Please educate me on the Bandera Upright Smoker

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DBrentster

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OK. So I've had many cooks on my WSM, and offset but have seen quite a few teams with the upright (Bandera) style cooker - in addition to the Stickey bandera doc on this forum!

Well I'm always looking for my next pit and this one is very intriguing. It looks like it holds a lot of food and has a similar cooking style to the offset I've used. I'd appreciate any comments either good or bad - especially the amount of mods needed as I am not the most handy guy out there.

Also how heavy/hard to move is this unit. Since my team is myself and my wife we love the WSM for the ease of move, but the offset is one heavy mutha trucka and usually need some friends to help.

Thanks!
 
I'm not sure what to say. I love my Bandera. It holds a lot of food. With the mods it maintains temp well.

I don't know about taking it to comps. It is a heavy beast. But it can be easy to move with the right mods.

Check out this thread
 
The Bandera is top heavy – mine, made more so by the addition of firebricks, and a hefty BigAl firebasket. If I competed, I would have to consider mounting it, at least semi-permanently, to a trailer. Or buy a low trailer with ramp. Beyond that, I think I would have a new frame made of heavier-gauge steel, and the firebox and cook chamber welded to it, versus the stock bolt-on arrangement.

Of course, I could just be worrying about problems that competitors with Banderas have never experienced...so take my remarks with a dash of celery salt.

Stay away from "deals" like this.
 
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I love my 'Dera and would never part with it. My only complaint is that it's a fuel hog. You need to feed the beast. It stays hungry.
 
Fuel Hog is an understatement!

I do like my Bandera but can't wait to get something a little better and easier to keep up to temp in cooler weather.
 
IMHO the Bandera is a great stick burner for the backyard chef, which is what I am. I would not reccomend one for comps unless you have a toy hauler with a ramp. You also would want to get a charcoal basket for longer burn times. But buy doing that, you are no longer using it as a stick burner which is where I feel it is best. Also, as a stick burner, it is a fuel hog and needs to be tended every 45-60 min. which is not what I would like to do at a comp. I like my sleep. But I also love to use my Bandera on a nice day and sit outside and tend the fire. Something primal about that.

So for comps, I would stay with the WSM or a pellet pooper. And if I wanted a bigger smoker, I would get something like a Lang or a Spicewine on a trailer. The beauty of a Spicewine is that since it is insulated, weather has no effect on it.

Hope this helps. My .02 MMV
 
keend said:
Fuel Hog is an understatement!

I do like my Bandera but can't wait to get something a little better and easier to keep up to temp in cooler weather.
Click to expand...

Here is where the Spicewine is King. :icon_cool
 
Around the midwest here, I see 2-3 Banderas or that other cooker (can't think of the name but the lefty version of the BD) at most every contest. They can be a pain to move, but they are a cooking machine. We used one the 1st KCBS contest we were cooked in and took 2nd in pork and 3rd in brisket. Remember, it's not the cooker, it's the cook.....
 
Solidkick said:
Around the midwest here, I see 2-3 Banderas or that other cooker (can't think of the name but the lefty version of the BD) at most every contest. They can be a pain to move, but they are a cooking machine. We used one the 1st KCBS contest we were cooked in and took 2nd in pork and 3rd in brisket. Remember, it's not the cooker, it's the cook.....
Click to expand...

All true Mr. Kick. I applaud all who use them as they are and will always be my favorite smoker. My point is that they are a bit of a pain for comps.
 
Solidkick said:
Remember, it's not the cooker, it's the cook.....
Click to expand...

You don't see that point made here much anymore. Thanks for bringing it back.:eusa_clap

Good barbecue is achievable without spending mega-bucks...you may just have to attend to it more frequently.

Bigdog said:
...I also love to use my Bandera on a nice day and sit outside and tend the fire. Something primal about that.
Click to expand...

That's how I barbecue – which admittedly, has nothing to do with the original question...so I'll quietly step off this one.
 
All good points on the offset. The key aspect is to master the fire managent side of the offset (once I modified the BSKD (backwards Bandera). Won't give up my smoker now.

There were times I was not the open-minded grasshopper... was too hard headed and ignorant. Took me many months of trials and mods to accomplish 2 1/2 hours between (fuel) feedings.

It is the cook... (who has mastered his equipment) is the key. Every pit has its own personality and quirks.

That's why my offset's name is... Cybil!
 
I love my BSKD, but it stays at home. The Lang is what we take when we get froggy... A couple of WSMs are a nice alternative to a larger smoker if you don't have the space or money for a larger pit.

I think the hardest decision that we have to make is what kind of cooking we want to do. If you mostly do back yard cooking, then a Bandara/BSKD is a great cooker. For catering, you need something large, efficient, and consistant. For comps, you need something that allows you to dial your smoker in to yeild the exact results you are looking for. Very few smokers can do all three...
 
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