AlwaysSmokey
is Blowin Smoke!
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2014
- Location
- Smithville Tx
Well, I am inching closer to being a convert.... lol... :decision:
I would see the extra capacity of the vertical as "overkill" only if I had to pay extra for it but since the vertical offset is actually WAY cheaper than it's horizontal counterpart of similar capacity I'd say that the vertical's extra cooking area is a huge bonus!:wink:I really appreciate this thread because I’m going through some of the same gyrations and the input has been great. Thanks!
Took the wife on a road trip down to Willis last Friday to checkout Lone Star Grillz and place an order if all went well. I’ve been researching them for months and had my mind set on a horizontal. I just wanted to see the different sizes and checkout the options in person before deciding on what to order. I had seen the verticals on their website, but hadn’t paid a great deal of attention. Then I saw the floor model they have in their office – 2x capacity at the same price point as the horizontals with much smaller footprint. I know from this forum and others that verticals are becoming more popular. Chris said there’s basically no difference in the way they cook, the fuel they consume, the food they produce, etc. After he showed me almost everything they had in their shop I was struggling to make a decision. Chris suggested placing an order for either one just to get in the queue (which is an estimated 17 week wait) and that I could change my order at any time up until they start the build. I placed an order for a horizontal and now have about 4 months to make up my mind.
I like the additional capacity and it would be great to have that flexibility when it’s needed, but it’s probably overkill because I generally cook for family or a small group of friends. Everyone says buy bigger than you think you need. That would definitely be more reasonable to do with a vert. The smaller footprint is always a plus. The verticals are a bit top heavy and that’s a negative for me. I have to navigate whatever I buy over a fairly steep rise in the front yard to get to the back patio and I’m concerned that might be a real struggle with the vertical, especially the 30” model. I like the easy access you have to everything in a horizontal; the vertical seems a bit confined. I know it’s stupid, but the biggest struggle is in my mind. I’ve cooked on a traditional offset for 18 years. When I think of a smoker, that’s what it looks and feels like. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the look and feel of the vertical. I may just have to get over that.
I appreciate all the input that’s been posted. It’s definitely helpful. I know I won’t be disappointed either way. I haven’t seen anything negative about any of the LSG cookers. Everything that everyone has said about Chris and Amber is true. They’re great people, super helpful, and a pleasure to work with.
Thanks!
I really appreciate this thread because I’m going through some of the same gyrations and the input has been great. Thanks!
Took the wife on a road trip down to Willis last Friday to checkout Lone Star Grillz and place an order if all went well. I’ve been researching them for months and had my mind set on a horizontal. I just wanted to see the different sizes and checkout the options in person before deciding on what to order. I had seen the verticals on their website, but hadn’t paid a great deal of attention. Then I saw the floor model they have in their office – 2x capacity at the same price point as the horizontals with much smaller footprint. I know from this forum and others that verticals are becoming more popular. Chris said there’s basically no difference in the way they cook, the fuel they consume, the food they produce, etc. After he showed me almost everything they had in their shop I was struggling to make a decision. Chris suggested placing an order for either one just to get in the queue (which is an estimated 17 week wait) and that I could change my order at any time up until they start the build. I placed an order for a horizontal and now have about 4 months to make up my mind.
I like the additional capacity and it would be great to have that flexibility when it’s needed, but it’s probably overkill because I generally cook for family or a small group of friends. Everyone says buy bigger than you think you need. That would definitely be more reasonable to do with a vert. The smaller footprint is always a plus. The verticals are a bit top heavy and that’s a negative for me. I have to navigate whatever I buy over a fairly steep rise in the front yard to get to the back patio and I’m concerned that might be a real struggle with the vertical, especially the 30” model. I like the easy access you have to everything in a horizontal; the vertical seems a bit confined. I know it’s stupid, but the biggest struggle is in my mind. I’ve cooked on a traditional offset for 18 years. When I think of a smoker, that’s what it looks and feels like. I’m having a hard time adjusting to the look and feel of the vertical. I may just have to get over that.
I appreciate all the input that’s been posted. It’s definitely helpful. I know I won’t be disappointed either way. I haven’t seen anything negative about any of the LSG cookers. Everything that everyone has said about Chris and Amber is true. They’re great people, super helpful, and a pleasure to work with.
Thanks!
I would see the extra capacity of the vertical as "overkill" only if I had to pay extra for it but since the vertical offset is actually WAY cheaper than it's horizontal counterpart of similar capacity I'd say that the vertical's extra cooking area is a huge bonus!:wink:
I was like you when I first laid eyes on a vertical offset (probably a Bandera several years ago in a box store) and I kinda laughed at it, not considering it a "REAL" Texas style cooker because it wasn't made of a long, horizontal section of pipe but was instead built like a little closet or something! LOL! I was pretty much just stuck in the "tradition" of what I'd grown up seeing and cooking on all my life and hadn't really given any thought to the real advantages of the vertical design.
