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Smokin' D
03-28-2011, 09:52 PM
Here is another one of those threads on "How's this smoker?"

Been looking at so many types of cookers over the past few years, off-sets, reverse flow, insulated cookers, trailer units. Mind boggling. Anyway I saw a Good One Marshall at a cook-off recently and was truly impressed with it. Very good build quality and exceptional capacity for the footprint and weight. I am seriously considering getting a Rodeo for doing contract cooking, catering and the occasional comp. I am sure someone out there has an opinion on these and even more useful would be somebody who actually owns and uses a Good One. All comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Here's a link for those who have never seem one of these. Just hit the pause button to stop the Cowboy from talking.

http://www.aceofheartsbbq.com/patiosmokers.html

GreenDrake
03-28-2011, 09:59 PM
Good Ones are well....good ones. I have had the opportunity to cook on one of their smaller ones at a local butcher shop who carries their full line. That thing cruised at 220 all day long. I like how you have a charcoal pan and the grate above it you can either direct grill or toss on some wood to let it smolder and smoke. It was pretty much effortless all day. You can tune them in precisely with the threaded vent caps and intake vents. Pretty awesome machine.

That same butcher now carries all of them and I am in love with the Marshall. He has a Rodeo coming in, it seems just right for cater jobs and larger food gigs. If I were competing with one of theirs, it would be the Marshall. Their rib racks are built for ... forever, very good quality. Hope that helps.

stglide
03-28-2011, 10:18 PM
I've been looking these also. They seem to get very good reviews. Guess we'll see who else chimes in and see what others think also.... :thumb:

Ron_L
03-28-2011, 11:02 PM
I really like my Good One Rodeo. I just wish i had more time to use it. It's just sitting in the back yard all lonely :(

One of the things that I like about it is the firebox design and vents. It is a long, relatively narrow firebox that lends itself well to a Minion style burn. I load it with charcoal on both sides, leaving a gap in the middle. then i add a full chimney of lit charcoal into the gap and adjust the vents to draw the fire out towards both sides (the outer two vents open more than the inner two. When the fire is almost out to the ends I add more charcoal into the middle and readjust the vents to draw the fire in again. When cooking at 250 or so I was able to get 4-6 hours out of a load of charcoal. I would use small splits or branches (1" or so diameter) of wood for flavor.

The Rodeo holds a lot of food. Each shelf can hold at least 10 racks of ribs, or several briskets or butts. You could also do a small pig in there easily.

kcchiefdav
03-28-2011, 11:13 PM
I stare at the THE GOOD ONE smokers at my local hardware store every time I'm in there. They seem very solid and the price is pretty reasonable considering cooking space. This is basically my way of bumping the thread hoping that there are some more people who use them and can tell us about them.

Pyle's BBQ
03-28-2011, 11:13 PM
I own the Trailboss (http://www.aceofheartsbbq.com/model60-t.html). It is a great smoker. Like Ron said the Minion method works well with this smoker. Also, the temp is really even across the grates. There is temp differences from top to bottom, but that can be expected.

Are there any specific question you guys have that we can answer?

Torch
03-29-2011, 12:14 AM
I use a small patio Good-One and find it is the absolute best small smoker-combo-grill on the market. Uniform smoke temp thru the box, yet high sear for a grill. Been impressing folks for years. Not a quality issue in 5 years, built for a long run.

Rookie'48
03-29-2011, 12:46 AM
I've played with three of the GoodOnes, one was Pyle's Trailboss. These things cook like a dream! Easy temp control & even temps across the grates. Another plus is the way that the damper is put in between the firebox & the cooking chamber. Close the damper before you dump more coals into the firebox - you don't loose much heat & there's no coal dust getting onto the meats.

