Upgrading to an Offset, need some help!

[kboy24]

I Have a Traeger Jr and I luv it. I also have the Yoder Loaded Witchita offset which is just bad to the bone. I use the Traeger with little cooks like Ribs, Brisket, etc.. When I unwrap the Yoder then it becomes playtime!!!! Takes a bit more effort to get the yoder to do it's thing but ya dial them in with use and I just feel stick burners are the BEST.. I also got the Weber 3 burner with 10 year warranty for grilling . Best to ya, Kevin

[CandySueQ]

I'll bet that's a humdinger of a class! I love Paul's recipes in the Bullsheet every month.

[CandySueQ]

I can pull the firepot out of my Jambo and just use the fan to push a wood fire. Works well to get a blast of smoke (and to light the pellets when I switch over!).

[LeeAvirett]

In response to kboy24, Gator pits are simply extremely well made off set pits, but are not like reverse draft Lang's. Lang's cook by radiation AND convection. This makes a difference in meat flavor from juices hitting solid metal barrier under the meat and smoke traveling over the top of the meat. Cooking is faster due to heat below and above meat. Cooking chamber heat is more even since it travels from one end of the cooker and back again before exiting the stack. They function differently while looking somewhat similar.

[kboy24]

I myself have a Yoder "Loaded Wichita" which I luv!! I"ve heard great things about Lang but I think I'd give the nod to Gator Pit. Those just seem so well designed and built. Definitely Gator Pit. Check his videos and you'll see. Whichever way ya go bro you will be a winner!!!!! Luv the stick burner and people trip out over them

[Beefchop]

I've thought about going to his school since I have a Shirley, and it's also a reverse flow with the baffle plate design! Thanks for the great write up.

[LeeAvirett]

Just returned from Lang's Q School taught by none other than Paul Kirk, six-time grand champion and master chef. He is 77 now and really knows his stuff. Here is what I learned: The reverse draft cookers produce meat flavor like no other grills I have owned in past 50 years. Lang's 30 years of experience really shows in every aspect of construction, e.g., height of the stack, elevation of meat rack above heat baffle, solid quarter inch steel, etc. The fact that meat juices constantly drip on to the heat baffle produces a sweet flavor that is lacking in other grill styles. Each student cooked five meats while the class was conducted mostly inside the building. About every hour we would all go out and check our temps and usually add just one stick of hickory wood. Nothing could have been easier or more forgiving. We did not have to baby sit these grills. Folks cooked on a yard full of grills from their Patio Models 36 and 48 all the way up to some very large ones. Without exception, everyone got the same beautiful results for their chicken, patty sausage, brisket, butt, and ribs. We used them in the hot/fast mode of 325 degrees and were able to serve the brisket for lunch after only 4.5 hours and it was fork tender and smoked to competition perfection. A full packer brisket like that would normally take nearly three times that long, but cooking it half the time in the smoke and then finishing it covered in a metal pan with a quarter inch of broth in the bottom steamed it super tender. To sum up, the heat baffle produces meat flavors that only a reverse flow can produce; the meat is cooked by radiant heat from the baffle and convection heat over the top of the meat; the fire burns very clean with only a lightly colored smoke which produces sweet flavors without creosote and formaldehyde condensing on the meat as occurs in many types of grills; and with 30 years of experience Ben Lang knows how to perfect his grills. Its the closest thing to the flavors of open-pit style cooking that I have seen. I am getting one of the Patio 48 models so I have plenty of room to cook lots of meat but yet no excess capacity. These grills will put your Q up on a competition shelf!

[mrteddyprincess]

The Lang came this week. Seasoned it on Wednesday. Did a dry run tonight just to play with the fire box and managing temps. So far I've done two cooks to see if I could keep steady temps. One at 325 F and tonight at 275 F. I get about 1.5 hrs of hold time with no change to the vents. After about 1.5 hrs it needs more wood. So much more efficient than my old COS. Planning a cook on Sunday.

[smokinfatties]

I would highly recommend the Jambo Backyard. such an awesome smoker to cook on! And I think if you call Jamie you can find out when he's fixing to fabricate some of the back yards and he could probably put a single door (versus the doubles it usually comes with) on it to accomodate piglets- you won't be disappointed!

[Steve B]

Jon Liebers I also have a large BGE. and will not lie a stick burner definitely requires a lot of attention. You will typically have to add fuel, splits, every 30-45min in most cases. occasionally an hour but that's about it, and you will have temp swings, but once you learn your cooker fire management and temp control becomes much easier.

[Jon Liebers]

looks great. I have never before had a stick burner, I use a BGE . So how would you compare (if you can) the fire maintaince, especially on long cooks . Does it require lots more attention or ....? don't want to get in over my head.

[Steve B]

Jon Liebers kinda funny you asked about the weather. The very first cook I did on my LSG was a 5lb prime rib in Torrential rains. I think we got 2-1/2-3” during the cook. That being said I have had no issues with weather using the cooker. In really cold temps I keep a larger firebed going. One thing I do have is a 9’ patio umbrella over the smoker so rain and snow aren’t an issue at all.
Any more questions please feel free to ask.

[Jon Liebers]

Steve, I am also in Central NJ and I am curious what its like to smoke during our colder months. Have you had experience in Jan. Feb ? also how does it do during rain or snow?
I have been wanting something with more capacity than our LG BGE and performer. My two concerns are weather, and I have no experience with fire management of a stick burner, any thoughts appreciated

[Beefchop]

Yes, the warming box can get down to 150 deg. F. depending on the design of the cooker and how you run it. Mine runs 20-30 deg. lower than the main chamber when I draft through it, closer to 50 deg. F. when being used as a warming chamber.

[Huskee]

I have a trailer mounted off-set grill. Lots of modifications, buffers, internal temperature, lowered chimney, etc. Way better than it used to be. QUESTION: has anyone mounted a small slow fan to simulate a convection chamber. I guess similar to Traeger grills, It sounds like a pretty good idea, but where would you put it...Both my sons-in-law have Traegers and tease me constantly. I'm kinda old school and just can't get my head around pellets.

I blow my BBQ Dragon into my firebox on occasion. I absolutely love it for that. Get some good rechargeables and it'll go on low all day long, low is all I need.

Plus, off the record I'm with you on pellets, at least for most things. I've considered a pellet grill for things I purposely don't want a lot of smoke flavor on but still some, like turkeys or prime rib. But I kinda like running my own smoker instead of a power cord & circuit board running it. We're a crazy bunch aren't we...