Horizontal vs Vertical

R

Rub-A-Dub

Guest
I know I'm going to get ponded on for this but which one is better, Vertical or Horizonal? I'm at a point in my build that I could go eather way. Just asking the more experenced brethren, This will be used at comp's and catering. Thanks for the help in advance.
 
See post #19 in the roadmap.. It will get u started...


All i would offer to add to that is..

heat RISES.. it doesnt travel sideways. :)
 
They really are two different beasts. The vertical will probably give you a more homogynous heating environ. Meaning there may be a 20-40 temp range form the top to bottom shelves. A horizontal could have as much as 200 degree temperature variations in some cases. Could be 375 over the edge of the fire box and the bottom opposite corner could be 150 to 200. Now this offers a lot of zones to cook in, but a smaller sweet spot. Your really need one of each. IMHO :)
 
Yakfishingfool said:
Yup!!! a medium spicewine and a Klose BYC with an extended horizontal and thicker burn box
Click to expand...
Hey you! Outta my dream! :-D

Seems to me the BYC would be the best of both worlds. I think Parrothead's & Sami's have the extended length that give you more useable space in the horizontal.
 
Unless you enjoy staying up all night at a contest go for a vertical. Horizontals are usually stick burners. They must be tended all night adding a stick or two of wood an hour to hold temperature. We have a Spicewine Large Cooker and have learned how to keep that baby purring at exactly 225* for better than 24 hours with a charcoal basket and a Guru. At $2500 for a Spicewine Large Cooker you will be hard pressed to find a better made cooker anywhere. It has a big capacity too!
 
I was going to say that I prefer horizontal. Vertical puts too much strain on my back, bu this is Q-Talk and that kind of thing will get me moderated :roll: :-D

As i type this I realized that all of my cookers are really vertical. The WSMs are obviously vertical and the Good One, even though it has a side firebox the airflow really is vertical. I think both designs can produce good results. you just have to learn to finer points of your ocoker are use it to your advantage.
 
greetings from Vienna Austria,

needed some BBQ talk so I decided to log on...
indeed heat does not travel side ways but with proper control you can make a horizontal cook very efficiently. I had a vertical that we built in our blacksmith shop, and then I added it to a horizontal that we built, so it looks like a big BYC, and after about 3 good long cooks and learning how to control airflow with it I can go a good 4 hours in the box without messing with it. So I think they both have finer points, but I like the horizontal because it less messy when you have to move stuff around and you do not risk losing the meat you have just spend many hours to prepare.
 
Well, my firebox is underneath my horizontal cooking chamber, so my cooker is kind of bifocated:biggrin: :shock:

I believe food cooks quicker in the vertical (at least in my cooker). Subsequently, I am getting great chix results!
 
I have to say I prefer vertical to horizontal having cooked on both. They both can cook great Q you just have to learn how to use either one so I don't think you can go wrong either way you just have to figure out what your needs are and what will fufill them the best.
 
I've owned one of each and I think the Poobah put it best. Heat rises. Go vertical.
 
I am actually getting ready to spend some money and upgrade my pit so I have been thinking about this alot.

I am totally down with the whole "heat rises" thing but I would like to know is, why then are the fireboxes in so many uprights offset?

Using our "heat rises" idea, wouldn't it be more efficient if the fire were more underneath the chamber to be heated?

I have seen pics of a "Brazilian" smoker that looks to be set up more like that, Anyone have any experience with that type of smoker? i have never seen one in person
 
jt said:
Hey you! Outta my dream! :-D

Seems to me the BYC would be the best of both worlds. I think Parrothead's & Sami's have the extended length that give you more useable space in the horizontal.
Click to expand...

I just went through this...I had a hundred pounds of pork butts to cook
and thought the BYC would eat it up....not quite. Infact there are good areas in the horizontal to cook, but in th vertical the heat is vastly variable. Only the second shelf on the right side seems to be the best, or directly under the exhaust on the top shelf. the heat does enter from the right, but at the top of the horizontal...renders the bottom shelf fairly cool, relative to the horizontal and two above spots of the vertical. However, that allows me to have multiple heat zones. It really is a backyard cooker and not too large at all for that role. For volume...I'd go with a vertical. For multiple heat zones and flexibilty on a single cook....the byc is my king! Scott
 
Muzzlebrake said:
I am actually getting ready to spend some money and upgrade my pit so I have been thinking about this alot.

I am totally down with the whole "heat rises" thing but I would like to know is, why then are the fireboxes in so many uprights offset?

Using our "heat rises" idea, wouldn't it be more efficient if the fire were more underneath the chamber to be heated?

I have seen pics of a "Brazilian" smoker that looks to be set up more like that, Anyone have any experience with that type of smoker? i have never seen one in person
Click to expand...

See this post or do a search of the site for UDS

They have the fire well removed to the bottom of a vertical chamber.
 
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