Time to get serious about a new smoker.

[Flystripper]

Lame. Didn't even get to see if it works. Since we didn't get any actual smoked results I am guessing that it didn't work well at all.

[Drunk Tank]

Lame. Didn't even get to see if it works. Since we didn't get any actual smoked results I am guessing that it didn't work well at all.

I agree. I kinda skipped through the video, so I may have missed it. But did he put any type of seal around the door openings? That thing is going to leak air like a sieve. No way in hell I'd eat anything cooked on that.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Lame. Didn't even get to see if it works. Since we didn't get any actual smoked results I am guessing that it didn't work well at all.

This is part 1 of several videos. But it is such a dumb idea, that I am not going to link the other videos.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I can't tell you how many times I have served an awesome bbq meal to someone and they respond by claiming that they want to buy a smoker and start cooking ASAP. I always encourage them to be very cautious before dropping the $$$ because it takes a lot of practice and learning before you really get the hang of it. I think it is a fantastic hobby and I love it, but it is a big commitment and not for everyone.

Creekster, I am worried that I may have been a little too negative here. You don't need to be as gung-ho about it as some of us to still get a great amount of enjoyment out of it. Basic high-quality BBQ is not that difficult to do.

One thing that I love about this hobby is that it can lead to a lifetime of learning. I have been doing it for years, but I am still a hopeless amateur in many ways. I bet Drunk Tank has already forgotten more about BBQ than I currently know.

[Jeff Lebowski]

OK, I just made a lunch run out to BBQ Pit Stop in Lehi and had a long chat with Steve and Tina. Steve happens to be a regular participant in competitions. He said that there are about ten events each year right here in Utah. There is a major national event on the 24th of July weekend in Midvale (Friday and Saturday). Sam's Club hosts another fairly large event. There are also quite a few smaller events that are more geared to amateurs that want to give it a whirl without embarrassing themselves on a big stage. That sounds fun. He said the national comp circuit is incredible. Many of the teams have trailers and rigs that are worth $200-300K. This is really becoming a big deal. He has been doing quite well and has quite a few wins now.

I told him about our Stump Classic orders. He said that they are outstanding smokers and he knows lots of people that use them in comp. He uses an Assassin smoker (very similar to Stump) but he is switching to a Humphrey's smoker because Humphrey's is going to sponsor the team. It is a cabinet smoker, but it is not gravity fed. It uses a charcoal tray in the bottom. Interestingly, he said that he is starting to manufacture a gravity-feed smoker that is similar to Stumps/Assassin/etc. He showed me some photos. The coal chute will be in the rear and it will have a few tweaks, but similar to the basic Stumps design. He didn't mention a price (I didn't ask).

He said that he ALWAYS uses a Guru temp controller when he cooks. He has a CyberQ now and loves it. He said that the wifi temp control is the wave of the future and the high-end pellet smokers are starting to do it. He thinks within a year or two, the technology will be in all the smokers.

He said that Traeger is about to release a new series of high-end smokers (similar to Yoder, Mac, etc.). They will sell through dealers like his shop.

He said that we should see a bump in output quality going from Traeger to the cabinet smokers, especially for bigger cuts of meat like butts and briskets. He said they will shrink less and be more moist. And temps should hold within a degree or two with the Guru, no matter how cold it is. He said he loves to cook with a Big Green Egg because he thinks it gives the best flavor/quality meat. But the problem with the BGE is capacity. He said that the Stumps smokers should have the same quality as the BGE, but large capacity.

[TripletDaddy]

Assassin is an ex Stumps guy. Im not surprised all the knock off cabinets have chutes in the back. Stump has patented the design with chimney on the side so to steer clear of any issues, all the knock offs seem to be making that one change. Assassins are sweet. I love the look of those on the outside. They have a cool design.

Did you see the blue humphrey he has in the store? It is pretty nice. Was fun just playing around with it. It is built like a tank. I can only imagine what those Classics are going to feel like when they arrive

Did you happen to ask if he can get a discount on wifi gurus?