It really wasn't until I was shopping for a new, custom built offset to replace my old Black Diamond that I saw the Lone Star Grillz website for the first time and began having some epiphanies.
1) The vertical was cheaper than the horizontals (which caught my interest immediately) and I quickly realized that I could add on several upgrades and still come in at budget.
2) The cooking capacity (for the cooker's size) was several times that of any of the horizontals.
3) The draft and temp displacement is automatically better in a vertical (especially when it includes tuning plates).
4) There is much easier access to the cooking area, by opening one vertically hung door instead of lifting one or two heavy lids (sometimes needing counter weights to do so) you have quick, easy access to every grate.
5) Finally the thing that really pushed me in the direction of the vertical was that after adding a warmer/oven and selecting the 30" cabinet over the stock 24" I was going to have a cooker that was obviously built well, would be able to churn out more food than most of the largest trailer pits available and at about 1/3 to 1/2 the building cost, so in spite of the fact that hardly any of the Brethren had even heard of LSG let alone had any experience with them I decided to be the guinea pig and I pulled the trigger,... it was one of the better decisions I've ever made as far as making a major purchase.
Now over 2 years later I can tell you that I have NO regrets for going with LSG and ABSOLUTELY no regrets about the vertical design. Going to my LSG vertical from the NB Black Diamond was like trading an old VW Beetle for a Cadillac and having cooked on much larger trailer pits for many years as well I can say that my little vertical cooker is a dream to operate.
I know that Chris said that it operates the same as a horizontal cooker and he probably has to to keep from making too many claims (as well as to be able to sell some of his horizontal cookers too) but I can tell everyone reading this post from experience that the vertical drafts better, maintains temps better and is much more fuel efficient than a horizontal of similar capacity simply because of it's design, let alone the addition of the warmer/oven and going with a 1/2" firebox to keep in more heat which can be sucked into the cooking chamber rather than lost through the top or the sides of the firebox.
Now I won't be competing with Myron Mixon, cooking 200 to 300 lb hogs but I can cook everything else in spades brothers and sisters and if I wanted to hit the BBQ circuit and compete I'd go get my exact cooker and have it mounted on a trailer for the perfectly compact, yet multifunctional cooking rig. Imagine a flat bed trailer with a roof, with plenty of walking space, counter space, storage space, refrigerator space and sink space all because the cooker only takes up a 2 ft. x 4 1/2 ft. amount of space on the trailer while offering around 6000 sq inches of total cooking area!:shock:
I was I believe the first of the Brethren to purchase the LSG vertical and since that time I've seen the popularity of the cooker explode, making it one of the most popular models that LSG makes and I have a feeling that the vertical revolution has only just begun.:wink:
You know, apart from their excellent website Chris was also putting out some great Youtube videos showing great up-close detail of his pits and while there were some other builders putting a few videos out at that time, Chris was doing it way better and prolifically. While some of the other builders websites were hardly navigable here's an example of what I got to see from LSG...Again, explained very well Bill.
I can also remember stumbling on LSG's website when I was looking at different fabricators and that's when I stopped becuase I was hooked. LSG wasn't nearly as popular here or anywhere for that metter and I searched relentlessly for info/experience on their veritcal offset with almost no results. Only one guy on another forum who wasn't really active and then I found Oldbill:mrgreen: I must've asked him a million questions and put my deposit down short time later. Oldbill was the pioneer that paved the way and I came along shortly after that. I think I was the third guy on this board to get mine.
When I got mine I did a thorough post of my pit for people on the fence or simply for informational purposes. There have been countless people that have PM'ed me on here and pulled the trigger on the vertical. They're just not active as much as we are. The vertical revolution has begun for sure and rightfully so. The pit is everything and then some. You just gotta decide if it's for you or not.
LOL! Farkin' Awesome!!! That looked like my pit a couple of times back in June when it seemed to rain on a daily basis, I had to get really creative at keeping my wood dry!:biggrin1:LOL, I watch those all the time.
Here's one I have been eyeballin a lot lately. It comes from the FB lonestar grillz fan page.
Nothing special it just shows how his pit is maintaining temp in a rain storm. (which is very cool) But I wanted to look at the vert. with the warmer box,.. and drool.
My Lonestar Grillz Offset Vertical Smokin' in the Rain! - YouTube
LOL! Farkin' Awesome!!! That looked like my pit a couple of times back in June when it seemed to rain on a daily basis, I had to get really creative at keeping my wood dry!:biggrin1:
I like the change LSG made recently in the grill top on the firebox - triple flanged which would definitely keep water out in the event of a downpour like above.:clap:
THoey1963 – We arrived at LSG at 10:00 a.m. on the 7/3. Must have just missed you.