Ask for close ups of the welds, casters, latches, dampers, and hinges. Ask how thick the steel is on the firebox and we'll as the chimney. Then you kinda gotta know how to eyeball air and smoke flow.
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
That's a really nice looking rig for the price, based on the photos and description. Hopefully you can find an independent review, or at least some feedback from someone who has used them.
Yes I seem to keep seeing smokers for sale that appear more like one-off builds and I'm always skeptical. On the one hand, I have no reason to think builders like this DON'T know what they are doing. On the other hand, I've got no reason to trust it either.
In this particular case, it appears that this is a shop that specializes in laser cutting metal to very precise shapes. I wonder if they got hold of a bunch of data sheets they loaded in to their cutter and basically cut and assembled a model or kit. That being said, the pictures sure look nice.
I don't live there so am not going to buy it. Things like this just always make me wonder about how to find out quality without basically giving it a whirl.
I think you hit the nail on the head - I was looking at the website, and as you said, its a artsy metal cutting place that seems to just have added two smokers to their lineups. I would go with someone that specializes in smokers before shelling out $2K or more.
Seems like every metal fabricator in the US with a BBQ Fiend in house can't resist making cookers. Most of them are probably decent. These companies often attract clientele within driving distance who benefit by avoiding shipping charges, which can be substantial for heavy metal. If you're in the neighborhood and feel like dropping by them, see for yourself. If not, I agree with jfmorris, go with a known and respected brand.
Yeah, I actually VISITED my metal fabricator. I talked with him AT his shop! And within my 30 minutes with him, I knew he knew exactly what I was talking about. He could TALK the TALK and WALK the WALK. Not sure I would have trusted him had I not got to visit him face to face.
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