Shucks--never noticedtommykendall said:
I imagine that at least 2 or 3 of them were "quaility" and "on topic".
Well, maybe back in Cattle Call anyway :lol:
TIM
Technology discussion re: pellet fed vs. manual labor
- Thread starter spicewine
- Start date
I imagine that at least 2 or 3 of them were "quaility" and "on topic".
Well, maybe back in Cattle Call anyway :lol:
TIM
drbbq said:
Doc, I couldnt agree with you more.
I started about 5 or 6 years ago on a El Cheapo Brinkman.
I use to strive to keep the heat in the "Ideal" range. Remember that Brinkman thermometer?
I love the WSM. Set it and forget it, as Ron Popeil would say.
So a pellet cooker, that doesnt need 24/7 monitoring, is interesting to me.
I have all kinds of cookers, depending on how much I want to farkwith them. I would never say that I am good enough to compete, but I would say that even with a $30 ECB, I could place in a competition, Only thing is, I would be up all night farking with temps every 10 minutes.
In competition, I think consistency is the thing, which I assunme pellet cooking gives. So thats one less variable to fark with
Please, please keep us posted during the 2005 season as to how the cooking is going. I know its your busy time, but we love hearing about whats going on
drbbq
is Blowin Smoke!
For years I cooked on a big Jedmaster. I loved it. Then for ease of use in business I swtched to an FE100 clone. I loved it. Then for different business purposes (read$$$) I switched to Big Green Eggs, and now I love them. I also now use a real FEC100.
The common features of all these cookers are the heat source is directly under the meat. They all have a deflector but no water pan. They are all well insulated and they are all easily kept on temp. The differences are the size and fuel.
I like the size of the big jed, and the room to cook everything in one cooker with extras. It used briquettes with wood chunks. Cleanup sucked.
The pellet cooker is a no brainer to keep on temp, and it's about impossible to oversmoke anything. It's decent sized and cleanup is pretty simple. The downside is it's mechanical and has a rare breakdown. You just need to learn how to fix it in the field. It's not brain surgery.
The eggs run on lump with wood chips or chunks. They cook great but you need a few of them. The good news is you can run them at diferent temps for different needs. They have to be handled carefully but it's not a big deal.
I really like all of these cookers, and wouldn't mind using any of them any time. The combination of a few eggs and an FE is pretty hard to beat.
I don't much care for offsets. First off, it just doesn't make any sense to me to put the fire on the side. Heat rises.
Using all wood can easily result in oversmoked food and that doesn't win much. The good cooks I know that use wood wrap their food early and often.
My two cents as requested.
The common features of all these cookers are the heat source is directly under the meat. They all have a deflector but no water pan. They are all well insulated and they are all easily kept on temp. The differences are the size and fuel.
I like the size of the big jed, and the room to cook everything in one cooker with extras. It used briquettes with wood chunks. Cleanup sucked.
The pellet cooker is a no brainer to keep on temp, and it's about impossible to oversmoke anything. It's decent sized and cleanup is pretty simple. The downside is it's mechanical and has a rare breakdown. You just need to learn how to fix it in the field. It's not brain surgery.
The eggs run on lump with wood chips or chunks. They cook great but you need a few of them. The good news is you can run them at diferent temps for different needs. They have to be handled carefully but it's not a big deal.
I really like all of these cookers, and wouldn't mind using any of them any time. The combination of a few eggs and an FE is pretty hard to beat.
I don't much care for offsets. First off, it just doesn't make any sense to me to put the fire on the side. Heat rises.
Using all wood can easily result in oversmoked food and that doesn't win much. The good cooks I know that use wood wrap their food early and often.
My two cents as requested.
Wayne
is Blowin Smoke!
BBQ is all about flavor and taste. It isn't really about how you cook it. I like to cook with wood and charcoal in an offset fire box type of BBQ pit. But that's just me. I also like to eat other peoples BBQ, but I rarely get too critical about the way they cook it. There are as many ways to cook BBQ as there are sauces and rubs. When it is done well it tastes good and that is all that matters. I have two offset pits and an old Weber kettle, but if I had the money I would also have a Klose trailer, a Big Green Egg or Kamado, and one of those pellet machines that Al Roper used on his BBQ show. heck, I might even have one of those electric things for the kitchen so I can slow smoke cheese and such.
It's all about the taste.
