# Competition Smoking on a propane smoker?? Is it done??



## smoke_chef (Jul 11, 2010)

Competition Smoking on a propane smoker?? Is it done?? I thought I read some where that in most compititions... all the major ones, propane and electric smokers weren't allowed. But, doesn't LeeAnn from team Wood Chicks on Pitmasters use a Southern Pride Propane smoker?


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## rdknb (Jul 11, 2010)

Smoke_Chef said:


> Competition Smoking on a propane smoker?? Is it done?? I thought I read some where that in most compititions... all the major ones, propane and electric smokers weren't allowed. But, doesn't LeeAnn from team Wood Chicks on Pitmasters use a Southern Pride Propane smoker?


There may be some, but none I have found


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## bbqhead (Jul 11, 2010)

LeeAnn does use a southern pride cooker, the propane/gas is disconnected, and uses charcoal and wood as heat source, also the electric is only for rack rotation and convection fans inside cooker, not for heat source. hope this helps.


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## eman (Jul 17, 2010)

Every comp i've been to has had a no gas / electric rule for the heat source.


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## deltadude (Jul 17, 2010)

Now you know why I always recommend a WSM when someone is looking for a low end smoker.  It not only smokes great but many BBQ competitions are won with them.  So a newbie gets the bug to compete, his smoker investment is still good until he figures out what he really wants.

Note, I also recommend my Q'n machine a MES too, but that is more for those who like to keep it simple.


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## bowtieracin (Jul 18, 2010)

ok i get that you can't use them. Now my question is why can't they be used? I don't understand and havn't had anyone explain this to me thanks in advance!!!


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## eman (Jul 18, 2010)

The way it was explained to me by one of the pros was that (let me clean up what he said )

Anyone can smoke in an electric or gas smoker as you set em and cook.

 But you have to know what you are doing to produce great smoked meat over coals or wood.

 The way he said it would get me banned from the site .

 so kcbs and mbs rules state that you cannot use electric or gas as your heat source.


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## jdt (Sep 16, 2010)

Jumpin Jim Woodsmall has done a couple up here in iowa, the fart burners against the pellet poopers, it was originally called LPQUE, this year it was LPQUE2, if Jim had his way it would be a series of events across the country, we'll see, I would never put anything past Jim, don't forget he is the guy that sued the KCBS LOL. The best news is he santions the contest through KCBS and this year Mike Lake the KCBS president was the rep in charge.


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## smoke_chef (Sep 16, 2010)

bbqhead said:


> LeeAnn does use a southern pride cooker, the propane/gas is disconnected, and uses charcoal and wood as heat source, also the electric is only for rack rotation and convection fans inside cooker, not for heat source. hope this helps.


Thanks for clearing that up bbqhead.

 


eman said:


> The way it was explained to me by one of the pros was that (let me clean up what he said )
> 
> Anyone can smoke in an electric or gas smoker as you set em and cook.
> 
> ...


I wonder if the pro you speak of is Myron Mixon? He's the one that comes to mind that would cuss like that. I really can't stand him!


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## tom37 (Sep 16, 2010)

> Anyone can smoke in an electric or gas smoker as you set em and cook.
> 
> But you have to know what you are doing to produce great smoked meat over coals or wood


This kinda ticks me off every time I see it or hear it talked about. But come on!!!!!! Really now... Is there that much difference between propane and a pellet? Myself I think the pellet is a fantastic idea, pretty clever. But maybe kcbs outta say the pellets can't use a thermostat, a team member must turn the auger on and off when the temp needs attention.  But the southern prides are in the same boat along with the guru's and stokers. Oh ya the pid's too. Now these last ones mentioned are not as automated as the pellet since all the others still need someone to add wood or coals, but they still use a thermo to regulate the fans that control the fire to some extent.

I really don't have a problem with any of these cooking methods, I just find the comp rules to be, well I won't go there. But maybe the hotdog rule makers outta take a breath and think about how silly some of there rules are.

There is a few other rules that I don't think are quite right but chances are they aren't gonna change. So long as those of us that attend sanctioned events cook good food and have fun, thats all that matters.

Oh Yes, Sorry for the rant.


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## rp ribking (Sep 17, 2010)

eman said:


> Every comp i've been to has had a no gas / electric rule for the heat source.


Eman, The 1st comp I ever went to was: Any method of St Louis style ribs, they had the ribs that you could pick out (2) and then your choice heat source.


