Practical Capacities of Party, Extended Party, and Fatboy

[Southpaw]

Hello All - I am really close to purchasing a BWS and would like to know the practical capacity of each smoker. I have heard and read some different thoughts about how much you can actually cook on each smoker.

For example, I heard not to cook on the lower rack of the Party because it is too close to the water pan. I also read last night in one of the forums that the practical capacity of the Party is about 6 boston butts because you can only use every other rack.

I am leaning towards the Extended Party but wondering if I would gain any practical capacity over the Party other than being able to place full racks of St. Louis style ribs on each rack. Can I get 3 butts per rack on an Extended Party vs. 2 butts on a Party? Also, I may move up to a Fatboy if I can convince my wife.

Please help with your experience about practical capacities of these three cookers - how many St. Louis style ribs, butts, and briskets can I cook at one time on the Party, Extended Party and Fatboy? Has anyone made modifications to the rack positions to improve capacity?

Why do I ask? I recently fed pulled pork and pit beans to about 120 people using a Silver Smoker (Home Depot offset barrel smoker), a Charbroil "Sante Fe" rectangular grill, and a Weber grill. I was able to smoke 4 butts in the Silver Smoker and 2 butts each in the Sante Fe and and Weber. I know there is a better way - a Backwoods Smoker

Thanks!

Wade

[TN_BBQ]

D. none of the above. Get a competitor if you want to cook everything on the same cooker at the same time.


You are pretty much spot on with your assesment.

If you don't mind using your existing smokers to cook or finish some meat, you can probably pull it off with one of the BWS models you're looking at. Let the BWS do all the overnight/heavy-lifting and simply finish things on your existing smokers.

The problem with maxing out the smoker (even a great smoker like BWS) is things will take longer and you're sure to find hot & cold spots and some inconsistent cooking (you'll be shuffling meat all day long).

I have a Party and would not use every shelf to cook butts. They might fit, but the top of one would most likely be touching the bottom of the another (plenty of room on the party shelf to get 2 butts with no side-to-side touching issues).

[Southpaw]

Thanks for the reply! I took "the plunge" before your response and called up the folks at Backwoods and signed up for an Extended Party. I needed a cooker that was lighter than a Fatboy (or Competitor), and picked the largest capacity I felt I could move around.

My Extended Party will have a heat diverter, 2 extra sliders positioned so I can place racks 6 inches apart, and a permanent stand. They are already building it and may ship next week. Boy, am I excited!

I hear what you are saying about maxing out the smoker. I will start with some light loads first and learn the cooker. After seasoning the cooker, I think my first cook will be with a three pack of spare ribs from Sam's trimmed St. Louis style. I have always used foil for my ribs with my other equipment. I am going to try cooking these ribs without foil and see how they turn out. Hopefully, they turn out well because of its long cook time, tight seal, and moist cooking environment.

Then, depending on when my Extended Party shows up, my next cook will be Thankgiving Turkey!

Thanks again for the reply! I look forward to asking more questions and sharing the results of my cooks!

Wade

[TN_BBQ]

I have a party.
Sometimes i do wish I had a couple extra inches (did I just say that out loud?)

I typically cook just a couple racks and a few other things, so the party is perfect for me.

Foil, no-foil. It's all good. Just keep practicing and find what suits you.