Lone Star Grillz Vertical Insulated Cabinet Smoker-For the new Owner

[Laphroaig4Breakfast]

Well after waiting more than a year, last Monday I was finally able to place my order for a Mini, which was a Christmas present from my wife. Upgrades include tie-downs, the shelf, 8" casters, and extra grate rails.

I'm moving up from an 18.5 WSM, so this is definitely going to be an upgrade. Estimated time is about 18-20 weeks, but good things come to those who wait, right? So with one week down I've been rereading this thread and following the discussions on the Facebook group, which got me thinking about some things.

First, for the (relatively) small difference in price it seems like a no-brainer to upgrade to a Large. Except that I would almost never need that much space. My biggest cooks are for about 15 people for family gatherings. I'm all about going big or going home, but a Large seems like overkill if I'm just going to do a single brisket or rack of ribs. Anyone else face this issue? What did you do?

Second, for those of you living on or near the coast, how do you secure your smoker when hurricanes roll through? I typically move my grill inside, but doing that is totally different than rolling this beast around. It'll live on the paver patio in my backyard, but to get it there I'll have to roll it over quite a bit of grass. Not something that I'd be looking forward to doing multiple times during hurricane season. Would the offroad package help?

Anyway, this thread has a wealth of information. Happy smoking and happy new year, all!

[Ronald cage]

Hi Texas 2.5. I watch your videos all the time!
I saw you uncrate your new Mini and I was impressed with your idea
about uncrating it. I did use a sawzall and like you, I built a ramp to get if off.
However, I did not get the off-road package and I did not get the 8" casters! So, to top it all off I had to move is from the front of the house
to the back yard. That was the nightmare! It got stuck in the mud and we could not move it. So, reinforcements were need it and after 4 of us using all our combine strength, we were able barely tilt it back up and slide plywood under it.
Whew! We just put one piece of plywood in front of the other until we made to the back patio 30 minutes later!

So, I will be cooking for my fellow men and women who help me move my beautiful smoker to her new home!

[JVM59]

Originally Posted by Laphroaig4Breakfast

Well after waiting more than a year, last Monday I was finally able to place my order for a Mini, which was a Christmas present from my wife. Upgrades include tie-downs, the shelf, 8" casters, and extra grate rails.

I'm moving up from an 18.5 WSM, so this is definitely going to be an upgrade. Estimated time is about 18-20 weeks, but good things come to those who wait, right? So with one week down I've been rereading this thread and following the discussions on the Facebook group, which got me thinking about some things.

First, for the (relatively) small difference in price it seems like a no-brainer to upgrade to a Large. Except that I would almost never need that much space. My biggest cooks are for about 15 people for family gatherings. I'm all about going big or going home, but a Large seems like overkill if I'm just going to do a single brisket or rack of ribs. Anyone else face this issue? What did you do?

Second, for those of you living on or near the coast, how do you secure your smoker when hurricanes roll through? I typically move my grill inside, but doing that is totally different than rolling this beast around. It'll live on the paver patio in my backyard, but to get it there I'll have to roll it over quite a bit of grass. Not something that I'd be looking forward to doing multiple times during hurricane season. Would the offroad package help?

Anyway, this thread has a wealth of information. Happy smoking and happy new year, all!

Congrats on the great present from your wife, you're going to love the Mini.
I had the same decision as to the Mini or the Large. I chose the Mini. The smaller footprint makes it easy to move around on the patio, it heats up faster in the winter and the smaller grates are easier to clean. Mine has a permanent home on my patio but to move it there through the grass I used the sides of the crate that it was delivered in (particle board) and laid them out in the grass. It rolled over the boards easily. Good Luck!

[BeardedBassGuy]

Been a while since I’ve been around the forum. Life has been absolutely insane and I’m looking at moving to a “easier “ style of cooking. I’ve read most of this thread, as well as watched several YouTube videos. I’m thinking a large one of these is what I need.

I love all the glowing reviews , but I’m wind of any long term users have any concerns that have popped up over time. Just curious more than anything. I’ve been researching a lot of the different makers, and LSG seems to be one of the best in quality at a more than fair price. Plus is has the added bonus of being in Texas. So I’m leaning in it’s favor.

[pjtexas1]

Originally Posted by BeardedBassGuy

Been a while since I’ve been around the forum. Life has been absolutely insane and I’m looking at moving to a “easier “ style of cooking. I’ve read most of this thread, as well as watched several YouTube videos. I’m thinking a large one of these is what I need.

I love all the glowing reviews , but I’m wind of any long term users have any concerns that have popped up over time. Just curious more than anything. I’ve been researching a lot of the different makers, and LSG seems to be one of the best in quality at a more than fair price. Plus is has the added bonus of being in Texas. So I’m leaning in it’s favor.

Can't believe you made it back! Been a long damn time brother. The large is a beast. Hope life settles down soon.

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[BeardedBassGuy]

Originally Posted by pjtexas1

Can't believe you made it back! Been a long damn time brother. The large is a beast. Hope life settles down soon.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I know! There was about a year in there I only did about 2 “smoker” cooks. Work was 60+ hours, my kid was like 4, my grandma lives with us, wife was going back to school, and a host of other things.