GreenDrake
03-29-2011, 08:19 AM
I would question how fuel efficient they are, or if anyone here knows. This is a pretty good video on their Marshall...but 15lbs of charcoal only gets you 6 to 8 hours of cooking? At what temp? That would be a pretty expensive brisket or butt after a long smoke. Just curious how they perform for fuel consumption, I may be interested in a smaller one...ideally I want the Marshall, but affordability is key so I can have toys of all kinds. Here's the vid YouTube - The Good One Marshall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkZGRNEBYzc)


If you want to satisfy your inner geek, check this action out...talk about detailed http://backyardbashkc.com/site/wp-content/uploads/final-report-marshall.pdf Based on this test, they burn from 4 to 4.5lbs of fuel per hour.

Smokin' D
03-29-2011, 08:33 AM
Thanks for the responses so far. You guys are confirming what I've seen and thought about these. My two biggest questions are fuel consumption, which Ron answered perfectly- Thank you VERY much! And then mobility. These are medium heavy cookers, The Marshall is 410 pounds and the Rodeo is 510 pounds. I will be moving the cooker from the backyard onto a utility trailer and then to a cook site periodically. The Rodeo has three wheels which in my mind would make for easier rolling on the ground than the Marshall with but two in a wheelbarrow style. I am imagining that two chubby guys can maneuver these easily enough? Thanks again.

Smokin' D
03-29-2011, 09:05 AM
I would question how fuel efficient they are, or if anyone here knows. This is a pretty good video on their Marshall...but 15lbs of charcoal only gets you 6 to 8 hours of cooking? At what temp? That would be a pretty expensive brisket or butt after a long smoke. Just curious how they perform for fuel consumption, I may be interested in a smaller one...ideally I want the Marshall, but affordability is key so I can have toys of all kinds. Here's the vid YouTube - The Good One Marshall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkZGRNEBYzc)


If you want to satisfy your inner geek, check this action out...talk about detailed http://backyardbashkc.com/site/wp-content/uploads/final-report-marshall.pdf Based on this test, they burn from 4 to 4.5lbs of fuel per hour.


Now that temperature test was certainly better than anything I could ever do, or would want to do. Thanks for posting that. As to fuel consumption, as these are fairly large capacity cookers, I would think that cooking a single butt or brisket would rarely or ever happen. Use a WSM or drum for that. Now if you are cooking 9 briskets at a time I think the overall charcoal consumption would certainly be in line with what a more efficient cooker might use, over multiple cooks, to produce the same amount of product. Time saved be having all this capacity is a great advantage here.

GreenDrake
03-29-2011, 09:13 AM
That takes me back to considering whether or not it's best to have two smaller ones or a bigger one. I wonder what the smaller ones burn. I have too many toys already, this is getting ridiculous. I am selling one of my Traegers this week to get a Good One, probably a smaller one for tinkerin and playin....so the wife doesn't get mad, I am just going to tell her it's an even deal...lol.

Ron_L
03-29-2011, 09:17 AM
I would question how fuel efficient they are, or if anyone here knows. This is a pretty good video on their Marshall...but 15lbs of charcoal only gets you 6 to 8 hours of cooking? At what temp? That would be a pretty expensive brisket or butt after a long smoke. Just curious how they perform for fuel consumption,

Considering the size of the Rodeo, 4-6 hours on a bag of charcoal is pretty good. I don't use mine for a single brisket. I use a WSM or Egg for that.

Pyle's BBQ
03-29-2011, 05:14 PM
I have found that it does take fuel to get my Trailboss up to temp. But once at temp it is easy to control. You have to realize that my grates are 5' x 28". I have cooked 12 butts and 10 briskets at the same time. I have also cooked for 24 hours straight on my Trailboss. The nice thing is that we could clean out the ash trays without losing heat.

I use only hardwood lump and I can get about 4 hour burn from an 8.8# bag.

stglide
03-29-2011, 10:44 PM
So does anyone have an Open Range? I know Torch mentioned a small one for the patio. Just wondering if anyone had one, and just how much food can you smoke? I would love to get the Marshall, but to an earlier point, unless I'm cooking for a crowd, it may be overkill. (Though I have my UDS and BSKD that can handle one off cooks, I guess.)

