I like the way I can control my heat with the gas 
But a Vertical smoker with a water pan is the way to go
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I use a MES (Masterbuild Electronic Smoker) and wood pellets (mostly apple or an apple/hickory mix) love how it can keep a constant temp without having to fiddle with it every 45 minutes.
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True, but half the fun is worrying about a 10 °F rise in heat from 225 °F I spend half the cooking time talking to my charcoal smoker, telling it to behave itselfâŚ
Hence the upgrade
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And I love this thing
https://www.amazon.com/RediCheck-Remote-Cooking-Thermometer-Settings/dp/B0000AQL24
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I have a Maverick ET-733 these probe things are very handy but I only really use it for overnight cooks though. As I like to keep my eye on it myself.
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Iâve made smokers out of refrigerators, 55gal drums, and other things.
I was a smoker for 60yrs, and I had a girlfriend in college that was a real smoker.
Sizzzzzlinâ HOT !
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Cooool! Am very interested in trying this in a cheese sauceâŚwill have a mooch next time Iâm near the health food shop
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I have a 20" Horizon and a early Viking prototype which is based on a Stumps smoker. Built a couple of UDSs which I use more than anything else.
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Ifân weâre sticking to DIY you need to make some âSmoked Saltâ If you shop for pre-made smoked salt youâll find it pricey! âŚtakes quite a bit o time to make but can last a long time in a tightly sealed container. Find tons more examples just google DIY smoked salt
http://www.theroguegourmet.com/blog/methods-and-techniques/smoking-salt/
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Smoking some pork today
Time to make some Chimichangaâs 
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This is my first attempt at Home cured, cold smoked bacon using pork belly for the streaky and a loin joint for shortback bacon.
They were all cured with curing salt and kosher salt, black pepper and brown sugar. The shortback also had honey added and the one streaky had szeuchan pepper instead of black pepper. for 8 days. Then cold smoked for 2 x 12 hour stints using a Hickory and beech wood dust blend.
For a first attempt they are rather nice and so much better than shop bought bacon that are pumped full of water here in the UK usually. My bacon slicing skills need a bit more practice, hadnât used the slicer for a number of years before today.
Cold smoked a block of cheddar cheese today also but need to let that settle for a month before trying
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My first attempt at cold smoked salmon, done in cucumber gin and juniper berries smoked over oak wood dust.
The second photo is more representative of the final colour of the salmon as my camera phone isnât the greatest.
The holes are from where the salmon was pressed to extract the moisture from it and I used whole juniper berries (will grind them down next time)
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