Let's Talk BBQ
General => General Discussion & Topics => Product Reviews => Topic started by: smokeasaurus on October 30, 2013, 08:22:05 PM
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The Meadow Creek SQ36 has arrived for its review.
First impressions: The features and quality of this off-set are second to none. The Amish know how to make a quality pit over at Meadow Creek. The only welding that I have seen better is by the craftsman over at Yoder Smokers. Lets look at some of the features of this smoker while it is still clean.
Very stout packaging. This 400 lb skid traveled from Pennsylvania to Southern California without a scratch on it
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Got the packaging off and this is purdy.....purdy darn manly 8)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/002_zps0082ed38.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/002_zps0082ed38.jpg.html)
Stainless cooking grate
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Charcoal pan insert (this thing is freaking heavy)
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When it is time to smoke, take out the pan and here is the welded in heat and smoke diffuser
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Vents on each side of the 1/4" fire-box. note the welded in pc of expanded steel to keep everything safe and inside the fire-box
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Rear door of the fire-box. i like the 1/4" M on the back-side and the unique locking feature
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Note the pull out ash-tray which will come in handy when using briquettes. This smoker was designed to use wood of course and charcoal briquettes if you are so inclined. The charcoal pan is extra beefy
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This is the view from the fire-box looking through the welded in heat and smoke diffuser that runs to the other end of the smoking chamber out the smokestack. Meadow Creek claims the unit runs even temperatures from one side to the other allowing you to use the entire cooking surface in the smoking chamber
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/009_zps3ffab0e7.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/009_zps3ffab0e7.jpg.html)
Speaking of the smokestack
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One of the many standard features is the grease drain valve
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and the icing on the cake is the instruction manual and a DVD (which I am gonna go watch and report on tomorrow.
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It is gonna take a while for me to post cooking pics. Unlike the Camp Chef Pellet Grill, I have to learn this pit before I can honestly say how it cooks...so give Old Smoke a week or two and in the meantime...I give you one last peak at a sweet looking smoker...the Meadow Creek SQ36
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Officially jealous..... ;D
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Tee, you are more than welcome to swing by and give her a whirl......... ;)
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Yeah...I will be right over! ;D :D ;D
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My brother had some rib-eyes thawed out and rubbed with Cabelas Mountain Man Bourbon Rub and said lets get that new pit dirty.
Can't disagree with that.
I had to double up on the charcoal in the grilling pan because the cooking grate is raised by an extra 3 inches and the meat would not cook. Looks like grilling on this rig will require a tab bit more charcoal to get my grill on
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Steaks came out good. Got some learning to do to get the steaks more purdy looking. Gonna hit the hay early and learn how to run the pit for lo and slo tomorrow..........
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Want everyone to know that the instruction manual that came with the pit did not cover my model. It covered all the other units and did have information about seasoning the pit and cleaning it. Nothing in there that we all don't already know. Not a deal breaker but it would have been handy to have some guidelines for the new off-set owner.
The DVD was a nice little overview of the Meadow Creek product line and I found it on-line for everyone to see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D-R26XiS4E
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Talked to the Mfg and they suggested starting off with 8 lbs of briquettes and all the vents wide open..so i did
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in 15 minutes the smoker was at 225 so I backed off the -2- vents on the fire-box to 1' open.
and then something strange happened: the pit climbed to 350 degrees....huh...on an off-set
I called the mfg ( you can actually call em at the factory and they will help you ) I love Amish Craftsmen ;)
I was asked what my smokestack was set at. Smokestack is always wide open I replied. Not on this pit you dont I was told.
When I back off the firebox vents I am supposed to set the smokestack about halfway. He had me just crack the smokestack and he waited on the phone with me until the temps started going down. He told me the heat diffuser that runs to the smokestack draws so well that if I want to smoke crispy chicken just leave all vents open and the pit will run around 400. He says to start off tomorrow with 5 lbs of charcoal and when I back off the vents around 225 to also vent down the smokestack.
So after the pit got under 300, I added maybe 15 briquettes and the smoker settled in around 230 and held. I then added wood chunks the next re-load, went to 250 and then back down to 230. I then added a couple of mini splits for another reload and it climbed just under 275 then stabilized right around 250. The last re-load I did, I added some more briquettes and a couple of wood chunks and she stayed around 250 the entire time. No huge bellows of smoke, a little heavy at the start of the reload but did not last long.
