For Egg style cookers like the BGE, Akorn or Komado, grab a BBQ Guru digital control system to get the same “set the temp & walk away” use. It snaps into the air inlet and blows air in based on how hot the coals are. Works like a charm - otherwise I’d never do those 20 hour smokes.
Are they crispy or just restaurant style? Usually at restaurants I order them extra crispy so they’re really crispy and not just toasted (but not flaccid skinned). At home I’ll double dip them in the fryer partial cook, toss and then fry again.
And they don’t hold heat like the real ceramic ones. The steel shell just doesn’t have the thermal mass of an inch of ceramic BGEs & Komados can really hold the heat which helps keep temp fluctuations down. They’re okay for grilling or for shorter smokes but you really want a ceramic cooker if you’re going to do long slow low smoke or if you’re going to use it in the winter.
that’s on my long-term list. i’ve been able to do OK with keeping in a temp range without a ton of noodling, but i’d need something like that to feel completely comfortable with an overnight smoke.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to smoking. There are people who love the process of building a little charcoal and/or wood chunk fire, managing the airflow, tending to it for hours, etc. Then there are the people who don’t like to fiddle with all that. I’m in the second group as well. I bought a Traeger pellet smoker about 5 years ago and haven’t looked back since. I love that I can get up at 4am, go outside, turn a knob one click, go fetch the brisket, throw it on, and then go back to bed and sleep in!
I am converting from air nail guns to electric, although will use pneumatic for framing nails.
Try electric @shop and @mad_macs. They are AMAZING. No air hoses, no compressor, less noise, highly portable and one battery can shoot 750 to 1,500 nails.
I have the 18 gauge and 15 gauge Ryobi nailers and highly recommend them. There are staplers and 16 gauge nailers too.
I’ve been wanting a Paslode framing nailer but don’t really need it at the moment. When I start building my house maybe in a couple years.
I got the Prusa i3 MK2 3D printer and it’s pretty amazing. It just works. I was wondering about support material for making some spoked wheels. So I just clicked a check box to turn it on before slicing. Boom. The wheel came out perfectly. I’m very happy with this purchase and I have been printing stuff almost non stop since last Sunday.
I borrowed a Paslode from a friend 20+ years ago to frame a house, my first experience with pneumatic nailers. It took me two “shots” to fall in love with them.
At that time, you had to use Paslode nails in their guns. After I finished the framing, I checked the price of other brands of nails and nail guns.
I found out Paslode nails were like two times more expensive than other brands of nails. I could have purchased my own nail gun with the money I would have saved if I could have used another brand of nails!
Live and Learn!
I don’t think it is that was anymore @marmak3261, which is a good thing!
I’ve had a Paslode framing gun for years. It’s in bad need of a new battery and a tune up. They are awesome.
If we ever solve battery reliability/cost/charge time maybe I’ll reinvest in battery operated tools. I have gone back to corded/pneumatic for everything but my Impact Screwdriver.
There is a third group: those who want one device that can do it all and are OK with the compromises. A kamado can do low & slow if you are willing to fiddle, and it can sear a steak at 1000F. Tending the fire isn’t too bad once you get some practice, and if you get a controller like the BBQ Guru it gets even easier.
I almost got a pellet pooper, they are great, but I wanted maximum flexibility. The cost of consumables is also lower with lump charcoal.
Since I got a SV machine I do less smoking, hours-wise, as I often do the majority of the cooking in the SV machine. Then I do a few hours of smoke for flavor and bark development. This is a pretty good combo.
Yeah, the Traeger doesn’t really sear well, but for that I have cast iron inside on the stove, or the broiler. My next smoker is going to be one of these, which has a lot of really cool features including a small searing grill:
My favorite thing to do to steaks right now is the reverse sear, where I smoke it to just about the right temp, then take it inside to a rocket-hot frying pan to get a nice crust. Just can’t do that with any kind of smoker due to the time it takes to increase from smoking temps to searing temps.
‘Bought’ is a relative term here but assuming it qualifies, we plonked down a deposit on the Fuse 1. If Formlabs’ previous offerings are anything to go by, I suspect it might prove to be our favorite thing in a 3 year timeframe either way…
I have to exclude the products we make of course, because they, by definition, should be cooler than anything we can buy. Which us why we make them…
I think for one favorite thing, I’d have to go with the PDP-8 replica, which I’ve already posted about here. It’s just. So. Cool.
But I also really love this pan. It’s kind of crazy how great that pan is. To tie it into this thread, it works wonderfully in the Traeger. I cooked a whole beef tenderloin last night and while that was going, cut up some carrots, tossed them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and threw them in the while the beef was cooking. It’s my favorite way to do carrots.
My favorite purchase in the last year is definitely the Photodrome (my house).
Last week I got a deal on a sous vide machine and tried some dry rub pork ribs. I cooked them for about 24 hours at 155 F and finished them in the oven for 30 minutes at 300 F. They came out absolutely amazing.
BGEs & Komados can really hold the heat which helps keep temp fluctuations down. They’re okay for grilling or for shorter smokes but you really want a ceramic cooker if you’re going to do long slow low smoke or if you’re going to use it in the winter.
.
