mine with a torch for a solid minute til the flames are really going then let it burn for 10 minutes before blowing it out and putting it in the smoker.

jenny_coleman1mo ago

I get what you're saying about the torch method and letting it burn for 10 minutes before putting it in, but dude, 8 hours straight on a cheap $30 tube? That's crazy lucky or your definition of "solid" is way different than mine. I tried the same trick starting mine with a torch, let it rip for a solid 15 minutes, blew it out, and it still went out after like 3 hours on a cold day. Wind might mess with pellet burn in Omaha, sure, but I think the real issue is those cheap tubes just don't hold a consistent burn no matter how you light em. You got a unicorn tube, man.