Smoker Manufacturer's in the NE...

[Yakfishingfool]

Anybody??? I really like the Klose units, but the shipping is nearly half the price of the unit. Anybody know anyone in the NE doing this? Making higher quality units? Thought about approaching a couple of local steel fab's and seeing if they'd be interested. YFF

 

[Sawdustguy]

I am not sure how much you want to spend or what type of smoker you are looking for but Lang makes a smoker that won't break the bank and is reasonable to ship. My Lang 84 deluxe is a trailer smoker and shipped from Georgia for $600. It was 1700 lbs. They make backyard smokers also that will weigh much less and are surely less to ship. I have never seen a smoker manufacturer in New England.

 

[The_Kapn]

Yak,

How about a different approach to shipping costs.
Pick the one you want, Lang, Klose, CookShack, Spice, or "what ever" and order it.

When it is ready, gather up the family (as appropriate), and go pick it up yourself. Make it a little vacation. Stop and see some of the sights along the way.
Spend a day (or two) in the plant area exploring.
I am sure the builder will provide some local tips for good eats or sights to see.

Hook up your new toy and wander on back home.

Gets Ya out of the NE for a bit. See some new places. Make some new friends.

Cost of delivery is now almost zero.

Memories are priceless!

Just a thought.

TIM

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Great idea Tim! We could go visit family in Georgia if/when I order the Lang 84 Deluxe. Been also considering getting four or five WSMs and building them permanently into a trailer somehow for a competition rig so I'm not totally sold on a trailer smoker myself yet.

 

[rookiedad]

what are the advantages of a larger smoker over the WSM's for competition? is there any difference in the quality of the product attributed to the smoker or are trailer smokers more for volume? thanks.
phil

 

[chad]

The biggest advantage is in having one primary cooker - I start one fire instead of 3, 4, or 5. Few thermometers to watch, etc. By the time you buy 4 or 5 WSMs you're half way to a larger volume cooker. I also use my Kingfisher for catering so volume is a consideration - I can run two different temp cook chambers with my rig and/or run a regular grill type direct heat fire in the grill portion. It also makes a great warmer when I shut down that side - hold 170 all day long while the rotisserie side runs at whatever I set it at.

But it depends on what you're comfortable with. We don't even take the WSM with us anymore. It still get's a regular workout here at the house, though!

 

[thillin]

Also keep an eye on eBay and BBQ classifieds. Also, call Dave Klose and ask about used/refurbished units.

Ty

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Yep, RD, Dave is right in all the examples he gave. The main advantage of setting up the WSMs (4 or 5 of them) for comp is that you can cook at various temps with different woods (although I tend to use mostly cherry). And although I don't know it first hand, most of the people with any kind of trailer cooker I've spoken with get 4-6 hours on a burn tops. Unless you have a reliable pit bitch, you're gonna get less sleep than with WSMs, which can easily get 8-12 hours and longer without adding fuel. One consideration that I'd question is smoking brisket vs. pork butt (and maybe this is for another thread in itself?) but you can easily get too much smoke on a brisket. And pork butts can take a lot of it. If, like at the contest at Harrisonville last weekend, one finds themselves short a smoker and has to put both brisket and butt on the same smoker (in this case the same WSM), what's the best solution? With 4-5 WSMs at a contest, that problem is solved. Maybe someone with a single trailer smoker can answer that question.

If you're looking for more square inches cooking space, less hassle with clean up and if you're also considering catering, the trailer cookers will definitely be the way to go.

Both ways have their advantages and disadvantages. Outside of catering needs, it's probably going to come down to personal preference. I will say that I've seen infinitely greater number of trailer smokers at the competitions I've visited and been in as opposed to WSMs. Apparently there is either more advantages or the personal preference is with them. I have seen a few teams that have showed up with nothing but WSMs and have done quite well.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Let me throw my 2 cents in here after 2 months with the Lang. On the pro side, the Lang cooks with wood. I thought sure that I would over smoke the brisket when I first tried the Lang, but it just does not happen. When adding wood it smokes heavily for about 5 minutes, then you get a nice light, even smoke. Maintaining temperture to within 5 degrees and having that temperature distributed throughout the smoker is easy. It took a bit of learning and experimentation but now it is easy to achieve. The last pro I can think of is ease of cleaning. I simply run the temp up and steam clean with a spray bottle and brush the grates. . On the Con side, this thing eats wood, and wood is more expensive to use than charcoal. There is nothing wrong with a WSM. They are used in competitons and in backyards all over America. I have one myself. We chose the Lang simply out of convienence for when we go to a competition and it was recommended by a number of people.

 

[nmayeux]

If you did decide on the Lang, Nahunta, Ga is only about 30 minutes from St. Simons Island/Brunswick area, which is a pretty nice area to take a vacation. You are only an hour or so from Savanna to the north, and Jax, Fl to the south. Also, personally speaking, Mr. Ben Lang is a really nice guy, and I'm sure if you inquired he could give you some alternate solutions. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Dave Klose, but I hear the same thing about him. It seems that the guys who build the better smokers do it for the love of it, and not just to get rich. I chose the Lang because of the value, as it is hard to find a smoker with the performance of the Lang for the price. However, when compared to a Klose, Ortone, Spicewine, etc., you can tell a difference, as you get what you pay for.

