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Competition smoker

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Dyce51

Knows what a fatty is.
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I was wondering if at kcbs competitions, can you use a "homebuilt" smoker?... I am building a reverse flow offset smoker with a 60 gallon air compressor tank as my cook chamber. Would this be allowed to be used at a competition or do they need to be commercially built?
 
You can use a homebuilt smoker as long as it uses an acceptable fuel.
 
rules- "Fires shall be of wood, wood pellets or charcoal. Gas and electric heat sources shall not be permitted for cooking or holding. Propane or electric is permitted as fire starters, provided that the competition meat is not in/on the cooking device. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers, or forced draft are permitted. No open pits or holes are permitted, except at the election of the contest organizer. Fires shall not be built on the ground." from the 2016 KCBS rules
 
I use my homemade (it sure looks it!) UDS. Not a problem at all.
 
As long as it meets the rules you can but I wouldn't. There are lots of pros out there that build pits that draft air properly and maintain consistent temps far better than any of us can build. In the world of competition BBQ it doesn't matter if the topic is smokers, rubs, injections or sauces, use something that has been proven on the circuit. Making your own is just shooting yourself in the foot in my opinion.
 
tduffy said:
As long as it meets the rules you can but I wouldn't. There are lots of pros out there that build pits that draft air properly and maintain consistent temps far better than any of us can build. In the world of competition BBQ it doesn't matter if the topic is smokers, rubs, injections or sauces, use something that has been proven on the circuit. Making your own is just shooting yourself in the foot in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Good thing you didn't know Jamie way back in the day.:razz::mrgreen:
 
Like I said I am building an offset reverse flow smoker, I used Feldons Calculator for all my measurements. It is going to burn wood and charcoal.....still toying with the idea of a automatic temperature controller...like a pid system. I am hoping to have it done in time to register for a competition in October in Nelsonville Ohio. I just didn't want to show up with a homebuilt rig when they want something like a Lang....Thanks for the responses!!!!!
 
Dyce51 said:
Like I said I am building an offset reverse flow smoker, I used Feldons Calculator for all my measurements. It is going to burn wood and charcoal.....still toying with the idea of a automatic temperature controller...like a pid system. I am hoping to have it done in time to register for a competition in October in Nelsonville Ohio. I just didn't want to show up with a homebuilt rig when they want something like a Lang....Thanks for the responses!!!!!
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter what you cook on, as long as you know how to use it!

Hope to see you at Nelsonville!
Look for us, Tire Smoke BBQ.
Nelsonville is our 5th and final competition this year (first year competing!).
 
tduffy said:
As long as it meets the rules you can but I wouldn't. There are lots of pros out there that build pits that draft air properly and maintain consistent temps far better than any of us can build. In the world of competition BBQ it doesn't matter if the topic is smokers, rubs, injections or sauces, use something that has been proven on the circuit. Making your own is just shooting yourself in the foot in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I remember my first competition several years ago, and late Friday after most everyone checked in and were preparing to cook, a couple of youg Bucks showed up with what could have been described as a "souped up hibachi grill". Turns out they won Grand Champion, and as I recall, there were many top shelf teams with high dollar cookers in the competition.
In other words:
You can win with a campfire if you know what you are doing!
 
tduffy said:
As long as it meets the rules you can but I wouldn't. There are lots of pros out there that build pits that draft air properly and maintain consistent temps far better than any of us can build. In the world of competition BBQ it doesn't matter if the topic is smokers, rubs, injections or sauces, use something that has been proven on the circuit. Making your own is just shooting yourself in the foot in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I 1000 percent disagree. If you have the capabilities to build your own you can build it and modify it to work how you want it to work and function how you want it to function, you don't have to learn to cook on something that doesn't do what you want it to.... You learn so much valuable information building and learning to cook on your own that it makes you a better BBQ cook.
 
tduffy said:
use something that has been proven on the circuit.
Click to expand...

You said it best yourself! Bad sound byte, I know.

I use a homemade UDS and have my fair share of rib calls Do your homework, make sure it draws air well, and you can do well on anything.

The point is that no matter what you use, you have to practice a TON to make sure you can get the meats right every time. It does not matter what you cook on as long as the judges like it.
 
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Ayvatr said:
I remember my first competition several years ago, and late Friday after most everyone checked in and were preparing to cook, a couple of youg Bucks showed up with what could have been described as a "souped up hibachi grill". Turns out they won Grand Champion, and as I recall, there were many top shelf teams with high dollar cookers in the competition.
In other words:
You can win with a campfire if you know what you are doing!
Click to expand...

Yea and more times than not the guys I see show up with home made pits are blowing dirty white smoke the whole time and end up at the bottom of the score sheet
 
EngineeredBBQ said:
I 1000 percent disagree. If you have the capabilities to build your own you can build it and modify it to work how you want it to work and function how you want it to function, you don't have to learn to cook on something that doesn't do what you want it to.... You learn so much valuable information building and learning to cook on your own that it makes you a better BBQ cook.
Click to expand...

Funny that all the top teams aren't building their own pits. I wonder why
 
ITBFQ said:
You said it best yourself! Bad sound byte, I know.

I use a homemade UDS and have my fair share of rib calls Do your homework, make sure it draws air well, and you can do well on anything.

The point is that no matter what you use, you have to practice a TON to make sure you can get the meats right every time. It does not matter what you cook on as long as the judges like it.
Click to expand...

There's a little bit of a difference between drilling some holes in a 55 gallon drum and making a few modifications versus building a stick burner. Did you build your UDS from scratch? fire baskets, grates and all?
 
Good grief! Yes...you can use your home build. Pay no attention to the pit snobs on here...a pit is just another tool in the shed...learn to use it well...
 
Last edited:
tduffy said:
Funny that all the top teams aren't building their own pits. I wonder why
Click to expand...

Why do you talk in absolutes? You know damn well that we all learn something everyday and there are new skills, techniques, products that hit competition bbq every year. If everybody only used the 6 things they thought were winning it would be extremely boring. I am the guy that will walk my own path just for the challenge and fun of it. Hell, I am using a local bbq sauce that I can say with 100% nobody else is using in competition bbq - just for the fun of it! Have I GC'd yet? Nope, but I am proving myself with quick, steady, improvement over my first 10 competitions and I am closer to my first GC now than if I was just trying to mimic somebody else IMO.
 
EngineeredBBQ said:
Why do you talk in absolutes? You know damn well that we all learn something everyday and there are new skills, techniques, products that hit competition bbq every year. If everybody only used the 6 things they thought were winning it would be extremely boring. I am the guy that will walk my own path just for the challenge and fun of it. Hell, I am using a local bbq sauce that I can say with 100% nobody else is using in competition bbq - just for the fun of it! Have I GC'd yet? Nope, but I am proving myself with quick, steady, improvement over my first 10 competitions and I am closer to my first GC now than if I was just trying to mimic somebody else IMO.
Click to expand...
It might be extremely boring but it is what wins. When you go take a class you'll see it first hand that it's probably less than than 6 things. Properly cooked meat wins. But hey, if the OP wants to spend all his time building a pit when it would be better spent practicing nailing the cook process on a pit you can buy, more power to them.
 
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