Welcome!

**ecowper** · December 20, 2016, 09:23 PM

WHEN I build my outdoor kitchen (this spring) .... I am putting a Hasty-Bake in it. Gives me the best of charcoal, the best of a smoker, the best of direct sear, high heat ...... Here's the Hasty-Bake Fiesta .... although there's an even higher end HB for built-in

Welcome to the Pit!

**LA Pork Butt** · December 20, 2016, 09:49 PM

I have a friend who wouldn't even think about cookin on charcoal-gas only. He built an outdoor kitchen with a gas grill and a Primo. Now he rarely cooks on anything but the Primo. If money and space were no object I would get a Primo or other ceramic which can smoke, roast as good if not better than most charcoal grills, a gas grill for really quick cooks, and a Weber 26" with a SlowNSear for ease of reverse sear on a charcoal grill. Of course the size of your unites would be determined by how many people you cook for and how often.

**Breadhead** · December 20, 2016, 11:37 PM

Hmmm... there is no correct answer to your question. I agree with ecowper that the Hasty-Bake is probably the best most versatile charcoal grill and smoker combo available. Being able to raise or lower your briquettes at will is an outstanding feature!

However... if you are going to bake pizza, bread, cookies and cakes or wok Chinese food a Kamado would be very fitting. A Kamado is a great grill, if you know how to use it for that plus... it's a set it and forget it smoker also. Then there's baked beans and sphagetti sauce too. ANYTHING you can cook in your kitchen, you can cook on a Kamado.

I have a large BGE, a 26" Weber Kettle with the SnS and a 4 burner gasser. I have grillgrates for each cooker and a BBQ Dragon that allows me to manipulate my cooking temperatures quickly on my charcoal cookers.

With those 3 cookers and the gear I've acquired to make them do what I want I can cook ANY food that requires heat transfer to make it a successful cook... I've made bernaise sauce on my BGE before.👌

You might want to add 1 or 2 Sous Vide circulators to your assortment too.👍 They're good indoors or outdoors.

**Nate** · December 21, 2016, 05:54 AM

Welcome from Indiana.

when in doubt on what cooker to go with then I always recommend the following: Go with ALL of them!

**fauxQ** · December 21, 2016, 06:16 PM

So many wise suggestions! The Hasty-Bake is an option I had considered but for capacity I'd probably go with the Hastings model.

Hasty-Bake The Hastings Built-In Charcoal Grill : BBQGuys

http://www.bbqguys.com/item_name_Hasty-Bake-The-Hastings-Built-In-Charcoal-Grill_item_10949.html

This Hasty-Bake Hastings Built-In Charcoal Grill is perfect for slow, indirect cooking as well as conventional grilling. The Hastings features all 304 grade stainless construction, 1194 sq inches of total cooking surface; stainless steel cooking grids; two individually controlled fire boxes which allow for simultaneous direct and indirect cooking; 40. 75 x 9. 75 inch removable warming rack; rollback hood design to allow for unobstructed access to the entire grilling area; double doors on front to allow for easy access to charcoal and cleaning; and dual thermometers guaranteed to be 99 percent accurate. 10 year warranty. Cutout Dimensions (in inches): 44 W x 21 1/4 D x 18 H. Grill must be supported from the bottom.

Is it just me, or does that Hasty-Bake built in not look like a ~$4K product? I hate to be shallow, but when I see pics of these built in...they just don't look right. Maybe they look better in person than the photos.

For just a bit less, I had been considering this built-in offset smoker from Texas Pitcrafters:

Texas Barbecues 500 Stainless Brick-In Barbecue Pit/Smoker : BBQGuys

http://www.bbqguys.com/item_name_Texas-Barbecues-500-Stainless-Brick-In-Barbecue-Pit-Smoker_item_6078.html

The Texas Barbecues 500 Stainless Brick-In Barbecue Pit/Smoker features 1100 sq in of cooking surface. Cooking grids are built of stainless steel round bar and stainless expanded metal. Grill is constructed of high quality, 304 stainless steel and features a removable heavy gauge charcoal/water pan located in main pit chamber. The Firebox on the side of the grill also gives you the ability to cook on it. Lift the lid on the Firebox and there is a cooking grid that is 11 x 17 with a steel plate underneath it. You can cook on the plate or over your coals directly. The Firebox also has a removable ash pan for easy clean up. Includes large, easy to read thermometer. Includes stainless steel hardware and hinges. Lifetime burnout warranty on firebox. Cooking Grid Dimensions (in inches): Main Grid is 33x18, the Warming Rack is 33x9 and the Smoker Box Grid is 11x17. Smoker Box Dimensions (in inches): 20. 5 front to back, 15 tall, 18 left to right. GRILL ONLY ISLAND NOT INCLUDED. THE ACCESS DOOR IS NOT INCLUDED.

