Unless I find something in my studies tonight that changes things, I'll be getting a Bronco tomorrow. Checks the low and slow box, the size box, the quality box and the "remind me why I gave up charcoal" grill box.
PKO is still a strong contender but the added smoking capacity of the Bronco is hard to ignore.
I think you’ll like it a lot. It’s my most "fun" cooker to use also. Uncle Bob and a few others here have had theirs much longer than me and are more experienced. So if you ever have any questions, hit them up. There’s also a OJ Bronco channel here on AR with several owners who offer great advice and tips.
There is one thing I'll "warn" you about as you search the web for info. I've experienced, mostly on a FB group for Bronco, a fairly high number of people who believe that a digital controller/fan is necessary to run a stable temp. What is readily seen is that most of them are newbs to the fire management thing. Typically they will run the smoker once or twice, get confused/frustrated by chasing temps, and blame the cooker. Folks with experience appreciate the designed in capabilities.
To expand on what Uncle Bob said, the Bronco has been the easiest cooker I’ve ever owned to maintain temps on a slow cook. I don’t own a controller/fan and probably never will. Just follow the coal lighting instructions in the manual and you’ll do fine. I’ve used mine 3 times now for slow cooks and it is so easy to reach a temp and stay there! I held a steady 250* temp. for 3 hours before it dropped about 20*. I opened the intake damper a little more, and in 10 minutes it was back to 250*.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
I agree with those who say get the full size PBC for smoking and a 22" Weber kettle for grilling. I've had the PBC for over 7 years and still use it all the time. It turns out delicious smoked food. The meat juices dripping directly on the fire as it smokes adds great flavor.
I have a Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center and it turns out delicious smoked meat as well. I use it either in kamado or in kettle mode, depending on the cook. We love the food that comes off that Weber smoker, but the flavor of some cooks from the PBC has it beat. The PBC food tastes a bit smokier (but never overwhelming, at least to my family's taste buds); chicken and ribs on the PBC are stellar. So are pork butts. So is pastrami. So is brisket. OK. I'll stop now.
What Hawker said. You can grill on the enemy PBJ. It just takes a little more work to do so. I did some burgers the other day and they were awesome. Use the Weber with a slow and sear $100 or vortex $40 for searing.
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