Who makes the best stick burner out there?

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I like the twin stainless stack option on the PCC cooker.  Neat feature of being able to turn them so the wind doesn't affect their draft, plus, them being at two levels makes for ultimate control.  It would take a lot of trial and error to master coordinating them, but should work like a champ once you do.  "Course I'm far from an expert, but that smoker really appeals to me more than the Lang.  Now if they just made a reverse flow model! (AND i won the lotto;-)I want to keep the price as close to $2500 as possible. With shipping, the Lang 48 would be $2400. PCC emailed me the list of options and prices, and for the same price I can get an insulated fire box and pneumatic tires on the PCC. The adjustable baffle would be awesome to have, but it's an extra $300. So I can pick up the PCC the next time I visit family in the area for the same price after all is said and done as getting a Lang shipped. But like you said, the attention to detail (oil impregnated hinges) puts the PCC in the lead for which I will buy next spring...hopefully. I may start a thread just to see if anyone has a PCC backyard model they can give some input on. There are plenty of Lang owners on these forums who can give testimony for theirs, but not as many for PCC.
I never used a RF, so the PCC would be more normal to me than a Lang. However, I wouldn't mind learning it if I bought a Lang!!

Jambo has a reputation for being top notch, and their fireboxes on the same size pits are the same as PCC. May be an overkill a bit, but it works and I won't argue with them :)

The wife likes the PCC as well, simply because it loos "cooler and meaner" than the Lang, haha.
 
I'm really liking those Peoria Custom Cooker rigs!!!!  sure wish I could afford one!
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If you get one, you gotta post up lots of pics of it and the Q
 
 [h1]Who makes the best stick burner out there?[/h1]
Ribwizzard.........    
After looking at some of his build threads, I just might be inclined to agree!  I didn't state in the thread, but I was referring to factory built smokers though.  I still plan on doing a build this winter and will be stealing several of RW's ideas
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I have looked at the PCC website and watched the various videos. I find it interesting that they are the first manufacturer, I've seen, that designs their smokers to either have a uniform temp across the smoke chamber or variable zones claiming many Comp Pros desire the variation in temp. Most companies I looked at Brag about how their cookers are designed for spot on even heat across the entire unit. I am particularly interest in the Meat Monster...Comments gentlemen?...JJ
 
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Yeah, the Meat Monster lives up to its name...the thing is a beast! I've seen it at a couple comps (I was a spectator, not a comp) and it looks like it definitely will get the job done. Sadly, I can't afford it
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JJ, if you call PCC, I'm sure Sarah (that's who I talked to) will let you know who in your area might have the MM, so you can go take a look at it. She offered that info for me.

For their backyard model, like radio stated, having the 2 smoke stacks (1 for high, 1 for low draw) along with the adjustable baffle should give you the ultimate in temp control. Not to mention it's another cool part of the toy to mess around with! I would probably not get the baffle, 1) I'll be pinching pennies as it is and the adjustable baffle is another $300, and 2) I just cook for family/friends, which the regular fixed baffle should be fine for.
 
 
Yeah, the Meat Monster lives up to its name...the thing is a beast! I've seen it at a couple comps (I was a spectator, not a comp) and it looks like it definitely will get the job done. Sadly, I can't afford it
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JJ, if you call PCC, I'm sure Sarah (that's who I talked to) will let you know who in your area might have the MM, so you can go take a look at it. She offered that info for me.

For their backyard model, like radio stated, having the 2 smoke stacks (1 for high, 1 for low draw) along with the adjustable baffle should give you the ultimate in temp control. Not to mention it's another cool part of the toy to mess around with! I would probably not get the baffle, 1) I'll be pinching pennies as it is and the adjustable baffle is another $300, and 2) I just cook for family/friends, which the regular fixed baffle should be fine for.
What?!?!?!  You're not gonna opt for the twin swiveling chrome stacks?!?!?!
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  You notice they use a real axle with honest to goodness wheel bearings under the smoker?  They sure don't take any shortcuts and I am terribly impressed with their attention to detail!

JJ:  I don't see how you could go wrong with the Meat Monster!  My neighbor who has won countless competitions in Tennessee and neighboring states has a cooker with a rotisserie and it does an awesome job!  He turns out the best Pulled Pork I've ever had and the second best Brisket. 

There was an old Black Gentleman in Muskogee Oklahoma that had him beat, but not by much.  Not sure if you ever heard of Slick's BBQ, but it was truly the good stuff.  He had his shop in an old converted 3 bedroom house and tour busses would detour miles out of their way to stop there
 
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AArrrggg!! How could I forget about the smoke stacks?!?!

The options seem to be totally in your favor to produce the perfect temp, in the area you want within the smoker. Like you said, the attention to detail blows my mind. The oil impregnated bearings, the dexter axle, all the options that are available, it's great. Also, they are the only company that also puts that attention to detail to their website. How many other companies have a 99 slide voice over PowerPoint talking about their cooker? Top notch as far as I can tell.

Just in the last few days discussing the cooker, I am 85% sure I will go with PCC next year and not Lang.
 
 
Just in the last few days discussing the cooker, I am 85% sure I will go with PCC next year and not Lang.
Soooo, what can I do to help up that percentage in favor of the PCC?
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   I'm looking at every great factory smoker I can find to compare the different designs and steal the best of them to incorporate into a build this winter.  After looking at very closely at all the cookers that have been named in this thread, the PCC is the one I would buy if I had the dinero.  I was convinced I wanted to build a reverse flow, but that PCC makes me question that logic.
 
