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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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03-15-2013, 06:36 AM | #1 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-24-12
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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Pig Cookers vs Traditional Offsets
I'm hoping for some input from some of the more experienced brethren on this. I currently own a Large KJ and a Pitmaker Safe - both essentially vertical smokers. I am planning to add an offset/horizontal to the family this year and one of my primary objectives is to be able to cook a whole pig several times/year. I'll use the offset for lots of other things too, but the ability to cook a 75-100 lb. pig is a key consideration. Here in the Carolinas most guys have pig cookers with at least 36" of depth and most of them run on propane. Thankfully you can also buy them as charcoal/wood only cookers as well. Similar to the cookers made by BQ Grills in NC. Guys here swear you need the 36" to accomodate a split pig.
I really prefer the more traditional offsets - something like a Lang, Jambo or Pitmaker Sniper. 24" diameter buy 48-60" or so. Will these easily accomodate a small to smallish medium size pig or am I going to run out of room? Anyone successfully cooking pigs on these size pits? I realize I could cook halves but for presentation purposes I want the ability to cook the entire thing. Any input greatly appreciated. The Texas-style offsets are not as popular around here but these pig cookers (many of them stainless) are everywhere.
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Kamado Joe Classic (Red), Pitmaker Safe on Cart (Brilliant Black Pearl) |
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03-15-2013, 06:50 AM | #2 |
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Join Date: 08-01-12
Location: Fairfield, Florida
Name/Nickname : Dave
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I have a home built reverse flow stickburner with a 24"x +50" primary gooking grate. Did a 54 pound (dressed) whole hog (my first) a couple months back and it was great and I'll certainly do more. I'm thinking I have plenty of room for maybe up to an 80 pounder if I stay with the racetrack style. If I were to butterfly the hog, the 50 pound range will fill up my 24" depth and that is probably my limit.
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I'm Dave Got a bunch of cooking toys and a custom metal fabrication shop where I spend my time building all sorts of smokers & outdoor cooking gear. |
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03-15-2013, 06:57 AM | #3 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 08-18-08
Location: PA, Fleetwood
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I have a 24 x 48 jambo, besides the door issue that you can fix when ordering, no way i could get a 100 lb pig head on butterflied. in there.
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Fire & Spice Catering & Competition Team [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL] Stumps Platinum 5 on a porch trailer Backyard Jambo Stump's Stretch Bubba Keg Weber WSM Old weber gasser |
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03-15-2013, 07:14 AM | #4 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-24-12
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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It sounds like a pig cooker is the answer if I truly want to get a 100 lb pig on the unit. Thanks for the input. Pigs are a big deal around these parts and I'd like to be able to cook one. Long-term just another excuse for more pits in the "fleet". :)
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Kamado Joe Classic (Red), Pitmaker Safe on Cart (Brilliant Black Pearl) |
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03-15-2013, 07:29 AM | #5 |
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Join Date: 06-29-11
Location: Greeneville TN
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If your dead set on doing a split a deeper grate is necessary. Call Lang and tell them what you want to do.
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03-15-2013, 07:48 AM | #6 |
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Join Date: 08-01-12
Location: Fairfield, Florida
Name/Nickname : Dave
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^+1. IMO you will be much happier with a stickburner over gas. I cooked for +10 years on a pretty nice gas vertical and was pretty happy with it UNTIL I started cooking with my stick burner. Much better bark, smoke rings & overall taste!
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I'm Dave Got a bunch of cooking toys and a custom metal fabrication shop where I spend my time building all sorts of smokers & outdoor cooking gear. |
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03-15-2013, 08:07 AM | #7 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 02-28-11
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Name/Nickname : Chad
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We have a Lang 84, and cooked a 120 pound hog no problem. I don't know if a 60 could do it though.
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________________ [COLOR=Orange]Outlaw 2860 Porch Model[/COLOR] Lang 84 Deluxe Yoder YS640 Savannah, GA [URL="http://www.facebook.com/yesdearbbq"]Yes, Dear BBQ on Facebook[/URL] Proudly sponsored by Royal Oak Charcoal and [URL="https://www.atlantabbqstore.com/"]The Atlanta BBQ store[/URL] |
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03-15-2013, 08:25 AM | #8 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 09-14-10
Location: Rogers, AR
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75 and 100 pound pigs are worlds apart. Decide what capacity you actually want and go from there.