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## eman (Sep 17, 2010)

rp RibKing said:


> Eman, The 1st comp I ever went to was: Any method of St Louis style ribs, they had the ribs that you could pick out (2) and then your choice heat source.


I'm sorry, That should have read every kcbs / mbs  event i have been to has a rule against electricity and / or gas for the heat source..

 you can power your rotisery w/ 110  or you puter , but not cook w/ it


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## lght (Sep 27, 2010)

eman said:


> Every comp i've been to has had a no gas / electric rule for the heat source.


That's pretty much the standard.


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## mtm29575 (Feb 3, 2014)

I don't do competitions, so I don't have a dog in this fight, but I've wondered this myself. I guess what confuses me is that if you ask any pro, they will almost universally say you can't get a quality smoke from an electric smoker. So my question is, if that is indeed the case, then wouldn't the electrics in fact be at a disadvantage, and therefore why would wood or coal smokers object?  I do understand the issue with keeping the 'fire', but if you are in a competition, then keeping your smoker at the temp is pretty much second nature, so don't really get that either. Plus, one of the arguments against the electrics in general is the fact that their temps aren't in fact, uniform....element on, element off...etc.  So my simple mind is confused...which is not hard to do.......


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## red valley bbq (May 31, 2014)

Smoke_Chef said:


> I wonder if the pro you speak of is Myron Mixon? He's the one that comes to mind that would cuss like that. I really can't stand him!


I'm assuming you've never met him in person.  The fact is, Myron is a very nice guy and a lot of what you see on TV is just that.  TV.  I have talked to him on several occasions and he has been nothing but friendly.  I have been witness to him stopping in the middle of his chicken prep and taking pictures with fans, after which he excused himself to finish what he was doing.  You can't believe everything you see on TV, just like you can't believe everything you read on the internet.


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## eman (May 31, 2014)

No it wasn't myron . it was one that you would never expect to say something like that. Not going to say who.He may have just been having a bad day.


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## eman (May 31, 2014)

I use an MES 40 all the time now. I'll put my smoked flavor and tenderness on brisket up against any stick burner.  Only thing i don't have is that lip stick smoke ring.


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## addicted 2smoke (Jun 1, 2014)

why no electric,      real reason is the sponsors don't sell electricity or propane................ most big timers now don't control heat that is done by electric fans but they still need charcoal   money makes the world go round


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## smoke_chef (Jun 3, 2014)

Red Valley BBQ said:


> I'm assuming you've never met him in person.  The fact is, Myron is a very nice guy and a lot of what you see on TV is just that.  TV.  I have talked to him on several occasions and he has been nothing but friendly.  I have been witness to him stopping in the middle of his chicken prep and taking pictures with fans, after which he excused himself to finish what he was doing.  You can't believe everything you see on TV, just like you can't believe everything you read on the internet.



Hello Red Valley BBQ. You're right. I haven't met him. But... I don't think the language and attitude can be excused as a TV act. You don't see others acting and talking that way. I wish I could say that I admire the heck out of Mr. Mixon. He's done more for the popularity of BBQ than any other... but... I can't watch the shows he's on if my son is in the room. I think that's a shame. It's not like I have the channel on Showtime... or HBO... It's the Destination Channel for goodness sakes. That should be family TV in my opinion. But... you know what they say about opinions. 

I would rather have a picture with Tuffy! :grilling_smilie:


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## red valley bbq (Jun 3, 2014)

Smoke_Chef said:


> Hello Red Valley BBQ. You're right. I haven't met him. But... I don't think the language and attitude can be excused as a TV act. You don't see others acting and talking that way. I wish I could say that I admire the heck out of Mr. Mixon. He's done more for the popularity of BBQ than any other... but... I can't watch the shows he's on if my son is in the room. I think that's a shame. It's not like I have the channel on Showtime... or HBO... It's the Destination Channel for goodness sakes. That should be family TV in my opinion. But... you know what they say about opinions.
> 
> I would rather have a picture with Tuffy!


Tuffy is a stand up guy.  He's the only competitor I have competed against, that if time allows, goes to everyone's site and wishes them good luck the morning of turn ins.

I certainly agree with you that Destination America should be a family friendly channel.  And Myron definitely goes overboard at times with the bad attitude on TV, but that is contrary to my personal interactions with him.  I could tell you stories of a "semi-famous" BBQ celebrity that is just the opposite.  On TV this pitmaster is nice and cordial, and is that way during personal interactions, but during the time around turn ins, I've heard some language that would make a sailor blush....on more than one occasion.


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## 5oakssmoker (Jun 4, 2014)

I sense its probably more of a logistics/safety issue.

