Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Charcoal Smokers => Topic started by: LostArrow on May 28, 2012, 11:40:03 AM
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Ok I know why so many people are getting pellet cookers.
A Horizonal smoker has a large cooking area, it's easy to baste, rub, lay flat , flip etc without the gymnastics of a verticle smoker. It's a pain to cook for butts & briskets on a backyard model.
Pellet cookers , allow long cooks & great heat control!
Just like you pellet heads I like a good nite sleep I just can't buy a pellet grill!
I made a BIG BOY charcoal basket for my Horizonal & fired up.
Butt on now , beef ribs later. It's a set & forget cook , but I'm monitoring, along with my grill guards!
(http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz203/Lostarrow-photos/46f00140.jpg)
(http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz203/Lostarrow-photos/7986e19c.jpg)
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It is nice to see the tradition kept alive LA. I would love to have the time.
The only real advantage is the push button change of temperature. Otherwise - if you have a pit that you have taken time to get intimately familiar with it's cookin' personality - you are right. Blame it all on the invention of the microwave oven, cell phone and fax machine. We have - as a society- forgotten the sheep enjoyment of slowing down, and focusing on a simple task, that brings so much pleasure.
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I should have ran my Pork Butt over to LA's too have him cook it!! ;D
It is alot more satisfying (IMHO) to have a hand in the cooking process..but if you don't have the time,the other cookers will get er dunn!!
I only do briskets or butts if I have the entire day to sit out back to watch the pit..otherwise its ribs and a whole bunch of grilling!!
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It love the old ways of smoking. But even with a charcoal cooker you can use a digital air controller and not have to tend to it the whole day. It is a natural progression that technology and covienence has made it's way into our everyday lives.
I have young ones and it is difficult to sit out and baby sit a smoker. My new pellet grill is so simple even my wife can operate it. :o It has more consistent temps than my kitchen oven ;)
Once you try a pellet smoker you will be in love :)
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What is the lowest price for a good Pellet Pooper Muebe?? Would you say about the same as a good off-set?
What about pellets..do you have to have em shipped or do you have a local source??
Don't worry Kingsford...I aint strayin...just curious..........
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What is the lowest price for a good Pellet Pooper Muebe?? Would you say about the same as a good off-set?
What about pellets..do you have to have em shipped or do you have a local source??
Don't worry Kingsford...I aint strayin...just curious..........
Well Traegers are the lowest priced poopers around. A Chinese made unit. Not a bad deal for the price. The junior I had you can get for $350 and the Lil Tex is around $500
I buy my pellets at a local supplier. I pay $15 bucks for a 20lb bag. My Memphis will burn around 1/4 pound an hour at 225F so it is pretty efficient. My Traeger would burn more but not a lot more.
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Maybe me and LA will go 1/2er's on one.....made in China.....for Queing in Americas back-yards..that is just wrong ;D
One thing that is nice about pellets is that you can mix them for a custom smoke.
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I guess I miss the more "hands on" side of our common passion ( uh...I am talkin' about cookin' - just to clarify ;D) Maybe once I get a handle on some things I am workin' on - I will call up Yoder for another smoker....an offset stick burner. Man - if you have not seen the quality of their stuff - it is the best fit and finish on heavy steel I have ever seen. The welders are artists.
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Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Yoder and Horizon owned by folks that made the original Oklahoma Joes??
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Horizon is a separate company. Some of the designs are nearly identical from the pictures. ( But in person the difference is in the quality of construction. Yoder is a heavier built, nicer welded and fit unit - from all of the ones I have seen.)
Oklahoma Joe Smokers now belongs to Brinkman ( I think....) which, has reduced the thickness of the metal, and now makes them in China.
Joe Phillips of Yoder was with the original Oklahoma Joe Smoker co. back when it was quality.
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I love that "Big Boy" charcoal basket. I'm actually thinking of following suit and making one for my horizontal cooker! As much as we love our pellet cookers, I have to say I still enjoy lighting some charcoal and cooking old-school. Especially in cooler or cold weather. There' just something primal that satisfies that inner primal urge.
Maybe me and LA will go 1/2er's on one.....made in China.....for Queing in Americas back-yards..that is just wrong ;D
One thing that is nice about pellets is that you can mix them for a custom smoke.
I looked heavily at the Traeger's and the jr. just isn't big enough to do any serious cooking IMO.
If you already have a 22" kettle, then the Stoven Pellet grill attachment is actually pretty decent and made in America (you do have to keep it clean and seasoned). It's not as high tech as some of the others, but it has better control than the standard Traeger control and a lot more room than the Jr. I've really enjoyed using mine and I really like that even with my Weber Performer the whole thing is very portable. I have a small 12 volt lawn & garden battery that runs ours.
Now for quality, it's hard to beat a MAK or Memphis, and Yoder really seems to have gotten their stuff together. All three are made in the USA. For flexibility, the MAK just has so many options: Griddle, Upper racks, Searing grate, Flame-zone (for direct grilling), remote boss. With any of these three grills you will pay more, but you will also get your money's worth.
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MAK, Memphis, and Yoder are the top 3 pellet grills in my book.
The FECs are nice to but you lose cooking space with their 3 zone design. And they are known for having flame outs. Their controller has adjustable high and low limits that you sometimes have to adjust. Kind of like Traeger "P" settings. The MAK, Memphis, and Yoder do not need those adjustments because the controllers are smart enough to take care of that for you. They are the true set it and forget it pellet smokers IMHO.
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I love the look and feel of the MAK and the Memphis product lines. Bu for those that still want the "old school" look and feel of heavy steel ( and they ARE heavy) the Yoder is the more "traditional look".
I am with muebe - you can't go wrong with any of the 3 he listed. If space is your major concern- I would look at all three and the accessory shelf options.
T
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Tee your Yoder is built like a tank. The YS640 weighs in at 313lbs so there is no doubt it is gonna outlast anything out there. The hood has a counter weight :o
The MAK is rock solid also. And the pellet boss allows for so much control and four meat probes. The best pellet control system hands down.
Oh and my Memphis. So much pretty stainless! And a fit and finish seldom seen nowadays. It has a great pellet control system and a small footprint. Tighter temps than my home oven! I absolutely love it ;)
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Love the look of the Memphis - but it is so pretty, I am not sure I would want to cook in it! ;D
I love the Pellet Boss on the MAK - tho, It think it is on of those gadgets that us guys just fall for...not sure that it makes for a "practical use of funds" - but - hey that's part of the fun too...
The Yoder could serve as a portable bomb shelter if I could get in it and close the door!...I know that the capability for running it with something like the Pellet Boss software on a smart phone exists on the I.C. board.... Hoping that the fine folks at Yoder roll out that as a nice up-grade soon. Need it? nahhh...Want it? Absolutely - why not? ;D