Regional Cookers?

[Fishwater2002]

This was mentioned in the new BBQ show thread & something that I've noticed as well but don't know why. Why do certain regions have certain types of cookers? Like the most recent show focused on a comp in Ga & it had mostly gravity cookers, Texas is mostly offsets, up here in the North East we have a lot of insulated cabinets & reverse flows. We're all cooking the same meats most of the time so why the different style of cookers? What's the most popular cooker in your area? Inquiring minds want to know.....

 

[SirPorkaLot]

I couldn’t decide, so I got one of each.

It really matters what you’re cooking and what you’re used to.

In NC (where I’m from), the popular cooker is a hog pit. Basically an oil drum on a trailer, mounted horizontally and cut in half.

This is a direct heat cooker and works great for whole hog, chicken and burgers.


Competition BBQ is a lot of monkey see, monkey do.

So if a team using a gravity cooker is getting a bunch of calls, then other teams will take notice and start modifying the way they cook to match.

Competition drum cookers are everywhere these days… the ancestor of those cookers was born right here in this forum (see UDS).

Wait 5 years and it will change to the next new thing.

 

[Fooball]

I'm not sure about competition cookers here in Florida because I've never been to a comp or seen a Florida one on tv.

I do know that I'm about the only one in my neighborhood from my travels around here that's not using a gasser. :crazy:

 

[SoCalWJS]

I live about 10 miles away from Santa Maria. Guess what type is dominant here.

You see them EVERYWHERE, but plenty of alternatives too. I have a cheapo myself, but would love to upgrade to a slightly larger, high-quality one, maybe closer to the Argentine style.

Not sure what the Wife would say about yet another grill, although she knows the cheapo is getting long in the tooth (about 15 years old, and the constant fog takes a toll on these things), but she likes the flavor of Tri tip, steaks, and other things that come off of this thing.

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

I Think it is also about where manufacturers are based.

Stumps is in Georgia and really was the first to make gravity feed from my understanding.

Humphrey's is on the east coast and does reverse flow IVC.

Jambo has been making tank offsets for year in Texas.

 

[oldgfbbq]

Ditto SirPorkaLot sans competition. My homemade offset is not insulated, clearly a reflection of cooking in Southeast/Central Texas where it is not needed. That is not to say others don't use insulated rigs, just my personal experience. From time to time, the cooler nights have gotten the best of me cooking here in New England.
However, my SP is insulated like a whale, cooked daily over the course of 3 winters, never had to make any adjustments for the weather.

 

[Fishwater2002]

I think it's interesting to see the regional styles of cooking that inspires the cooker. For me in the North it's obviously a no brainer to have an insulated cooker which I would imagine why Humphrey's builds them.

 

[1MoreFord]

Folks, regional is a lot more than cookers. Try to find scrapple or pork roll outside the Northeast. Fried catfish isn't near as poplar up North as it is in Arkansas. With a little thought you'll see all sorts of regional favorites.

 

[blackdogbbq21]

Like others have said there is certainly a connection between cuts of meat and the type of cooker used.



My area of CA isn't really known for barbecue. However in the last few years there has been an upswing in texas style barbecue cooked on propane tank offsets. That has alot to do with Franklin barbecue no doubt and i know it's happening in other states as well.

 

[cowgirl]

In my area, western Oklahoma and west Texas, smokers are home builds... made from oilfield pipe. Horizontal and vertical wood burners are the norm.
I do not know anyone personally, who has a store bought smoker here. Pipe and welders are pretty easy to come across.

 

[Smoking Piney]

I've seen lots of UDS's in the comps I've spectated here, but NJ isn't exactly known for Q.

I'm a gravity feed cooker.