cadillac vs town car

[spoon]

after several years with the bandera, i'm considering an upgrade to a new pit - maybe when i turn 40 later this year. of course, i'm reaching for the stars - considering a klose or gator pit. i gotta start finding ways to justify it to the wife or hiding the cost - probably the latter.

i noticed from some pics on the board, somebody in here has a klose byc - who is that? any feedback regarding things they like/don't like about it.

anyone here have a gator pit? anyone know anyone that does? i'd like to get some feedback from owners on what they like and don't like.

i'm looking at just a standard 30" - 36" horizontal chamber with fire box (no vertical chamber like the byc). i need to be able to q and grill.

what about the gas assist in the fire box to get the fire going? any feedback on that upgrade?

thanks for your input.

[willkat98]

Phil has a BYC.

He'll contact you as soon as he reads your thread.

[chad]

Phil's got the BYC :D

Talking with him and other owners of BYC and similar units with horizontal chambers and the verticles it seems the verts don't get used much excpet as warmers -- you have to have a heck of a fire to get 250 in the verticle.

However, at Bash II we used the BYC horizontal chamber for ribs, butts, and sausage (maybe the briskets - I forget!) and kept the chili pot in the verticle :D The temps in the horizontal were pretty easy to hold and adjust - we didn't have all that big a fire and kept it cooking from about 7 a.m. each morning until we quit about midnight each night!

[willkat98]

Thats my arm

[parrothead]

I thought it was a sausage.

[chad]

Here's a pic of the Brazilian from Gator Pits they also do a version of the BYC (don't know if he and Dave Klose are fighting about it or not!).

First Brazillian

Second is the BYCC

Third pit is the Bandera type (on steroids)

Have no interest in either Klose or Gator Pits! :D Like 'em all and wish I could afford one.

[brdbbq]

I thought it was a sausage.

Gary's Sausage

[chad]

Sausage, butts, BB's being foiled and a couple scewers of jalapenos :D

[willkat98]

I like that third one.

Phil, you know my address.

Since you can't make it here for my berfday, just send the pit.

[stlmike]

Spoon,
I'm not taking anything away from Klose or Gator. If you like vertical style cookers, take a look at a Backwoods Smoker; http://www.backwoods-smoker.com/. The Party and the Competitor are the most popular models.
StL Mike

[Solidkick]

When I went to the Blue Springs Blaze Off KCBS cook off this past fall, almost all of the competitiors that had verticals were using their verticals as a holding area and cooking in the horizontal section. I kinda found it strange myself, but they are the experts and do this competively, so I assume they know where they get the best results.

[chad]

Unless your verticle is next to the firebox like the Bandera or the "Brazilian" you lose too much heat through the horizontal -- you can maintain 160 or so with no problem which is perfect for keepin food warm but you'd need a raging inferno in the firebox to get the verticle to 250 and you'd have probably 300-400 in the horizontal to keep 250 in the verticle.

Lang doesn't even call the verticle a cooker -- he calls them warming cabinets on his Lang 84 and it will hold the large cafeteria style rectangular "bean" pans.