Hello again! Brainstorming a unicorn cooker.

[Esteman]

Hi folks, new here, found the appropriate subchannel, here goes. I want to know if it's possible for a wood-fueled cooker to be appropriate for whole-hog, indirect heat scenarios like smoking the usual suspects; direct heat scenarios such as grilling steaks, burgers and making paellas; and making pizza at extreme temperatures? Is it possible to have something like a fire pit (which I understand is standard for whole hog) designed with modifications like having cooking grates be set up (or be insertable) at different heights to control temperature through distance; a chamber off to the side to facilitate offset cooking, a covering that can facilitate diffusion and flow of smoke as well as guide the flame up and over, as pizza ovens do). Doesn't have to be portable. I'm not asking if it exists (if it does, great I would like to know), I'm asking if something like this would be theoretically possible and effective. And if it's possible but is not expected to be effective, what are some foreseeable shortcomings of a versatile cooker with the intended uses I detailed above? Pizza is not terribly crucial, it's more of a "would be nice". Thanks and cheers!

[RonB]

Is there a reason you want one "everything" cooker as opposed to several cookers to cover what you want to do?

DogFaced PonySoldier might be able to build something for you.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Yeah I dunno... Sounds like a tall task. Shipping would definitely be a problem. My relatives in Saint Vincent would love for me to ship one to them, too. Lol. I'm having trouble envisioning something that could do ALL of that, though... 2 or 3 things, maybe.

[Esteman]

Fair question. I guess it's a convenience thing: save space, energy making it, resources. But then again, it might not actually save any of that.

Having someone build something like that for me would be exciting. Shipping to the smallest of the Great Antilles may not be as exciting 🥲

[Esteman]

I guess one possible solution is to have the fire-pit be flexible (large surface area appropriate for whole-hog and large paella pans, levels to control temp through distance) and the have a committed offset cooker

[Esteman]

I was also drawn to fire pits because I'm not a welder and (possibly ignorantly) think it's easier and cheaper for an amateur to construct a cinder block fire-pit than anything else.

[Uncle Bob]

Do some data base searches for "Asado designs", might give you inspiration. There are a lot of different styles typical to Argentinian cooking. Probably won't contribute much for your admitted low priority pizza thing, but some of the aftermarket add on pizza ovens that resemble a box to be set above a fire, on the grate, might be a solution there.

[Esteman]

Understood 🫡 thanks!

[HawkerXP]

abc

[Esteman]

Huh, be careful what you wish for I guess 🤣

[Donw]

I’d like to learn more about what you would normally cook, and what methods do you use now for them before even venturing to respond.

[barelfly]

MGrills - check them out. May not be exactly what you want but??

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Spent a little more time reading through your post. I agree you want a "do it all" kind of cooker, and the problem with this is always one of compromises. There are lots of cookers out there that will do lots of things, but none of them well - or maybe 1 or 2 well, and some others 'less well'. It's just a limitation of the differences in types of cooking and necessary implementation of the various aspects you're looking for.

Honestly, the one I can think of that will do probably a good bit of what you're looking at is the Yoder YS-640S. It'll do offset, some direct and griddling cooking, even has a pizza oven attachment.

Of course, I don't thnk you'll be cooking whole hog on it.

Some kind of large offset cabinet smoker (large enough for a hog) might be doable, with an offset firebox and a 'cowboy grill' in the firebox - then you could construct a pizza hood for that portion somehow, I think.

It wouldn't be small. But it would cook a lot of food of various types. Not even that hard of a design, really. I think that's the best bet - and yes, this IS something you could conceivably construct out of cinder blocks. It's just a 2-chamber cooker with a grill on one side that has a communication with the upright cabinet for smoking, but essentially a convertible 'grill' on the smaller, side box.

Maybe I'm not making sense. I dunno. 6:40AM. No coffee yet.

[Michael_in_TX]

I was also drawn to fire pits because I'm not a welder and (possibly ignorantly) think it's easier and cheaper for an amateur to construct a cinder block fire-pit than anything else.

I almost went down this road when I first got started. After, how hard could it be? A lot of ciderblocks, some grates, an indirect side.....some form of a cover.

It's a perfect example of, for me, I didn't know what I didn't know.

What made me rethink my idea was how hard I struggled to maintain temps when trying to smoke in my Weber Kettle.

Still....it is a fun idea to think about.

[Mosca]

The more versatile a cooker gets, the less excellent it becomes at any one thing. Kamados are the perfect example. A kamado will do just about anything: grill, smoke, pizza, rotisserie, griddle inserts, roast veggies, skewers like a tandoor, etc.; but it isn’t the best at any of them. It’s really good at some of them, pretty good at most of the others, but not outstanding at any, but also not unacceptable at any of them, either. NOBODY is going to turn away from ribs, or brisket, or burgers, or chicken, or grilled corn or prime rib or anything you make on a kamado, as long as you cooked it right.

On the other hand, if you had a wood burner (KBQ, offset, etc) for smoking, and a Santa Maria for tri tips, and a griddle for smashburgers, and a charcoal grill for steaks and burgers and dogs, and a tandoor for chicken skewers, and a dedicated pizza oven… well, you’d be appreciably ahead of a kamado. I think even Dennis Linkletter would concede that. But you’d have spent more, and used up a lot more real estate, too.

“One cooker to do it all”, then, would look like all the best cookers for all the styles kinda mounted together on one platform, I think. That’s the best I can think of.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I could build 'em and put 'em all on one trailer. lol Best you're gonna get, I think!

[Esteman]

Folks, thanks for your thoughtful responses. I need to sit with these before responding, but I will say reading what y'all've had to say helped realize that those 5-6 things I listed initially aren't really on the same priority level for me.

[bbqLuv]

Pellet grill is my standard answer along with PBR.