Check out Lonestar Grillz. Damn good pits that are made very well and seem to be one of the only quality builders where you get more bang for your buck.
I have a backyard pit made by them but I know they also do trailer pits. Great people to work with and can customize any pit to however you want it.
Check out Pits by JJ. I recently ordered a smoker (backyard smoker not trailer) and looked at all the pit guys. From what I found Gator & Klose have the strongest following and brand recognition and are priced accordingly (I really liked the design of the party gator). Lonestar Grillz is very popular also and has a good price point, but if I remember correctly I noticed that they don't have continuous welds around the framing of doors and the lead time was extremely long. I went with Pits by JJ because I thought the quality is top notch (equal to Gator & Klose) and the price point is very reasonable for what you are getting. Also, he was able to get one made in 3 weeks vs. 3 months.
If you are in or around Houston I suggest going by all four of these guys and talk with each about what you are looking for. They are all great pit manufacturers.
quote:Check out Lonestar Grillz. Damn good pits that are made very well and seem to be one of the only quality builders where you get more bang for your buck.
I have a backyard pit made by them but I know they also do trailer pits. Great people to work with and can customize any pit to however you want it.
Agreed 1000%!! I have one of their trailer pits. I have been asked several times to sell it by friends (who also cook in cookoffs) that have their own pits.
Visit each shop and then make your decision. You cannot go wrong with Klose, Gator, JJ, etc. For my trailer rig, I went with Pitmaker. Their sniper is in a league of its own compared to the other stick burners. I also have a Gator and an All Seasons pit. While both are quality products, I'll choose my sniper any day of the week.
My main goal in life is to find a beer as cold as a woman's heart
The Vault and Safe are insulated, vertical smokers. I opted for the Sniper on my rig because, well, I like to poke a fire with a stick (FIFY protected). I believe the sniper is 1/4" but the front panels are insulated. Their hinge design and gaskets make it the most efficient traditional offset I've ever seen. It has zero cold spots, minimal hot spots and no smoke leakage. They have a new, more traditional offset called the Hitman though I've never seen nor cooked on one.
Read your post, my dad recently had a health scare and has been off work for a month. It was just a scare though, in his free time he's constructed a hell of a setup of a bbq trailer(full pit, cabinet smoker, charcoal pit, and two fryers) would love to send you some pics of it if you're still in the market.
quote:The pit maker vault scares me.......the fire box is so small and uses charcoal. I have only used stick burners.......scared to go to charcoal burners
I'm putting the finishing touches on a Lonestar insulated clone, while I'm in some ways weary of charcoal, B&B actually makes a solid oak briquette. They are god send in my opinion. Best of both worlds in my opinion, I'm a B&B lump guy myself.
Anyone have any experience with these guys in Houston? I live close by and will probably stop by to get a propane refill. They also teach a brisket class.
I visited Gator Pits, Klose Pits, Lone Star Pits, and a home made pit. My reviews below......
Gator Pit: pro, custom manufacturing, great quality and name recognition. Con, very very pricy....as much as 25-40%. Also, will not upgrade 24" main chamber to 3/8". Also, they use 14 gauge sheet metal for stack instead of 1/4" plate. For this price I want "metal". 9 month delivery!
Klose: pro, costume manufacturing, about 10-20% less than gator. They roll their own plate so will make main chamber from 3/8". I like the dampener in between main chamber and vertical. Business a long time, less name recognition but known in BBQ circles. Con, they use angle iron to make trailer instead of square tubing. 8 week delivery.
Lone Star Grillz: they produce in quantity....so customization options are limited to a list. Because of this very reasonable price for same trailer. Great option if you don't mind getting standard models. About 40% less than Gator. High quality where it matters.....no so much on small stuff. Cons, I didn't like the small hinges, less costumizable, they will not tune the pit (tuning plates) for you. 22 week delivery.
All said, I went with Lone Star Grillz. The upgrades I got at a lesser price were too good to pass up. Great operation.
I bought a 24"x60" main chamber with a vertical. 1/2" fire box. With a 24"x36" side grill. Stainless boards, aluminum wheels, custom metal art, gas assist, painted Aggie Maroon
quote:Pit should be delivered in June 2016.....I will keep you posted!!!
Congrats! You will love your pit. I do mine. I have been asked to sell it but won't. I will never find a more consistent pit.
As for your reveiw, a couple of comments. First, I am surprised Chris won't customize things for you. He was very willing to do it for me (first custom paint job was my trailer, a pic of it is still on his website). He also let me lay out the baskets and added holders for my flagpoles. As for tuning, after i seasoned my pit, I tuned it using the biscuit method. I only had to adjust the plates once during the process. All 3 temp gauges read the same (gauges checked in boiling water beforehand). I check my gauges and the pit tuning about every 6 months. I have never had to readjust tuning plates.
Again, congrats on a great pit. I guess the lead time is so long because he is so busy building awesome pits.
quote:Do you have a vertical? If so, what is the delta between main chamber and vertical?
What is the biscuit method?
Thanks for your advice! I also added flag poles....
I do have the vertical (24" x 72" with vertical). All 3 gauges read the same (vertical and both horizontals).
The biscuit method is where you place canned biscuits (uncooked) evenly spaced on all racks in the pit. Bring the pit up to temp and let them cook. You can then tell where your hot spots, cold spots, etc are based on the "doneness" of each biscuit.
