Checking in from Auburn, Ca

Hello fellow BBQ'ers!

I have been que'n for about 2 years now and really enjoy it. Some day I would like to enter a competition but my competition que skills need more work. I make great stuff for my friends and family but comps seem to be a whole different animal. I just picked up a pre 2009 wsm 18.5 on craigslist that still looks brand new. The older gentlemen that I bought it from used it twice and it looks like it wasn't used much more than that. I can't wait to start picking your brains on how these things work, I will have questions.
The first one is the two grills, do they both cook about the same or do you need to monitor each one separately?

Here is a list of the pits in my stable
Weber 22.5 kettle
Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5
Weber Spirit 310 gas grill
Green Mountain grill Daniel Boone pellet grill
Smokintex 1400 electric smoker
Homemade ugly drum smoker

Looking forward to learning a lot from all of you!

Brett

Hey Brett, Welcome to the forum and nice arsenal you have!!! Good score on the WSM as well! As far as I understand your question, I think you are asking if a pellet grill and gasser cook the same? Generally speaking and IMHO, Your pellet grill should be more precise, have less temperature fluctuations and recover to your cooking temperature faster than a gasser due to the PID controller. It also has the advantage of convection cooking so in theory may turn out cooks a little faster. But, you should always know and become familiar with your equipment; i.e. how they cook, hot and cold spots, their little quirks, advantages, disadvantages etc. etc. So in short, monitor each one until you know the ins-and outs of each. Don't be afraid to use a pit thermometer as well to measure internal temps of the grill and compare that to the grills actual thermometer. You may also want to keep a log for each grill to compare results from cooks. All the Best....Bill

Welcome to the forum Brett. Looking at your lineup you'll fit in well.

Welcome to the forum Brett. As previously stated, you should fit in here very well with that stable. Don't forget, we love pics here.