Orion Cooker

I have the holiday turkey cooker which is just a smaller version. To smoke a turkey put wood chips around outside of drain pan. Use match light On outside and top cooks at 7minutes a pound we love it for the turkey and chickens but wouldn't trade the other smokers I own.

Ps only reason I bought mine lowes had it on clearance and no box or instructions missing a couple of screws got it for 10 bucks.

I've cooked on one and although they really do cook food quicker, I found the results lacking.

I did a fairly big cook a while back (my first big one) and used another guy's Orion Cooker and an 18" WSM and my ECB to cook up some butts. If I recall, I had 3 on the WSM, 2 on my ECB and 3 on the Orion. The WSM and ECB cooked at the same rate and took the "normal" amount of time, like 10-12 hours and put out typically good stuff. Following the instructions on the Orion, the 3 butts only took about 4 hours to cook and even though I used wood chips for smoke inside as the instructions suggested, there was really no bark to speak of. The meat was indeed done and tender enough, but I didn't get any bark and, in fact, the outer layer was gray and soft.


It's basically an outdoor, charcoal fired convection oven, but since the charcoal is placed OUTSIDE the cooker on that ring, the inside really doesn't get any charcoal flavor and only the smoke from the chips you put in. Perhaps I could have put in more chips, but for the dough they want for those things, I'd just get a WSM. Heck, even for that sales price, I'd get ECB's and modifiy them before I'd get one. Just sayin. The ECB can really put out some fine Q with a little help of mods.

Think Dutch oven.
The food is not in contact with smoke or fire.
It is built from very nice stainless, it does cook nicely but it isn't BBQ or smoking

As a former owner of one, what everyone else has said.

I have one and I only use it at thankgiving to cook my Turkey's in the desert. It truly makes the most tender turkey I have ever had. But it is a convection cooker for sure.

Agree with all above comments. I've had one and only used it twice in the last 3 years. That matchlight gets expensive for every cook.

I could be wrong (and frequently am), but I believe Mexi "Q" Tioner has one of these

DUBBAGA said:

I could be wrong (and frequently am), but I believe Mexi "Q" Tioner has one of these

Click to expand...

Thats is correct! I've been cooking strictly on the Orion for the past year and even did my 1st comp using 2 of them. I just recently picked up a WSM 22.5 and after 2 cooks in it, I am definately putting my Orion to the side. Its not a bad cooker and I especially like it for Turkey.
Check out the link to my previous post w/Pr0n regarding my orion/1st comp results.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144720

I have one also, everything said above is spot on. An hour and 45 minute spare ribs and the quality of the ribs is so-so, but it sure is fast! Did the family Christmas turkey this last Christmas and instead of wood chips used pellets, got a good smoke taste through out the turkey and the meat was flavorful and juicy. Picked our up off Craigslist for $35, I will keep it around for poultry if low 'n slow smoking doesn't fit our schedule.

I have one too, it works as advertised but I wouldn't call it smoking. I haven't used it since building my UDS, I'm gonna sell it come spring.

Got one on sale for around 30$ or so. Used it a few times and then put it on the curb. For 140, I'd surely pass.

Check out the Big Easy "infrared" cooker... $90 at Lowes. Makes the closest thing to rotisserie chicken you can get... (Without a rotisserie.) I added a popular modification... a 9" x3" ring from a removable bottom cheesecake pan under the basket... Allows you to put pellets around the ring to smoke. Works.