This is turning out to be a efficient and easy off-set to use. Gonna do what the factory said on tomorrows trial run and will post back tomorrow evening.
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Forgot to mention that I complained about the high amount of charcoal I had to use last night when using the optional charcoal pan. I was told to simply turn the cooking grate upside down. That will lower the cooking grate by almost 3 inches...........brillliant :)
I figure if you talk to the folk that designed and make the pit, they will know exactly how to fix whatever issues you have...and that is the case with Meadow Creek........
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Got the lo and slo figured out so tossed in some chicken thighs rubbed with Cabelas Mountain Man Bourbon Rub
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Used the entire cooking surface....IN AN OFFSET!!! ARE YOU NUTS SMOKE?
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Spritzed em with apple juice every 20 minutes and in just under 2 hours they were done. Slathered a little sauce on em towards the end.
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Pops fried up some O-brian Taters and supper is ready
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So how the the SQ-36 work.....darn good. Started with 5 lbs of Kingsford and when the pit reached 220, I backed the firebox dampers down to 1 inch open and closed the smokestak to 1/2 open ( I am gonna have to get used to adjusting the smokestack)
the pit climbed to 240 and stabilized. I added 6 Apple chunks and a Apple mini split. I had to wait for the smoke to subside before I could place the chicken in the pit. The wood smoked more than I wanted but when it subsided, I had a nice base of wood coals. I placed in the chicken and the pit stayed at 250. When it went down to around 230, I added a couple more chunks and a mini split. No smoke problem this time. I figure the wood coal base is much hotter than the Kingsford base the wood burned clean. I have a bunch of chunks I got to use up so this will be my method until I only have splits left. The smoker held very consistent temps. I played with the vents a bit and opened up a tad and opened the smokestack to 3/1 open and the pit climbed to 275 and held to crisp up the skin a bit. I only reloaded 3 times. I could have re-fueled one time less if I was adding two mini-splits but I have to use up the chunks. I would also like to mention that when I added more wood I kept the door slightly cracked a couple of minutes to get a hotter burn going (got that from Very Old Dog and Jaxon...thanks guys) :)
The heat diffuser is awesome. The chicken cooked evenly from one end to the other. Unheard of in an off-set.
I have never used an off-set that is so user-friendly. Of course this is only one cook but I am gaining some confidence in this smoker.
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I need to fire up the smoker early tomorrow morning and the fire-box will have to wait. So I figure I could at least get the smoking chamber ready.
Super easy to clean. I doubled up some paper towels and using a paint scraper I ran the grease right into the grease valve opening and it poured into a bucket. I replaced the HD foil I lined the top of the diffuser with and I am ready to just get some ashes out in the morning and I am back smoking. This is working out quite well..........more cooks to go.....
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This Daylight Savings time is for the birds. Cant sleep...what to do........fire up the Meadow Creek SQ36 and do some more product review 8)
I started the fire with 5 lbs of Kingsford and a bunch of small various wood chunks. Pit got to temp (250) in only 15 minutes and stabilized. I think I have found a way to use up my small chunks.
Got three chuck roasts rubbed down with Meadow Creeks Black Pepper Brisket Rub
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Onto the smoker they go.....gonna use pecan splits and large chunks the rest of the way
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By reflex I want to put all the meat on the smokestack side. Being able to use the entire cooking surface is really nice :)
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Okie Dokie, 7 hours later the chuckies are at 170 internal
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added to the vegetable medley and into the oven
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Not everything is smooth sailing down Meadow Creek.
This happened yesterday where the paint bubbled off the top of the fire-box. Smoking chamber was only at 275. Today I had it dialed in at 250 and I got this
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did a little scraping
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also had a leak coming down the rear leg on the fire box side
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unacceptable for a 1100 dollar pit, will contact Meadow Creek tomorrow and will keep everyone posted :'(
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Got the pepper stout beef all ready to go. As you can tell, a little leak has not hurt this pits performance :)
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Talked to Meadow Creek and all is well. Inside the firebox where the opening is to the smoke chamber, that is not welded. I had the meat over on that side and the grease seeped through into the end of the smoke diffuser (which is spot welded) and ran between the firebox and smoker chamber till it found a place to exit.
