nopantsdan
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
howdy folks..
been on the hunt for the past few months for a new smoker. i have been contacting Lang, Gator, etc for quotes/shipping information etc. i have some money to spend, but can't quite seem to pull the trigger on anything.
been smoking some time (bout a year now), sometimes every weekend, at the minimum every other weekend it seems on a custom built offset. i purchased it off of craigslist for $300. it is 1/4" steel all around, a 30x20 cooking chamber with round firebox. it cooks well (most complaints are with my skill). it leaks some, more than i think is appropriate, around the firebox lid and the cooking chamber lid. this is what led me to the Lang, Gator, etc. for a while i thought a properly built rig might solve some of my let downs of my first pit.
my dislikes first.
-heavy, it takes two, maybe three friends to move my current pit. it came originally with just a stand. i added some wheels, which allows me to move it around a bit by myself - but i certainly can't get it out of my backyard without help.
-uneven temperature. i am fairly certain this is user error. i have my maverick setup to show grate temp on either side of the smoker. sometimes it varies by 10* sometimes by 50* or more when I try when I add a split. i know temperatures are inherently uneven on an offset, and that it can be used to an advantage. i tend to obsess about temperature control though. i spend more time adjusting make shift tuning plates, than enjoying cooking and being outside etc.
-tending the fire. another thing that is inherent to an offset. i am getting better, but adding a split every 45 minutes can be cumbersome - and while i don't mind it for the first 5 hours, it can be tedious and can get old.
likes.
-space. lots of space. easy to work with food with the lid open
-classic. lots of compliments from people when they come over. can easily become the center of attention at a gathering.
my dislikes for the offset brought me to vertical smokers, some insulated, like Humphrey Smokers. i nearly pulled the trigger on a Battle Box a few months ago - even had the approval from the WIFE!
i have long known about the UDS, but never was serious, thought it was too much a of noob move ( don't hate me!) after owning a fancy offset. if i couldn't enjoy smoking with my offset, why would i like a UDS. recently though the advantages of the UDS made me more interested.
am i crazy to get rid of my offset for a couple of UDS? i really like the idea of stable temperature, long cook times, set it and forget it mentality, not to mention the price. could definitely use the extra money for a ceramic grill, and a new playstation 4 when it's released :clap:
sorry to babble, my wife gets tired of me weighing the pros and cons and constantly debating over what to do. any thoughts or suggestions?
been on the hunt for the past few months for a new smoker. i have been contacting Lang, Gator, etc for quotes/shipping information etc. i have some money to spend, but can't quite seem to pull the trigger on anything.
been smoking some time (bout a year now), sometimes every weekend, at the minimum every other weekend it seems on a custom built offset. i purchased it off of craigslist for $300. it is 1/4" steel all around, a 30x20 cooking chamber with round firebox. it cooks well (most complaints are with my skill). it leaks some, more than i think is appropriate, around the firebox lid and the cooking chamber lid. this is what led me to the Lang, Gator, etc. for a while i thought a properly built rig might solve some of my let downs of my first pit.
my dislikes first.
-heavy, it takes two, maybe three friends to move my current pit. it came originally with just a stand. i added some wheels, which allows me to move it around a bit by myself - but i certainly can't get it out of my backyard without help.
-uneven temperature. i am fairly certain this is user error. i have my maverick setup to show grate temp on either side of the smoker. sometimes it varies by 10* sometimes by 50* or more when I try when I add a split. i know temperatures are inherently uneven on an offset, and that it can be used to an advantage. i tend to obsess about temperature control though. i spend more time adjusting make shift tuning plates, than enjoying cooking and being outside etc.
-tending the fire. another thing that is inherent to an offset. i am getting better, but adding a split every 45 minutes can be cumbersome - and while i don't mind it for the first 5 hours, it can be tedious and can get old.
likes.
-space. lots of space. easy to work with food with the lid open
-classic. lots of compliments from people when they come over. can easily become the center of attention at a gathering.
my dislikes for the offset brought me to vertical smokers, some insulated, like Humphrey Smokers. i nearly pulled the trigger on a Battle Box a few months ago - even had the approval from the WIFE!
i have long known about the UDS, but never was serious, thought it was too much a of noob move ( don't hate me!) after owning a fancy offset. if i couldn't enjoy smoking with my offset, why would i like a UDS. recently though the advantages of the UDS made me more interested.
am i crazy to get rid of my offset for a couple of UDS? i really like the idea of stable temperature, long cook times, set it and forget it mentality, not to mention the price. could definitely use the extra money for a ceramic grill, and a new playstation 4 when it's released :clap:
sorry to babble, my wife gets tired of me weighing the pros and cons and constantly debating over what to do. any thoughts or suggestions?
