Need help with a decision -- apples vs oranges

[Florida Q]

I need some advice.

We recently moved and I parted with my COS. The plan was to replace it with a quality smoker once we got settled and as luck would have it I quickly found a Lang 36 and 48 for sale in my area. While I was about to pull the trigger on the 48 two things happened -- I remembered that I now live near the beach, where I swear even a plastic bottle seems to rust, and I read more about the KBQ. The price of the 48 (used) and the KBQ are the same so I'm back and forth on which way to go.

The KBQ is stainless: less likely to rust and based on my previous inquiries in here it puts out a flavor similar to an offset.

The Lang 48: it is what is is and would be welcomed at my house any day but I'm concerned how it will hold up.

So my question is -- which way would YOU go? Is there another option that I'm overlooking?

*** for the Shirley fans -- it was my first choice but a 23 month wait or the near $1000 shipping cost from St Louis changed things.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Are you gonna be able to have an open flame on top of the Karabeque thing where you live.?

 

[Florida Q]

The previous home owners were nice enough to build a fairly decent size area covered in pavers so the open flame shouldn't (my wife's eyes are rolling) be a problem... Although I will say the wind seems to never stop blowing but hopefully that won't be a problem for either. I hope.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

One thing to think about -- although I don't have one, I believe the KBQ requires the wood be cut or chopped into rather particular sizes. I've been thinking about buying one myself, but the need to keep cutting wood could become a real pain.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

Otherwise, by all accounts the KBQ puts out some mouthwatering meat. And as an engineer, I like the innovative design he came up with to clean the smoke thru the fire. And the fact he still makes them in his garage!

 

[Evil-g]

I’ve sampled the food from the KBQ, I’m a huge fan. Get it you won’t be disappointed.

 

[EdF]

One thing to think about -- although I don't have one, I believe the KBQ requires the wood be cut or chopped into rather particular sizes. I've been thinking about buying one myself, but the need to keep cutting wood could become a real pain.

It's pretty much a "stove split" - < 10" x 5". Not too hard to get ahold of, but you can wind up needing to cut regular splits down. I use a Kindle Cracker to split and either an "Alligator Lopper", or better, a chop or miter saw for length.

Yes, I have a KBQ. I wouldn't really have the room for a Lang. Besides, I'm a techie, and appreciated the design thinking that went into it.

You're going to want to set up a wind break, or you're going to have cinders flying all over the place with the KBQ.

 

[Beentown]

If I were to have just one it would be the Lang. I would love to play with a KBQ.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

For what it's worth I live in North Carolina just a few miles away from the ocean. No matter what you do you're going to end up with some corrosion from the salty and humid air. Just expect that you'll need to re-paint at least the firebox once a year. I have a very good welder / metal worker that I go to and he takes good care of me for a good price. On my smaller smoker (a Yoder Cheyenne) I do the firebox myself with high heat (2000°F auto) paint and it usually lasts 2-3 seasons before I need to put on another coat.

I can't speak intelligently about the KBQ but I have watched some videos and the big glaring issue is the open flame / coal bed. Living near the ocean you're going to get a ton of wind and that coal bed has some bad potential to be picked up in a gust of wind and possibly start a fire elsewhere besides the smoker. The Lang 48 will also give you quite a bit more space and it won't require you to trim down your wood to such specific sizes.

Lang 48 wins this battle hands down in my opinion. You'll need to take care of it though; make sure to clean out your ash pan the day after you cook, either repaint it every year or so or you can let the paint burn off and try an oil coating to prevent rusting. Either way it's a good piece of metal in that firebox and as long as you do minimal maintenance it's going to take many years before it rusts away and becomes unusable.

Good luck either way.

 

[Rockinar]

I used to have a KBQ and now have an offset.

KBQ PROS: Compact, lightweight, mobile, really small footprint, stainless, makes offset quality food, no waiting to heat up 600 pounds of steel, thermostat controlled temp.

KBQ CONS: Needs electricity, cant really cook in rain, fire hazard, fireboox gets glowing red hot (potential serious burn hazard with kids around).

