new guy

[Jerry]

Started burning up ribs in the 50's and probably ruined at least a ton of them. Accidently discovered "slow and low" was the answer. Have used the Brinkman water smoker for many years but i have to fire up two of them whenever we have a crowd. Want to get a "party" unit (waiting for the Northern Calif dealer to get back to me so I can get it ordered). I've had excellent results with my little Brinkmans and i'm hesitant to invest in one that doesn't rely on water. Have a friend that has 3 expensive smokers (and he just ordered a Klose), but he always wants to come to my house for ribs!! In reading Mike Mills book (Peace, Love, BBQ), i've been doing a lot of things wrong but the ribs sure are good. Participating in competition doesn't really interest me, but i love to go and eat. Would like to broaden my knowledge and expand my cooking beyond ribs. With the "party" rig I have high hopes that i can enjoy some smoking in the winter without having to burn up 40 lbs of briquets in 6 hours.

[woodsforums]

Hey there,

Welcome to the Backwoods Forums! We are glad that you are joining the Backwoods family.

With that Party unit, you can cook in cold weather no problem, just like you would in summer weather. I cook year round in my smoker, and have no difference in my cooking techniques.

Looking forward to talking with you more as you use it!

[woody]

I have a backwoods party and love it... I live in New York and i have smoked all winter, no problems(other than moving snow to get to the smoker). When you order your party, make sure you get the upgraded doors(air tight). It will make all the difference in the world when cookin in cold weather.
A lot of my friends in these parts have never had real bbq/well smoked foods. We had a Superbowl party and i smoker a turkey. Its March and i have three friends begging for a smoked turkey come Thanksgiving.

Best of luck and i m sure you'll love your party.

[Thomas P.]

Welcome Jerry!

I love my Party model! And a 10 lb bag of charcoal is all you need to cook all day long. I've done 8 slabs of spare ribs in mine at a time, and after the first time I used my Party, I decided they were the best I've ever done.

I'm guessing I could fit at least 18 slabs in there without the slabs touching each other, If I used rib racks.

Good luck getting a'hold of your cooker!

[Baba-Q]

Folks,

I too am from NY (City), and am looking for the year round smoker. Thanks for the info Woody!
Does anyone have the Convection Option? If so, is it worth the additional cost? How about the Guru??

I appreciate the help!

[woodsforums]

Convection is great, if you want your pit to all be the same temp at every level. Myself, I don't use it since I want different temps at different levels for competition.

The guru on the other hand I feel is a must have, learn your cooker first without it, then go ahead and get one to make life simpler. I love my pro comm, I cannot stress how good the results are with it!

[Vinny]

Welcome aboard!

I have the party with upgraded doors and fire box. I really recomend going the extra for the doors as suggested before. Having the ability to keep the firebox and cooking chamber air tight is great.

I've never cooked with the convection, but in my mind if you are just cooking for friends and family you can do without it. I just move my racks around about halfway through the cook.

Guru is really nice if you like to sleep during a 17 hour brisket! Good luck, you came to the right place for some advice!

Vinny

[Double D]

I have a competitor with convection and auto water.The convection is very benificel in full loads of the same product. IE all butts are brisket
or say 60 half chickens and you want it to all come off at the same time and it keeps you from having to rotate racks

I don't use the convection in comps because thier is no need to

With the conv. the water pan is permenant..so you cant do the baking and high temp grilling

I am going to purchus an up graded paty soon for these type cooks

[Baba-Q]

I appreciate all the great advice! I would primarily be using it for catering purposes, so even cooking, as well as low maintenance is of vital importance to me.
Does anyone on the board use theirs for commercial purposes??
Once again, I appreciate the feedback!

[Double D]

BaBa-Q,
for that purpose the conv. and auto water would be a plus.You might also consider the gas back up.These 3 options would let you cook throught the nights without having to tend the cooker

[woody]

Not sure where you live in the City, but its pretty tough to find good hardwood charcoal around here. The best place to find it, Western Beef. The stores are some of the worst in have EVER been in, but they usually have B&B and Royal Oak charcoal.
Also be carefull where you crank up your smoker. I know the guys at blue smoke, and they needed all types of special equipment and permits to run their smokers in the city.

[Baba-Q]

Woody,

It is close to impossible to find anything in the city. I usually wind up using Royal Oak, or dare I say, Kingsford, as it is the most widely available product. I have a backyard, so I'm not sure if permits are necessary.

I've been using Weber bullets thus far, but am just about at the point where something more "sophisticated" is necessary. The constant babysitting is getting old for some of the jobs I am doing...

I was walking around the Big Apple BBQ festival, and one of the vendors/participants had a Backwoods. I didn't get a chance to speak with them, unfortunately.

[DELETED]

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[papajim]

Started burning up ribs in the 50's and probably ruined at least a ton of them. Accidently discovered "slow and low" was the answer. Have used the Brinkman water smoker for many years but i have to fire up two of them whenever we have a crowd. Want to get a "party" unit (waiting for the Northern Calif dealer to get back to me so I can get it ordered). I've had excellent results with my little Brinkmans and i'm hesitant to invest in one that doesn't rely on water. Have a friend that has 3 expensive smokers (and he just ordered a Klose), but he always wants to come to my house for ribs!! In reading Mike Mills book (Peace, Love, BBQ), i've been doing a lot of things wrong but the ribs sure are good. Participating in competition doesn't really interest me, but i love to go and eat. Would like to broaden my knowledge and expand my cooking beyond ribs. With the "party" rig I have high hopes that i can enjoy some smoking in the winter without having to burn up 40 lbs of briquets in 6 hours.

I cooked a 13 lb Brisket in a blowing rain with only a tarp over the pit, not for the pit but for me. How's that for winter cooking with a party

LIFE IS A PARTY WITH A PARTY