The SQ36 does not have a slight slope to it towards the smokestack side like most off-sets do. In fact the grease spigot is mounted dead center. I noticed last night when I cleaned the smoking chamber that the grease doesn't run to any side since it is level.
As to the fire-box. Nature of the beast. Recommended the use of mineral spirits on the bare metal before repainting or another alternative. Let the pit peel away on the fire-box and season it with peanut oil. It will season like a cast-iron skillet and no rust and no more paint peeling.
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While Meadow Creek offered to pay for a mobile welder to weld the inside opening between the fire-box and the smoking chamber, I chose to go another route. I found the spot where the leak was coming out on an interior weld on the inside of the leg. I used some JB Weld last night and will paint it this evening......nobody will know...
As for the fire-box, I lurked around the Gator Pit forum.....which is a treasure trove of offset information. I discovered that some owners of brand new Gator Pits had their paint come off the fire-box in their seasoning burn...it is the nature of the beast.
I am gonna sand down the top real good and try with paint one more time. If that doesn't work, I am gonna have a spray bottle of peanut oil nearby and am gonna season the fire-box like a cast iron skillet and be done with it.
Sparky had mentioned in another post that the chicken I did looked doctored up......I assure everyone that this pit cooks darn near even from one end to the other. Of course it is slightly warmer on the fire-box side but to be able to use the entire smoking chamber is real nice. I would need a 5 foot long smoking chamber on another pit to be able to use the 36" that I use in the Meadow Creek :)
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We grilled again last night and it took over 12 lbs of charcoal to grill 5 steaks. Could not get the fire hot enough to sear the steaks. I am guessing it is because the coals are sitting in a pan instead of a grate. They are not getting ample oxygen and are smoldering out. I realize that the charcoal pan is an add on, but I think I will stick with my Weber for the steak and burger type of cooks. Use a bunch less charcoal as well.
Last night I got underneath the pit to spray paint the JB Weld I had put on the spot that I think the leak is coming out of. I was really bummed out to find my arm laying in another puddle of grease that was directly behind the other wheel. So now it is leaking from the right and left sides of the firebox side and I can't for the life of me find out where the leak is coming from. No wonder this pit is so easy to clean, the grease aint staying in the pit :'( My patio is thrashed with grease after just one weekend of cooking.
I have talked to Meadow Creek and they are very dismayed to hear this and I am waiting for a response from them................
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Got a call back in a couple of hours. Meadow creek has no problems having my pit picked up and having a new one shipped out on their dime. From PA to Cali the freight is 620.00. That is over 1200 clams on them. I am blown away by how this Mfg stands behind their product.
Before I go for this, I have an idea. I have one leak plugged with JB Weld and it is painted. The other side has some high heat RTV. I am gonna run the pit for a couple of weekends and see if the leak stops. I am supposed to contact them on 11-18 and let them know what I would like to do.
If the leak stops, I am going to keep the pit. I have this particular model mastered and it provides the best tasting natural wood smoked grub I have had in years and do not want to let this pit get out of my hands. Either way I was told I got some Amish Love coming my way for my inconvenience and their Mfg error so this should all end happily :)
Will keep everyone posted.
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Some reviews on this SQ-36
http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/grill-smoker-combination-grill-smoker/meadow-creek-sq36
http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/2010/03/11/my-birthday/#.Un5hCSexr4Q
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Busy putting up Christmas lights at my neighbors house but I did find time to do this for tomorrows smoke......
took a pork tenderloin,and cut a slit down the center and shoved a red hot sausage in the center of it
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rubbed down with a heavy coating of Pork Stank
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Wrapped loosely in apple smoked bacon...I give you pork stuffed with pork wrapped in pork..gotta Dr's appt on tuesday..sure hope I don't get sent for lab work (http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/funny%20icons/yikes.gif) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/funny%20icons/yikes.gif.html)
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Got the pit dialed in at 250. Used post oak and apricot splits.