Also, wondered about the smaller Stumps too.... :confused:

Smokin' D
03-29-2011, 11:23 PM
I have seen the Open Range and it is really very small. Not sure of the grate dimensions but if I recall correctly you would be hard pressed to get two racks of ribs on the grate. They sell an optional raised rack to increase capacity. A design flaw of that model also is that the fire box is in the front and you lean over it to get to the cooking meat. I think I'd be melting something on that cooker.

Mitch
03-30-2011, 05:49 AM
I had one years ago. I liked the "baffle". It burnt out/rusted through sorta fast for me. But it is a nice designe and cooked quite well. I just wish the metal was thicker in the firebox.

stglide
03-30-2011, 10:41 PM
I have seen the Open Range and it is really very small. Not sure of the grate dimensions but if I recall correctly you would be hard pressed to get two racks of ribs on the grate. They sell an optional raised rack to increase capacity. A design flaw of that model also is that the fire box is in the front and you lean over it to get to the cooking meat. I think I'd be melting something on that cooker.

That's sort of what I thought.... I would get the reversed model, to protect any potential burning incidents!! One reason I was thinking about a Baby Stumps instead. Smaller, still a great cooker, and half the price of Rodeo or Marshall....

Smokin' D
03-31-2011, 08:21 AM
Yeah I was considering some insulated vertical cookers too because of footprint/capacity. Thing is I really like an offset type of cooker for the flavor produced and the playing with fire aspect. These are a nice combination of both types with the added benefit of being able to grill on it to!

BanditBBQ
05-31-2011, 04:07 PM
I've owned the Chuckwagon (Rodeo & Lone Star Grill) since June of 2007 and absolutely love it. It stays out in the weather year around since I use it year around, and have yet to have any problems with it. Loaded up with butts or briskets or ribs, I use about 30#-40# of lump charcoal per 15 - 17 hour cook...all depends on the weather.

If I had to find something to complain about with this smoker, it would be the spinners on my rig. The ones I have are their 'old' style spinners and can become difficult to rotate at times. They have since replaced the 'old' spinners with a new design that work REALLY well. I have cooked on newer models with the 'new' spinners...quality improvement!

If you're anywhere near Southern Illinois, look me up. You can take my rig home for a weekend and try it out. :)

wayne00h
06-01-2011, 12:06 AM
I got an open range three weeks ago and have only been able to use it once. It is not the largest but works well for my small family and small patio. Grates are about 30"x12", there is about 2" vertical spacing between the grates. Can't wait for this weekend to get on it again.

Angrypig
06-01-2011, 01:23 AM
I have the old patio model 30 which I think they now call the open range. I use a rib rack with it and for my family it is a great cooker. I use it mostly for chicken and ribs. It does a great job of maintaining temp, needs only slight adjustments and it is good to go. Perfect for what I use it for. I use my WSM for the butts and brisket most of the time, only because I don't have to add charcoal etc. FWIW, I think my next smoker is going to be a DW's Kountry Cooker.

Smokin' D
06-01-2011, 09:57 AM
Thanks all for the various stories and inputs. I have a brain like a sieve and forgot about this thread. A Good One Rodeo showed up at my door about 4 weeks ago. I did two test cooks on it. 1st was 4 spatch-cocked chickens and just relied on the top thermo for checking temps. Finished them on the fire box grill grate. Tasty. 2nd cook was 2 pork butts and two brisket flats. This time I monitored the grate temps at the center to see what the fluctuations were and they weren't too bad. Can't find the notes at the moment...... Both meats came out great. The next cook was a local non-sanctioned comp. 12 teams with 4 of them KCBS/NEBS teams. Took a 2nd in pork and a 1st in brisket. I like this cooker! Oh yeah, fuel consumption was not bad either: 1 1/2 bags of Wicked Good Lump, 33 lbs, for a 17 hour cook.