This is more towards those that have used one or both of these two styles of smokers in a real world catering/concession style environment and which worked better. I am looking at a Lang 84 and an East Texas RK250. Both are very similar in size and build with one major design difference. The Lang has a single door with 2 large racks while the RK250 has 2 doors and 4 racks. Now, I understand the dual door, quad rack design cuts down a little on cooking surface, but does it make that much of a difference?
Here is what I am thinking. I like the idea of 2 doors and 4 racks because I feel it would cut down on lost heat when you are, for whatever reason, opening the smoker. If you are cooking a variety of meats you can work with them all independently on the 4 different racks rather then having to open one big door and pull out the one rack.
Again, I am not asking for people to say the Lang is better then the RK250 or vice versa, I may not even wind up with either of them. More like, are there owners of Lang style single door smokers using them for catering who wish there were 2 doors on it or are there dual door users who would much prefer the single door based on your experiences doing big catering jobs.
I have a pretty good idea in my head on MY pros and cons, but I have not yet moved up to these big boy smokers and would rather get some real world feedback to help me get a better understanding before I drop nearly $4,000 on a smoker.
Here is what I am thinking. I like the idea of 2 doors and 4 racks because I feel it would cut down on lost heat when you are, for whatever reason, opening the smoker. If you are cooking a variety of meats you can work with them all independently on the 4 different racks rather then having to open one big door and pull out the one rack.
Again, I am not asking for people to say the Lang is better then the RK250 or vice versa, I may not even wind up with either of them. More like, are there owners of Lang style single door smokers using them for catering who wish there were 2 doors on it or are there dual door users who would much prefer the single door based on your experiences doing big catering jobs.
I have a pretty good idea in my head on MY pros and cons, but I have not yet moved up to these big boy smokers and would rather get some real world feedback to help me get a better understanding before I drop nearly $4,000 on a smoker.
