Huskee a few questions about about your loaded Wichita.
How is the outside of your firebox holding up cosmetically?
Do you use lump charcoal to start your fire?
Is the charcoal basket add-on necessary for the firebox if you only plan to use it for smoking with logs or is that add-on specifically if you want to use it as a charcoal grill?
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Huskee a few questions about about your loaded Wichita.
How is the outside of your firebox holding up cosmetically?
Do you use lump charcoal to start your fire?
Is the charcoal basket add-on necessary for the firebox if you only plan to use it for smoking with logs or is that add-on specifically if you want to use it as a charcoal grill?
Is it difficult to keep clean?
Thanks!
The firebox needs some love. The expansion/contraction takes its toll on the paint, but I haven't done anything with it for resurfacing it yet. The main chamber is still in perfect shape and I don't cover mine at all. (I did the first year when I kept it indoors to keep bird poop from the barn off of it.)
I use half a chimney or so of briqs well lit, then lay them in the firebox once well lit and pile my logs on top.
I don't have a charcoal basket, just a grate. But I did get the firebox cooking grate, and I don' use it as much now that I have more kettle grills, but I did use it quite a bit the first 2 years and it works great.
No, the most difficult thing to keep clean is the chimney. I can't find (mostly because of lazy once-in-a-while-looking) a chimney brush small enough to use with my drill, but I need to get one. I cover the very bottom of the chamber and the heat management plate with foil and pop the holes out with my finger. It helps keep it clean by just periodically wrapping all the foil up and tossing & laying new. I scrape the inside of the chamber and lid after every 1 or 2 cooks with a scraper.
kenrobin my viewpoint is it's only a surface thing, affects function nada, and can be painted. Would take a hundred years to rust through1/4". But, go with your gut! jlazar Thanks!
I just went through this same dilemma and ended up with the Loaded Wichita. I have done a long cook on it now 5 times. First pork butt went poorly due to learning the grill, but everything else has turned out well.
In in terms of the temp differential, for my purpose I have found about a 30 degree differential from one side to the other. This is with my thermaworks thermometer not the built in unit. As some have suggested, I have used this temp differential to cook different types of meat on either side.
Also, I did purchase the charcoal basket. For me it has worked out really well. Last week I was able to start a brisket, go back to bed and keep fairly consistent temps for three and a half hours before waking back up.
Anyway, couldn’t be happier with my Yoder a few cooks in.
Thanks @JakeLester9
I’m still trying to decide between the Loaded Wichita, Lang or Lone Star Grillz (leaning towards LSG provided that shipping isn’t a back breaker) but no matter which one I go with, I am going to get a charcoal basket to use in the same way that you have used yours.
Bringing this post full circle..... thank you to everyone for sharing their thoughts, insights, links to podcasts, etc. as it gave me a lot to consider & reconsider. I found myself agonizing about whether I could make a decision & not have regrets.
I started out in favor of Lang & then Yoder's Loaded Wichita, then Shirley and back to Lang. I have to give a special shout out to Steve B for mentioning Lone Star Grillz which wasn't on my radar. After visiting their web site, watching videos & trying to find every possible comment about LSG online I finally pulled the trigger today and placed an order for LSG's 24x40 offset pipe smoker with a bunch of custom options.
The lead time is 14 weeks so the painful countdown begins but I can honestly say that I feel relieved to have made a decision. Now I need to find some good wood sources in the Bay Area.
Last edited by kenrobin; April 18, 2018, 06:30 PM.
Thanks FireMan
Yeah, looks like it won't be here for the 4th of July but that's OK. Hopefully I'll have enough cooks under my belt to show off for Labor Day, lol.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
Lonestar Grillz 24x36 offset smoker, grill, w/ main chamber charcoal grate and 3 tel-tru thermometers - left, right and center
Yoke Up custom charcoal basket and a Grill Wraps cover.
22.5 copper kettle w/ SnS, DnG, BBQ vortex, gasket and stainless steel hinge kit.
Napoleon gas grill (soon to go bye bye) rotting out.
1 maverick et-733 digital thermometer - black
1 maverick et-733 - gray
1 new standard grilling remote digital thermometer
1 thermoworks thermopen mk4 - red
1 thermoworks thermopop - red
Pre Miala flavor injector
taylor digital scale
TSM meat grinder
chefs choice food slicer
cuisinhart food processor
food saver vacuum sealer
TSM harvest food dehydrator
That’s awesome kenrobin Don’t know why I didn’t get a message about your windfall. I’m pumped for you. As Huskee said, if you need any help or advice just let me know.
Oh what options did wind up getting?
John "JR"
Minnesota/ United States of America
******************************************** Grills/Smokers/Fryers Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1 Karubeque C-60 Kamado Joe Jr. (Black) Lodge L410 Hibachi Pit Barrel Cooker Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer *******************************************. Thermometers
FireBoard (Base Package)
Thermoworks ThermaPen (Red)
Thermoworks MK4 (Orange)
********************************* Accessories Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2 Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
Bayou Classic 35K BTU Burner Eggspander Kit X2 Finex Cat Iron Line FireBoard Drive Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron Grill Grates Joule Water Circulator
KBQ Fire Grate Kick Ash Basket (KAB) X4 Lots of Lodge Cast Iron Husky 6 Drawer BBQ Equipment Cabinet Large Vortex Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum Marquette Castings No. 13 (First Run) Smithey No. 12 Smokeware Chimney Cap X 3 Stargazer No.10, 12 ******************************** Fuel FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal Kingsford Blue and White B&B Charcoal Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60 ************************************************* Cutlery Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife Dexter 12" Brisket Sword Global Shun Wusthof ********** Next Major Purchase Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
That’s awesome kenrobin Don’t know why I didn’t get a message about your windfall. I’m pumped for you. As Huskee said, if you need any help or advice just let me know.
Oh what options did wind up getting?
I ordered the 24x40 offset with a 1/4" firebox as it doesn't get too cold in this part of CA & I added these options:
- charcoal basket
- folding table
- brass ball valve
- temperature probe hole
- gas assist
- GURU thread adapter
- pull handle
- utensil hooks
- slide out ash pan
- fire poker & ash rake
- utensil storage rack
Is there anything else that I should consider? Do you use a temperature control device like the CyberQ, Flame Boss or Stoker?
I'll probably add LSG's vinyl cover since the custom ones from Grill Wraps are pretty pricey.
Awesome. They didn’t have a few of those options when I got mine. I got the folding table, ball valve,utensil hooks and the poker,rake and rack for them. The basket I got from "Yoke Up ministries". I liked that one better. But I haven’t looked at LSG’s baskets lately. Maybe better now
The pull out ash pan, temp probe hole and guru thing were not available then. And the1/2†fire grate is new
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