Kanco Connection
is Blowin Smoke!
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO
Surprised nobody has mentioned the GSIE. Would have thought Smitty woulda been all over it.
https://gothamsmokeless.com
https://gothamsmokeless.com
Surprised nobody has mentioned the GSIE. Would have thought Smitty woulda been all over it.
https://gothamsmokeless.com
It sounds like you haven't mastered the cookers you own now. If you want something different for the sake of having something new to play with, that's fine. But your existing cookers can do so much more than you realize.
I would not say that! MAK grills lay down some serious smoke and some say it is equivalent to a stick burner!No pellet smoker is going to be like a stick burner. It's just not.
If you want stick burner flavor without the stick burner footprint, look at the KBQ
Its basically a compact stick burner with no fire management.
https://kbq.us/product/kbq-c-60-pit/
I would not say that! MAK grills lay down some serious smoke and some say it is equivalent to a stick burner!
I'm not trying to be an arse
But you're getting pretty close by insinuating that our beloved Baby Back Maniac is not telling the truth about the Mak Grill.
"It's the cook not the cooker" - tired but so true. WSM's are very lethal weapons in competition. If you're not pleased with the results then focus on producing excellent results on that WSM.
"It's the cook not the cooker" - tired but so true. WSM's are very lethal weapons in competition. If you're not pleased with the results then focus on producing excellent results on that WSM.
I’ve owned stickburners for 30+ years and a Mak 1-Star for 8 months.
IMHO stickburners deliver the absolute best ‘que (mind you, I’ve never tried a charcoal smoker). Operating a stickburner isn’t rocket science or magic. It’s easy to master with some practice and I’m sure you can master it too. I do disagree with one comment above: that you should start with a really cheap stickburner. Like many things in life, going in cheap to “see if you like it” will IMHO affect your experience, because I always found it far easier to operate and achieve great results with a quality stickburner than a cheap one. I’m not saying super-expensive, but quality. I am confident your learning curve will be quicker, easier, and more fun with a quality pit.
There are many threads on this site listing good pitmakers and reviewing/recommending them. You also can read about the differences between regular flow vs reverse-flow and decide which you want. But I suggest you need at least 3/16 or 1/4 inch steel.
I bought the Mak because after 30+ years I grew tired of the all-nighters and wanted something that will smoke a brisket or butt all night while I sleep. I absolutely love it. I figure it delivers 85-90% of the flavour of my stickburners and my family actually prefers it because it delivers sort of a cleaner, lighter flavour. I also like bringing modern technology to bear on smoking meat. And I don’t have to pull all-nighters unless I want to fire up the stickburners.
So, to me, the reason to go pellet smoker is time, effort, and convenience. But I really value all those all-nighters I spent smoking on a stickburner while everyone else was asleep, managing the pit and feeding the fire (and usually drinking beer, wine, and/or whiskey along the way). It was contemplative, solitary, high quality time.
So at the end of the day I think it depends on what you value at your current stage of life. Good luck with your decision!
I think you have to figure out what you like. I've been cooking on drum style smokers for about 10 years now. First thing I smoked was a turkey for thanksgiving on a 22.5 WSM which I later upgraded to a SS UDS and couldn't be happier. It was great, juicy and tender but a little to heavy on the smoke. I learned what I like in terms of amount of smoke and have dialed that in really well. I have used KBB and lump and like both, I don't find any off flavor with KBB at all. I've tried smoking on a kamado and I just don't get the right balance as I do with a drum which I now have a PBC and 18" WSM as well as the UDS. I've gone away from trying to over control everything and I've learned fire management on these very well, very rarely breaking out the guru with the exception of an overnight cook. I think my main point is find out what you like and then go balls out figuring out how to make it work. Nothing wrong with trying out something new - it can make it exciting. I have two pieces of 21" heavy diameter stainless tube I've been thinking out making a stick burner out of lol but I don't know how invested I am to make it in the first place and then tend a fire every 45 min. Try the food off a stick burner and if its your thing give it a shot.
I did a cook with a Guru on the WSM of spares. The water in the bowl seemed to absorb a lot of the energy as the fuel burn was what I thought excessive. The Guru maintained temp perfectly but did kick ash up the sides and onto the meat. The KBB gave the meat (to me) an odd taste. And yes, part of the reason is something new:wink:
You and Baychilla miss the point entirely. Just do what you've already decided to do, why seek validation?Competition BBQ is an injection and rub flavor contest.
Enter a comp with a WSM, dont inject anything, dont scrape chicken skin, and just use salt and pepper. Let me know how that works out. I'll give you $100 if you don't come in bottom 10%.