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Found a spot to set my Polder :)
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2 and a half hours later, internal temp was 156
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Money shot...a little heat in every bite
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I should have brined the tenderloin or if I was smart, I would have got a loin. The tenderloin seemed dry to me. The flavor profile was nice though. Had the sweetness of the sauce and smoke on the outside and heat on the inside but the tenderloin didn't bring anything to the table.
If I would have used a loin, I would have had more room in the cavity for some other goodies to go along with the red hot. Oh well, some other weekend................
Back to the product review. I had a good day today with the pit. There is no more leaking. The JB Weld and the permatex held up well. Even the fire-box paint held. Again the SQ-36 was extremely easy to use and held rock solid at 250. Even with re-fueling :) I am leery about returning this pit for another one. I really like the way this particular pit runs......got another weekend before I contact Meadow Creek though............so we shall see...........
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Today is the last chance for the smoker to see if I successfully stopped the leak. Check out the stick burner section for an unbelievably greasy cook I got planned for today. ;)
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The MCSQ36 again performed very nice. Hardly any adjustments once it dials in. Steady 250 all day long.
However:
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(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/012_zpsb970e2c4.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/012_zpsb970e2c4.jpg.html)
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The heat opening between the firebox and the smoking chamber are even with each other. The grease is getting into the deflector and running into the fire-box. It is running down under the ash pan and draining out the back. Luckily it just clears the charcoal tray or I would have a major grease fire on my hands.............
One of the other leaks has resurfaced as well on the JB Weld side.
I am not a happy camper.
In closing of this review, I have to say that this is an excellent off-set. It performs better than any charcoal cooker that I have ever owned. I assume that these usually do not leak. My brother says I have always been a lemon magnet. He says if there is a defective unit out there, I usually end up with it :'(
If this pit did not leak, it would be my main smoker till the final puff.........However this is not the case.
Tomorrow I have to contact the Mfg and will keep you all posted of the outcome................
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They have a good reputation at Meadow Creek. I will bet that they work thru this to your satisfaction Smoke. Good review!
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I spoke with Meadow Creek yesterday. They want to pick this one up and send out a new one. With what has happened, I know longer have any confidence at all in this Manufacturer for letting something this expensive leave the factory with this kind of defect. I can understand if it was some home improvement pos smoker but not this kind of pit.
I informed them I want this picked up and a full refund............they are supposed to contact me tomorrow.................
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Well, I am getting all of my money back. Even the initial freight cost. I have to pelletize the pit for a long trip back to PA, but so be it.
It is time to wrap up this product review. Meadow Creek makes one heck of a nice smoker. Very easy to master and holds rock solid temps. The full length heat and smoke diffuser is brilliant. It is the only off-set I have run across where you can use the entire cooking surface. The optional charcoal rack works but you need to use way too much charcoal for grilling. This is a smoker and should be used for smoking. Get a Weber or a Old Smokey for your grilling needs.
It is very unfortunate this particular unit leaked profusely and I am pretty darn sure this is not a represented sampling of Meadow Creeks workmanship. However, it is the unit I happened to get and this ruined any faith and confidence I have in their product. When you start to get around a grand for a smoker you should get quality.
As always I hope this review was informative and as for me...well.......the search continues.......... :(
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Got a call today from someone at Meadow Creek that I have not spoken to as of yet. He wanted to know what I liked about the SQ36. So I told him.
He wanted some suggestions about how to improve the pit and avoid this problem.
I explained that the fire-box and smoking chamber needs to be welded internally. The heat diffuser should be solidly welded to the bottom of the smoking chambe or the smoking chamber needs to have a slight slant to it towards the smokestack. The grease drain needs to be moved to the smokestack side as well.
I was asked if a new pit was made to these instructions including a full length foldable stainless steel front shelve free of charge and if all freight was paid for the pick up of mine and the new one to be delivered would I be interested?
I went for it. 8) 8) My decision was based on how nice this pit smokes. It is very user friendly and I do not know if the next one would cook like this one. I have had it at a steady 250 for my last three cooks with no effort on my part. I have sat out on the patio and had these ideas that would make it a perfect pit and to have all this done on a brand new one is just to good to turn down.....and I am playing with house money to boot 8)
I feel that Meadow Creek really cares about their products and want their customers to be happy.
