Vote if you think Gas should be allowed in Sanctioned Contest Now

[smoke-n-my-i's]

I voted no, but if they ever do, I will just buy a couple of propane ovens, and set it, throw in a couple of foil pouches of wood, and go to bed... what a way to cook....

 

[The_Kapn]

I welcome any type of cooker in competetion.
I am secure enough in my cooking that I am not intimidated by the type of cooker a team uses.
I am intimidated by the skill level of some cooks though, even if they cook in dutch ovens. That is legal, by the way, if wood (charcoal) is the heat source.

The more participants at an event, the more $$ available for the charity or (hopefully) the prize pool.

TIM

 

[HoDeDo]

Andy - Ben Lang offers a LP Gas option for those that cater and would start with sticks and switch to LP at bed time. Lets face it, meat only absorbs the smoke till it's surface temp reaches a Top Secret Temp:icon_shy.

Yep, most of the offset manufacturers offer a gas start or gas assist . I just meant you wouldnt see guys that cook on that style of pit making a mass exodus to gas models as the sole heat source :razz:

BTW - non of those pits qualified for the LP Que, because they did not have a safety mechanism for the gas - like a thermocouple or other safety valve system on them, in the event the flame went out. We could not use our gas assisted Kingfisher for the same reason. We rented one of Arlie's Old Hickory CTOs for the event.

 

[KnucklHed BBQ]

If you cook on charcoal and add wood chunks and call it BBQ, then you can cook on gas and add wood chunks and call it BBQ. If you use charcoal but say no to gas, are you afraid of the competion? I use a stick burner and have not said no to a computerized gravity fed chacoal or pellet fed smokers to compete with for true BBQ.

Why else would it matter? Cook, not the cooker. Golfer, not the clubs... Pretty sure Tiger & Jack aren't too afraid of me stepping on their greens using their clubs...

I wanted to stay out of this conversation, but it's getting a lot of traffic, and it's partially my fault. I made some comments about it in the other thread. To me, the first question is how do you define BBQ. I define BBQ as meat which has been cooked in dry heat (excluding oil poaching) so that it is tender and lean. Additionally smoke from either wood or charcoal (a wood derivitive) is used during the cooking process to impart a smokey flavour. Beyond that, there are many ways to produce BBQ: Stick burning, pellet burning, charcoal cooking, Minion cookers, gravity fed charcoal, digging holes in the ground, rotating on a spit over a fire, and I'm sure I'm missing a few. As long as it is tender and smokey, I'd call it Q.

On point! I'm probably in the minority, but I'm of the opinion that hot & fast brisket isn't BBQ, it's grilling. Even if there isn't direct heat involved, it's not slo & lo so it technically shouldn't qualify, but as long as you cook it over a wood heat source, nobody seems to mind...

Here's my objection to gas. Even with UL or similar approved devices there is a real possibility for an explosion. Because of the proximity of other teams and fans, 20x20 ft sites, I think it is a recipe for disaster.

seriously?? between motor homes, campers and weed burners, there are already enough LP tanks in the area to take out the entire event should something bad happen... I would be in favor of limiting the size of tanks allowed... You shouldn't be allowed to roll in with a 5,000 gallon tanker and hook up.

You've got a far better chance of biting it in traffic than going out LP style... :wink:

I welcome any type of cooker in competetion.
I am secure enough in my cooking that I am not intimidated by the type of cooker a team uses.

The more participants at an event, the more $$ available for the charity or (hopefully) the prize pool.

TIM

If LP grills or LP assisted cookers were allowed, all it would do is show the noobs that wood cooking is better and they would start making the switch.
My first backyard event I used my weber gasser (it's red so it's ok :biggrin because I didn't know any better, as I learned more about what "real" BBQ was, I took off the training wheels and got me some matchlight and lighter fluid (JK!). And I still continue to evolve. BUT, if I hadn't been able to use my gasser in the first place, I probably would have never learned the difference between Q and grilling, and so the name of real BBQ is maintained and a tradition continued.

Is now a good time to bring up the Steve Raichlen debate?? :twisted::twisted:

 

[trekmstr]

how is using pellets any different? they have a temp control and are automatically fed from a hopper. just add pellets every few hours. i think that they have have a huge advantage over those of us that use charcoal or wood.