WSMs Serious Competition Cookers??


 
Something I've noticed over the last several months of competing... The top teams that have competed for a long time will keep the new team at an arms length. By that I mean that they will only talk to you at what I call the 'surface' which they will do for anyone. After they see you at a bunch of Comps they will start to see that you aren't just a one comp team and start to really talk to you at some depth.

During the last competition a few of these guys were standing around swapping lies, bragging, giving out totally bogus recipes, etc, etc that always happens. So I mentioned that I really wanted to move to the next level in competition and what sorts of things should I start thinking about. I got the usual stuff like going to this or that school, but one guy said that I should step up in cookers. I was shocked. He said that it was like I'm cooking on a Volkswagen while everyone else is cooking on Ferrari's. I replied something about being able to turn out a good product by knowing your cooker really well. He said that that was complete bull-biscuits and recommended I go buy a Stump's, Spicewine, FEC, Traeger, etc. It would have hurt less if he had punched me in the stomach.

Afterwards I started thinking about what he said and with the exception of Harry Soo, who really does very well at Comps with a WSM?

Russ
 
Russ what you heard is what I call the
" Bigger,Better,Faster syndrome "
All predominately men's hobbies develope it!
( try bass fishing for a while!)
WSM's turn out great product, before you invest in a big stick burner I'd think long & hard. Initial cost, storage & transport are all a headache.
 
One of our very own members here at TVWB would tell Mr Ferrari that he'd be happy to put his Volkswagons up against anything they had to offer ... and most likely beat their butt! Check out Vincent's website. When it comes to WSMs in competition, he is the Master!

Rhythm n Que
 
Here is my take on the situation after having cooked in competitions for several years. For us it came down to the fact that we were KILLING ourselves with the cooker we were using and the equipment we had. It has been a gradual progression but all done for one very specific reason, COMFORT and the ability to ENJOY the cooking process a bit more.

We started out 7 years ago with a big rotisserie cooker that we built ourselves. It was an AWESOME cooker and turned out good product but MAN was it a hungry beast. We burned through a LOT of charcoal during a cook and we were constantly feeding it throughout the night, which meant we were UP most of the night also. In addition we were cooking off of a 16 foot flatbed trailer under a 10x20 tent. When it was hot, we were hot, when it was cold, we were cold. We also had a WSM with us at each cook that we used for chicken. We loaded and unloaded that trailer every cook with EVERYTHING we needed for that cook.

Eventually after about 2 years we got tired of having to feed the cooker every hour and staying up all night so we purchased an FEC100. This allowed us to get some sleep at night which was a HUGE step up for us. We were still sleeping in trucks and lawn chairs but we at least had the opportunity to GET some sleep. We were still cold when it was cold and hot when it was hot but we were at least not tired all the time anymore. The cooker was still mounted on the same trailer and we still had the same tent(s) that we were cooking under. We still carried the Weber with us to every cook but used the FE as the main cooker. Is the FE a better cooker than teh Weber? Not sure but it solved a problem for us and allowed us to get some sleep.

Eventually we started to realize that we were in this cooking deal for the long haul. We enjoyed the process, enjoyed each others company, and we wanted to continue to cook together. So, we started to look for a trailer of some sort to give us more comfort during the cook weekend. We lucked upon a toy hauler one spring and fitted it the way we needed for cooking. We still have the FE that we cook off of and we occasionally bring with the Weber. But, the toy hauler allows us to get some comfortable sleep, get out of the rain and wind and weather and be comfortable. Could we have continued to cook under the tent? Absolutely, but the toy hauler sure is nice when its 100 degrees (or 30) outside. It solved a problem for us and allowed us to be more comfortable.

Is the FE a better cooker than the Weber? There are arguments both ways. I like the smoke flavor that the weber gives but I LOVE the ability to set it and forget it on the FE. It takes the temperature variable out of the equation for us in competitions and that is one less thing to worry about during the weekend. For us, as I wrote above, it was a gradual progression of things over the years that allowed us to cook a lot of contests every year and be comfortable doing it. There is no way we could cook 12-14 contests a year out of a tent, we're just too darn old or spoiled, not sure which, but it would be tough. We now come home, take the cooker out of the trailer and park it and its ready for the next cook. It has all of the stuff we need already packed so we now, literally, just load the cooker, hookup the truck and drive to the cook. Do we NEED everything we have to do well? Absolutely not, we were doing well BEFORE we got it all. The FE and toy hauler just make it more comfortable for us.

I hope this makes sense. Long rambling rant I know but its how and why we ended up where we are today.

Troy
Smokin' T's
 
So what was your point Troy?
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LOL ... just kiddin bro! Hope all is well my friend.
 
