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Sneak Peek: NEW Smoker Review- Hunsaker Vortex Barrel Smoker

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    Sneak Peek: NEW Smoker Review- Hunsaker Vortex Barrel Smoker


    You first! Here we'll post news, gear reviews, videos, and recipes that will end up on the free site BEFORE it gets published there! To see all our NEW Recipes & Gear Reviews, visit the Sneak Preview channel here: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ew-for-members




    Hunsaker Vortex Barrel Smoker, by Max Good
    Hunsaker makes Upright Barrel Smokers for competition teams. Clever and useful features such as big competition-grade wheels, a floating lid hinge, wind resistant air intake and the unique Vortex Charcoal Basket differentiate Hunsaker from other brands. We tested and reviewed Hunsaker and award it our AmazingRibs.com Gold Medal.



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    #2
    I would like to try to run one of these. It would be weird to cook in a barrel and not hang the meat.

    Comment


    • Max Good
      Max Good commented
      Editing a comment
      You can hang meats in the Vortex.

    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Ah, I missed that part. I wonder how it cooks with the meat off to the side. I like to hang ribs and what not near the center of the charcoal basket, but maybe it doesn't matter with the air flow in the drum. Max Good

    #3
    Great review by Max Good, as always. The temp sensitivity seems a bit troublesome, but the engineer in me really digs the construction!

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      Like some cookers a little time and practice needed and things come together. I agree design and construction grab my interest.

    #4
    Very interesting, can't wait to hear some further comments on cooks. My only reluctance is the fan itself, any time you have a moving part inside a cooker, things can get kind of wonky once grease and smoke start to build up on the parts. I guess a good occasional cleaning would take care of things.

    I'm trying to remember, but wasn't there a recent cooker that employed a similar fan design???

    Comment


    • Max Good
      Max Good commented
      Editing a comment
      The is no fan. The Vortex Heat Plate is stationary. It does not spin.

    • Troutman
      Troutman commented
      Editing a comment
      Oh I thought air convection spun the fan to radiate heat move evenly. So it's a static convection about the blades. Thanks for pointing that out.

    #5
    Nice review ... but ... I have a hard time buying the "vortex" idea. Air isn't going to magically start rotating just because the stationary diffuser plate (which is what it really is) looks like some sort of impeller blade. For the most part, it's just going to rise vertically in the barrel. That said, the radially slotted plate probably does help to reduce the likelihood of hot spots forming in the barrel ... but a "vortex", I'm thinking not so much.

    Comment


    • Troutman
      Troutman commented
      Editing a comment
      There is a cooker on the market, and I'm racking my brain to think of it, that has a free wheeling propeller that spins when convected air rises from the fire. When I saw this I thought of that cooker, now if my brain will only begin to function and remember

    • aladdin4d
      aladdin4d commented
      Editing a comment
      It is possible to induce a vortex with a stationary "plate" with the right deflection. It's kind of a holy grail as a potential cooling system. That said. I don't know about this cooker really doing such a thing. I have a feeling maintaining a vortex would take more airflow than you would actually have or want. I'm technically under an NDA but here's a link to a patent. Image 6 shows one type of vortex inducing deflection plate. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170301375A1/en

    • chenrici
      chenrici commented
      Editing a comment
      Why not? „ Air is forced upwards from the center air intake (controlled by the foot operated air intake lever) into the hot charcoal. The hot air is then forced through the vortex plate at the correct angles causing the air inside the smoker to spin. The spinning air helps maintain a consistent temperature throughout the smoker. The vortex plate also acts as a heat deflector which helps reduce burned meat.“ No rocket science there.

    #6
    It looks interesting, but I guess if I am going hot and fast I would go with the proven PBC. On the vortex, it is stationary and does not spin:

    The plate is stationary and does not spin

    Comment


      #7
      Interesting, and it looks great.

      Comment


        #8
        Great looking unit, thanks for posting review

        Comment


          #9
          I have a bias, but at $800 I would buy a Kamado. For me that would eliminate the learning curve. of course, MCS is always stoked with the thought "I would like to try cooking on that." Could you lone me one for a couple of weeks? Max has a great job! He gets to try his hand on different cookers without needing to buy them.

          Comment


          • Potkettleblack
            Potkettleblack commented
            Editing a comment
            Was just going to say that $800 for a pretty UDS is a bit out of my expectation zone for a UDS.

          • chenrici
            chenrici commented
            Editing a comment
            Not really sure about the spending: I see many people spend tons on extras for the WSM and heard the PBC is not that durable. And, well with Kamados you certainly don‘t get that reactivity with the temp......
            Last edited by chenrici; November 9, 2019, 01:41 AM.