If you have a lot of wind it might be bad with the KBQ. Coals do fall out the side air vents onto the ground and could start a fire and embers do blow around. You have to treat it just like a camp fire. If theres conditions that exist at your house where you would not start a camp fire, then you should not be firing up a KBQ either. The firebox comes with a lid you can use so the flame out the top is not the issue (I used mine at the edge of a covered patio during rains), the embers blowing out the side are.

I only got rid of mine cause I did not like the electricity depenancy. But it made some great food. Probably just as good as my offset and better consistency. The log size is not an issue. Just buy a $99 mitre saw from Home Depot or Harbor Freight. You will need one with the offset too, so ...

 

[thunderalley3]

I would never recommend what to buy as everything out in this world has pro's and con's, I will however make a comment about another issue to consider here in Florida,,,,,access to wood and wood storage.

I have lived here 25 years and finding wood is a problem. It will usually require traveling to NE Florida or into GA to get decent wood to use. This requires a truck to make the trip worth while and then there is the issue of storing it when you get home. If you have been here more than 24 hours you know that there are bugs everywhere and they are all looking for a great place to call home. I cut some hurricane debris up for a friend that is a disabled vet and likes to burn his fireplace on the cooler days. I went to load it the other day and the pile was full of ants, and it was stacked on concrete. I have a number of cedar trees and usually cut him cedar every year but this was some decent oak so I thought it was a good idea.

Needless to say I will be cutting him a truck load of cedar from a storm damaged tree in the next few weeks so he can enjoy sitting by the fire.

Check out your wood supply before buying a stick burner here in Florida, it can get tough, I have a friend who has a Lang, and loves it, but is limited on it's use because of the difficulty obtaining the quantity of good smoking wood.

 

[Florida Q]

These are all helpful. Thank you. When i started this I was thinking rust would be my biggest challenge but it sounds like the wind could be. We live the 3rd house from the beach so we definitely get the ocean breeze coming across. Some days a lot harder than others. I was thinking I would build some type of pavilion that would protect the cookers, as well as myself, from the weather but unless I wall it in I'm not sure it will help with the wind issue.

 

[Florida Q]

Very good point Thunderalley -- I'm not in Georgia anymore. I reached out to Southern Fuel Wood, Keith Oliver, in Gainesville before starting this to see what they could offer.
http://southernfuelwood.com/firewood-products

They have a pretty good selection and I can either make the trip to Gainesville to pick it up or Keith said they will deliver to a business close to my location. Seasoned oak is $125 and hickory is $150 for a pallet. Now -- how to store it will be yet another challenge of living here. There are many, but so far the pros outnumber the cons.

 

[ironmanerik]

I don't live as close to the ocean as you but I am right over the bridge downtown. I think with a little bit of care the lang will last for decades, I oil my firebox every 2-3 cooks, keeps it looking good. As far as firewood, google southern fuelwood they deliver to Melbourne every Friday. Go to wassi's on wickham by sarno not cheap but bbq guys that probably have the cut of meat that you are looking for. If you want to see the 48 lang in action pm me.

 

[Florida Q]

Thanks again for everyone's input. Despite being in Florida I went with apples...

 

[BeardedBassGuy]

Reviews once you get a cook or 2 in!

 

[Florida Q]

Should have my first cook on it tonight. I picked up a Worx "Jawsaw" and it works like a champ. It took about 15 minutes to fill this can with enough of the correct size wood to hopefully get me through a few cooks.

 

[Florida Q]

Also, my wife appreciates that I didn't claim too much more of the garage for toys... I knew the dimensions but it's a bit smaller than I had imagined. I'm still going to be looking for a deal on a Lang. Just missed a 36 that someone was selling for $400. It didn't last long.

 

[EdF]

Just wait until you taste what comes off it! Enjoy!

It's got a surprising capacity despite the small footprint. You'll see!

 

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Lang is a sure bet, especially now that you’ve got wood supplies dialed in.

I say apples AND oranges. No law on the books saying you can’t have both