smokers

I like to soak the woodchips for around an hour or so before hand..

Soaking in beer is good too! 

Dude, I highly recommend the masterbuilt electric smoker. $150-200 comes in various sizes. It has digital controls that allow you to set the cooking temperature and cooking time. It also has a built in probe thermometer that allows you to monitor the internal temp of meat on the digital monitor outside the box. Very reliable. Uses regular wood chips. You are gonna love it.

Sounds awesome! 

General question for everyone.  Do you find small chips or larger wood chunks work better? 

13 pounds of smoked salmon bellies!

Thanks for all of the comments and advice, getting closer

Not too long ago I bought a master built propane smoker from Home Depot.  I got some advice here and I also read up on things at http://www.amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/index.html.

What the guy says on that site is that all of the non-professional smokers pretty much suck about the same...or at least that's what I got from it.

I don't have any experience with them other than with this one that I bought a few months ago and have used about 5 times already. What I will say is that you end up using it more often than you'd think.

I went with a propane one so that I can take it out with me camping but I doubt I'll ever actually do that. It's pretty easy to keep it at a steady temp and I don't have to worry baout running extension cords around the back yard but I did have to buy another propan tank.

In the end, I think I did well by reading up a bit on it but not taking the decision too seriously... you figure if Alton is making one out of a card board box there can't be too much science to it.  I say buy something that looks like it'll do what you want it to do and have fun with it.

As for the wood...the booklet that came with mine said not to use chunks.  I've kept to placing small batches of soaked chips in every once in a while and the meat gets plenty of smoke.  Tonight, Art came over and I smoked a few wings because they're quick and easy but I think I came really close to overdoing the smokiness.

Dude, I highly recommend the masterbuilt electric smoker. $150-200 comes in various sizes. It has digital controls that allow you to set the cooking temperature and cooking time. It also has a built in probe thermometer that allows you to monitor the internal temp of meat on the digital monitor outside the box. Very reliable. Uses regular wood chips. You are gonna love it.

Sounds awesome! 

General question for everyone.  Do you find small chips or larger wood chunks work better?

I like a mix, but tennis ball-sized pieces work well, sometimes I just roll with with apple since you practically need a log splitter to break it.

Couple of other importants for electric smokers is don't let the wood touch the heating element as best you can, and

you only really need to add wood once at the beginning and maybe just a follow up piece or two but the inital smoke flavors and the heat finishes, don't just keep adding wood the whole time, it can dry out the meat and over smoke it, unless that's your thing! 

I don't have much storage space, and only use the smoker a few times a year, so I like Alton Brown's cardboard box smoker:
 
  I just use one probe thermometer - into the fish, I use either my Weber's removable thermometer or an instant-read one poked into the side of the box to get the box temp.
   I use a 5 x 7"x 1" cast-iron box with a cast-iron lid with vent holes that I use in my 'que (got it at Home Depot) to hold the wood chips/sawdust -Alder.  I use a box big enough to hold my house oven's grate. Got a nice new clean box at a storage place.
   When I'm done, I fold the box up and put it along the wall in my garage - it makes it smell nice and woodsy for a few days.
 

Little chief top loader... its what I use, and it does just fine.  All I have ever really smoked is fish however.  If you are going to do other cuts of meat... there may be better smokers out there. 

13 pounds of smoked salmon bellies!

How much for a taste