Hi Radio,

Call Dave Klose. You didn't specify what size cooker you are looking for but call Dave.

bbqpits.com if memory serves, if you hunt around you can find his direct line or the ladies in his office can find him if he ain't down at the coast.

Lets face it, in a lot of respects a pit is, in fact, a pit. Its the learning curve and the ease of operation that make the difference. Dave doesn't use a lot of electronics on the pit its self, he hand tunes every pit himself (If you want him to) and has cooked forever. The little things he does make all the difference.

--T
 
The wife just said/suggested something that shocked me...."What about the one that you can tow behind the truck?" Ba-Booom! Blew.My.Mind. I was trying to beg/borrow/steal from her just to get a backyard patio cooker and then she said that. Now I get the option of a cooker on a trailer? Wow! Completely blindsided me. So now it's a matter of a Lang 48 mobile vs a Peoria cooker with certain options. Man, deciding which to get in the springtime isn't getting easier!

From reading posts of this and other forums, the Lang holds a pretty even temp across the chamber. The PCC might have some hot/cold spots unless I get the adjustable baffles. So do I want the hot/cold spots (sometimes they come in handy), or a more even temp? I wish there were people that have cooked on both. That seems to be pretty rare.
 
 
Hi Radio,

Call Dave Klose. You didn't specify what size cooker you are looking for but call Dave.

bbqpits.com if memory serves, if you hunt around you can find his direct line or the ladies in his office can find him if he ain't down at the coast.

Lets face it, in a lot of respects a pit is, in fact, a pit. Its the learning curve and the ease of operation that make the difference. Dave doesn't use a lot of electronics on the pit its self, he hand tunes every pit himself (If you want him to) and has cooked forever. The little things he does make all the difference.

--T
Unfortunately I'm not in a position to unload a bundle on a cooker and plan to build one this winter after I gather materials. 

Those pits By Klose do look awesome though! 
 
 
The wife just said/suggested something that shocked me...."What about the one that you can tow behind the truck?" Ba-Booom! Blew.My.Mind. I was trying to beg/borrow/steal from her just to get a backyard patio cooker and then she said that. Now I get the option of a cooker on a trailer? Wow! Completely blindsided me. So now it's a matter of a Lang 48 mobile vs a Peoria cooker with certain options. Man, deciding which to get in the springtime isn't getting easier!

From reading posts of this and other forums, the Lang holds a pretty even temp across the chamber. The PCC might have some hot/cold spots unless I get the adjustable baffles. So do I want the hot/cold spots (sometimes they come in handy), or a more even temp? I wish there were people that have cooked on both. That seems to be pretty rare.
What do you plan to do with it??? If your goal is 20+ Butts for a catering gig or large picnic...A reverse flow with very even heat across the smoker will get all the done fairly close together. If your goal is to smoke 2 Packer Briskets, 6 Butts and 20 Chicken Halve all at the same time or you plan to Compete in 4 events. A Smoker with tuning plates and the ability to have different Temp Zones will save you from having to purchase multiple cookers and holding equipment. The Lang tends to shine in the latter situation because the Deluxe or Hybrid have even heat Smokers with a Warming/Low and Slow Box over the Firebox, nice feature. I looked hard at the Meat Monster for the versatility until I saw the $11,000 price tag. You can get a couple of the smaller cooker running at different temps for that kind of money...JJ
 
Thanks for the info/reply JJ,

I plan on using whatever smoker I get for mostly family/neighborhood cooks. My wife has 86, 1st cousins alone, so you can see how a family gatherin can be large.I'm not into the comp side of BBQ, so I really don't mind certain aspects of a smoker (temp variances). I live in Minnesota, so I just want what will be best/easiest for family/neighborhood cooks, possibly in cold weather. That is why I was leaning towards a PCC, because they had the insulated firebox. Lang is still in contention of course, because of their tested/true past. A budget is also a reason. (roughly 3k) is all I'm allowed now that the wife has put forth the mobile option, so we will see....
 
I don't believe PCC makes a warming box but the videos did say a Reverse Flow is a option. If you are thinking 48" and want versatility the smoker below is interesting, well built, but not on a trailer. Though they claim they can custom make anything. I did speak to the owner about an insulated Firebox and he said having the firebox under the smoker already makes it super efficient so it is not needed. The second video is an entirely insulated Smoker that would get the job done in very cold weather...JJ



 
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Check out the bubba grills line. This is one of the most versatile rf smokers in the industry and they are a good bit cheaper than the lang. I have cooked 1200 ribeyes on mine in a single day and cooked 60 boston butts on it the next day. Made in Georgia built line a tank. Tows well and Lonnie is great to work with. I know where a used one is for sale if you are interested. Pkerchef

off site links are against policy....  DaveOmak
 
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Hey guys, just wanted to add another name to the list on this thread....Shirley Fabrication. It's a father/son team that builds smokers along with other things (like custom car/truck bumpers) out of Alabama. They do great work, pay attention to ever detail, and are honest with you as to why they do something the way they do it.

Looking on other threads on different forums, I have not heard/seen a bad thing about these guys. I spoke to Paul Shirley on the phone and he is one of the nicest people you can talk to. He will build anything, even ones smaller than are on his website (just put a .com after Shirley Fabrication). They are RF, and way more affordable than a Lang or other big name companies. I liked what he had to offer so much I figure I can try to help by tossing his name out on this forum (Nothing came up in a search). It's worth the time to look at his website, Facebook page, and the video on his site goes into a good amount of detail about his cooker.

Cheers!
 
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