Warming Cabinet Uses???

[Headgear]

I have just ordered a Shirley patio cabinet smoker. I have changed it about six or eight times and probably drove poor Tyler out of his mind. But the one thing that still bugs me is whether or not to have a warming cabinet. 99.5% of my cooks are just for my wife and me. I don't see us using a warmer much. But what other uses do they have besides warming?

I am also concerned about the smoke exiting the cook chamber through the top as opposed to at a level near the bottom rack which allows the smoke to linger in the chamber longer. Normally the stack is on the FB side of the cook chamber but the addition of the warmer makes it necessary to relocate it on top of the cook chamber. Any thoughts?

 

[bonz50]

IIRC when you have the two damper setup you can run direct smoke into the warmer and cook in there for smaller cooks or for hanging sausages and such. in some of pauls videos he talks about it

someone who has one thats setup that way should chime in and correct/verify that tho

 

[Flatbroke]

I like the warmer boxes. ribs take up real estate. I like to put beans and sausages in the warmer box while the main food is cooking. The warmer really comes in handy when its Africa hot outside and I don't need to fire up the stove. I think its better to have and not need then to need and not have. I do not have a Shirley yet, but I will and it will have a warmer.

 

[Hotch]

I look at it as a grill station, cabinet smoker, warmer chamber for both food stuffs and pre warming splits. Also, a wood fired pizza oven. :mrgreen:

 

[WilliamKY]

As Bonz50 mentioned if you have the two damper setup you can close the stack on the cook chamber and draft through the warmer. Even if you don't use the warmer that often it is a very nice option to have. You wont regret getting it. Congrats on the new cooker. I also want a patio model with warmer.

 

[Headgear]

As Bonz50 mentioned if you have the two damper setup you can close the stack on the cook chamber and draft through the warmer. Even if you don't use the warmer that often it is a very nice option to have. You wont regret getting it. Congrats on the new cooker. I also want a patio model with warmer.

Hey William, thanks for the info. I am a little reluctant because I only cook for my wife and me, the warmer would mean more cleaning, more weight, (I want to pull it with my Gator from the patio 400' away to store in my shop to store), not to mention more $.

I do like the picture of your pit. That's a dandy! It also looks like we are almost neighbors. I am in eastern IN, just west of Cincinnati. I like Louisville, we go down to visit my sister from time to time. I like that area, it is a nice little town. Thank you

 

[cdhbrad]

Here are a couple of pics of a new Shirley that Paul built for me this year. It is based on a 24x36, but straight back, elevated, and hipped roof on both main chamber and warmer. The photo of the open cooker came from Paul while he was building. You can see all the shelves, charcoal grate/ash pan, and the one at the top is a 2” grid for hanging sausages, etc. Just my wife and me too, so the rotated Warmer gets use when I’m just cooking for us.

If you are thinking about moving often, consider a tire package like I got as my Cooker weighed in at 1650#, but it does have a 1/2” firebox, instead of 1/4” and a 3/8” baffle plate which the Shirleys are now recommending for baffle plates on custom builds.

Enjoy the process, the Shirleys are great to work with. Tyler built my original 24x36 with several options and Paul did my “Forever Pit” as he referred to it in a YouTube video he did on it before delivery.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I would get the warming cabinet. If you dont you will be sorry if you need it

 

[toys4dlr]

I might be in the minority, but i did not really use my warmer on my Shirley fab. I got one of the first Shirley fab back when the build wait was 2 months. I used her for bbq comps, and the additional weight of the warmer made her a beast to load into the toyhauler. She wanted the wheely up the ramp from her heavy backend. I too believe in the better to have it and not need it, but I did not use it much at all. I like to cook in the main chamber. I sold her to get my 250 gallon moberg and I love the extra space that gives me. But it is your money, spend it on what you want

 

[Headgear]

I might be in the minority, but i did not really use my warmer on my Shirley fab. I got one of the first Shirley fab back when the build wait was 2 months. I used her for bbq comps, and the additional weight of the warmer made her a beast to load into the toyhauler. She wanted the wheely up the ramp from her heavy backend. I too believe in the better to have it and not need it, but I did not use it much at all. I like to cook in the main chamber. I sold her to get my 250 gallon moberg and I love the extra space that gives me. But it is your money, spend it on what you want

David, thank you for being honest. I have since spoken to Tyler Shirley and decided that I do not want the warmer. I already have a similar-sized, reverse-flow, offset, cabinet smoker but it lacks the mobility that I want plus some of the options I am getting on the Shirley. We have a large patio and I want to be able to easily roll it back under the covered portion to store it when not in use.

I also want to hook it up to my JD Gator to drag it out into the barnyard and pressure wash it when needed. I sure cannot do that with the one I have that has steel wheels and small steel casters. If there would be long periods when I would not be using it, I could even back it into my heated/air-conditioned shop. Not to mention, like you, I just don't see us using the warmer that much.

Our yard is pretty smooth but not level. I am a little concerned that the 42" wheelbase with even more weight added up high may make it a little shaky to move. So all of that with more cost, more stuff to clean, more weight, and more difficult mobility, I have, with all of the help from you guys, decided to just go without the warmer. So thank you David for confirming what I thought might be a disappointment more so than an added benefit.