Hi all-
First, I'm really excited to be part of this forum! I've been working on my smoking craft for a few years now (ever since a trip to Austin, where I fell in love with real BBQ) and have been part of other smoking & grilling communities since then...you guys really know your stuff.
I've been progressed through a range of smoker types, starting with a cheap vertical gas unit, then a Smokin' Tex electric, then a nicely modified OK Joe offset, and most recently a Jim Bowie pellet. For the most part they each have their upsides and downsides of course. Lately when I do a long brisket cook, I start off with the stick burner to get a good infusion of smoke for 2-3 hours, then move it to the pellet for the rest of the cook to free up my time. So far, this has worked pretty well.
My goal has been to get my cooks consistent so that I can eventually feed big groups, whether that's catering, a truck, or a more permanent place. I'll need to look at larger smokers to cook that much food, and I'm considering testing my skills on another type of smoker now. The next purchase might not be THE unit that allows be to cook large volumes, but I want to test out a similar smaller model without spending $5,000+ on a commercial-sized unit.
I think a coal-fed box is probably the way to go, and I'm looking at a couple of options that seem interesting. The first in a standard size 270 smoker. I like the convection draft design that doesn't require any electronics (from what I've read), the ability to hold temps and the long unattended cook times.
The second one that looks interesting is the new Shotgun smoker by the guru guys. Seems like a really smart design and the price point is very good. The downside for me is the need for the electronics- it's not a purist thing, I'd just like the ability to not need power access or a generator if I'm on a trailer at events. Long term, the capacity on this one isn't huge and I would hate to get the technique down and then have to move to a larger unit for commercial cooks.
There are a whole slew of third options like the Assasins, Humphreys, Stumps, etc. but the convection aspect of these interests me. My only concern with that is the cook times, I've heard they are are reduced on both, is that a good or bad thing for brisket?
Any feedback or other suggestions is appreciated!
First, I'm really excited to be part of this forum! I've been working on my smoking craft for a few years now (ever since a trip to Austin, where I fell in love with real BBQ) and have been part of other smoking & grilling communities since then...you guys really know your stuff.
I've been progressed through a range of smoker types, starting with a cheap vertical gas unit, then a Smokin' Tex electric, then a nicely modified OK Joe offset, and most recently a Jim Bowie pellet. For the most part they each have their upsides and downsides of course. Lately when I do a long brisket cook, I start off with the stick burner to get a good infusion of smoke for 2-3 hours, then move it to the pellet for the rest of the cook to free up my time. So far, this has worked pretty well.
My goal has been to get my cooks consistent so that I can eventually feed big groups, whether that's catering, a truck, or a more permanent place. I'll need to look at larger smokers to cook that much food, and I'm considering testing my skills on another type of smoker now. The next purchase might not be THE unit that allows be to cook large volumes, but I want to test out a similar smaller model without spending $5,000+ on a commercial-sized unit.
I think a coal-fed box is probably the way to go, and I'm looking at a couple of options that seem interesting. The first in a standard size 270 smoker. I like the convection draft design that doesn't require any electronics (from what I've read), the ability to hold temps and the long unattended cook times.
The second one that looks interesting is the new Shotgun smoker by the guru guys. Seems like a really smart design and the price point is very good. The downside for me is the need for the electronics- it's not a purist thing, I'd just like the ability to not need power access or a generator if I'm on a trailer at events. Long term, the capacity on this one isn't huge and I would hate to get the technique down and then have to move to a larger unit for commercial cooks.
There are a whole slew of third options like the Assasins, Humphreys, Stumps, etc. but the convection aspect of these interests me. My only concern with that is the cook times, I've heard they are are reduced on both, is that a good or bad thing for brisket?
Any feedback or other suggestions is appreciated!
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