We all know you can't effectively run an electric smoker on a long drop cord, can you imagine trying to go to a fairground and set up 40 or maybe 100 electric smokers... the people down the line would be at a disadvantage from those closer to actual wired electric, not to mention the load on the cords, and the chance of disaster with cords, wet grass in the morning etc etc.

Limiting folks to small wattage use for rotisserie and fans is different from burners.

Could you imagine if an unscrupulous competitor intentionally pulled a cord of a competitor... or if one came undone by accident and wasn't noticed right away....

Propane, would you really want say 60 people who you don't know, don't know their experience, don't know their build, to have propane bottles, the chance of flame out, and open flames in a somewhat confined space? I'm sure the folks providing the insurance for the event would have something to say about that, and the time involved in having more thorough inspections of units to ensure safety...

I honestly think the 'quality smoke' or 'anyone can do it' is just a nice way of saying, we don't want the trouble, hassle, or cost.

Also, its a tradition, it just seems more 'authentic' if its done over coals/wood. Sponsorship probably has a factor as well, but I'm sure they could get Masterbuilt or some of the other Electric/Propane companies to sponsor them if they were allowed, so that can't be all of it.

In the end, its their competition they are allowing you to buy into and participate, so they get to set the rules as they see fit.


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## hdflame (Dec 3, 2015)

I competed in a non-sanctioned whole hog competition about a month ago.  It was sponsored by the Harley dealership in Raleigh, NC.It was a fund raiser for our Veterans.  You could cook on any kind of cooker with any fuel.

There were two teams that compete regularly in *North Carolina Pork Council* whole hog competitions cooking at this event.  Both were cooking on gas cookers.  The same cookers they compete with.

I cooked my hog on my TS120 Meadow Creek reverse flow using only charcoal to start and Hickory to cook with.  I wanted to see how the RF performed cooking a pig.  This was the first time I had used the reverse flow to cook a hog because I also have a PR60 Meadow Creek Pig Cooker that is set up to cook with charcoal/wood/and or gas.  I usually cook the hog on charcoal and hickory for about 4-6 hours and switch over to gas to finish so I don't have to tend the fire the whole cook.

Just wanted to let you know there is a sanctioned competition series that do allow gas cookers.

With that being said, This being only my second competition, it was also my second 1st Place win!  The judges made comments that the hickory smoke flavor is what set my BBQ apart from the rest.  Brought home $500 which covered entrance fee, expenses, and a a little left over.  The other 1st place win was cooking Boston butts, also cooked on the RF but with Cherry wood.

I think it would be hard to compete against other teams if you're cooking on gas and they're cooking with wood.  I would think at a minimum you would have to have some way to add smoke to your gas cooker if you're competing against teams cooking with wood.

Here's picture of the TS120. Kinda hard to see it in this picture due to the two of us standing in the way!  I'm the FAT guy on the right!  lol













IMG_5773.JPG



__ hdflame
__ Dec 3, 2015






Here's a better pic of the RF.













IMG_5756.JPG



__ hdflame
__ Dec 3, 2015


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## mtbken (Jan 10, 2016)

thats funny you mentioned that.  I read that Slapyodaddy has won 20 grand champions using WSM!  Now, of course I think he has as much money in electronics as the smokers themselves.

I run a MES 40, which would never be allowed, but that box was really just to get me to the point of perfecting my recipes!  Now that I have that down, I can worry about heat source control!


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## bbqbrett (Jan 11, 2016)

I met Harry from Slap Yo Daddy and he was indeed cooking on WSM's with the fans\electronic temp controls hooked up to them.


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## JckDanls 07 (Jan 11, 2016)

Myself..  i don't think fan controlled units should be allowed...  it's still cooking with electric in my book....


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## okiedave (Nov 14, 2016)

JckDanls 07 said:


> Myself.. i don't think fan controlled units should be allowed... it's still cooking with electric in my book....


I propose a compromise: if you can design and build the circuit (including source code), you can use it.


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## erazz (Jan 25, 2017)

You want to see a true fair competition, have everyone cook on the same equipment, then it comes down to flavor, not how good of a rig you were able to bring


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## jokensmoken (Feb 12, 2017)

I've used (and still do) a WSM, a MES 30" and a Masterbuilt 40" propane smoker and since adding chip boxes (now pellet tubes) I've noticed absolutely NO difference in the flavor or quality of anything...Even my little Masterbuilt 18" camp king propane unit does remarkable butts, and has become my "go to" for single butts.


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