What wins - smoker wise?

[ZILLA]

Indeed the cook wins the comp not the pit. That being said, I think there is a correlation to higher placements/winning and low maintenance cookers, comfort, and rest, in some combination.

It's much easier for a cook to be on their game when they are physically comfortable in the heat or cold. When they can get out of the often very loud abient noise of a comp where loud generators and music run 24/7, which will wear you out even in the finest weather. Six hours of solid sleep in an RV gives a person an advantage over a person resting in a Zero G chair all night.

I person cooking on a backwoods/FEC low maintenence cooker has a greater consistancy in the outcome over an offset. Pellets are very consistant in their manufacture as is charcoal, but if you end up with varying quality firewood over the course of the year you cannot be as consistant as the person cooking with Kingford or pellets.

So if you are using an offset pit and using a canopy as a shelter you better have a solid plan for rest and year long plan for great firewood and you have to be on your game, hyper dilegent if you will. If you beat a winning cook who has a fully automated setup and a cush RV by one point overall, and you cook on an offset out of a canopy in foul weather, you didn't just beat him by a point. You gave him a royal ass kicking in my opinion.

 

[bodcat]

Our pellet poopers don't allow us anymore sleep because we don't sleep, they just allow us to consume more alcohol.

 

[HBMTN]

True comps oughtta use old school stuff. Nothin against pellets (I'm thinking of getting one to get more sleep) but it just seems right to use wood/charcoal rather than a machine.

I think if this were the case and everyone used an old school cooker that someone would come along and say "Well I grew the tree of the wood I'm smoking with, ya out to have to use wood from a tree you grew" or " We make our own sauce, ya out to not be able to use a store bought sauce that you did not make" I'm sure I could think of more things people could make an argument for but these are just two.

 

[Chenernator]

We use 4 WSMs, that's nearly as backyard as you can get.

"It's not the cooker, it's the cook" is a cliche because it's true. As long as you've got something that you can get to your desired temperature that will hold it steady for you, you're good.

She speaks the truth, and RnQ kicks everyone's arse!

 

[ZILLA]

If you use an offset pit and you're not getting any sleep then you need to relearn how to cook on an offset pit. I light my pit at 5:30 am, Brisket goes on at 6:00am and turn in is usually 3:00pm. I cook 10-12 lb packers hand trimmed by me. I cook at 250-275 and never have a problem getting the job done before 2:00pm. I can easily sleep from 10:00pm to 5:30am which is usually more sleep than I get at home. I should say I have the opportunity to sleep this long. :becky: My lack of sleeping at a comp has nothing what so ever to do with baby sitting my pit.

 

[BBQ Grail]

True comps oughtta use old school stuff. Nothin against pellets (I'm thinking of getting one to get more sleep) but it just seems right to use wood/charcoal rather than a machine.

I just love this argument. Define "old school" for me. Why do most it's got to be "old school" seem to think "old school" started with "stick burning" pits. If you were really into "old school" you'd just dig a hole in the ground and cook your meat there.

 

[bam]

I say get the pit that cost the most and when you don't win it's you. :bow:

 

[Greg60525]

If you use an offset pit and you're not getting any sleep then you need to relearn how to cook on an offset pit. I light my pit at 5:30 am, Brisket goes on at 6:00am and turn in is usually 3:00pm. I cook 10-12 lb packers hand trimmed by me. I cook at 250-275 and never have a problem getting the job done before 2:00pm. I can easily sleep from 10:00pm to 5:30am which is usually more sleep than I get at home. I should say I have the opportunity to sleep this long. :becky: My lack of sleeping at a comp has nothing what so ever to do with baby sitting my pit.

Zilla,

I have the Gator Pit BMS. Once I throw the meat on I feed sticks at the rate of 1 every 20-30 minutes........I guess that's babysitting to me. Should I be getting longer reload intervals than this? One hour intervals would be nice!

Thanks,

 

[jbrink01]

I've cooked in about 2 dozen contests over the course of the last 6 years (not much, I know). I've won 1 GC, and it was on a stick burner. I have an FEC 500 that I use for a contest every now and then. We've done 4 or 5 contests that have resulted in no calls. Otherwise we've been lucky to get calls on both pits with regularity. Problem is, we cater so much that my attention to detail for contests is gone. It's just really hard to care when you cook as much as we do. My point you ask? The pit don't matter much. It's all about a winning formula, execution and attention to detail. If you want it bad enough it will happen.

 

[CBQ]

People are right in that it's the cook, not the pit. A big part of being a cook, however, is knowing your equipment and how it performs.

The more I used my Klose offset, the more things I found that I need to keep track of. It's a tightly built pit, and I burn charcoal with a Stoker controlled fire, so I have fewer variables than someone burning sticks or using an unmodified WSM in a high wind, but there are a number of other factors that I mostly found by trial and error:

- None of the 8 shelves are alike. Even on a given shelf, there are also temp variations from front to back and side to side. Which shelf to put a meat on, when it goes on, and even where on the shelf the meat sits and which direction it's pointing in make a difference. (I used to wish that things were more uniform, but now I embrace the differences and use them to my advantage.)

Other things that matter on my pit:

- The location of the stoker pit temp probe
- The front to back angle of the pit
- Whether it's raining or not
- The distance of my charcoal basket from the Stoker fan
- Whether we wrap/don't wrap, and whether foil or a pan are used to wrap (it impacts airflow in my relatively small offset)

My team added a Backwoods Fatboy to our gear recently, and it has it's own collection of quirks too (level of the smoker, using auto-water or not, top to bottom temp differences, etc.)

