Smallest Comp Smoker

CrackerJack from KC

CrackerJack from KC

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In the battle of the man toys, bigger is always better, but my question is, whats the smallest smoker someone has had success with at a competition?

Has anyone ever showed up with a WSM, or an ECB, or a Kettle and scored well in competition?
 
Many have won at the highest levels using WSM's in various categories. Kettles seem to be a popular choice for chicken as well.
 
WSMs, Banderas, Kettles, and such work just fine at comps.
It is a matter of how organized you are to get all the meat done on time.

At a minimum, you would need to be able to cook one brisket and one butt overnight and then have space for a couple of slabs of ribs and some chicken in the morning.

We started with a Dera and a WSM and made it work.

It does not take "Mega $$" or "Mega cookers" to get started.

Just cooking skill, planning, discipline, and some luck to pull it off.

Have fun.

TIM
 
I use Char-Griller smoking pro's (offsets with side fire box) and have done rather well with them. I use one for the pork products, and the other for the beef and chicken. The butts come off, the ribs go on. The briskets come off, the chicken goes on. It seems to work rather well.

I also carry a Weber 22 1/2" with me just in case and to crisp up the chicken before turn in.
 
I have never used one, but the WSM seems to be a popular cooker at the events that I have been to and they have had some success.
 
I used a WSM last year and got all my meats turned in on time with no DQ's and didn't do too bad for my first comp.

You can do it with one WSM but it takes alot more work and you have to really plan your timing down pretty tight. Not a whole lot of wiggle room on the timing but it can be done.

The best advice I was given when I was getting ready for my fist comp with only one WSM is "The cooler is your friend." (Thanks Tim)

You can have your 2 butts and 2 briskets on overnight and pull them off early in the morning and cooler them till turn in. This makes room for the ribs and then the chicken.

Hope this helps.
 
We cooked in a contest last year with a WSM and an OK Joe offset. Ribs and beans were cooked in the OK Joe and everything else in the WSM. Took 4th place in pork and 5th ribs.
 
We cooked our first four contests on a Bandera and a weber grill, last year we went to two banderas and left the weber at home. and this year we are going to be using a backwoods party and a weber. So you can do it but I would suggest having the weber or something else other than the one wsm to cook the chicken on if nothing else.
 
CrackerJack from KC said:
In the battle of the man toys, bigger is always better, but my question is, whats the smallest smoker someone has had success with at a competition?

Has anyone ever showed up with a WSM, or an ECB, or a Kettle and scored well in competition?
Click to expand...

sure..my team as well as many have done well with wsm's.
not sure if you mean the cooker or the number of them though
obviously if you are cooking on a small cooker like a wsm you will most likely need more than one to do all 4 categories comfortably
 
I have seen a lot of UDS do well - I use a weber kettle - There is ton of WSM. There was a team that cooked on nothing but weber kettles. I wish I could remember their name. They always did well.
 
There are lots of teams using WSM's, last year I used a WSM and a Backwoods Party, I plan on the same setup this year for comps. I know one team in Michigan (Dr Chuckie) who only uses WSM's and he is very competitive. As most say here, it is just a matter of organization and very good planning.
 
I know several people who use the Backwoods Chubby and have done very well with them.

chubby.jpg


chubby2.jpg
 
CrackerJack from KC said:
In the battle of the man toys, bigger is always better, but my question is, whats the smallest smoker someone has had success with at a competition?
Click to expand...

Are you asking about 1 single smoker or multiple small ones?

I think one could do it with your WSM, a kettle, and a good cooler to keep the brisket and butts warm.

If the question is a regarding a solo smoker to do everything - I'm not sure I've seen a team do everything on one smoker unless it's a larger unit - even then many teams use a secondary unit for chicken. But I'm sure it's done by some and probably with success. Often it has more to do with the cook then the cooker.
 
KC_Bobby said:
Are you asking about 1 single smoker or multiple small ones?

I think one could do it with your WSM, a kettle, and a good cooler to keep the brisket and butts warm.

If the question is a regarding a solo smoker to do everything - I'm not sure I've seen a team do everything on one smoker unless it's a larger unit - even then many teams use a secondary unit for chicken. But I'm sure it's done by some and probably with success. Often it has more to do with the cook then the cooker.
Click to expand...

I've used just one Fat Boy for all 4 catagories, and i believe a fat boy is about as small as you can get to be able to cook everything on one cooker.

yeah, the WSM's are small, but it still takes more than one to cook a contest in my opinion.
 
I've heard Ole Dave say he can do it all in a Party - basically the same space, but I think the Fatboy has a little more usable space since all four racks can be used. At least one needs to come out of a Party in order to get some butts in.

Just didn't know if anyone had used any single unit smaller.
 
KC_Bobby said:
I've heard Ole Dave say he can do it all in a Party - basically the same space, but I think the Fatboy has a little more usable space since all four racks can be used. At least one needs to come out of a Party in order to get some butts in.

Just didn't know if anyone had used any single unit smaller.
Click to expand...

i forgot about old dave and the Party. he won a G.C. in owensboro just using that.

I think the fat boy and party have pretty close to the same sq. ft. inside, but you're right about useable space. if they can just make a fat boy about as light as a party, now that would be something !
 
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