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Kent[_5_] Kent[_5_] is offline
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Default Electric smokers


"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:26:51 -0700, "Kent" >
> wrote:
>
>>

>
>>>

>>
>>Both gas and charcoal are getting pretty expensive in California.
>>Charcoal
>>is $.50/lb and propane is about $1/lb. Depending on your unit and the
>>outside temp. you can use a whole 20lb propane tank on one 15lb piece of
>>pork. To run my Weber Smokey Mtn I fill it with 10lb of charcoal and that
>>lasts 10 hours if I'm lucky, and less, with a large full water pan. I'd be
>>interested on thoughts about this. Do any use natural gas?
>>
>>Kent

>
> A pound of propane is 22,000 Btu. A KW of electric produces 3412 Btu
> It takes 6.4 KW to produce 22,0000 at our local rate of 17¢ that is
> $1.08.
>
> If you are using a full tank to do a big brisket or pork shoulder,
> something is wrong or it is below freezing. I can do briskets at
> least 2 to 3 times on a tank.
>
>

In CA a 20lb tank of propane costs $20. You're spending 6 to 10 dollars per
brisket. That's 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost of the whole brisket to cook, a far
greater fraction of the total cost that should be just cooking energy. It's
more severe than gasoline in Italy at $8.5/gal. Have you looked at natural
gas? I think charcoal may be slightly cheaper, though in CA it's over
$.50/lb if you don't buy it on sale.