To make things even better, I found an outfit here in the Southland that delivers split logs to residences so I got 1000 lbs of Pecan splits being delivered tomorrow...........Old Smoke is back in the smokey saddle and this product review is just getting started..... ;) parents hide your briskets and butts and ribs and chuckies because Smoke and Smoochy are on the prowl.....
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I forgot to mention that the suggestions I made are being implemented in the manufacturing of the SQ-36 from here on out.
I am humbled and flattered that they listened to little old me :)
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I started a small base of Kingsford and got it lit late yesterday. I wanted to try one of the new Pecan splits I just got. The splits are 16" log and just fit.
I got 1 1/2 hours of steady burn between 240-225 before the temps started to drop to the point I would have to toss in another one. No tweaking of the vents either.
My homeboy Frisco dropped by to lift a few back with me and I told him about the little problem with this pit. Frisco is like the ultimate handyman and we waited for the temps to drop.......lifted a few more back and he went and got some fancy little light on a long probe that he uses. We took out the cooking grate and he inserted the light probe into the heat diffuser channel. We hit the patio light and he turned the light on. It had a strange blue light to it and we were able to pin point the precise spot of the leak inside the smoking chamber. No need to do any welding inside the firebox. We could also see through the channel where no grease is getting in there except for this one spot over by the fire-box side. One little dab of JB Weld and my problems are solved.
A little history:
When I first started smoking I used to pile up kingsford on one side of my kettle and food on the other. I moved up to a BDS and I got nothing but complaints. So then the search started for a pit that would produce grub everybody would like. Did not happen. I had some nice off-sets and they didn't like the grub either. Went with pellets and gas and no complaints but also no flavor. So I go back to the trusty kettle and they still complain. What is going on.?
I went back to the offsets and decided I am using straight wood. I am even gonna grab some mesquite lump and let my Kingsford dwindle down. Nobody complains about the food anymore.
It took me -7- years to finally figure it out. It is the minion method of briquettes with the smoldering wood chunks they do not care for. This is the one thing I have done constantly in all the cookers I have owned.
The woodsy campfire flavor I am now producing they can not get enough of :) There is also the primal satisfaction of making and controlling a live fire that I enjoy. The entire process of using an off-set is something that everyone should enjoy at least once. I personally did not get any satisfaction from clicking a switch or turning a knob.....heck...if I can do it, anyone can ..... ;)
In closing this review, I can honestly say I have finally found pit nirvana. This Meadow Creek cooks incredibly well and using straight wood produces that campfire flavor I have always searched for. I am not returning it. This particular pit does exactly what I want and if I let it go the search will continue again....not gonna happen. It is extremely well made, has well thought out features and is a cooker for the serious backyard enthusiast.
It would have been nice to have gotten this pit and had no problems but I learned something from it. I found out what a stand up company Meadow Creek is in the process. I never once felt I was not gonna be taken care of. I now own IMHO the best off-set around and I got a company that has my back.
I will start posting Smoochy and my Meadow Creek cooking adventures over in the stick burner section.
If anybody is ever interested in a Meadow Creek product, please send me a pm...Old Smoke has a special phone number for ya 8)
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This last weekend I had no leaks what so ever. The brisket was barely trimmed and I had a good amount of grease in the bottom of the smoking chamber. I added some peanut oil to the bottom of the smoking chamber after the brisket came off. The fire was still hot. I locked the fire box door. I grabbed some chimney mits and went to the smokestack side of the smoking chamber. I slightly lifted up the smoking chamber (kids do not try this at home ;)) so the hot grease would run down towards the firebox side. The next day when I cleaned the fire-box out there was no grease that had run under the ash pan. Problem solved. I am a happy camper.
This now gives this fair and balance product review closure......my work here is done...........
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So much for a happy ending. The leak has returned. The grease ran into the firebox and had a grease fire start at the opening of the heat inlet and ran the length of the diffuser. That bucket of playground sand I have never used sure came in handy :(
I am getting a complete refund including shipping charges. The pit will be picked up 12-18-13 :'(
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Did such a good job making the pellet and getting it ready for its journey, I just had to show off my handywork
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/001_zps5c43e25a.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/001_zps5c43e25a.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/002_zps3019b0a6.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/002_zps3019b0a6.jpg.html)
I never would have dreamed this product review would have ended this way..........