Ordered my G2 Chubby!

[jlazar]

Looks great. Your on your way.

[Henrik]

What a great thread wcpreston! Thanks very much for sharing. I'm a big fan of the Chubby too (don't have one though), and there's a lot of good info in this thread. I can feel your frustration, but for us it's also very entertaining :-)

This proves again and again why dry runs are so important. I do that every time I try a new cooker, it just takes all the stress out when actually smoking meat on it.

[EdF]

By this time next weekend, you won't remember these troubles!

[Mr. Bones]

I feel so stupid. A lot of my problems were caused by getting too excited to play with the smoker, and not taking 10 mins to peruse ALL the docs AND understand what they meant. ESPECIALLY the "plunger should go behind the strike plate" bit.

But this is why we do dry runs, right? Get to know your smoker before you introduce it to some meat.

No need to feel stupid; I think th term 'inexperienced' might be more applicable, here.

I sincerely doubt there's anybody here who hasn't done, an gone through th same stages, upon receipt of a spiffy new cooker... we jus kinda git 'Buck Fever', or summat, an lose our lil dingdong minds fer a spell... takes longer to git ourselves dialed in, than actually gittin th cooker dialed in.

Looks like yer well an truly started down th road to makin LOTS of Great Food, with Special Thanks to jlazar
!!!

Th Pit is one Very Special Place, yall!!!

Lookin forward to seein th goodies that come outta that Mighty Mo-chine!!!!

Have Big Fun!!!

[wcpreston]

This forum and jlazar definitely made the difference!

[holehogg]

A great way to learn is having a few hiccups along the way that wont be repeated.
Thanks for sharing the experience.

[Spinaker]

2020 MCS is real. I am seriously considering this smoker. I am torn between this and the 3400. The G2 is a lot more but you get more capacity and better hinges and fire box. I just don't know if I wanna spend $500 more dollars.

[jfmorris]

Sounds like a great smoker - you will enjoy it for many years to come!

I've decided I like smoking with charcoal and wood chunks more than I do feeding a wood fire, so a cabinet smoker like the G2 Chubby sounds like something I may progress to eventually, as opposed to a better offset than the one I have now.

[Spinaker]

Sounds like a great smoker - you will enjoy it for many years to come!

I've decided I like smoking with charcoal and wood chunks more than I do feeding a wood fire, so a cabinet smoker like the G2 Chubby sounds like something I may progress to eventually, as opposed to a better offset than the one I have now.

Yeah, I like the idea of higher capacity in a very solid and efficient set and forget model. I can cook very solid and efficiently in the BGEs but the capacity is not exactly where I like it sometimes. So I think the G2 will offer efficiency, quality and capacity. I also get all of those with the KBQ, but it is not a set and forget type of situation. ( I plan on using my FireBoard Drive system)

I still am trying to talk myself of out this too. It is very much a WANT and not a NEED at this point. But you know what time does to you in this place. Eventually, stuff ends up in your shopping cart. :/

[ofelles]

I'm in the same place with the LoneStar Grillz cooker. Just a matter of time. Hopefully real short though.

[jlazar]

Besides higher capacity you also get better construction. The G2 shelves are very heavy material. I'm not positive but I think the 3400 is made in China and the G2 is made in Louisiana.

I went with G2 for ability to handle full size trays (depth) as much as capacity.

[HawkerXP]

Dude! You never really showed us what it looks like out of the box!

[jlazar]

Here is another thread related to the G2.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/charcoal-cabinet-smokers-and-gravity-feed-smokers/misc-ab/472617-backwoods-stand

[jfmorris]

Yeah, I like the idea of higher capacity in a very solid and efficient set and forget model. I can cook very solid and efficiently in the BGEs but the capacity is not exactly where I like it sometimes. So I think the G2 will offer efficiency, quality and capacity. I also get all of those with the KBQ, but it is not a set and forget type of situation. ( I plan on using my FireBoard Drive system)

I still am trying to talk myself of out this too. It is very much a WANT and not a NEED at this point. But you know what time does to you in this place. Eventually, stuff ends up in your shopping cart. :/

Yeah, this is a WANT versus a NEED for sure for you and me both! One can dream though! . I am more likely to justify a WSM 22 before I justify a G2 Chubby, to get a larger mostly hands off charcoal fueled smoker capability. I've got a Party Q that can run the WSM, and I will upgrade to a Fireboard when that dies.

[jfmorris]

So question - they are VERY proud of their castors - $225 for a set of wheels on that bad boy! Can you add those yourself, or is it missing the frame necessary to attach your own without paying the $225 upcharge?

That said, I guess you could hand truck this thing around if you needed to move it. Not sure of the weight. The main "must have" accessory I see that I would probably add is the custom cover. Stainless doors seem unnecessary since the rest of the cooker would still be regular steel.

The other thing I wonder - it says the cooking temp range is 180 to 300. I take it this means you won't get it to 325 or 350 for optimal skin on chicken or turkey?

[ofelles]

jfmorris Not sure of the answer to that.
The LoneStar Grillz cabinet smoker is good to 400 according to the webpage.

[jlazar]

I bought heavy duty casters from Northern Tool. I cook chicken on the G2 in the 350 range. Start it at 225-250 for about an hour and then bump to 350. Heat at top shelf will be about 20 degrees higher than lowest shelf. I move to top at the end to crisp skin.

[NapMaster]

My experience indicates no water pan use if you want higher temps. While I can get my cabinet smoker up to 350, it's clear to me cabinets are not designed for such. Their claim to fame is efficiency at low and slow.

Glad to see Mr. Bones chimed in. My favorite writer. Wish he had a column in the Sunday paper. Would do all of us some good.

[jlazar]

Not using the water pan in not recommended in the G2. The one time I let the water go dry, the temps quickly went up and spiked near 500. You can easily get mid 300s using the water pan by just opening the vents, or in my case, setting the Fireboard to that temp.

[Spinaker]

jlazar Could you fit four briskets in the G2 pretty easily? Or would it be really crowded. On their website they indicate that you could fit between 4-6 briskets in the cooking chamber. What is the most you have had the G@ loaded down?

Thanks for answering all these questions for me. I am pretty close to placing my order, I just want to make sure it will be able to do what I want.