          #10
          This is what I cook on most weekends. I used to own a cheap offset smoker that finally rusted out after 15 years. I went with the barrel smoker since it was basically set and forget. Yes I visit it periodically and adjust the airflow but I usually can keep it within 10 degrees plus or minus without hovering over it. After feeding the beast for may years, I can now cook meat and do other things without worrying about putting more fuel in the fire box.
          Max Good stated that he had problems lighting the fire. I had questions on how to run the thing before I bought it and looked at the UDS sites,as well as the Pit Barrel Cooker recommendation on this site, to figure out if it was really what I wanted. I agree that Hunsaker does not give you much to work with as far as how these things work. I came away with lighting the fire by filling the basket about half full of charcoal and making a pit in the center. I start about 2 dozen briquettes in my starter and, when ashed over, dump them in the center, add about 4 chunks of wood, put the vortex plate on it and place the whole thing in the smoker. With that, it runs all day, I have never had to add more fuel. I have cooked both low & slow and hot & fast
          The barrel is supposed to be stainless steel. I figure that if my steel smoker, exposed to the weather, lasted 15 years, I should get considerably more life out of this one. Of course, at $800, I'm hedging my bets and covering the thing which I never did with my offset.
          Overall, I have really enjoyed it. So much so that I run it nearly every weekend I am home. Unlike my cheap offset, which had me preparing wood every hour, I just check it and tweak it on occasion which allows me to do other things around the house.

          Comment


          • Max Good
            Max Good commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks for sharing your experience with the Vortex Smoker. Happy holidays!

          • FireMan
            FireMan commented
            Editing a comment
            Double thanks, just what we needed!

          • chenrici
            chenrici commented
            Editing a comment
            Great, constructive and helpful feedback

          #11
          I find it fascinating the 22.5" WSM received a silver medal because of the difficulty in maintaining temps under 275, while an $800 barrel that is difficult to control temps and is for expert competition teams receives a gold medal. Max Good which of the two aforementioned products is the most difficult to operate? The 22.5" WSM or the Hunsaker Vortex Barrel Smoker? Thank you.

          Comment


          • Max Good
            Max Good commented
            Editing a comment
            Hunsaker developed some innovative features for their Vortex which we believe merits our AmazingRibs.com Best Value Gold Medal.

          • chenrici
            chenrici commented
            Editing a comment
            1) Vortex Fire Basket
            2) High Temp Powder coating
            3) Floating Lid Hinge
            4) Dolly type wheels and castor
            5) Bottom intake
            As options
            6) Hybrid Rack
            7) Rib Hanger
            8) Thermometer Holder
            All from one Hand
            And yes, all your cookers need your learning process, certainly true for the WSM
            Last edited by chenrici; November 9, 2019, 02:15 AM.

          #12
          Craigar I just noticed that you are in Papillion .... I consulted with Werner Enterprises for several years. Nice area (except when there's a blizzard)

          The thing about the WSM 22.5" is that it just takes a bit of tuning on the charcoal set up and you can run 225-250 pretty darn consistently. The key is that Weber's charcoal instructions are gauranteed to create a ridiculously large, hot fire. Once you start following the method used by Harry Soo, maintaining temps is easy.

          I do find it funny that the Weber website tells you that the WSM 22.5 will feed 6-8 people.

          Comment


          • Craigar
            Craigar commented
            Editing a comment
            ecowper We have been in Papio for about 20 years now and have watched the population double in that time. People in Omaha have caught on to us. Werner, they just keep on trucking.

            One of these years I will cut my losses with the Smoke E-Z for the 26.75" kettle and buy a WSM 22.5, since that is what I have had my eye on since they first came out.

            Feed 6-8 people? How big are these people? Or for how long will it feed 6-8 people on one cook? A week? Wow, that's crazy.

          • BriggsBBQ
            BriggsBBQ commented
            Editing a comment
            @Craiger what do you think of the Smoke E-Z? Seems like it would make the 26.75" into a massive WSM.

          • Craigar
            Craigar commented
            Editing a comment
            BriggsBBQ that's what I thought too. All in all it isn't too bad. I use it more like a PBC than a WSM. I have experienced some smoke leakage issues and plan to try and seal up the gaps between the lid and body. I hang half chickens in it and it cooks them like a champ. I'm not going to totally toss in the towel until I have exhausted all options on getting a handle on temps under 300°. I have bought a gasket, now I am going to wait until it warms up to install it.

          #13
          Craigar Your 26 must be wobbly when you add the Smoke EZ. I know mine is with my Arteflame.

          Comment


          • Craigar
            Craigar commented
            Editing a comment
            Attjack Yeah, she's a bit top heavy...but nothing like Dolly Parton. I am hoping one of these years I can build a table for it.

          • BriggsBBQ
            BriggsBBQ commented
            Editing a comment
            Craigar gotta love ole Dolly Parton.

          #14
          Well, lemmee see here Attjack & Craigar , in a discussion of a vortex drum cooker, did we manage to fit Dolly Parton into this equation?

          Comment


          • Craigar
            Craigar commented
            Editing a comment
            FireMan I figured a reference to Dolly was better suited to this forum than a reference to Morgana the Kissing Bandit.

          • FireMan
            FireMan commented
            Editing a comment
            Aha, now I understand. 🤔

          #15
          I watched Aaron Franklin’s MasterClass on fires. It’s interesting because he mentions a license plate or anything to deflect the airflow down in and offset creating a swirl of airflow. This keeps steady heat at the grate of an offset with large exhaust at the gate level. I’m thinking a offset fire would have a hotter fire and more airflow. But maybe that doesn’t matter.

          Comment

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