a question of cookers

Well, after looking at the enlarged pick, I don't think it is exactly the same unit. The one at Academy had cast iron sides, but this one appears to have steel sides from the pic. There also appear to be different slots in the bottom of the unit.
 
If you are intending to cook Que at home in any weather i recommend you purchase a Big Green Egg. The Big Green Egg is a very efficient cooker that can cook 10 to 12 hours on a single load of charcoal. You will not have to stay up all night to tend it. A stick burner will need hourly attention and fire tending to add more fuel. The choice is yours.
 
I love stick burning, but sometime next year, I WILL be getting a BGE... It would be great to go all night without having to check on it. I'm having guys over for Texas Hold 'Em tonight, and I got up at 4:30 am to get things started. With a BGE, I could have just set it up at 10 and gone to sleep when I wanted to.
 
tony76248 said:
Here is an awesome unit I saw Academy, it ad nice seals and looks like a lot of bang for the buck. I already have the Stumps, so I wouldn't buy it. That said, it would be at the top of my list for an offset with lots of possibilities. I could see that it needed just a few mods to be perfect.

http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/outdoors/grills/smokers&start=0&selectedSKU=0263-02219-4201
Click to expand...

Tony:
Wow that really is a sweet looking rig for the $600 price range!

Bad News - Nearest Academy to me is Joplin MO (4.5 hours)
Good News - My oldest boy lives in Joplin MO and has a pickup!!

They also carry the Bandera there. I will "need" to stop in there on our next kid visit. :cool:

0263-02219-4201.jpg
 
SmokeyBear said:
I just found the OJ unit on the Lowe's web page under a different name:

link

It's $30 cheaper at Lowe's than at Academy.
Click to expand...

I thought you were referring to something similar to that unit. I've looked at it myself and it does have the cast iron sides. I don't know if it's exactly like the one you saw at Academy, but it looked pretty interesting to me. It's similar to the Brinkmann dual zone that Neil (I think) and a few others have here, only there's no partition like the Brinkmann model has. That unit could work for you since it's obviously set up for direct grilling and there are techniques you can employ to do low, slow and indirect. I don't know how much attention that cooker would require for a long cook, maybe one of the other guys can help out with some insight on that.
What would be your main focus, grilling or smoking? If you want pure convenience and smoking is your priority, the WSM can't be beaten in this price range but it's not a grill. Come to think of it, if you have room you could get a Weber Silver Kettle grill AND the WSM for about what that unit would cost you. Then you'd have the best of both worlds. You'd have to wait until Amazon puts the WSM on sale for 199 or try your luck with Grill Doctor who I think still advertises it for 179. You'd have to pay shipping from Grill Dr. though.
If convenience and ease of use is important to you, I don't think a stickburner would be the way to go (although there is nothing more fun than playing with fire), but who knows? A Chargriller with the side firebox (sfb) option could be fun. There was also another small offset cooker that somebody mentioned recently that sounded like a real deal. It was available as a whole starter kit (which even included charcoal), or just the cooker itself and the price was very reasonable. Can someone help me out on this one? I just can't seem to remember who/where/when that thing was posted.
Good luck with our decision Smokey.
 
Kirk said:
I thought you were referring to something similar to that unit. I've looked at it myself and it does have the cast iron sides. I don't know if it's exactly like the one you saw at Academy, but it looked pretty interesting to me. It's similar to the Brinkmann dual zone that Neil (I think) and a few others have here, only there's no partition like the Brinkmann model has. That unit could work for you since it's obviously set up for direct grilling and there are techniques you can employ to do low, slow and indirect. I don't know how much attention that cooker would require for a long cook, maybe one of the other guys can help out with some insight on that.
What would be your main focus, grilling or smoking? If you want pure convenience and smoking is your priority, the WSM can't be beaten in this price range but it's not a grill. Come to think of it, if you have room you could get a Weber Silver Kettle grill AND the WSM for about what that unit would cost you. Then you'd have the best of both worlds. You'd have to wait until Amazon puts the WSM on sale for 199 or try your luck with Grill Doctor who I think still advertises it for 179. You'd have to pay shipping from Grill Dr. though.
If convenience and ease of use is important to you, I don't think a stickburner would be the way to go (although there is nothing more fun than playing with fire), but who knows? A Chargriller with the side firebox (sfb) option could be fun. There was also another small offset cooker that somebody mentioned recently that sounded like a real deal. It was available as a whole starter kit (which even included charcoal), or just the cooker itself and the price was very reasonable. Can someone help me out on this one? I just can't seem to remember who/where/when that thing was posted.
Good luck with our decision Smokey.
Click to expand...

I went down to the Lowe's and checked out the unit there. It has a steel body on the lower half, but the sides on the lid are cast iron. It also had enamel grates inside versus cast iron grates on the OJ unit at Academy. The slide vents on the bottom were a lot different as well.

The one big difference between the two units is that the one at Academy is already drilled and notched for a rotisserie where the one from Lowes is not.

I also gave a long hard look at a Charbroil unit that someone mentioned above but with a sidebox attachment. It is also set up so that a rotisserie could be easily attached.

Well:

After much reading this week and many trips to all of the hardware/home improvement stores in the area, I finally settled on the large BGE. I bought the BGE and a table this afternoon, but it'll be a week or so until the table is ready; so, I'll pick it all up at once.

I came pretty close to going with a couple of steel units that I saw, but I really wanted something I could go low and slow with over a long period of time while not having to constantly tend it. I'll probably add one of the steel units later as I want something that I can use a rotisserie over coals.
 
SmokeyBear said:
With whichever new unit I purchase, I want to be able to smoke/indirect cook. Having the ability to grill/direct cook would be a plus.
Click to expand...

The Char Griller pro offset works pretty well for that. Got mine at Lowes with the sfb for about $199.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you get.
 
bowhnter said:
The Char Griller pro offset works pretty well for that. Got mine at Lowes with the sfb for about $199.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you get.
Click to expand...

That's the other unit I considered from Lowe's. I may get it down the road.
 
Good move on the BGE. Sleep isn't overrated, ask any father of a newborn.

As for the NB Deluxe that Academy has, was with a friend all day today that has one and it looks nice from afar, but has temp issues. If you have a welder, you could easily modify it to make it a excellent starter unit.
 
I bought a Char Broil offset early this year. I freakin love it. I also rescued and ECB from my neighbors trash. With a few mods here and there, I'm growing to love it even more.

I use my Char Broil offset for my ribs, briskets and butts. My ECB is used for fatties, wings, beer up da' rear chickens, and any other critter I can get my hands on.

My only suggestion: Theres a ton a different smokers out there, and everybodys got an opinion about which ones da best. I say to each his own, just make sure you purchase good thermometers (internal & external) to go with it. Everything else is gravy brother!
 
Single Fin Smoker said:
I bought a Char Broil offset early this year. I freakin love it.
Click to expand...

Did you do anything to seal up the lid leaks? And if so did it make a big difference in temp control?
 
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