Q_Done_Right
Knows what a fatty is.
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2017
- Location
- Chi-Town
I've owned two WSM's for a little over the past two years and cooked on them a LOT. And I think I've become quite good at using them...there definitely isn't a BBQ joint around here that I'd choose over mine and the people who bought from me when I vended earlier this summer went out of their way to provide great feedback.
Fast forward to today. I've wanted a stick burner for a good half year now and recently bought a brand new Pecos (Old Country BBQ Pits) offset smoker. I did a burnout session on Friday to learn the fire management aspect and smoked some chicken wings and two racks of ribs (baby backs and spare ribs from Whole Foods) today. I used the same rubs, sauces and cooking techniques on these meats as I do with my WSM's. The fuel was post oak splits (10-12") from B&B Charcoal. Temp was a solid 230-270 for most of the cook before I foiled the ribs and into the oven for the last hour...what I normally do to tenderize them. Fire came out as thin blue smoke 90% of the time. Here are my thoughts on the two:
I surprisingly liked the same food I make on the WSM's with KBB and Fruita wood chunks better...actually a lot better. The wings were good but I couldn't tell a difference in flavor between the two cookers...although I can get much crispier skin on the WSM by cooking over the hot coals without a water pan. This didn't work as well when I transferred them from the cooking chamber of the Pecos onto the grate of the firebox over the flames from the splits. The ribs are what really ended up surprising me though. The color was better on the Pecos (they sometimes get to dark on the WSM), but the flavor wasn't nearly as rich or deep. I don't know how to describe it...it was "smoother" on the offset but not nearly as smoky and I don't feel like the rubs penetrated the meat as much. I felt like they were rarher bland. Maybe I'm just to used to my WSM's, but I honestly felt like the "Que" off those taste much more like an authentic BBQ joint to me. I probably need to keep cooking on this Pecos.
Anyone else feel similarly or ever have the same experience?
Fast forward to today. I've wanted a stick burner for a good half year now and recently bought a brand new Pecos (Old Country BBQ Pits) offset smoker. I did a burnout session on Friday to learn the fire management aspect and smoked some chicken wings and two racks of ribs (baby backs and spare ribs from Whole Foods) today. I used the same rubs, sauces and cooking techniques on these meats as I do with my WSM's. The fuel was post oak splits (10-12") from B&B Charcoal. Temp was a solid 230-270 for most of the cook before I foiled the ribs and into the oven for the last hour...what I normally do to tenderize them. Fire came out as thin blue smoke 90% of the time. Here are my thoughts on the two:
I surprisingly liked the same food I make on the WSM's with KBB and Fruita wood chunks better...actually a lot better. The wings were good but I couldn't tell a difference in flavor between the two cookers...although I can get much crispier skin on the WSM by cooking over the hot coals without a water pan. This didn't work as well when I transferred them from the cooking chamber of the Pecos onto the grate of the firebox over the flames from the splits. The ribs are what really ended up surprising me though. The color was better on the Pecos (they sometimes get to dark on the WSM), but the flavor wasn't nearly as rich or deep. I don't know how to describe it...it was "smoother" on the offset but not nearly as smoky and I don't feel like the rubs penetrated the meat as much. I felt like they were rarher bland. Maybe I'm just to used to my WSM's, but I honestly felt like the "Que" off those taste much more like an authentic BBQ joint to me. I probably need to keep cooking on this Pecos.
Anyone else feel similarly or ever have the same experience?