One can add the option of a height-adjustable charcoal tray and a double-walled firebox that can be built in. Plus, it has the advantage of being able to use it as a stick burner. But I already have my pellet grill...but more than a few times I wished I had more capacity. The cooking surface is pretty comparable to the H-B option. It also looks more bad-ass to my eye than the H-B.

This is an intriguing alternative to the Hasty-Bake with dual slide out adjustable drawers for charcoal:

Sunstone 42-Inch Built-In Dual Zone Charcoal Grill - SUNCHDZ42 : BBQGuys

http://www.bbqguys.com/item_name_Sunstone-42-Inch-Built-In-Dual-Zone-Charcoal-Grill-SUNCHDZ42_item_2872834.html

Sunstone offers a unique and durable built-in charcoal grill that any charcoal enthusiast will love. This unique 42-inch charcoal grill has a dual zone drawer system for two separate temperature zones on your grill and easily refilling charcoal or wood as you cook. Use one side of the grill for high heat grilling and the other side for low and slow indirect cooking. There are two levels of trays inside each drawer. The bottom tray can be used as a water pan for smoking while the adjustable top tray with pass-thru heat flavorizer racks can be loaded with your choice of wood. Each drawer face has adjustable vents along with one on the hood allow you to control the heat and air flow. The SUNCHDZ42 grill has 780 square inches of main cooking area, 280 square inches of warming area for a total of 1060 square inches. Made of heavy-duty 304 stainless steel, the grill also includes a removable warming rack and smoker box.

Made in China...and there is little about this brand that I can find. Looks properly made though.

The sous-vide suggestion is a good one. I have one already and use it often for thick steaks, salmon, etc. Alas, one loses some of the smokey flavor one gets from doing the reverse sear in the pellet cooker...but it would help with capacity in a pinch.

If I take a step back and think about what I tend to make for large gatherings it will typically include:

Pulled pork and/or ribs (that can be done now on my pellet cooker, but capacity is often limited)

Burgers, steaks (slow cooked, then seared). This is where it gets tricky if one needs to do multiple batches: keeping a slow side and a sear side both handy. Going back and forth with the same set of coals can be tricky.

Dogs/brauts are easy but often don't have enough room to toast the buns. The kids usually don't care.

Pizza. I use my pellet cooker for pizza now and they turn out great. I have a friend with a BGE and his pizzas are also killer. It would be good to have a ceramic cooker for that purpose.

If I'm doing sides (pasta, mac and cheese, rice, potatoes, etc.) I will probably get a portable plug-in induction hob rather than take permanent counter space with a built-in side burner.

So a ceramic gets me added smoking capacity, pizza option, and slow cooking burgers/steaks but then I need a separate searing option (hence the sear station vs full gasser).

The Hasty-Bake with 2 charcoal trays could give me the slow/sear reverse setup I'm seeking (as does the Sunstone) but I could also do a Primo XL and a 34" Blaze Pro gasser (for searing and whatever else) for about the same cost. Or the H-B Fiesta plus a gasser... Or do what Nate suggests and get 'em all! It's a fun problem to have.

FWIW, the designer who is helping with planting and hardscape planning is the one who is pushing for an outdoor kitchen and making the argument that not having a gasser is going to make it harder to sell our house. We plan to be in this house for at least 10-12 years. I'd rather make the best kitchen for our needs and deal with the resale issue down the road.

Ironically, until she came along, I was planning on just putting 1 or 2-26" Weber kettles with S&S near the pool. That plan didn't pass WAF and now we are on this outdoor kitchen odyssey. I shouldn't complain...it is a first-world problem to have.

Any further thoughts? Apologies for the long, winding, post. It reflects my indecision...

**FireMan** · December 21, 2016, 06:59 PM

I know a guy who either can build or at least give you plans for a nifty plywood smoker. I'll have to check, there is a thread around here somewhere about it.

**fuzzydaddy** · December 21, 2016, 07:52 PM

Welcome to The Pit fauxQ! Thanks for your introduction and congrats on your upcoming purchases and having an outdoor kitchen!

Although you've been with us for some time (and likely read this dozens of times on others' intros), here's your very own link to the homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

Also, it's very important that you:

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Hope to hear & see more from you!

**DWCowles** · December 21, 2016, 08:04 PM

Welcome fauxQ

**ecowper** · December 21, 2016, 09:57 PM

fauxQ if I could only put one grill in the kitchen, and I wasn't concerned with cost, it would be the Hasty-Bake Hastings. No doubt in my mind. Although you would be surprised at how much grill capacity the Fiesta has ... it's essentially the same grill as the Gourmet, which I own. I can do 4 pork butts easy, 6 with a bit of work. I've cooked 40 chicken thighs on it in one batch.

Since I already have a Hasty-Bake Gourmet and a WSM 22, I'm thinking when I build my fancy built-in grilling station this spring, I will build in a Fiesta. That will give me the same cook capacity as a Hastings, just on two separate Hasty-Bakes. Plus the WSM can handle a TON of food also.