I’m currently working nights because of the pandemic (split us into 3 shifts for less people) with no end in sight. Family time is precious because of that. Still want to cook, do my normal charity cooks a couple times a year, but not be stuck at a fire. This cooker seems to be a solution.

[WeldonG]

Originally Posted by BeardedBassGuy

Been a while since I’ve been around the forum. Life has been absolutely insane and I’m looking at moving to a “easier “ style of cooking. I’ve read most of this thread, as well as watched several YouTube videos. I’m thinking a large one of these is what I need.

I love all the glowing reviews , but I’m wind of any long term users have any concerns that have popped up over time. Just curious more than anything. I’ve been researching a lot of the different makers, and LSG seems to be one of the best in quality at a more than fair price. Plus is has the added bonus of being in Texas. So I’m leaning in it’s favor.

I love mine but I've only had it a couple of years so can't speak on any long term issues. I don't use a bbq guru or anything as it keeps a pretty steady temp on it's own. I mainly use it for large cooks but it's efficient enough to use for smaller cooks as well.

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[Hawklaw]

So I recently got my build commencement email. The anticipation builds. sounds like they upgraded to a fancier cover since I placed the order. Will report.

[BeardedBassGuy]

Placed my order about 2 weeks ago. Large with a competition cart, casters not off road. Cart on the left side and the door opening reversed. Said it would be the full 18 week wait. Selling all my smokers before it gets here, so I’ll be without for a while. But then I’ll be back up and rolling.

[SpaceDude]

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the Mini. Still an 18 week wait, but Chris was fantastic at answering all of my questions.

Thanks to everyone on this 168 page thread. I read every comment at least 2 times!

[SpaceDude]

I’m glad I purchased when I did. Prices went up $300 today!

[Shoedo]

Are you guys using cold water or hot water during your cook? Have you tried using hot or boiling water to see if that makes a difference?

[JVM59]

The only time I use hot water is in the cold temperatures so that I don't use energy from the fuel to heat the water.

[Laphroaig4Breakfast]

Well, it finally came. For anyone waiting on one, I placed my order on December 28, it went into fabrication on May 4, shipped on June 7, and was delivered on June 14. Given the relative price difference (and the fact that no one ever got their smoker and wished they ordered a smaller one) I ended up going with the large IVS with comp cart and offroad package.



It was a long wait but worth it. The quality is incredible. After doing the initial seasoning and a couple of test burns, I have a couple of early observations for anyone considering one, in no particular order:



- The shipping weight was over 1300 lbs, and I'm pretty sure the LSG crating team is responsible for half of the nails bought in Texas. This isn't a bad thing--it was crated securely and well-protected against anything that might happen on its journey. That said, it was pretty easy to uncrate with a hammer, pry bar and a Sawzall, and I was able to get it out of the crate by myself in the rain with no help.



- The offroad package is key if you need to move this beast across the grass. Again, I was able to roll it across ~100 feet of wet grass to the back patio by myself. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it was easier than moving plywood sheets like a track that I had to do with my grill. My paver patio has two levels and I was also able to use the wood that it was crated with to build a ramp and drag it up to the second level by myself.



- I'm coming from a WSM that I could never quite control the temperature on as well as I wanted to. This will hold temps rock solid (especially with the Fireboard 2 Drive). I managed 8 hours between 225 and 235 on the initial burn in. On my second test burn I went 28 hours between 225 and 230 on a single bag of Kingsford blue.



- Don't overshoot your target temp. I overshot the target temp on my third test burn to about 290, and it took a couple of hours to come back down to 225.



- I'm still experimenting on the best way to bring it up to temp with my Fireboard 2 Drive. It takes at least 90 minutes to get to 225, which based on some of the comments here and Youtube videos, seems to be on the longer side. So far it seems like the best way I've found (but also the longest) is to keep the Fireboard damper open 1/3, the intake open 1/3, and the vent to 1/2. Let the Fireboard fan run 100% to around 190, and then dial the max fan speed down to 40%. But, I'm still experimenting and open to other ideas.



- I've tried both Royal Oak lump and KBB briquettes. It could be me still getting used to the smoker, but briquettes seem to burn longer and show a more consistent burn pattern when I'm done.



- Cleaning ash out with a shovel is a great way to get ash everywhere, especially with anything more than a light breeze. Not a knock against the LSG because it applies to anything other than a propane smoker. Trying clean up with a shop vac next time.



- On the fence about the t plates. They don't seem to stay in place when I close the box. I'll give it a few more cooks but some firebricks may be in my future.



- Seasoning took 3 cans of Pam. My genius self didn't put a mat down under where the doors open and now I have to power wash the grease stains out of my pavers.



- The team at LSG is fantastic. I can't say enough about how great they are. I love how Chris responds to emails himself, and how they actually pick up the phone when you call and don't send you to some automated message prompt.



Overall a 10/10. Really looking forward to learning my new pit and making some great food with it.

[pjtexas1]

Congrats! That's a freaking beast. I think I used 1 can of pam in my big trailer offset. You'll love that thing and it will last forever.

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