Understanding how your pit performs, what it does well and doesn't do well make the difference. I suspect the pellet poopers have the least variability, and that is why people tend to gravitate towards them over time, but a cook that knows his or her pit can win with anything.

 

[roksmith]

Sarge,
As I was the neighbor you were talking to, and it was my first contest on the pellet pooper, I'll tell ya what I think.

I saw no real difference in the quality of our food between the stick burner and the pellet pooper.

I did see a difference in the quality of my sleep.. or would have if my team mate didn't snore so loud

 

[Sawdustguy]

True comps oughtta use old school stuff. Nothin against pellets (I'm thinking of getting one to get more sleep) but it just seems right to use wood/charcoal rather than a machine.

Following that logic true comps should use open pits. No stick burners either. You don't get more old school than that. It amazes me that people think tending a fire makes a better cook. If that were true, 5 star resturants wouldn't be using modern appliances.

 

[Sarge]

Wow, I must say I did not intend for this question to stir up the pot this much. For all the brethren who have chimed in, thank you.

I understand there are many, many variables in this wonderful "hobby" of ours. Everyone has their own way of selecting their meat, trimming, seasoning, basting, and saucing. The cook is a very integral part of the equation - I have never doubted or questioned that. That being said, I think that the smoker also plays a significant role in the process (not sure about 20%). Having used an offset for several years I truly like the results and what we can do with it. But it can be touchy and does use a lot of fuel. We have gotten used to that and I like the "Hands On" feel of it. The pellet smokers do have the 'advantage' of being controlled by a thermostat and have a very "hands off" method. While I like the consistency, I'm not sure I'd like that. I have no problem with people using any smoker in a competition, that is what makes it fun and interesting.

My sole purpose in this was to see if there was any solid numbers available on contest placement and smoker type. I did not intend for it become this controversial.

Sarge

 

[CBQ]

Having used an offset for several years I truly like the results and what we can do with it. But it can be touchy and does use a lot of fuel. We have gotten used to that and I like the "Hands On" feel of it. The pellet smokers do have the 'advantage' of being controlled by a thermostat and have a very "hands off" method. ... My sole purpose in this was to see if there was any solid numbers available on contest placement and smoker type. I did not intend for it become this controversial.

I don't think you need to apologize. It's not controversial, it's good content. There are many, many posts in these forums about the merits of different smokers, and as long as people don't get personal, I think a good debate also educates and informs.

I think the replies were actually pretty consistent in that people seem to think that, at the end of it all, the smoker doesn't matter as much as what you do with it. Smokers are like sneakers. The right equipment doesn't hurt, but a pair of Nikes is not going to turn you into Michael Jordan. Select a smoker based upon your style of cooking, your budget, and how you are going to transport and store it.

 

[CBQ]

I could use charcoal that would give me better temp control and probably enable me to better utilize a BBQ Guru or Stoker for even better temp control, less fuel consumption and.............much more sleep!

As someone that uses charcoal in a stick burner with a Stoker, that's a big yes to the more sleep (and better control). I sleep most of the night, and get up once to refuel the pit.

 

[mrichard]

You can win on anything if you know your cooker! The jambo is our weapon of choice

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

I see a pellet pooper more of an oven with the ability to put smoke in the meat. They will be more consistent with the heat without the jumps and slumps in temps as teh stick burners so should be able to control your product a little more. It just gives you another option of a way to go.

 

[Lake Dogs]

I don't think you need to apologize. It's not controversial, it's good content. There are many, many posts in these forums about the merits of different smokers, and as long as people don't get personal, I think a good debate also educates and informs.

I think the replies were actually pretty consistent in that people seem to think that, at the end of it all, the smoker doesn't matter as much as what you do with it. Smokers are like sneakers. The right equipment doesn't hurt, but a pair of Nikes is not going to turn you into Michael Jordan. Select a smoker based upon your style of cooking, your budget, and how you are going to transport and store it.

Sarge, I agree with Chris; no need to appologize.

The set-it-and-forget-it fans have their points. I'm sure we all feel that
we might make better decisions with a few more hours of sleep.

The stick burner fans have their points too.

I have a stick burner and really enjoy it. One of the things I enjoy is
a well smoked piece of meat, and from what I've seen/tasted, you can
get a little more smoke flavor in the meat with a stick burner, if you
so desire it to be so.

I actually enjoy the fire management, even if it means staying up all
night. To me, personally, this is part of the enjoyment of it all. I dont
think the pellet poopers should be "outlawed" nor do I feel that they have
some advantage, other than perhaps they've slept longer.

As far as fuel consumption goes, while I probably wouldn't mind having
a nice Stumps, I wouldn't trade my Lang for a Stumps for the reason
of saving fuel.

Best of luck; smoke on brother.

 

[Sweet Breathe BBQ]

I would suggest that not all pellet poopers are "set it and forget it". We use two Traegers without the digital thermostat control. We have temperature fluctuations that we need to keep an eye on. We have to make sure the pellets feed properly, the auger remains clear, power stays on. We use an offset and bullets as well. When we check one smoker, we'll usually check them all.

 

[Ford]

the answer is jambo pits and fe100s just look at the top 25

now maybe its also the cook