A Lang 84 is super over kill for 99% of the cooks you will want to do. Get two cookers and be happy. |
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03-15-2013, 08:55 AM | #9 |
is Blowin Smoke!
Join Date: 02-07-07
Location: Mt. Gilead, NC
Name/Nickname : Clyde
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I have a BQ Grills 36 x 48 and that is about small as you want to go for a
110 lb pig (less head and feet). Talk to John at Alveron Cookers he will build about anything you want. When I took the cooking class in Summerville we cooked a whole pig on one of his charcoal cookers and it turned out nice. Like someone said a Lang 84 with double doors and slide out rack would be an option also. |
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03-15-2013, 11:11 AM | #10 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-04-09
Location: Jonesboro,Tx
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Offsets are all about Flow, if you pack it to full it'll slap land you at an AA meeting. So size matters. Figure average the size hog you will cook your gonna want the cook tube to be at min 2/3 larger in volume in Dia and Length. to keep the proper flow. If I was looking to cook Whole Hog and other stuff too I would go with a Meadow Creek PR 60.
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I'm a Proxy Vegetarian> Cows eat grass & I eat cows. |
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03-15-2013, 11:25 AM | #11 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 10-16-10
Location: Culver City, CA
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The chamber in my offset is 50" with a 20" diameter. This is a 58# pig. There's a little room to move it around, but not much. I think I can go a little bigger on the pig next time but I don't think I'll be fitting anything over 80# in this cooker.
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50" Klose BYC, Spitjack XB85, 22.5 WSM, Backwoods Chubby, UDS, WRK, 26" & 22.5" Weber Kettles, Jumbo Joe, WGA, WSJ/MUDS, Kanka Grill, a piece of expanded metal I throw over the fire pit sometimes, Stealthy Black & Vol Orange Thermapens Displaced East Tennesseean Proud recipient of a Tick Former outlaw MOINK baller, now IMBAS Certified, but still lookin' over my shoulder. "Relax, it's only BBQ." - Bigmista, 2013 "Don't worry about playing a lot of notes. Just find one pretty one." - Miles Davis Avatar by my son! WTFWGALD? |
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03-15-2013, 01:11 PM | #12 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 03-19-12
Location: Louisville,Ky
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I know it's just me, but I really do not want to cook and eat something that is still looking at me. I'll take my pork and beef and chicken parted out at the butcher shop please.....but that's just me...
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03-15-2013, 01:32 PM | #13 | |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 08-15-12
Location: Irish Hills, MI
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Quote:
And, I like the Native American's view on meat- always thank the animal for it's sacrifice. It's the least we can do!
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Okie Joe offset, UDS, Akorn, Weber Kettles, I'm JD. |
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03-15-2013, 02:40 PM | #14 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-22-10
Location: Smoky Mountains, NC
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I'm the opposite-I prefer meat that I kill and butcher myself because I know where it came from and how it was handled.
As for the cooker, the standard old-school pig cooker here in NC is a stickburner made from a 250-275 gallon oil tank, they work great. The usual method is to burn the wood down in a seperate barrel and shovel the coals in under the pig. They also work great for general smoking-you can build a fire on one end and cook on the other end, or grill on one side while you're smoking on the other.
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...Half a yard full of crap to cook on like everybody else... Slow-to-average-speed [COLOR=dimgray]GRAY[/COLOR] Wal-Mart thermometer Just a hungry hillbilly lookin for a dead critter to cook Four [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/group.php?groupid=39"]Zeros[/URL] in one [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=86"][COLOR=red]throwdown[/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=red],[/COLOR] baby! :bow: |
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03-15-2013, 11:06 PM | #15 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-24-12
Location: Mount Pleasant, SC
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Great thread guys - lots of good information here. Thanks for the input. I think I'll be going with a true pig cooker as opposed to a traditional offset for now. To each his own, but I worship at the alter of whole hog barbecue.
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Kamado Joe Classic (Red), Pitmaker Safe on Cart (Brilliant Black Pearl) |
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