I am down for Midvale on Fri.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Assassin is an ex Stumps guy. Im not surprised all the knock off cabinets have chutes in the back. Stump has patented the design with chimney on the side so to steer clear of any issues, all the knock offs seem to be making that one change. Assassins are sweet. I love the look of those on the outside. They have a cool design.

Steve said he prefers the chute in the back. Not sure why. I would rather have it on the side. He also said that there are very few patents on a lot of these smoker features. For whatever reason, they don't bother patenting a lot of this stuff so it isn't that hard to make knock-off products.

I imagine his smokers will be cheaper. But I would be a little nervous being a guinea pig on a new design.

Did you see the blue humphrey he has in the store? It is pretty nice. Was fun just playing around with it. It is built like a tank. I can only imagine what those Classics are going to feel like when they arrive

Yes, I did. And I had the same reaction. But I think the gravity feed design will be much better.

Did you happen to ask if he can get a discount on wifi gurus?

Yes. He said that he can make us a deal if we buy two.

I am down for Midvale on Fri.

[creekster]

Creekster, I am worried that I may have been a little too negative here. You don't need to be as gung-ho about it as some of us to still get a great amount of enjoyment out of it. Basic high-quality BBQ is not that difficult to do.

One thing that I love about this hobby is that it can lead to a lifetime of learning. I have been doing it for years, but I am still a hopeless amateur in many ways. I bet Drunk Tank has already forgotten more about BBQ than I currently know.

Hmmm. I am going to get out and look at smokers soon.

[TripletDaddy]

Yes. He said that he can make us a deal if we buy two.

what about if we buy several? anyone else here looking to get into a wifi guru? i dont need it until Sep but if we get a group together, I wonder if we shouldnt just call DigiQ directly and make an order?

[FMCoug]

what about if we buy several? anyone else here looking to get into a wifi guru? i dont need it until Sep but if we get a group together, I wonder if we shouldnt just call DigiQ directly and make an order?

I'd be down for it.

[Green Monstah]

what about if we buy several? anyone else here looking to get into a wifi guru? i dont need it until Sep but if we get a group together, I wonder if we shouldnt just call DigiQ directly and make an order?

Interested for sure. I all depends on if I can convince the Mrs.

[kccougar]

That's great. Sounds like a fun job.

ive cooked for a couple of gatherings ranging from 45 or so to around 120. The 120 was my SILs wedding reception and I did pulled pork. Seemed like I was up all night, running around everywhere, and when it was done I was exhausted. When I hear about guys who do this for hundreds and hundreds of people, and on a regular basis, it blows my mind. But it still sounds like a fun gig!

Speaking of these large rigs, I wish utah would develop a bigger presence with KCBS. There are a lot of smokers in this state and, at the very least, a lot of hicks hayseeds rednecks beer swillers and overweight people who love to eat cue. Imagine one annual KCBS event with good prize money..host at the SL Fairgrounds or something over the course of a weekend. What a party. I would love to just walk around and ask questions all day, sampling stuff as I went.would also be fun to see the different pits people use. Heck even put together a CS comp team to try our hand at it. You live pretty close to Vegas and could get to some of these things more regularly, at least. You should take advantage of that. I know I would.

https://www.facebook.com/daysof47bbq

Days of '47 bbq competition in Murray Park this weekend.

[Drunk Tank]

Sweet. I may have added something to go check out while I'm in Park City this weekend. Where is Murray Park and how close to Park City? I cant get on Facebook at work.

[TripletDaddy]

Sweet. I may have added something to go check out while I'm in Park City this weekend. Where is Murray Park and how close to Park City? I cant get on Facebook at work.

google maps...that's a good one, too.

[cougjunkie]

https://www.facebook.com/daysof47bbq

Days of '47 bbq competition in Murray Park this weekend.

31 teams so far. Cameron from Bam Bam's has entered. That looks like fun.