Have you heard of an Orion Cooker / Smoker


 
Joe Anshien

Joe Anshien

TVWBB Honor Circle
I saw an ad for a used Orion cooker and it looked so interesting that I decided to check it out. It boasts that it smokes much faster than convention ways while getting similar results. It looks well made and has been around for about 10 years. From what I gather it cooks by convection as wood chips are inside, coals on the outside and top. The coals outside heat up the wood inside and smoke the food while locking in the moisture since it is kind of sealed. Any way kind of cool. Here is a picture and a link to some videos. Just wondering if anyone has tried it. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=orion+cooker

the-orion-cooker_590x.jpg
 
Kind of a small following, but those that have them really like them. One of the families we camp with has one. He smokes Boston butts for the group while we're down there every year. Very simple to use, and cooks really fast. I think the Orion is really affected by wind, more so than other smokers. I have been looking for a deal on a used one for a while, so far no luck as the people I've seen that have one, don't want to part with theirs.
Tim
 
I don't see how it actually smokes. There is no airflow whatsoever inside the chamber, right? I see it as maybe a nice lightweight camp cooker but as a smoker, I just don't see it.
 
Wow - That seems like a great price. There is a used one for sale by me for $100. I am not sure how many more cooking toys I am allowed to have. Those of you with 2 person house holds, how do you manage your meat consumption? I smoked two briskets in the fall and still have a half of a cooked one in the freezer. With just the wife and I, 1/2 brisket gave us about 5 days of meals for 2. We love having it with kasha and a veggie.
 
Looks like you have to use a full bag of charcoal to fire this thing up? And it will cook stuff very fast (much faster than the charcoal would burn). But no way to snuff the coals out and use later.

So pretty time efficient. But very fuel inefficient?

Also seems like it is pretty light on the smoke flavor.
 
Since the coals only serve to heat the wood on the inside of the sealed chamber there is a guy who modded it with the propane ring from a Charbroil Big Easy (I used to have one and it made great turkeys) and just used a few coals on top.
 
So the charcoal smoke never goes inside the cooker?

If the charcoal stays 100% on the outside, why not leave the legs off and put it on a turkey fryer stand?

Would seem like a much simpler way to apply BTUs to the pot.
 
We had a friend who brought one to the beach one year. It's the only time I ate food from it, but it was pretty darn good.
 
I saw one at a campground down in SC last year.(?)
The guy saw me with my SJ and started talking about his contraption.
He gave me a leftover rib off of it.
It was tasty, but over cooked.
Think I'll pass on that one.
 
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