"butch burton" > wrote in message
m...
> Recently somebody asked a question about whether a particular SS gas
> grill was a worthwhile purchase and many responded with suggestions of
> buying entirely different outdoor systems. When you think about
> it-there are a plethora of options out there. One division would be
> fuel-here is a partial list:
>
> gas
> electric
> charcoal
> wood
>
> Then you have different ways to apply the heat (for the lack of a
> better term)
>
> direct
> indirect
>
> Then you have different rates of cooking
>
> fast (direct heat)
> slow (offset smoking)
> super slow (cold smoking)
>
> Then you have amount of preparation/time required
>
> Turn a knob (gas grill or electric unit like ECB)
> Some effort (charcoal fired units)
> More effort (offset smoker)
> Lots of effort (cold smoker)
>
> With or without seasoning, rubs or sauces
>
> Then you have hybrids of some or maybe all of the above.
>
> Is there one best method-nah it all boils down to taste and how much
> effort a particular method requires. It was a real shock to me when
> close friends said my 10+ hour offset smoked ham and brisket was way
> too smokey for them. To me it was manna from heaven. SO when we start
> talking about which method is best-I think we better consider taste
> here-best for whose taste and how much effort they are willing to make
> is the question.
>
> My future to do/try list includes a cold smoker, one of those neat
> porcelain cookers and a big honking smoker made from a 250 gallon fuel
> tank or maybe from scratch using a large 24" or 36" steel pipe and
> mounted on a trailer. The latter is an excuse to buy a plasma cutter
> and a mig welder. Yeah I like toys.
>
> So when somebody asks which "cooker" is best-well determining which is
> best covers a lot of territory and wow do we all have different tastes
> and amount of effort we are willing to make.
>
> If anyone can stick in more segments/partitions in the above, please
> do so cause when the game is finished, don't want to have missed a
> single wrinkle.

Butch,

I would like to add Cost vs Lifespan. There's no point spending a shit load
of money on a unit, only to find that it rusts or fails after a few years.