Smoker To Big For Everyday Use ?

[BBQ Freak]

I have been debating with myself If maybe I bought to big of smoker ? I do catering jobs on the side but have never had a job where I used the whole main chamber and the warmer filled up . It is real easy to get caught up in the hype of getting a new big smoker and people saying always go bigger you never know and that day never comes . When I pull my big smoker out and fire it up for just a couple slabs of ribs it gets me thinking If I made the right choice in size , anybody else feel this way after you bought a big one ?

 

[pjtexas1]

Yes. I was up to a 30" chamber before I had a reality check. The 24x55 is still a little too much. I've only filled 3 racks but they weren't completely full.

Edit: I could probably get by with a 24x42 90% of the time.

 

[Ayvatr]

I bought the chamber block for good reason. I plan on using the High Rise for small family cooks and if needed, I have the main chamber for catering comps and parties.

 

[Hoss]

I bought the chamber block for good reason. I plan on using the High Rise for small family cooks and if needed, I have the main chamber for catering comps

^^^ My plan as well.

 

[McSpazatron]

Ive got a 24x48. It's borderline big, but its got enough breathing room to put 4 briskets on at a time. Doesnt happen often, but it's happened a couple of times a year. I do feel a bit guilty with cooking a light load, but I try to make up for that by calling friends and seeing if they have any "passengers" that require smoking. Not ashamed of asking for gas money either.

However mine has only one "real" level for cooking. Those shirleys with cabinet doors really increase capacity, so i could see why the meat may be a bit lonely in there.

I have to ask though, does the big shirley use significantly more fuel than klose in your sig line? If not, maybe its not that big of a deal if it's mostly empty, as long as you have the place to store the cooker.

 

[BBQ Freak]

Ive got a 24x48. It's borderline big, but its got enough breathing room to put 4 briskets on at a time. Doesnt happen often, but it's happened a couple of times a year. I do feel a bit guilty with cooking a light load, but I try to make up for that by calling friends and seeing if they have any "passengers" that require smoking. Not ashamed of asking for gas money either.

However mine has only one "real" level for cooking. Those shirleys with cabinet doors really increase capacity, so i could see why the meat may be a bit lonely in there.

I have to ask though, does the big shirley use significantly more fuel than klose in your sig line? If not, maybe its not that big of a deal if it's mostly empty, as long as you have the place to store the cooker.

I would say it uses real close to the same amount of fuel and I do have room to store it but it just makes me think after I bought it why did I need this big of cooker ? you have all this time waiting for it to be built and I just tend to over buy which is a bad habit to have , lol .

 

[sleebus.jones]

It's only too big if it's too much trouble to fire up.

 

[Jason TQ]

I bought the chamber block for good reason. I plan on using the High Rise for small family cooks and if needed, I have the main chamber for catering comps and parties.

Ya when Tyler sent me home with a block prototype I knew it was genius. Works so well for smaller cooks. The main question has a lot of subjective variables of any type of cooker. My big smoker is overkill, but like most folks here I'm lucky to have multiple cookers so I don't doubt my big cooker purchase for a second. I've filled my SF multiple times and that was so much fun and will fill it a few times each year going forward.

Great conversation starterd here as no 2 cooks think alike.

 

[McSpazatron]

I would say it uses real close to the same amount of fuel and I do have room to store it but it just makes me think after I bought it why did I need this big of cooker ? you have all this time waiting for it to be built and I just tend to over buy which is a bad habit to have , lol .

I hear ya. Currently lusting after some expensive high priced items myself. Dont know how that will turn out for me.

Look at it this way...you have an excuse to really branch out into catering then
You could start marketing whole hog cooks.

Worst case, im thinking you could probably sell it without much effort, especially considering the wait for a new one.

 

[BBQ Freak]

I just want to say I love My Shirley and will always have one in my arsenal , maybe I am jonseing on the fun trips down there . :mrgreen:

 

[cats49er]

I use my extra space to cook sides like beans, bread,veggies,or other meats to freeze.

 

[JimmyR1Rider]

I'm totally happy I went a bit on the gigantic side. Mine has literally everything I'd ever want in a smoker. I wanted to buy one pit so I threw a hail Mary and went nuts with it lol.

I do have to work on my fire management I believe.

I was meaning to start a thread about how many splits a cook on others with the bigger cookers take. It's my first big pit so I don't know if I just need to work on my stolking skills or if it's just that the pit takes a lot of wood to keep it up to temp.

In fact I may start that thread now actually. Like others have said. Great conversation you started.

 

[Clay-b-que]

What is the "block" on a SF?

I was under the impression that you could shut off the main chamber and use the warmer for cooks? Also, I thought I saw somewhere that you could essentially use it as a charcoal smoker with a basket in the fire chamber. I hope this is true because this is what I was counting on as I have been thinking about my design.