It's all about the taste.
tommykendall
Quintessential Chatty Farker
My biggest cooking challenge was on the Green Egg. This guy bought one (with the Guru add-on) against my recommendation of the WSM. ONly reason I recommended the WSM over the egg was because I had to teach the guy how to use it. Started to get the hang of it toward the end of the cook. What a struggle it was but I did quickly see what a great cooker it can be.
drbbq
is Blowin Smoke!
Tommy,
What problems were you having?
Did he have the plate setter? It's the deflector for indirect cooking. It's an option but you gotta have it.
I have never used a Guru. I get paid by BGE so I can't justify using an aftermarket tool that "makes it work better". But I also don't see a need for it. I've had good success cooking all four contest catagories on the egg and without a guru. IMO it works just fine on it's own.
What problems were you having?
Did he have the plate setter? It's the deflector for indirect cooking. It's an option but you gotta have it.
I have never used a Guru. I get paid by BGE so I can't justify using an aftermarket tool that "makes it work better". But I also don't see a need for it. I've had good success cooking all four contest catagories on the egg and without a guru. IMO it works just fine on it's own.
homebbq
Full Fledged Farker
You know, I envy those that use the pellet cookers. They are always fresh Saturday morning, and I am trying to get a third or fourth wind.
I have the same opinion as Jim, I really don't care what they use, if they want to use gas, electric, doesn't bother me. In the end, the bbq has to be good enough to win.
I have the same opinion as Jim, I really don't care what they use, if they want to use gas, electric, doesn't bother me. In the end, the bbq has to be good enough to win.
W
WalterSC
Guest
Well I am working on having 2 double 55 gallon drum smokers / with side fireboxes made for competing , yea I would love to have one of those BIG towable pits but it aint gonna happen anytime soon. It aint fancy but they work for me as it has been said time and time again it aint the cooker its the cook . I say if it aint broke why fix it , work with what you like . Me I like sitting there feeding the smokers kingsford and oak wood , yea I use a digital thermometer so what , never had any complaints so far when I host a backyard Q . Bout time I threw my hat into competing and had some fun. Wish me luck brethren. First smoker is being built as we speak and I got a friend who can get the stainless steel drums free for me cant beat that deal !!!
And just for the record no I would not want one of those set it and forget it grills , I would rather take my time and make great Q low and slow!! Too much hi tech ruins the fun of doing Q at least for me , but if it helps someone elese I say go for it and good Qing!!
And just for the record no I would not want one of those set it and forget it grills , I would rather take my time and make great Q low and slow!! Too much hi tech ruins the fun of doing Q at least for me , but if it helps someone elese I say go for it and good Qing!!
W
WalterSC
Guest
Hey I got friends that live in Lakeland FL they have been trying for a year to get me down to compete in the cookoff they have there , once the grills are done ya never can tell were I might show up , might have to borrow a pick up truck to haul it all down. Might go as a spectator or try to find a team the would like some help just so I can get used to the KCBS styles of competiton. Need to learn the the green stuff that they put in with the food "garnish" we dont do that in SCBA contest we just judge the meat as turned in. Oh yea my birthday is the 22nd of November got my wife hunting your BBQ books to add to my collection. Gonna hit the 47 year old mark and am going back to what I know best , BBQ!!!!
J
JKH
Guest
drbbq said:
How can an offset not make sense? Ya add preheated,seasoned sticks to the side without opening the cooking chamber,if your cooker is made of thick steel then the temperature stays constant between fuel additions and burns cleanly.What doesn't make sense is to have the fire underneath burning stinky unlit charcoal,with out the option of using wood as a main fuel.
Yup offsets burning wood easily oversmoke food and don't win much!...lol
Oh i had me some 075 BBQ and it was quite vile!
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TexasGuppie
Full Fledged Farker
Just break it down into categories: Stickburner against stickburner, pellet against pellet, electric against electric, ez-bake oven against ez-bake oven, etc., etc.
But that being said, I'm not a competitor and all of these suggestions would probably just mess things up that don't really need messin' up.
Ken
But that being said, I'm not a competitor and all of these suggestions would probably just mess things up that don't really need messin' up.
Ken
chad
somebody shut me the fark up.
I agree with DrBBQ about offsets...and I use one. They are inefficient compared to other cookers...there are lots of barrel (and other shape cookers) that have fire in the bottom/back or ends of the cooking chamber and this results in less fuel use - sticks, charcoal, etc.
That being said, if stick burners went to a burn barrel and using coals it would result in a less smokey environment (in the cooker)...lots of work, though there are some teams that bring their burn barrel and do just that.
I've gotten way over the issue of the type of cooker used in competitions. It comes down to how well the cook can use their cooker. Granted, the FEC, BGE, WSM, guys "work" less but they still have to hit the window for the "perfect" meat.
