Question for old timers on this forum

[Lynn Dollar]

For those of you who've been here a long time, and I'm talkin year 2000 through maybe 2010 , what were the popular backyard smokers in that time period ?

I spent that time lurking at the Virtual Weber Bullet. Did not have a desire to post but I learned there, and that site is the reason I bought my WSM in 2002. So that's all I know.

Pellet smokers were around , I think, but not real popular yet.

Big Green Eggs were in use, if I get my years right. I bought Ray Lampe's " Big Time BBQ " book in 2005 and I believe he was a spokesman for Big Green Egg then.

I can't recall knowing anyone who smoked on an offset stick burner. Though Horizon was building the Oklahoma Joe smoker.

Just a curious question as to what was going on here. Kosmos Q says this was the biggest bbq site on the internet.

 

[ssv3]

Not from the 2000's but I've been here 10 years this year. My observation has been that there is always a fad and it's ever-changing. My time here, I remember kamados or kamado style cookers, then gravity feds, then insulated cabinets, then offsets.... list goes on. New solid brands also take everyone by storm and eventually settle down until the next big name or equipment comes up. The latest rage has been the pellet smokers/cookers and I feel like that they still reign supreme here.

 

[Moose]

I'll answer the question as best I can, keeping the word "popular backyard smokers" in mind:

A good many of the Old Timers were cooking on New Braunfels Bandera smokers; I believe this forum was created by Phil as an alternative to a previous Yahoo group dedicated to that cooker.

From there, starting around 2005 or so, the UDS became hugely popular here, with quite a few members building their own.

Along the way, lots of folks using WSM's and kettles, with a gradual increase in offset owners as options expanded, as well as ceramics starting with the BGE, then Primo, and later, KJ.


I'm sure I left a few out - would be great if Phil, Ron or BobBrisket chimed in...

 

[16Adams]

I’m not old enough to participate. Heading back to the kids table where it’s better to be seen and not heard. Pass the gravy please.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

I'll answer the question as best I can, keeping the word "popular backyard smokers" in mind:

A good many of the Old Timers were cooking on New Braunfels Bandera smokers; I believe this forum was created by Phil as an alternative to a previous Yahoo group dedicated to that cooker.

From there, starting around 2005 or so, the UDS became hugely popular here, with quite a few members building their own.

Along the way, lots of folks using WSM's and kettles, with a gradual increase in offset owners as options expanded, as well as ceramics starting with the BGE, then Primo, and later, KJ.


I'm sure I left a few out - would be great if Phil, Ron or BobBrisket chimed in...

This is a pretty accurate timeline,


This forum was originally names Bandera-Brethren.com, the UDS was slightly later, late 2006 and into 2007 when the 8M view Build A UDS thread was started.


In between 2003 and 2007, Spicewine cookers were all the rage. Spicewine was an early member here and was part of the MoFo's, (Missouri Folks) who unfortunately have pretty much all vanished.



Spicewine has a sales space in the For Sale section, but I believe last year he mentioned he was done selling smokers. He'd always been a metal fabricator and the cookers were a side line to his main work. Great insulated cabinets, you sometimes see one come up in the Brethren resale marketplace.


After the membership exploded, the names of the "popular" cookers expanded too. For a few years it was BGE, Lang's, Stumps, poopers, Shirley's, its pretty much run the gambit.


Pizza ovens, Blackstone griddles, those MAK's as of late, some people have collections, some people rotate in new ones and sell off for patio space,.... it just depends how the wind is blowing.


Hell, there was one Summer everyone was taking those Orange Igloo circular coolers, mounting them onto 1/2hp garbage disposals (new, of course) adding $3 in PVC piping and creating the Mother of All Margarita Machines.


New blood has always brought in new techniques and such. Brisket Rex (you people call him Bob Brisket for some reason) was one of the first to show us cooking on a discada that I think he said his relative (dad? uncle?) made from a tractor plow disc. That was way pre-Blackstone made griddle cooking easily accessible to people.


There were always the turkey fryers, crab boils, etc in the 35qt pots on the site.



All in all, its been a constant sea of change. Just wish more of the Old Timers were actually still around.

 

[smoke ninja]

a bit later than your asking but when I first joined in 2014 minis were all the rage.

it's a smokey joe with a tamale pot expander for use as an ultra compact uds.

 

[Moose]

I also forgot to mention the PBC - those were quite the rage for a number of years starting in 2013.

 

[QN]

Don't forget the Jambos; they were all the rage for a while after Jedmaster sort of died off. The Jambo was an offset wood burner although I know of one that was a pellet pooper. Jambo and Jedmaster won a lot of contests....

 

[ssv3]

Don't forget the Jambos; they were all the rage for a while after Jedmaster sort of died off. The Jambo was an offset wood burner although I know of one that was a pellet pooper. Jambo and Jedmaster won a lot of contests....