You plan to live here 10-12 years, I wouldn't worry about resale issues. I've been in my current place since 2001 and plan to be here at least 10 more years. I'm doing stuff for me. I know I would be unhappy with some of the decisions that I would make for resale. Like putting a built-in gasser. When time comes to sell, I can probably pull the Hasty-Bake and put something in that works for resale.

**Huskee** · December 22, 2016, 07:14 AM

Welcome to The Pit fauxQ! Thanks for your support. Wow, choices choices. From far far away where I sit, I don't think you can go wrong with any options. You can just go 'righter' with some over others.

The important thing to consider is not which cooker(s) do you want to put in your kitchen now, but which cooker are you going to realistically WANT to use 5 years from now, long after the fact? Will you be happy with the Hasty Bake, the offset, the Primo, etc? Will you find yourself not liking one or the other for its lack of something or the other, perhaps its lack of efficiency, or its lack of simultaneous 2-zones, its lack of playing with fire, etc. Each type as you're probably well aware has unique strengths, but they also have weaknesses. Please consider the weaknesses of each cooker type and see if it will fit in with the style and preferences of the future you before its too late!

In either case, we'd all love to hear & see your final choice!

**Breadhead** · December 22, 2016, 09:37 AM

fauxQ ... said

"So a ceramic gets me added smoking capacity, pizza option, and slow cooking burgers/steaks but then I need a separate searing option (hence the sear station vs full gasser)."

You don't need a separate searing station with a Kamado cooker. You just need to know how to change your set up from baking to searing. That can be done quickly and by just inverting 1 grate.

Attached Files

**Breadhead** · December 22, 2016, 11:22 AM

ecowper ...

Every cooker has a work around! Using a Kamado for 5 years has allowed lots of trials and tribulations. When I first got my BGE I was extremely disappointed on how my steaks came out. That was the very first discussion I had with Meathead in AR. He said to me you've got a great outdoor oven but Kamado's don't make good grills because you can't get your meat close enough to the direct heat to get a good sear.

I thought about what he said and I knew he was correct. I started fiddling around with different ways to overcome that problem knowing I had to bake the meat at 225° for the first half of the cook and then I had to reposition the meat to within 2" of the Warp 10 lump to get a really good sear. Then I had to figure out how to get my lump from a 225° cooking temperature to 600° or 700° searing temperature quickly.

That's when I deducted that doing a reverse sear on a Kamado cooker was NOT a left & right thing, like on a kettle, it was an up & down thing. Over the last 5 years I've fiddled with many different techniques and various grates to simplify the reverse sear on my BGE. The biggest leap forward was the day I determined I really didn't need to use my plate setter at all. Not having to install it or remove it during to cook made the system much, much easier, more SIMPLE. I'm a YUGE believer in the keep it simple stupid process!!! The next big leap was discovering the BBQ Dragon. That made going from 225° to 600° a 1 minutes process. Making everything quick and simple.👍

You see all the gadgets above I use for the reverse sear process on my BGE with the exception of my leave in meat thermometer, my Thermapen and my long handle meat hook I use to flip the meat during the searing process can be seen too.

Having tamed the short falls of a ceramic cooker described in the AR description of ceramic cookers I feel there is no cooker that is more versatile than a Kamado. Especially after CeramicChef blew my mind introducing the smoke pot technique of how to distribute the proper amount of smoke to your meat easily.

As you can see the reverse sear on my BGE has become simple and as good as I can get on my 26" Weber kettle with my SnS. Now... I have a cooker that is unchallenged as the best outdoor pizza oven, bread oven, then lets make cookies and cakes for the grandkids.

Then there's woking, baking beans, making meat sauce for sphagetti. Your options are limitless.🙀

Shall we add a 16 hour no peek smoke cook option too?🙈

**fauxQ** · December 22, 2016, 05:08 PM

Breadhead wrote: "I agree... a Hasty-Bake + Tri-Tip were made for each other! They really are a mini Santa Maria grill because of that raise and lower your briquette feature. I've often wondered why more grill/BBQ manufactures don't copy that feature??? They can't still have any patent protection on it."

Other makers have a similar raise/lower system for the charcoal. Reference the Sunstone charcoal grill I mentioned above. The Texas Pitcrafter smoker/charcoal grill has the option to raise and lower the charcoal bed. Likewise, Cajun grills and Firemagic do as well. What only the Sunstone and the Hasty-Bake have is the pull out drawer for adding more charcoal. Others, you have to move food around, pull up a grate, and add from the top.

**fauxQ** · December 22, 2016, 05:49 PM

Thanks all for your further input. I've put in some comments where I could. Clearly, there are those who are advocates of the setup that has worked for them. This type of real world experience is invaluable. What we rarely get from reviews is the nitty gritty of how to accomplish different tasks, the burden of cleaning out ash or grease, etc. I haven't made much progress on the actual decision front...but the learning process continues. Keep your thoughts coming...

Thanks,

Jay

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