I'm sure I'm going to get alot of heat for this one but here goes. Over the weekend I used my Summit Platinum C4 to slow cook a small stuffed Boston Butt roast. I let my wood chips soak for about 3 hours and turned my smoker burner and far right burner all the way to low. I put my roast on at 10:30 a.m. I got smoke for right around an hour. With the chips smoking I got temps of 225; after the chips extinguished they bumped up to 250. Temps stayed at 250 for less than an hour then they went down to 200 and remained there until 6:00 p.m. when my roast reached an internal temp of 160 at which point I took it off the grill. The results were outstanding. I had a nice smoke ring, the exterior had a beautiful mahagony color and the interior was cooked to perfection. So, what am I missing not having a WSM??? Cooking capacity certainly but since it's only me and my wife, except for special occasions, I'm not sure that's an important consideration. Taste? I don't like a heavy smoked flavor, so again, what am I missing? One thing for sure is having to regulate and add fuel. Please let me know what ya'll think. I'd be glad to hear your comments (even howls of protest).

I'm glad it worked for you,but charcoal (both lump and briquettes)add flavor also. Also,8 hours of charcoal is a lot cheaper,and smell better,than 8 hours of propane.

Hi Doug... No worries, you won't get any flack from me. There are numerous ways to cook and you are the best judge of the results. I have roasted hogs on a spit over wood and roasted hogs over hot lava rocks, buried underground with the results you mentioned. Yep they taste different. So it all depends what YOU want.

joe

if you like what you did then you should have no reason to ask questions. as long as yer happy then thats it. but if yer still curious then i suggest you might wanna get a weber kettle on craigs list and play around with that. this way you can answer yer own question at minimal layout.

catch your temps on the way up its very easy to keep a wsm at the temp you want for several hours. gas is a convenience but i doubt the results would be as good as with charcoal. as others have said as long as you're happy its all good.

First off, if you like it, if your guests (if any) liked it, then it's a successful cook, no matter the method.

That said, I've done a couple of butts on gas grills over the years, using oak or hickory chunks propped on the flavorizers for smoke, and they came out fine... but they lacked something compared to the ones done in the WSM.

You know how some BBQ restaurants use those big electric commercial smokers and the meat is falling-apart tender and there's a smoke ring and all but it's kinda bland? And then you go to an old-school place with a wood-fired pit and maybe the meat isn't quite so perfectly tender but flavorwise it's a totally different experience? Like that.

Good post Doug and good explanation of the method in which you did it. If you like it that way keep doing it, you never know you might get some converts. One of the things about smoking on a BBQ is that the food takes on the smoke taste and negates the difference between charcoal/briquettes and gas. All you have to do is get the smoking part right. If you don't believe me conduct a blind tasting test. A WSM is better for smoking due to costs and design but it's not the be-all end-all. I just purchased a Traeger Pellet grill and the food that comes off that is fantastic but you can't beat the Genesis for the perfect quick steak and cost wise in Australia it is much cheaper than charcoal.
I am one of only a handful of people in Australia to own a Trager, there is perhaps 10 in the country.
So mate keep experimenting and enjoying.

Cheers

one thing missing in all this is the paticipation part. i really enjoy doing the coals and fire and smoke, etc. i do understand the need for quick and easy, thus my RED q220.
charcoal is not for everyone thus the choices.

Doesn't matter what you cook on, it matters how you enjoy its taste.


Ok, maybe it matters just a little ...