Now that I have cleaned and stored my wood pit in the barn for the coming Michigan winter, I guess it is about time I waded into these waters. Many of us cook outside and some even BBQ. This 'art form' takes many shapes and a variety of equipment. I have been doing it for about 29 years now and still own my original Oklahoma Joes Chuckwagon Wood Pit. I realize that there will be a difference of opinions as to the models and styles we each use as well as the taste and results of each. I will offer the basic facts so that you may compare and decide. I won't address the LARGE competition models that you see on TV for competitive cooking as we all operate on a much smaller, but no less tasty, scale. Opinions are like.......well, you know. No matter which way you go, as cooks the results are ours, we all have our own preferences, tastes, audiences and methods.
There are so many models and types of cookers: Big Green Egg, Webber, Brinkman, Oklahoma Joes, Trager, electric, drum, barrel, offset, reverse flow, etc. I will only address the Top 3: True wood pit offset, reverse flow, and pellet. Some of the drum or barrel smokers heat with charcoal and wood chips beneath a water pan and the meat racks. I started my journey many years ago with a Brinkman such as this. Many good meals in deer camp.
Brinkman Smoker with water pan
We have all been influenced by the onslaught of TV shows showing competition of BBQ, etc. First of all, let's get one thing straight. Cooking over direct heat such as charcoal or fire is not BBQ, it is grilling. That should be 'Ruffled Feathers #1'. True BBQ is cooking over indirect heat whether it be wood, chips, pellets, and charcoal. It cooks via smoke and heat. If I use charcoal, it is 'lump style', which is larger chunks of charred hardwood. Look for the label on the bag, LUMP STYLE; your choice of wood is up to you. It burns longer with more flavor and stable temps than regular briquets. I will use this to start my firebox then add a split piece of my choice of wood as we go, adding more lump as needed. It saves wood and keeps temps constant. The offset style does require a supply of split wood of your choice to operate. I find the taste to be superior.
'Ruffled Feather #2: I am not a fan of electric or propane smokers. I know friends who use them and have had excellent results. Everybody has their own style and that works for them. I am a 'purist'. I use 2 offset wood pits, one in NW Michigan and another at our winter place in Texas. There are pros and cons to all models, and I have found for us this works the best. I like tending my fire.
Our pit in Texas is a Texas Longhorn Smoker offset as well, but with a smaller stature and no vertical pit, just an exhaust stack. It still operates on the same principles, but with a smaller chamber so I have to plan accordingly. Interestingly this pit has a detachable bottom mount and a hitch adaptation to mount to the hitch of a truck for transport.......BBQ on the road. Both of these units produce excellent results from brisket, beef ribs, spareribs, baby back ribs, turkey, pork butt, pork belly, lamb, and even cheese. These models are simple. They have an offset firebox, a cooking chamber (or 2) and a stack with 2 flues. I only use the vertical stack for fish as it runs 100-150F cooler. They also have a flat plate over the fire box to heat beans, etc.
Offset smokers have better airflow and come up to temp faster and a cleaner burn. The smoke/heat runs from the firebox thru the cooking chamber and out the stack. These types of wood pits have hot and cold zones. Temperature control here can be tricky, but with experience you'll get the hang of it. The smoke flavor is very good with this type of pit.
This brings us to the world of reverse flow offset smokers. These units are constructed similarly except that the smoke travels from the firebox to below the cooking chambers deflected by steel plates and then up and over top of the cooking chamber thru to the exhaust which is right above the fire box.
This type of pit has several pros and cons. It is the easiest to regulate temperature. It is very nearly a fire up and leave type. The addition of the baffle plate helps to create a more consistent temperature control. However, reverse flow smokers are less fuel efficient and takes longer to come up to temperature. Since the baffles are welded in, cleaning becomes a more difficult task. The smoke flavor here is very good as well.
Which brings us finally to pellet smokers. These came on the scene about 15 years ago. They employ many of the same features of a true offset smoker, but are fed with small, processed wood pellets for burning. Both these and wood pits provide smoke flavor, but wood pits produce a bit more. First of all, these are all powered by electricity, firing up the wood pellets and providing heat when needed. The simplicity of these is that you just empty the bag of as many pellets as you need into the hopper box and rock n roll. Although not true wood pit, the principal still works. Heat and smoke are provided which flows across the meat and out the stack. These provide great smoke flavor as you are able to choose the type of wood you want when buying bags of pellets. Firebox temp regulation with these is very good as well. You just set the temp and leave it. My son has a very nice Trager and swears by it. These are very straightforward and a GREAT first unit for anyone.
As you can see there are many types and styles to match your outdoor cooking needs and desires. Tastes, ease of operation, and costs are all part of your consideration. The one thing I would recommend is that you purchase one that has good heavy-duty steel at least 1/4" thick. Less is cheaper but will not last as long. Also, be sure to clean all the ash after every use. Nothing corrodes steel like leftover wood ash. This is the easy part. Now comes the recipes and cooking temps/times/wood/ etc. Don't worry, I screwed up a lot of ribs before I got it right. Don't let that discourage you. Enjoy the journey.
"Sure, I was poor, but BBQ has never been a rich man's pleasure. It's always been a culture of thrift. It's a poor rural cuisine based on the leanest, throwaway cuts of the animal being cooked until edible with a fuel that can be picked up off the ground"
Aaron Franklin: A meat smoking manifesto
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