When it comes to large jobs, I cook on a custom built Meadow Creek PR60 (Pig Roaster, 60 inch). These cookers are handmade in Pennsylvania in the heart of Dutch country (Meadow Creek BBQ) After two years using this amazing cooker, I have no complaints, but there’s a few things I would do different if I were buying it again today. It holds temp like a champ and cooks everything from our fan favorite slow smoked brisket and pastramis to whole hog. After a lot of consideration, I chose this style of smoker over an offset because for my personal tastes, I feel like offsets can be too smoke heavy. Quality wood is also hard to come by here in California. I’m also a Carolina boy and grew up watching and apprenticing (when allowed) hogs being cooked on this kind of rig. I don’t think offsets are meant to do all kinds of cooking. I’m personally not a fan of “smoked chicken” a lot of places do in offsets and it’s accompanying floppy skin.
The ability to drop my charcoal pan in and go hot and fast and cook up 160 pieces of chicken of 100 burgers in 45 minutes ain’t a bad look either. But back to the things I would change if I bought again (or when I buy another). First I’d go with the gas version. Over the last 3 years of doing briskets, I learned that there’s a certain point where the meat stops taking on smoke and you’re just using heat to get it finished. At that point it would be nice to kick over to a cheaper fuel like gas vice coals & wood because heat is heat. The doors in lid feature. Don’t get me wrong. They look badass. They are high quality with the steel handles and locking mechanism for ensuring they stay shut. But truth is, I can’t remember one time that I’ve used them. Like the saying goes “if you’re looking, you ain’t cooking.”
Knowing what I know now, I would have swapped out either of those features and instead spent that money on a BBQ guru or temp regulator for the pit, which would allow me to let it rock itself out while I caught some more Z’s on cook nights. Judge ya mama. Sleep is like gold to a Sailor and when I get a chance to get mine (minus the insomnia) I’m going to get it every time. The other features I opted for on this pit were: -Wagon chassis. KEEP! You need it to roll this beast around! -2nd tier grate. KEEP! Doubles your cooking capacity! –
Charcoal pan. KEEP! You can use the pit like a big ole grill! -Charcoal pull out! KEEP!
If you ever need to add fuel mid cook this is a lifesaver. Otherwise you would have to take the grates out, the drip pan out and add fuel, get it started then get the food back on the pit. At that point you might as well just throw all the food away cuz your cook is ruined. -You also want: a propane/weed torch. It makes lighting the pit and getting up to cooking temp a breeze! Overall it’s an incredible cooker and I can’t wait to buy my next Meadow Creek. It was an adventure getting the pit here, it shipped to a from Pennsylvania to a BBQ shop in Simi Valley, north of LA. Me and Maddie rented a truck and trailer and drove up, loaded it and drove back down to San Diego. A hell of a day! Reference: https://www.meadowcreekbbq.com/about/