One item I appreciate about my Kingfisher Gator is that I can heat two cook chambers from the firebox -- not like a BYC with all the heat loss in the main horizontal chamber, but "directly" from the firebox into each cooking space...my rotisserie maximizes my cooking space compared to having a flat grate in that space. It is, however, still inefficient in the use of the rising heat - but is more efficient than having two fires, one in each cooking chamber.
Competition cooking is to "traditional" bbq (and most backyard chefs) what NHRA/NASCAR are to the average driver. It looks like it's the "same car" but it's not!
The differences between competition bbq and traditional (original?) bbq are huge...for a discourse on traditional bbq and some strong arguments for competition bbq NOT being bbq -- go to www.bobinga.com or http://www.sptsb.com/. These guys are HARD CORE!!
I met Bob along with Ginger, Big Jim, and Danny. They are great people...and they are more interested in competition than before, but they are traditionalist -- they raised and butchered the hogs they and we cooked at Douglas.
So, I'm not trying to get a controversy going, but it's interesting to get the arguments from all sides before talking ugly about each other!!
That being said, if stick burners went to a burn barrel and using coals it would result in a less smokey environment (in the cooker)...lots of work, though there are some teams that bring their burn barrel and do just that.
I've gotten way over the issue of the type of cooker used in competitions. It comes down to how well the cook can use their cooker. Granted, the FEC, BGE, WSM, guys "work" less but they still have to hit the window for the "perfect" meat.
One item I appreciate about my Kingfisher Gator is that I can heat two cook chambers from the firebox -- not like a BYC with all the heat loss in the main horizontal chamber, but "directly" from the firebox into each cooking space...my rotisserie maximizes my cooking space compared to having a flat grate in that space. It is, however, still inefficient in the use of the rising heat - but is more efficient than having two fires, one in each cooking chamber.
Competition cooking is to "traditional" bbq (and most backyard chefs) what NHRA/NASCAR are to the average driver. It looks like it's the "same car" but it's not!
The differences between competition bbq and traditional (original?) bbq are huge...for a discourse on traditional bbq and some strong arguments for competition bbq NOT being bbq -- go to www.bobinga.com or http://www.sptsb.com/. These guys are HARD CORE!!
I met Bob along with Ginger, Big Jim, and Danny. They are great people...and they are more interested in competition than before, but they are traditionalist -- they raised and butchered the hogs they and we cooked at Douglas.
So, I'm not trying to get a controversy going, but it's interesting to get the arguments from all sides before talking ugly about each other!!
J
JKH
Guest
chad said:
J
JKH
Guest
drbbq said:
If you take out the platesetter.
Actually my heat rises also,get's pushed against the baffle and rises.
Nothing makes more sense to me than an offset.
HoDeDo
Babbling Farker
The Kingfishers Utilize the heat going up as well... by having a water jacket over the top of the firebox to allow steam into the cooking chamber for moisture. But have to agree with Ray and Dave - they are inefficent by comparison to the others noted like the BGE. Having had the luxury of cooking on lots of cookers this season, I think you have to have the right skills to do well with any of them. Dave - do you use your water jacket at all?
chad
somebody shut me the fark up.
HoDeDo said:
I usually fill the water tank...to protect the upper part of the firebox. Thursday I had it full...I didn't bother to refill when I fired off Friday for the second pig/brisket/chicken.
From a cooking standpoint it seems to make little difference...but, like I said I use it most of the time.
I wish the rotisserie side had a damper between it and the firebox...I know the rotisserie is the primary cooker, but there are times I've switched over to the "grill" side and I just shut the stack...that forces the draft over but it would be nice to be able to just shut it down.
By the way, I had little problem keeping temps between 225-250 over two full days of cooking (two events)...I had the firebox intakes shut down about 75% on each side of the firebox. Fire control was not an issue. I did use up about three wheel barrow full of oak, about 1/2 a wheel barrow of pecan, and two bags of Kingsford - the Kingsford is used to light off the cooker - two starts, two bags!:-D
I have to keep remembering when I used a WSM and small offsets with charcoal and small chunks or tiny splits! I'm not a stick burner fanatic, but I like my Kingfisher and am in the market for a dedicated hog cooker - that is flexible enough to do my other products, too. I may wind up with something like the JOS shoulder cooker or small hog cooker...Stump's was well represented at Douglas with both the large and small versions of his hog cooker along with several teams using his GF models. The insulation is a big plus with fuel economy and when fighting wind and cool temperatures.