Go horizontal or not.

If you get the horizontal you will have an additional cooking area that is a bit hotter towards the firebox. To me this translates to versitiliy as well as capacity. Sometimes I like to cook hot and fast like when I do a shoulder clod or even briskets can do well hot and fast if you practice. You can use it for indirect high temp cooking with the tuning plates removed (provided you have a 24" pit with tuning plates) for skinless chicken and turkey parts, it works well. On the other hand it adds to the cost. Haveing a large pit set up like a Bandera with a larger upright can be very effective. You can also add lips to the bottom chambers to allow for water in the belly of the pit. I say if you can afford it get it, you won't be sorry. If you want to skip it and save some cash, you won't miss it. Either design is a winner so it all comes down to $$ and space. If you go with a Dera type design I would suggest a 30" firebox with grill capability, a water fill valve and 2" drain valve, and maybe a wider "not taller" upright 24" deep x 30" wide x 36" high for example for extra capacity. All the best Bro.

I think Zilla has some really good points. I have been thinking the samething as you. Thanks Zilla for your words of wisdom. Do you have a Gator BYC or Klose?

Good points Z. Horizontal pits can be quite large and still have consistent temperature across the entire cooking area with the exception of the hot spot. I agree that the vertical design would have a limit to how tall you could go and still maintain temperature consistency. But making the vertical a little larger horizontaly would add capacity and allow you room to spread the meat out to allow for air flow. That was a lot of words to say "what he said".

stan said:

I think Zilla has some really good points. I have been thinking the samething as you. Thanks Zilla for your words of wisdom. Do you have a Gator BYC or Klose?

Click to expand...

10-4 Stan I have Gator BYCC 24"
here are some pics.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/photozilla/zilla_s_gator_pit

I have a 20" (round) X 41" long (1/4" thick) horizonal cooking chamber with a 20" x 20" (square) x 48" high (3/16" thick) vertical chamber on the left end. I have a 20" (round) x 26" long (1/2" thick) firebox on the right side.

I have not had mine very long (4 months) so I'm still learning and experimenting with it.

Most of the time I use the horizonal chamber to cook all my meats. The vertical chamber is mostly used to keep things warm.

I have added 1/4" steel tuning plates to even out the temps so I can cook on most all of the surfaces of the horizonal chamber. Now, I can easily cook two big briskets, 5 racks of ribs (in a rib rack) and two whole birds at one time (more if I cram it in!!). When I first got the pit without the tuning plates I could not use about 1/3 of the area close to the fire box because it was too hot. (Tuning plates do work on smaller pits!!)

I recently added an additional set of 1/4" steel plates that are about 2" above the bottom of the main cooking chamber. These solid plates (no holes for heat to escape) run from the firebox all the way to the vertical chamber. This directs alot of heat to the verticle so that I can cook in it as well. When I get the upper tuning plates and the lower "heat diversion" plates adjusted properly, I have an additional 1200 square inches of cooking area available if I need/want it.

My goal is to be able to maintain the same (or very similar) heat temps throughout the pit OR have the ability to have slightly cooler or hotter areas if I should want to slow cook, fast cook or just keep food warm in the upright.

Most of the time, the horizonal chamber is all I will ever need because I just use the pit for personal/entertaining purposes.

My wife has offered my services to cook brisket for the school carnival. I figure that I could easily cook at least 12 big briskets at a time. I could probably cook up to 60 racks of ribs at once if I had the pit set up to do so. Or maybe 24 chickens at once.

I like the versatility that you have with the verticle and horizonal chambers. It does take a lot more fuel to keep it all hot. And the initial investment is more because you need a pit built of thicker steel to maintain even temps.

Zilla very nice rig!! I appreciate you guys sharing all this stuff.. For a beginner like me this really helps..

I currently have a Pitts & Spitts horizontal smoker (see avatar to the left). Pitts & Spitts also makes the same unit with the vertical attachment in three different sizes (see below). www.pittsandspitts.com





Not sure about the $$ you are looking to spend but if you're going to buy one and have it for a while, and want the vertical, I'd go with the horiztonal in addition for added versatality and extra cooking space.

http://www.pittsandspitts.com/product_detail.asp?item=309#

Get the horizontal chamber. One word: versatility. I wish I had one.

I use the vertical as a warmer. We have plenty of room in the body of the Lang.

BBQchef33 said:

I just recently had a long exchange about the benefits if the BYC type cookers. Anyone remember where that was? PM, Email, Thread??


Bottom line, that verical makes the pit much more versatile. I would get it in a heartbeat.

Click to expand...

Here's one:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15127&highlight=byc

I like having a vertical smoke chamber because I like to hang my meat. Until you get into the very large horizontal smokers, or the BYC, you cannot hang things. My issue with the BYC is that I like to cook ribs at a higher temp then say brisket or butt. In the BYC, the vertical (where I'd hang the ribs) is cooler than the horizontal, so I'd have my chamber temp.s reversed. I look at pictures of our noble leader's MOAB, and I truly feel pit-envy.

I just started cooking on a Klose BYC, and really enjoy the versatility and different cooking environments you get. While I was cooking brisket, ribs and chicken in the horizontal, I was smoking sausage and making chipotles in the vertical. Last time, we had chit cooking in the horizontal and were holding and reheating in the vertical. I just feel like I have more options with this set up than having only one or the other.....

Think ya need to get it. Zilla, that's a fine lookin' rig ya gots.