Lol yes. And don't forget Gators, Klose and Pitmaker pits

 

[ssv3]

I also forgot to mention the PBC - those were quite the rage for a number of years starting in 2013.

Yes! I bought my first original Made in Colorado powder coated PBC in 2012 brand new in box from a guy that didn't know what to do with it.

 

[cowgirl]

I'll answer the question as best I can, keeping the word "popular backyard smokers" in mind:

A good many of the Old Timers were cooking on New Braunfels Bandera smokers; I believe this forum was created by Phil as an alternative to a previous Yahoo group dedicated to that cooker.

From there, starting around 2005 or so, the UDS became hugely popular here, with quite a few members building their own.

Along the way, lots of folks using WSM's and kettles, with a gradual increase in offset owners as options expanded, as well as ceramics starting with the BGE, then Primo, and later, KJ.


I'm sure I left a few out - would be great if Phil, Ron or BobBrisket chimed in...

This is a pretty accurate timeline,


This forum was originally names Bandera-Brethren.com, the UDS was slightly later, late 2006 and into 2007 when the 8M view Build A UDS thread was started.


In between 2003 and 2007, Spicewine cookers were all the rage. Spicewine was an early member here and was part of the MoFo's, (Missouri Folks) who unfortunately have pretty much all vanished.



Spicewine has a sales space in the For Sale section, but I believe last year he mentioned he was done selling smokers. He'd always been a metal fabricator and the cookers were a side line to his main work. Great insulated cabinets, you sometimes see one come up in the Brethren resale marketplace.


After the membership exploded, the names of the "popular" cookers expanded too. For a few years it was BGE, Lang's, Stumps, poopers, Shirley's, its pretty much run the gambit.


Pizza ovens, Blackstone griddles, those MAK's as of late, some people have collections, some people rotate in new ones and sell off for patio space,.... it just depends how the wind is blowing.


Hell, there was one Summer everyone was taking those Orange Igloo circular coolers, mounting them onto 1/2hp garbage disposals (new, of course) adding $3 in PVC piping and creating the Mother of All Margarita Machines.


New blood has always brought in new techniques and such. Brisket Rex (you people call him Bob Brisket for some reason) was one of the first to show us cooking on a discada that I think he said his relative (dad? uncle?) made from a tractor plow disc. That was way pre-Blackstone made griddle cooking easily accessible to people.


There were always the turkey fryers, crab boils, etc in the 35qt pots on the site.



All in all, its been a constant sea of change. Just wish more of the Old Timers were actually still around.

Yep and Yep. :-D
Banderas were big.
Banderas and drums.
Norcoredneck and BBQ Bubba talked me into joining the forum. I already had one drum, the smokehouse and block pit before I got here.

Lots of good members are missing...

 

[4ever3]

Sorry, I joined in 2012, so I don’t fit the criteria…


BUILD A UDS!!!



As a point of fact though, Kosmos ain’t wrong…

 

[1MoreFord]

Our MIA brother Zilla compiled a list of pitmakers back in 2010. The list is now much out of date but you should be able to get an idea.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75832&highlight=builder

 

[frognot]

Bill summed it up pretty well. I joined the group known as the Bandera Brethren after buying a NB Bandera at Home Depot. After a couple of years I bought a WSM for smaller cooks because it seemed everybody here had one. A few years later Dr BBQ and Rick's Tropical Delight kept posting incredible cooks using their BGEs and I received one as a combo birthday/Christmas present.

The Bandera died of rust and the WSM was given to my son.

Now instead of buying this year's popular smoker I go to bashes and see what y'all other farkers are cooking with. Saves me a lotta money.

 

[16Adams]

Still waiting on the adults to bring the gravy boat to the kids table.
BTW, Lil Suzie won’t quit staring at me

 

[ronbrad62]

Great posts here, and although I came along later than most of you, I would have loved to have been a part of this ever-evolving world we are a part of. Maybe 20 years from now, some newbie will be calling me an old timer and reviving this thread to see how the popularity of smokers has changed.

 

[ModelMaker]

What windy city Bill laid down was spot on. I came in at '06 and was one of the first UDS along with notorious Big Mista.
What a great ride.
Ed

 

[mike243]

Well I didn't get on the net till 2000 and it was a lot of years before I found my way to different forums about stuff that were interesting, it definitely has cost me a lot of $$$ lol

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I joined 14 yrs ago Had a Chargriller Got a Large BGE for a B Day gift after seeing so many awesome cooks on them That and my Weber Gassers are all I use now Bill is so right about so many interesting and fun people have dropped out and I do miss them There are many new and interesting/fun people who have joined

 

[Harmony BBQ]

If I recall correctly a lot of competition cooks were using the fast Eddie FEC 100 pellet smokers and a fair number were having success with them in the early 2000’s.