SUNDAY 9-21-08

[mikejr]

Originally Posted by KenP

I mix a few large chunks of hickory with the coal.

To get a long burn with coal I use the Minion Method. That's where you light 10-12 coals and then put them on top of your unlit coal. It works great.

Vermont Castings is a good product. So is Ducane, now owned by Weber, but I use the snot out of our grills. I'll replace the burners every couple of years, maybe less now that I've got the Performer and use it alot.

Are you talking about this type?
http://www.traegergrills.com/?gclid=...FQEGQQodCFoVeA
Rox just got one for her husband so you can ask her about it. I've read good things about them. A top notch product.

I like the Weber because you don't have to tend it constantly. The cheap offset smokers can be a real bear to maintain temps and the fire boxes are made of cheap metal and won't last. You need atleast 1/4" thick metal on the fire box. (That means don't get an offset from your local Home Depot.)

Ken,

The smoker i was looking at was a Bradley http://www.bradleysmoker.com/ Its a digital set and forget. Cold smoker with heat. Supposed to be a good unit from what i've read on the Cabelas reviews.

I do the same with my grills, always using it. Last weekend we did a drunken chicken. Those always come out great. Got a great can holder at Cabelas for making them.

I looked at all sorts of grills and what drew me to the Vermont Casting was the heavy castings they used on the lids and also the thick wall s/s piping they use for burners. My burners look like the day I took them out of the box. I was looking at some of the all s/s grills, but they lids seems cheap. I dont think I looked at Ducane or Webers.

I noticed with my cheapy brinkman that the temp is fidgity and takes alot of futzing around with the flame level to keep it in the optimum range.

I got one of those little Coleman grills for the Buffett concert, for being a portable grill it's really nice and did a nice job making tailgate fare.

So how long you be Q'in?

We've got a Smokey Bones close by and they make pretty good Q when I dont want to be tending to it all day long and am jonesing for some Q