 

[scottyd]

I myself have a lang 84deluxe and love it. Now with that said at times for the comps and BBQ's That I do I find it a little small. But I still love the lang. now I am also looking for a larger 2nd smoker, Maybe a FE100 from cook shack or a spicewine out of columbia mo. I looked at the klose it is a very well made smoker also. a person just really needs to buy to smoker that fits his plan. Who knows what is really right or wrong, if you like what you have that is all that matters. I personally went to nahunta and picked mine up on the way back from a weeks vacation in florida in august of 04. I always drive so we saved the shipping and yeah it did cost to drive but I was already there anyway. Maybe 150 miles out of the way for me.

But hey I love it

 

[Sawdustguy]

Scotty,

How much do you normally cook for a competition? I can easily cook 4 brisket, 4 butts, and 10 racks of ribs at once and have space left over. I normally grill chicken.

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Speaking of Klose Smokers, have any of you seen this one yet? This looks awesome! Definitely something to think about ,especially if you could install it permanently on a trailer!

http://www.bbqpits.com/GRILLCHEF_BACKYARDCHEF_SMOKER.htm

 

[chad]

It's easy to "overbuy" a cooker - just like a car or life insurance! We all want the "image" provided by the "big iron" but as several said earlier - decide on what you need most of the time - there are plenty of really nice cookers that are smaller than the Lang, my Kingfisher, or the MOAB!!

Lang makes a 48 inch backyard model - the issue I've heard about the cookers smaller than the 84 is that they are a bit more finicky about fire control. All that steel makes a difference.

As to wood vs. charcoal - this depends on where you live and may figure into your decision. I don't ever buy wood! I live in an oak area - it's everywhere. I have access to 4 large oaks here in my yard. My neighbors are always having trimming done and I just got a fresh batch of 4-6 inch logs from limbs from my next door neighbor.

Also, Tim, my cook partner, has been gracious enough to share his oak, pecan, and hickory from North Florida.

So, if you really need to focus on charcoal with wood for flavor that can help you decide on what type of cooker to use. As someone else said, the Fast Eddie FEC100 is a great way to go. Stump's smokers, Spicewine cookers, etc. are all great choices, too, and they are made in several different sizes.

And, as always, you really can't go wrong with the WSM. One or two WSMs can cook all the que a family can eat. The are very efficient and very controllable. They are also under $200 with free shipping (most of the time) from Amazon.

 

[drbbq]

These conversations are always tough, because once a guy lays out $3K, he' gets pretty attached to his cooker, while the guy cooking good Q on his $179 cooker thinks he's outsmarted everyone.
They're al good. There is just something that triggers each of us to have a preference.

There are trailer cookers that run a long cycle just like a WSM. Try a Jedmaster or a JOS. You can also mount a Backwoods, an FEC100, a few Big Green Eggs, or a combination of things on a small trailer, or inside an enclosed trailer.
When you start looking at Klose these other options become affordable. Don't get me wrong, Klose builds beautiful pits, and some guys can't imagine having anything else, but it's not my preference.

My beef with the WSMs is that you have to deal with the messy water pan, and you have to dig the food out of the bottom shelf. I know this doesn't seem like a hassle to many, but if you spend any time cooking on a bigger more convenient cooker, you'll understand.

 

[Bigdog]

Thanks Chad and Doc for your insight on cookers.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Ray,

How many Eggs do you use at a contest?

Guy

 

[Sawdustguy]

These conversations are always tough, because once a guy lays out $3K, he' gets pretty attached to his cooker, while the guy cooking good Q on his $179 cooker thinks he's outsmarted everyone.
They're al good. There is just something that triggers each of us to have a preference.

There are trailer cookers that run a long cycle just like a WSM. Try a Jedmaster or a JOS. You can also mount a Backwoods, an FEC100, a few Big Green Eggs, or a combination of things on a small trailer, or inside an enclosed trailer.
When you start looking at Klose these other options become affordable. Don't get me wrong, Klose builds beautiful pits, and some guys can't imagine having anything else, but it's not my preference.

My beef with the WSMs is that you have to deal with the messy water pan, and you have to dig the food out of the bottom shelf. I know this doesn't seem like a hassle to many, but if you spend any time cooking on a bigger more convenient cooker, you'll understand.

Exactly! I bought the Lang because swore I was not going to hump 3 smaller smokers onto the truck my myself again, not to mention tending to three smokers overnight. I recommended the Lang because that is what I know. I certainly can't speak about anything I have never used before. In the scheme of things, it depends on what YFF is looking for and willing to put up with. Maybe he doesn't wan't a trailer smoker. Maybe he has much more patience than I. All I know is that to me at $3K and change, compaired to the Kloses and other high end cookers, the Lang was a bargin and a pleasant surprise. If I could have afforded more I would have purchased more. You have to stay within your means and buy what will work for you.


PS: Jeff, that is a nice smoker, but after putting it on a trailer and adding options, I bet you would be in the $6K to $7K range and too rich for my blood.

 

[drbbq]

I usually have one XL Egg, and Two Large Eggs. I can do a contest on just them. I also carry an FEC100 and a Medium Egg and I use them sometimes too.

I actually dropped the XL off in Atlanta last week, so I won't have it this winter, and the FEC is for sale, so I'll be mixing and matching until spring.

I agree that the Lang is a good value, if you like that type of cooker.

 

[nmayeux]

Speaking of Langs, I just posted pictures of my new smoker:twisted: !!