Satisfaction of BBQ'ing (smoker comparison)


 
M

Mike_Mc

TVWBB Member
Hey all,

First off, this is not a "Weber is king and all other smokers/grills suck" thread.

I had the privilege the other day to BBQ some baby backs on my friends brand new Treager (he wasn't home and someone had to cook). That bad boy is sweet! Dial in the temp and forget about it. Ribs were tender and juicy. Great flavor.

All that being said, having used my WSM for the last year (which I just adore) I did not get the same feel good satisfaction of cooking the meat with the Treager. Something about getting that temp to where I want and then holding it there all night long (on some occasions) that gives you that BBQ pit master feeling. Just feels like slightly more skill is involved using the WSM.

What are your guys opinions? Feel the same or am I just a conceded weber aficionado?
icon_smile.gif
Have a good one and thanks for all the great advice!

mm
 
Sounds very nice, with my WSM it has taken some skill in learning exactly how to control the heat for low and slow, and HH. I usually only do HH on Turkeys for the holidays and I've started to remove the backbone and butterfly the bird, wich takes away from presentation buy the meat cooks nice and even. Low and slow I've got down real well and am happy with 210-250.
 
One takes skill and the other is like turning on an oven?


I'll take knowing that what I do isn't something everybody else can too. I kind of like knowing that.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Len Dennis:
Sort of like driving (with a stick shift) vs steering (with an automatic)
icon_biggrin.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Funny you should mention that, because I feel the same way: even though most of the new cars come with autos or semi-autos that shift faster than a human possibly can, I still like the feeling of rowing my own gears and will continue to buy cars with stick shifts for probably as long as I live lol

Back to topic: I enjoy the less-than-precise nature of cooking on a live fire... and how you can "tame" it and maintain a certain temperature
icon_smile.gif
 
I'm not a Weber snob. I really really like my WSM but I have smoked on an ECB(lots of work), my Chargriller(lots of work), and my Kettle(workload similiar to the WSM). I enjoyed the process on all of them but prefer the Webers and have no desire to try anything new even if it's less work.

Having said that I respect anyone's desire to go with a different smoker. It's all BBQ.
 
A lot of people make the same comment about using an offset instead of a WSM. The WSM is a good compromise: you get the satisfaction of managing the fire and can still get some sleep on an overnight cook. Gotta love it.
 
Im sure the Treager smoker is nice! No doubt. And if it dial temps thats great...My WSM does that aswell. The BIG thing is..would you start up that big cooker for a slab of ribs? Or a chicken? I do this all the time. And i have the 22 wsm. Fuel cost is low compared to the offsets. And to me(and what i have tasted) is just as good or better.(depending on what im tasting ofc)

I bet there is 1000+ great smokers out there. But with the Custom service,warranty and so on i bet we are on top. I love myselfto have a Big Rig trailer smoker...Witch i would use once a year. But the cost dont make sense.
 
I know a BBQ team that runs 3 Traegers at comps and the last I talked to the pit boss he was going to get a WSM to try and get a better charcoal flavour that he doesn't think he's getting with the Traeger. That being said he does put out some pretty fine Q with his pellet ovens.
 
You can get an ATC system for a WSM or kettle and dial it in, just like your friend's Treager.

The comparison that Len made to a manual vs automatic transmission is good
icon_smile.gif


Bob
 
I never really thought about that Bob. I guess an ATC would essentially be the same. Speaking of, how much do those things generally run? Never been interested in them myself, but I have some friends that might be.

Also love the car analogy...go stick shifts!

I know it's not the thread for it, but got 40lbs King Blue @ Lowes yesterday for $9.99. FYI.
 
About a year ago I had the opportunity to cook about 30 racks of ribs on a FEC-750 and it was incredible. After having logged close to 1,000 cooking sessions with WSMs, this was the first time I'd ever used a cooker of that size and the first on a cooker with a rotisserie rack system.

My thoughts on that experience are that one could easily use it as a "set it and forget it" kind of cooker which is probably a more likely scenario in a high production environment but it was easy for me to see how an experienced competition cook could really utilize the strengths of that machine. It really was an eye-opening experience.
 
A friend of mine swears by his Treager. It is alot like a oven. You set the temp, put the food in and forget about it. It's a different way of smoking and if the end product is all you are concerned with then it is a good option.

For me, when I fire up my WSM or OT, it is about the experience. It is about the hoping the ribs, brisket, etc. turns out as good as I think it will. It's about the journey. That's just me though.

I can see someone who doesn't care about all that getting a Treager.
 
Although I love my WSM for the feel of taking an active role in the smoking process I have to admit that after using it for 2 years the temperature control is almost automatic. That said, you still have to prep the meat, select the correct rub, monitor the meat as it cooks, know when it is done, and finally select the right sauce to compliment the flavor of the rub and meat. So I think the true pitmaster skills are the key thing regardless of the specific tools.

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top