 

[JimmyR1Rider]

What is the "block" on a SF?

I was under the impression that you could shut off the main chamber and use the warmer for cooks? Also, I thought I saw somewhere that you could essentially use it as a charcoal smoker with a basket in the fire chamber. I hope this is true because this is what I was counting on as I have been thinking about my design.

I ordered one for mine. It's a half moon shaped plate that block's the main chamber to only use the warmer. I haven't used mine yet but I will be in the next couple of weeks.

 

[McSpazatron]

I just want to say I love My Shirley and will always have one in my arsenal , maybe I am jonseing on the fun trips down there . :mrgreen:

Ha! The truth emerges! Now You need to convice the shirley folks to start a lease arrangement. Drive down every year to trade in for a new smoker. Before you drive off, order the configuration you want for the following year

It's funny you mentioned jonesing for the trip. I rented a Uhaul pickup and trailer to get my Peoria cooker. Drove a 7 hour round trip in the dead of winter. Had to cancel the first pick up date because the uhaul lot was totally snowed in the night i was to pick up the truck. Cancelled a second time when the city of Peoria got record flooding and an ice storm that took out half their elec grid. Finally got a break in the weather on another day, and my old man and i made the trip uneventfully. Felt like quite the adventure, especially considering i've never towed before. Great memory, even better that it was with my dad!

Funny thing happened about a hour from home. We stopped at a wayside to adjust the straps. Then, I kid you not, a shiny Big Green Egg branded tractor-trailer parks right next to us. My smoker was bigger than his (even though he probably had 100 of them in his trailer).

 

[BBQ Freak]

I'm totally happy I went a bit on the gigantic side. Mine has literally everything I'd ever want in a smoker. I wanted to buy one pit so I threw a hail Mary and went nuts with it lol.

I do have to work on my fire management I believe.

I was meaning to start a thread about how many splits a cook on others with the bigger cookers take. It's my first big pit so I don't know if I just need to work on my stolking skills or if it's just that the pit takes a lot of wood to keep it up to temp.

In fact I may start that thread now actually. Like others have said. Great conversation you started.

It all depends on the wood your using and how long you have seasoned it too . I use just Oak to get my temp up on my pit and then switch to Pecan , Cherry or Hickory for my smoking wood , the oak seems to get hotter but just do not like the smoke profile .

What is the "block" on a SF?

I was under the impression that you could shut off the main chamber and use the warmer for cooks? Also, I thought I saw somewhere that you could essentially use it as a charcoal smoker with a basket in the fire chamber. I hope this is true because this is what I was counting on as I have been thinking about my design.

you can shut off them off but there is a plate you can buy that keeps the heat from going under the reverse flow plate so the heat goes straight up and it is not heating up the whole smoker . I am sure someone has a pic ?

 

[BBQ Freak]

Ha! The truth emerges! Now You need to convice the shirley folks to start a lease arrangement. Drive down every year to trade in for a new smoker. Before you drive off, order the configuration you want for the following year

It's funny you mentioned jonesing for the trip. I rented a Uhaul pickup and trailer to get my Peoria cooker. Drove a 7 hour round trip in the dead of winter. Had to cancel the first pick up date because the uhaul lot was totally snowed in the night i was to pick up the truck. Cancelled a second time when the city of Peoria got record flooding and an ice storm that took out half their elec grid. Finally got a break in the weather on another day, and my old man and i made the trip uneventfully. Felt like quite the adventure, especially considering i've never towed before. Great memory, even better that it was with my dad!

Funny thing happened about a hour from home. We stopped at a wayside to adjust the straps. Then, I kid you not, a shiny Big Green Egg branded tractor-trailer parks right next to us. My smoker was bigger than his (even though he probably had 100 of them in his trailer).

I have taken one of my kids each time and it was so fun with the one on one with them and have bought a new Shirley each year , I should buy stock in their company if they sold them . :biggrin1:

 

[McSpazatron]

I have taken one of my kids each time and it was so fun with the one on one with them and have bought a new Shirley each year , I should buy stock in their company if they sold them . :biggrin1:

Those experiences are awesome. Well , you might have to just to make the trip again to try one of their smaller models then

 

[BBQ Freak]

Those experiences are awesome. Well , you might have to just to make the trip again to try one of their smaller models then

oops I already talked to Paul :tape::tape::tape::clock: but I still may keep what I got I love this smoker .

 

[pjtexas1]

oops I already talked to Paul :tape::tape::tape::clock: but I still may keep what I got I love this smoker .

That's what my wife told me to do...get a much small shirley and keep the big one. But I already have too many. What size you looking at this time?