Wager
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2008
- Location
- Charlott...
Since there is very little information on these smokers, or there gravity feed smokers, pig cookers, grills, or the company in general available out there I thought I would post an in depth review of the new smokers that I just had built by Melvin and his guys.
First a few words about the company in general. I worked with Melvin throughout the process for this build and I have to say it was a genuine pleasure. I tend to get very obsessed with bbq and all the various equipment and considering this build was for me Melvin had a very anxious person on his hands. Over the course of the build he was very responsive to any questions I had and very patient with requests for pics and status. Their customer service exceeded all of my expectations throughout the build process. Once the build was complete and it was time to pick up the smoker, Melvin turned me over to Greg for an overview of the new rig. Greg did a fantastic job of walking me through the operation of the smokers from clean out to seasoning to the typical operation of the smokers and hints for things to look out for. I left feeling like I had a really good understanding of just how to get these smokers setup and running. Again, fantastic customer service and I feel very strongly that they will be there in the event I have any questions, something happens to the smokers, or I just need support of some sort.
Ok, so what did I get...
What they built for me was a two smoker setup mounted to a trailer. These are two of their VDS models...
I have to say I've been around a ton of different smokers (bbq competitions) and the build quality on these seems to be as good or exceed any others that I've ever seen or worked with. I realize I'm probably a little biased like most others are about the brands they have but I really am floored by what they built for me. The build and the quality of the workmanship are so far beyond what I imagined it would be that I was almost speechless when I first saw it.
A few features an inside pics.
Four shelves, fairly standard setup for a cabinet smoker. One very clever feature is the tray at the very top. Greg noted that these smokers stay very humid inside during a cook and that the condensation that builds up in the stack can drip on the meat so they installed the tray. One of those things that makes me feel like they have really thought out the build on these.
Another feature that I though was very clever is the design of the fire box and ash tray
Both the charcoal basket and the ash tray are mounted together so that when you pull out the basket to load it up you don't end up with small lit coals or ash dropping on the ground or your feet.
More pics to come. I'm in the process of getting my first cook started and will post as it progresses. If you have any questions or want me to take pics of anything let me know.
First a few words about the company in general. I worked with Melvin throughout the process for this build and I have to say it was a genuine pleasure. I tend to get very obsessed with bbq and all the various equipment and considering this build was for me Melvin had a very anxious person on his hands. Over the course of the build he was very responsive to any questions I had and very patient with requests for pics and status. Their customer service exceeded all of my expectations throughout the build process. Once the build was complete and it was time to pick up the smoker, Melvin turned me over to Greg for an overview of the new rig. Greg did a fantastic job of walking me through the operation of the smokers from clean out to seasoning to the typical operation of the smokers and hints for things to look out for. I left feeling like I had a really good understanding of just how to get these smokers setup and running. Again, fantastic customer service and I feel very strongly that they will be there in the event I have any questions, something happens to the smokers, or I just need support of some sort.
Ok, so what did I get...
What they built for me was a two smoker setup mounted to a trailer. These are two of their VDS models...
I have to say I've been around a ton of different smokers (bbq competitions) and the build quality on these seems to be as good or exceed any others that I've ever seen or worked with. I realize I'm probably a little biased like most others are about the brands they have but I really am floored by what they built for me. The build and the quality of the workmanship are so far beyond what I imagined it would be that I was almost speechless when I first saw it.
A few features an inside pics.
Four shelves, fairly standard setup for a cabinet smoker. One very clever feature is the tray at the very top. Greg noted that these smokers stay very humid inside during a cook and that the condensation that builds up in the stack can drip on the meat so they installed the tray. One of those things that makes me feel like they have really thought out the build on these.
Another feature that I though was very clever is the design of the fire box and ash tray
Both the charcoal basket and the ash tray are mounted together so that when you pull out the basket to load it up you don't end up with small lit coals or ash dropping on the ground or your feet.
More pics to come. I'm in the process of getting my first cook started and will post as it progresses. If you have any questions or want me to take pics of anything let me know.
