Decisions! PCB / Akorn / SRG

[LostArrow]

I've an Akorn , a SRG & a " brand X" 30 gal. hanging drum smoker  ( PBC copy) ( Masterbuilt worlds best children cooker)
Unless you drink the BGE cool aid you realize no cooker is great at everything 
Comparing the 3
Grilling 1) Akorn a very good charcoal grill.
            2) SRG a good ( though small ) gas grill
             3) PBC not a grill
Smoking
           1) Akorn works very well as a low & slow smoker, you can smoke at higher temp (350+F) if desired.
           2) the PBC is a high temp smoker, very good , actually the more I smoke the more I edge into most cooks being higher temp.
           3) The SRG is a fair high temp smoker.
Pizza.    1) Akorn is not in the same league as the other two. High temp 3 min neopolitan pizzas
Poultry 1) the SRG is my gold standard but the other two are great.
Capacity
           1) Akorn with a 20 in main rack & 16 in secondary rack 4-5 butts, a whole brisket & a butt
Or with rib rack 8-10 racks ribs.
           2) PBC will cook a lot!
            3) SRG.  A turkey, two chickens , 2 butts , more limited cooking area.

Wow I guess if I could only have one of the three I'd get the Akorn, get the model from Home Depot with the cart/ table.

[Jaxon]

I'm just a backyard jack, but I'm with LA, my Akorn zen-master.

I have used my Akorn thrice in 4 days...on one cook Saturday I smoked over 16 lbs of pork, another, 3 beautiful racks of baby backs, and today a small butt and 2 racks.
Plenty of room.  I cooked the ribs low and slow, then wrapped for an hour.  Took 'em out and removed the heat shield and raised the temp to 350 to "sauce and shine".
Plus... It' s cheap on charcoal.

B T W, unlike LA, I haven't tried the world's best children cooker, although we DO HAVE a number of children in our neighborhood.

[djm3801]

Jaxon and Lostarrow - remember you both from the old Sizzle on the Grill site. Lost - great rundown of exactly the devices I am looking at (OK - PBC clone), and Jax, thanks for added words. I did drink the ceramic kool aid and got s BGE Large for my PA home. Built my own rolling cart for it. It is a very interesting device however I must say I do not see a huge downside to the Akorn - obvious quality differences but huge price difference. Whatever I get for the Florida home will be used maybe 4 months a year. If I move here permanently I will need some major storage for all the stuff I have up in PA for outdoor cooking. I could even take the Roundboy Pizza oven apart and move it if I wanted to...

[Jaxon]

I figure I can buy 3 or 4 Akorns for the price of an XL EGG and have way yonder more  cooking capacity. 
I know you don't need THAT kind of capacity, but the Akorn's price for all the features make it a good value for me.

[teesquare]

" obvious quality differences but huge price difference."

While the issue of "quality" may be true...consider this - The Akorn will NEVER crack. And - can be transported without the need for double hernia surgery. I might be concerned long term about any potential of rust in the event of a chip in the enamel of the Akron - but that is on the inside where it should be less likely to occur. So - quality can't be fairly characterized by how heavy, or shiny, or expensive something is...if that were the case - my ex-wife would be the Fort Knox....

[LostArrow]

" obvious quality differences but huge price difference."

While the issue of "quality" may be true...consider this - The Akorn will NEVER crack. And - can be transported without the need for double hernia surgery. I might be concerned long term about any potential of rust in the event of a chip in the enamel of the Akron - but that is on the inside where it should be less likely to occur. So - quality can't be fairly characterized by how heavy, or shiny, or expensive something is...if that were the case - my ex-wife would be the Fort Knox....

Ouch

[djm3801]

Teesquare - ex wife - I have one of those as well. Long ago. Anyway.. yeah, I know char griller stuff will rust. Anything metal subjected to high heat will eventually break down I think. That said, as has been noted, Ceramic can crack, but I would not be transporting a ceramic or metal grill anywhere. The wild card is that these have only been around for 3 years and there are some reports of rusting. I get 5 years out of it I am happy. Hell, I already replaced troughs on the RED infra red grill I have and the bottom base of that needs scraping and painting. I would imagine the PBC will rust too but I guess the new finish and gauge of steel will be pretty robust.

The big plus on the Akorn is high heat for pizza, less fuel, and it makes a decent grill with no reaching down into it to flip burgers, etc - the big plus for the PBC is capacity and reports of amazing taste. I do NOT need capacity often. Amazing taste - well..... intriguing. Also, it has been mentioned that the PBC is not a smoker but a cooker and my wife actually does not like heavy smoke flavor in food. Leaning Akorn but.... still pondering.. Got plenty of insight here. Thanks for being a great sounding board.

[djm3801]

Made my decison! I figure I have 2 grills - the Old Smokey and the gs grill so grilling function of Akorn does nothing to increase my arsenal. While I do make pizza from time to time, it is not a must have. I do enjoy smoked food but as I read it the PBC is a cooker moreso than a smoker, and the wife not fond of real smokey flavors. Last - it gives me more capacity with less fussing around I think. Plus if I do move here in a couple of years, the BGE goes with me.. So... I ordered the PBC today - spoke to Noah who answered the customer service phone and will get the US Army logo on it too! There we go.

Thanks to all who offered insight. Was a trigger pull from getting the Akorn but.... PBC will be something completely different I hope.

[drholly]

From my experience, I believe you will really enjoy your PBC. My wife (who is also not a big fan of a lot of smoke) loves chicken and turkey on the PBC. It has some "smoke" but it is the charcoal type - just different but delicious. And if you have questions, you can call the guy who invented it... can't beat that... Well you can also talk with Amber - might even be better  they both will answer any questions you might have.

[Jaxon]

Was a trigger pull from getting the Akorn but.... PBC will be something completely different I hope.

The PBC WILL be completely different, but you'll like it anyway.  I'm sure it'll LOOK good with the ARMY logo on its side. 
Keep us posted.

[smokeasaurus]

Trust me on this...once you taste chicken that comes off the PBC, when and if you do move the PBC might just be one of the first things you pack to take with you 

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Trust me on this...once you taste chicken that comes off the PBC, when and if you do move the PBC might just be one of the first things you pack to take with you 

Smoke is right about the chicken that comes off the PBC.  My wife is one that is also not a big fan of smoked meats, but the PBC chicken has its own charcoal flavor that is not heavy on the smoked side and she loves it too.

[muebe]

You made a wise decision!

You will love the PBC!

[Paul Hart]

PBC is pretty cool, but I think the best bang for the buck out there is the simple Weber kettle and smokenator combo, with a hovergrill. You can smoke and grill with this setup, and it'll last for 20 years and cost under $200 and hold as much or more than a Smokey mountain, and use less charcoal to boot. Hard to beat.
PBC does make some kick ass ribs and chickens though.