Which Mobile Cooker?

[gpavloff]

I am in the market for a larger cooker and am trying to decide what to buy. I am looking hard at the Lang 84. Anyone have any experience with one of these dudes? Any other thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or considerations would be appreciated. It's alot of $$ and I only get one shot a buying the right one so I don't want to make a mistake.

[david]

A friend of mine's got the lang84, and it's a great cooker. He got the one with the grill on the front end. For the money it's a very nice cooker. Very even temps with the reverse flow stack.

A couple nice things about the lang...

very even heat
the racks slide out so you can get at everything
it's light enough to be pulled by a normal car or small truck.


Only thing I don't care for is that it's got fairly large doors, so you may loose a lot of heat if you have it open for any time. I would prefer something with 2 smaller doors.

Not sure how BIG a cooker you need, but if I could only buy one (and price didn't matter), I'd get the Klose Reunion Special (It's a backyard chef on a trailer).

[BBQchef33]

Ive cooked on the lang 60 and a lang 84, and I have a BYC. IMHO, ya cant really compare the two... for the money.. go with a Klose. The Lang was a nice unit, just didn't have the tightness in quality that the klose has. Also, and this is personal preference, a lang 84 is 72x30. Although I believe you can tune a 30" pipe, the 72inch main chamber is gonna be cool at the far end. I'm only speaking from experience with the BYC. Mine has a 60inch main chamber, and there is 50 degree difference from one end to the other....Mine is un-tuned, cause its only 24 inch.. ya cant tune that.... But the lang has a 30 inch pipe, I think you will be able to get that tuned for better heat distribution.

i like the verticals much better. The lang I cooked on had a vertical over the firebox, but it was a warming chamber, not cooking chamber. also.. Langs are old propane tanks. Klose is single piece rolled pipe. A lang 84 runs about 2700 bucks..... for that price you can get a decked out, oversized, customized backyard chef.

[Oldtimer]

You can tune a piano but you can't tune-a-fish

[david]

Although I believe you can tune a 30" pipe, the 72inch main chamber is gonna be cool at the far end.

Actually, the lang is pretty stable for temps across the whole chamber. Very easy to keep it within 5 degrees from one end to the other. It doesn't use tuning plates. Instead the smoke goes through a channel and enters on the side away from the firebox, and travels back through the food toward the firebox. If you look, the stack is right next too the firebox.

Biggest problem with the lang, is that it's old propane tanks, and it sometimes has a lot of "pock-marks" on the steel. Not really a problem, but it just doesn't look as polished.

[chad]

Interesting discussion -- seems it comes up about twice a year :D I'm "looking" myself and enjoy the different input.

I'm leaning towards a Klose with fajita grill and dual fryers -- that way I can probably meet most of my catering needs -- brisket, pork, ribs, etc for 200-400 and/or burgers & dogs for a bunch of kids or a picnic. The fryers would be for sides and/or fish fry.

This is all in the dream stage but D. Klose swears he'll build what you need. Hopefully I'll be giving him a call this year.

David

[BBQchef33]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2348366851&category=20726

Dont know where you are.. but this one is in the houston area.

[BBQchef33]

This is all in the dream stage but D. Klose swears he'll build what you need. Hopefully I'll be giving him a call this year.

David

And make sure ya tell him your one of us.!!