"Reg" > wrote in message
. com...
> Tom Lange wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>> I live in an apartment in Los Angeles and have used either my old trusty
>> Weber kettle or a gas grill out on my balcony for years, but my landlord
>> has recently banned all barbecues on the premises. Apparently this has
>> to do with fire regulations and insurance companies not covering
>> landlords whose tenants use barbecues anywhere other than in a common
>> area well away from any apartments. Last week someone got caught using
>> one on his balcony and was served an eviction notice.
>> Needless to say, I'm not at all pleased with having to put my Weber in
>> storage, and I'm not particularly pleased about having to use the natural
>> gas grill in the common area.
>>
>> Today I was reading about electric smokers and I was wondering if I might
>> be able to get away with using a small residential electric smoker like a
>> Cookshack or Smoketex out on my balcony. I prefer smoking to grilling
>> anyway. For anyone other than a die-hard purist, would something like
>> this work for pork ribs, chicken, tri-tip and brisket? If so, what's the
>> best kind to consider and what features should I look for?
>>
>> I need my barbecue fix. Thanks for any helpful suggestions.
>
>
> The insulated electric oven type cookers are perfect for your
> situation. The better models have 1000 degree insulation and are
> barely warm when running full on. This means they can be used
> safely in confined areas. They also produce relatively
> small amounts of smoke, so they don't attract much attention.
>
> Technically they're ovens, so it's likely they don't
> violate any regulations.
>
> Of the foods you mentioned, they work well for everything
> except tri-tip. Leave that one to grilling.
>
> I've used Bradley, Smokintex and Cookshack. I've settled
> on Cookshack. Highest quality, best design, and best
> service.
>
> --
> Reg
>
Another satisfied Cookshack (008) owner here, when I don't feel like
babysitting my Egg, it's nice to let the CS rip overnight unattended with a
butt/brisket. They don't use but a few ounces of wood chunks for the smoke
flavor. There's an active forum you might want to check out:
http://forum.cookshack.com/groupee for more info. The CS won't put a hard
bark on your meat (it's a moist cooker) or much of a smoke ring but I've
liked the results of whatever I've smoked. YMMV, I'm not a shill for the
company (really...) - just a satisfied customer.
Good luck with your choice.
Brian