Well written Robin. I dont compete couse we dont have that around here. But if i were i would use a digiQ and a WSM (read a few depending on comp)

I would love to set a vacation to the USA and have the the oppitunity to do a (novice) Comp,Just to se where i stand.

The competitions are about the food/flavours not what you cook on. And i Know the wsm can put out some GREAT food.

My 2
 
Sadly Rick, after reading back over the post, there really WAS no point. I was trying to answer the question about whether or not the WSM was a serious competition cooker. Short answer is YES, its a serious competition cooker. And with the advent of all of the gurus and stokers etc. its an even better competition unit. They have become essentially a set it and forget it type of cooker. Tony and I have gone to several competitions with just a couple of WSM's and won so I know they can handle the job. Biggest drawback I see in the WSM's? Space to cook a lot of meat. It would take 3-4 WSM's to cook what I can put on the FE. But, I would never be afraid to have the WSM as my main competition cooker. If we had started out years ago on a WSM(s) I'm sure we would have changed a LOT of other things in our setup before we ever looked at teh cooker as somethign that needed to be changed.

See, I DID actually make a point there Rick. It only took me two posts to get to it but it came out eventually.
 
I always tell people that the meat doesn't care what it is cooked on. I don't compete anymore but always felt the WSM is dollar for dollar the very best cooker.
 
I think that if you plan on catering or doing a peoples choice, maybe a larger (higher capacity) smoker is the way to go. There has been a lot of calls made on meats that were cooked on cookers other than the big rigs. (WSM, BDS, BGE etc.)
As It was explained to me years ago, "it's not the cooker, it's the cook". JM2
 
Yes Robin, you did very well! Besides I was just jerkin' your chain anyway
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WSMs do rock, but I also like my FE's and your CTO! All the meat in one cooker ... done!
 
Yep, something to be said for all of them. I've had my 22" Weber in the drive most of the winter and its seen its fair share of cooking during that time. The big CTO is just a few feet away stored in the garage but when I'm cooking just a couple of briskets or butts I really like that WSM.

You'll see a new cooker added to the cooking trailer this spring. Tony and I have come to the conclusion that we needed to shake things up a bit this year so we are doing just that. I've always told you I like the charcoal flavor, stay tuned for more....

Troy
 
Troy-
I run a homemade controller on my WSMs (Thank You Bob!!). So sleeping through the night isn't an issue at all. Space IN the cooker IS an issue and even though I recently said that I didn't plan on expanding, it looks like I'm going to need to. Hence my quandry about adding a third WSM or simply switching over to something else and relegating the WSMs to the back yard.

Wolgast-
If you ever come over here on vacation, I'm giving you a standing invite to come cook with me at a competition. You take lead cook and I'll DB for you. I think the judges getting some Scandinavian flavors would be a very welcome surprise.

Russ
 
Comfort is a huge factor. The very first comp after we got some AC, we got reserve.
With that said, I love my Spicewine. It cooks fast at low temps and I dont know why, it just does.

I do have some friends that do just fine with their WSMs.
 
We run 3 wsm's. What I like is the flexibility to run each meat on its own temp and time schedule.

I don't know if its easier or harder to have one cooker running all four meats. But, when I practice I cook only one meat, so if I find a way I like, and its a different temp or something, its doesn't matter.

Here's what I've been thinking: the pellet cookers are consistent. Consistency means you can really target your flavor profile since the meat will come out relatively the same every time.
 
Consistency is important. The teams that cook every weekend get to that point. Practice while playing. That is why their names keep getting called.
 
Don't forget a team called Grog N Hogs. Cooks with two big and one small WSM. Sometimes just the two big. Didn't cook a huge load of contests last year and ended up 18th overall and 13 in ribs for KCBS. Most of the time he cooks as a one man team.

So sure you can compete and win on WSM. Or a Jambo, FE, Superior, etc. Whatever works for you. I believe that you can take a guy like Rod Gray and he can win cooking from a hole in the ground.
 
Hey Troy, you better not be getting a Jambo!!!
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You aren't, are you? Everyone else is! I wouldn't put it past you guys. That really wouldn't be fair though, because you know Debb won't let me have one.

I agree with you Rick H. A good cook will be able to cook anything, on anything you put before him ... and succeed with it.
 
Russ, The next time you compete, you need to put a whooping on the guy that called your unit a VW. Make sure you beat him soundly and walk with GC.
 
You'll just have to wait and see Rick. Not saying anything about it other than its something new. You going to Sikeston this year? You should be able to see it there if you are going. Talk to you soon.

Troy
 

 

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