School me on direct heat cookers

[Lynn Dollar]

I just don't see the need. And especially at price point of these pits, which ranges from $2,000 to $4,000. I'm guessing these are designed to replicate the really old school brick pits, like those at Snows BBQ in Texas.

Which it seems to me, its going backwards. They're called " pits " because over 100 years ago, barbecue was cooked over direct heat in pits dug into the ground, until the advent of brick pits built above the ground, and then eventually indirect brick pits as Daniel Vaughn documents in this Texas Monthly article .

But for the backyard, I'm having trouble seeing where these will do anything I can't do with a PBC or WSM .

The makers are proliferating .........

Chud Box was the first I saw a few years ago

JD ( I don't know his name, I just know him as JD ) of Primitive Pits and Workhorse has a new line called El Bandido

The Smokeslinger guy has one

And I'm sure there's more welding/fabricator people out there who are wanting to sell these.

[Jerod Broussard]

Back home that is pretty much all people cook on. You'll have what looks like two coffins on a trailer for the larger ones. Great for cooking chicken halves or pork steaks. The briskets are indirected and finished in Army Pots. Ain't nothin' really smoked, just "grilled."

Much larger gap between meat and heat than your smaller grills..

[Jerod Broussard]

@RIsRIs not a whole lot of hot and fast, but if you pile up enough charcoal in one spot

[RlsRls]

so neither the coal grate nor the food grate are adjustable??

[Jerod Broussard]

Mostly no. Back home a lot of meat is marinated, you don't want scorching heat on that. You learn the pit.

[Baltimorelger]

All I know is my latest, mild case, of MCS seems to be primarily focused on a direct heat cooker. I haven’t given in, but there is something exciting about them.

[Dewesq55]

I know this isn't exactly the topic of the thread, but over the weekend I configured my "Mini-WSM" a/k/a Smokey Joe/Tamale Pot smoker, for direct heat cooking to cook jerk chicken. I took out the heat diffuser and the rack it did on (the streaming rack that came with the tamale pot) which left the cooking grate any 15” above the fire. The result was outstanding. My concerns over burned up chicken were unfounded and it made the best jerk ever.

[Lynn Dollar]

I know this isn't exactly the topic of the thread, but over the weekend I configured my "Mini-WSM" a/k/a Smokey Joe/Tamale Pot smoker, for direct heat cooking to cook jerk chicken. I took out the heat diffuser and the rack it did on (the streaming rack that came with the tamale pot) which left the cooking grate any 15” above the fire. The result was outstanding. My concerns over burned up chicken were unfounded and it made the best jerk ever.

For a lot of years, before I got my PBX, this was the only way I cooked chicken .........

Hot and fast chicken from TVWBB Cooking Topics via Chris Allingham

With the water pan and lower grate removed from my 18" WSM, the top cooking grate was approx 18 to 20" above the coal bed.

I tried similar with my PBX, but found I liked hanging the birds just as much .

I've also put pork steak on the WSM without the water pan.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

PBX!

[bbq_esq]

I really like this style of cooking but I agree that it seems like the PBC accomplishes this pretty well. It's a fun way to cook. I'd love a ChudBox or something similar but it's far too expensive for something I don't really need (not saying he is overcharging - it's expensive to produce a high quality product as he is doing). I think a HastyBake also accomplishes this?

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Yes a Hasty Bake makes delicious direct heat chicken, burgers, pork steaks...

[jfmorris]

I think there is something to be said for cooking a bit higher above the fire than we get on a kettle or most other grills. It certainly lessens impact of flare ups and lessens the risk of burning up or drying out the meat.

I’m finding I enjoy direct grilling on my SNS Kamado most when I build the fire down in the bottom of the firebox on the traditional kamado grate level, below the ‘kettle” level charcoal grate, and cook on the main and elevated grates, which puts me a foot or more above the coals. And the stainless upper charcoal grate that is there to support a SNS insert becomes a searing grate right on top of the coals. So while not adjustable, it gives me 3 distances from the charcoal. I wanted a Santa Maria or Hasty Bake at one point, and can see the utility but for now I simulate it with the kamado.

[Jerod Broussard]

Many people think that you're either smoking or just grilling really hot and fast. There's something else in the middle.

[jfmorris]

Jerod Broussard indeed.

While I know these days there are better BBQ spots in Memphis than The Rendezvous, it was the first place that turned me onto GOOD bbq, and I spent years working on my ribs game after having theirs back in the 90's. I used to buy a case of their spices at a time, by mail. They direct grill their ribs, several feet above the fire - so I guess you could call it "low direct heat" rather than indirect "smoked" ribs.