Peoria Custom Cookers - Current status?

[Procrustes]

I few years ago I was following PCC pretty closely and considering a MMIF (well I still am to be honest,) however it appears that they aren’t as active on the internet in recent years. The YouTube videos they put out are 6-7 years old at best without any new videos and their Facebook page isn’t very active either. Anybody bought from them recently?

[Pug-N-Monk's BBQ]

I have a friend who just bought a Meat Monster from them last month. It was about a 6 week lead time and he drove down to pick it up.

[Rockinar]

I few years ago I was following PCC pretty closely and considering a MMIF (well I still am to be honest,) however it appears that they aren’t as active on the internet in recent years. The YouTube videos they put out are 6-7 years old at best without any new videos and their Facebook page isn’t very active either. Anybody bought from them recently?


They seem to still be in business. Maybe they are just not good at internet marketing?

[Czarbecue]

Some builders put a lot of time into marketing when they first start out. Once their reputation is built and their lineup is set, they forgo most of the social stuff and just work on orders.

Thankfully Shirley still puts out videos from time to time to keep us drooling.

[70monte]

I would love to have a MMIF and earlier in the year I requested a price sheet from them and they were very responsive via email.

[Procrustes]

Good to see they are still at it. You guys are probably right...they are plenty busy and don't need to advertise much.


Thanks!

[Sooner21]

Anybody here use these cookers? To me it seems the flavor profile would be that of a kamado and not a stick burner? I'm intrigued, but I've had kamados and much prefer food off a stick burner. Even their offsets are designed to use lump and a Guru.

[Redtab78]

Anyone have any pics of one?

[70monte]

Anybody here use these cookers? To me it seems the flavor profile would be that of a kamado and not a stick burner? I'm intrigued, but I've had kamados and much prefer food off a stick burner. Even their offsets are designed to use lump and a Guru.

Medic92 on here has one and he seems to like it a lot. I have not heard of any bad things about them. They are kind of expensive but are super insulated and from what I've read, will run for many hours on charcoal.

I think the MM with the external firebox can use wood which would probably be more of what you want. I think the internal firebox model only uses charcoal and would probably have the same flavor profile as any charcoal cooker.

[Sooner21]

Medic92 on here has one and he seems to like it a lot. I have not heard of any bad things about them. They are kind of expensive but are super insulated and from what I've read, will run for many hours on charcoal.



I think the MM with the external firebox can use wood which would probably be more of what you want. I think the internal firebox model only uses charcoal and would probably have the same flavor profile as any charcoal cooker.



I spent a bit of time in the phone with them yesterday, and was told all their cookers are designed to work the exact same - even the external fireboxes. That's why I'm curious about real world use. I've read Medic92's reviews and I know how much he likes his. He uses it for business and runs it overnight with charcoal and a guru, though. I'm curious if anybody uses any of their cookers mainly as a stick burner.


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[LYU370]

I believe David, T&S BBQ, runs his as a stick burner. May want to shoot him a PM.

[70monte]

I spent a bit of time in the phone with them yesterday, and was told all their cookers are designed to work the exact same - even the external fireboxes. That's why I'm curious about real world use. I've read Medic92's reviews and I know how much he likes his. He uses it for business and runs it overnight with charcoal and a guru, though. I'm curious if anybody uses any of their cookers mainly as a stick burner.


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That I'm not sure about since I don't recall hearing anyone mention they only use wood in theirs. I don't know how thick the metal of the internal firebox is so I don't know how well it would hold up to stick burning.

Did Peoria cookers say that you can run just wood in them?

[Sooner21]

I believe David, T&S BBQ, runs his as a stick burner. May want to shoot him a PM.

I PM'd him a day or two ago - still waiting to hear back.

That I'm not sure about since I don't recall hearing anyone mention they only use wood in theirs. I don't know how thick the metal of the internal firebox is so I don't know how well it would hold up to stick burning.



Did Peoria cookers say that you can run just wood in them?



They really didn't say either way. I asked and she kept saying that sure you can burn sticks - she adds them to the lump all the time. Couldn't get a straight answer about only burning sticks without lump - she has an internal firebox and hasn't used the offset.


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[McSpazatron]

I’ve got the Peoria backyard offset, with insulated firebox. Well-made quality units. The short story is that you can burn sticks. Youll have to experiment with cutting the wood to the right size (coke can thickness 10-14 inches long seems to work well). I also would recommend adding a layer of 1/2 inch expanded metal to the coal grate to help retaining a coal bed. It flows air really freely, so much so, that running it with a wide open intake will be too much air.

The backyard cooker also does a great job running charcoal with the occasional lump of wood for flavor. It’s a wonderful option to have when you need more time between loads of fuel. When doing so, I load it up full, make sure it is all lit well, then I close the door and choke down the intake, a lot (almost closed). When things are good and hot, I can get about three or four hours before I feel the urge to check and replenish some of the coals. Compared to about 45 min if using only wood splits.

I stopped using the horizontal heat diffuser plates that came with it. Instead, I’ve been running mine with a vertical plate that forces the air to the top of the chamber right away, across the chamber, and back down to the grate level exhaust. Kinda like a jambo setup.

I would imagine you could run the meat monster with external firebox with wood, but that’s just me imagining. Its my understanding that the backyard insulated and the MM external share a similar firebox. However, using only splits on the MM with the internal firebox option would be a hassle I would not want to deal with. It would also be beside the point if you had to open the cook chamber every 45 min. on something that is so well insulated.

[Sooner21]

I’ve got the Peoria backyard offset, with insulated firebox. Well-made quality units. The short story is that you can burn sticks. Youll have to experiment with cutting the wood to the right size (coke can thickness 10-14 inches long seems to work well). I also would recommend adding a layer of 1/2 inch expanded metal to the coal grate to help retaining a coal bed. It flows air really freely, so much so, that running it with a wide open intake will be too much air.

The backyard cooker also does a great job running charcoal with the occasional lump of wood for flavor. It’s a wonderful option to have when you need more time between loads of fuel. When doing so, I load it up full, make sure it is all lit well, then I close the door and choke down the intake, a lot (almost closed). When things are good and hot, I can get about three or four hours before I feel the urge to check and replenish some of the coals. Compared to about 45 min if using only wood splits.

I stopped using the horizontal heat diffuser plates that came with it. Instead, I’ve been running mine with a vertical plate that forces the air to the top of the chamber right away, across the chamber, and back down to the grate level exhaust. Kinda like a jambo setup.

I would imagine you could run the meat monster with external firebox with wood, but that’s just me imagining. Its my understanding that the backyard insulated and the MM external share a similar firebox. However, using only splits on the MM with the internal firebox option would be a hassle I would not want to deal with. It would also be beside the point if you had to open the cook chamber every 45 min. on something that is so well insulated.



Good info. Thank you for your feedback.


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[medic92]

They're still active, but the owner is still a full-time orthodontist and their website doesn't get a lot of attention.

They don't recommend using the MMIF as just a stickburner, since it's basically meant to be a gravity fed smoker. It's so efficient with air and smoke that you don't need to burn just wood. I use charcoal with 2-3 splits of wood for a 14 hour cook and get a fantastic smoke flavor.

I think it's a ridiculously awesome smoker. I want to buy another smoker for my personal use and just can't think of any other one I really want. The convenience, ability to cook in sub-zero weather and efficiency are unmatched for me.

[medic92]

Here are some pictures of mine:

167088

167089

167090

167091

167092

167093

This last picture is the smoker with snow still on it after maintaining 300 degrees for over two hours. It's a great display of the incredible insulation.

[medic92]

I have a friend who just bought a Meat Monster from them last month. It was about a 6 week lead time and he drove down to pick it up.

A lot of times if you buy the standard Meat Monster without customization they'll have a few in stock with no wait time.