Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => All Other Pellet Manufactures. => Topic started by: dk117 on June 22, 2018, 05:11:34 PM
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My Gator Pit arrived today. I'll be documenting my experiences here.
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DK
PS This is not a review. I've been a PH now a Pelletfan for over 8 years. I've no financial relationship with Gator Pit, just super excited to share with my fellow fans.
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Arrived fully assembled.
I'll work on the orientation of my future pictures.
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DK
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My old Traeger isn’t going anywhere.
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DK
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Here we have a Gator Pit of Texas, 24x36 Texas Premier II. You guys can find the site if you want. Which has the specs.
I have two video's to share as I don't intend to take videos myself, then I'll get to my thought processes on how I arrived here.
The PIT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfCX5T5GDUg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfCX5T5GDUg)
My actual pit (as identified by the K Brand) at the manufacturer at the :55 second mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmiQrXWZ5Tw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmiQrXWZ5Tw)
DK
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I've got lots of ideas to share in this thread and I'll post them as they come to mind. I've been planning this for months, but now that it's here, my thoughts are fragmented.
My Traeger Texas is putting out great Q. I'm sure it will for years, but it's looking rough, leaks smoke, rusting, blistering, replacing parts for stainless became my plan. While not as expensive as my final solution, it was a factor. Stainless steel heat shield over $100. These are standard on a Gator.
I might as well say it now, this wasn't exactly a logical decision but an emotional one. BBQ is one of my top hobbies. I like low and slow. I'm keeping my gasser. I like the look of a Traeger clone, or I could say I like the look of a traditional round stick burner pit.
I suspect some Memphis fans are going to think I'm crazy to spend Memphis money on what amounts to a well made Traeger clone ... I suppose we'll get to that over the coming weeks.
Thanks for looking.
DK
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I'm sure you'll enjoy yours, I sure like mine. I would suggest playing with the bird stacks. I run the one on the hopper side way more open than the other. It keeps the lower grate temp in line with the temp on the hopper.
Have fun!!!
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Let me know what the pellet consumption is like when you get her going. I love the construction of those pits, I'm just not sure I could handle the lead time after I ordered it..lol.
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Let me know what the pellet consumption is like when you get her going. I love the construction of those pits, I'm just not sure I could handle the lead time after I ordered it..lol.
^says the guy that's been looking for how long?^ ;)
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Let me know what the pellet consumption is like when you get her going. I love the construction of those pits, I'm just not sure I could handle the lead time after I ordered it..lol.
^says the guy that's been looking for how long?^ ;)
lol...too true. It's just with Gator pits I believe that you have to pay up front and then wait for over a year to get it. I'm not out my money yet. :P
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Congrats on your new pit and many happy cooks!!!
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I have put enough pits together for a lifetime. It is nice to have it ready to cook.
Arrived fully assembled.
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:cool: :clap:
Very nice. Get that steel seasoned and show us what you can do with it.
BTW, what's your seasoning plan?
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Thanks everyone!
Lead time. Guys this is a killer. Patience is most certainly a virtue. A week shy of 4 months for me. (half cost up front, half at assembly, totally fair) I did make one change order (from 20x36 to 24x36). You really need to know exactly what you want and very explicitly document that for Gator Pit. Any changes will cause delays. Gator Pit is a busy shop yes, but I did not feel my lead time was out of bounds as it was just slightly more than I anticipated going into it. Gator Pit is also evolving rapidly. When I made my order there was one pellet pit model, now there are at 3, and of those three 2 come in different sizes so 5 in all. Confirm exactly what you want when you order. These pits are made to order. That was a real eye opener for me. We'll talk about shipping costs later.
I started up the pit today at 12:40 after spraying with canola oil. I sprayed at least a cup and a half over the entire interior and then for good measure wiped down the exterior. I ran at 270 then 300 for about an hour. Then on high until 5:00 or so. Settled in around 420, never got to 430. Since I cannot remember the last time I had my Traeger past 275 I'm totally satisfied with the high temp. What is going to be interesting is to see if I can get those low smoke temps in the way sub 150 range.
Birdhouse stacks. Wow those are not just decorative ornaments. I am not even close to knowing my pit, but they impact temp and smoke output as far as I can tell. Might be the PID controller, but this puts out a lot more smoke than my Traeger/Ortech. And it sounds completely different, more on that later too.
verapx and two other Gator owners convinced me to go with the larger pit. It makes the Traeger Texas look like a Traeger JR.
Next step is a few pounds of bacon for final seasoning tonight.
DK
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That's not that bad a wait time. There are people on their site who have waited more than a year and still didn't have it.
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After doing some research, I could not live with the temperatures and the controller for the price of the unit. But if you are happy, they earned their money!
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bacon was a huge success. It came out perfectly. I'm seeing 165 to 425 temp range in day one. Yes I am very happy. I never had any intention of this being a grill. Hopper assembly aside, this pit will outlive the cockroaches. I'm curious what your research found on the controller. It could be switched out for a Savanna Stoker but why? I'm still learning the controller, and I'm confident I haven't figured it all out yet.
DK
PS it will be months until I determine pellet consumption plus or minus (seems plus, but I never ran my Traeger at 425 for three hours straight). Near impossible for me to just eyeball as this is a 35lb hopper vs the 20lb I'm used to.
PSS Prices have changed since I initially purchased. Steel costs are way up. Demand is way up.
PSSS I know this pit is not perfect, allow me to bask in my day one glory before sharing the imperfections ;D
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No such thing as a perfect pit -- there is only the pit that is perfect for you.
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I'm thinking that you might burn more pellets than you have been. It'll take more BTUs to heat all of that steel and air space. But so what? You didn't buy it for increased mileage. Then, too, I've always thought that pellet cost is a bag of shells when compared to the other costs resident in a cook, even if the pit cost isn't prorated.
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The capacity of that pit with a 24" barrel should be very nice. I suspect that you may be able to run whole packers from front to back vs. length wise.
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I do not use or want multiple units sitting on my porch, I want one unit that can do everything for me. That includes, low medium and what I consider high heat. My pit does all of those things very well. That is what I meant by my comment. Gator concentrates on the body of the unit and leaves the controller and pellet feed to another company!
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much respect for you all-in-one guys. That's just not me (and allow me this little jest, you all have been sous viding like mad lately!) Pellet grilling for me is low and slow. Being a Pacific Northwest guy, I suppose I'm chasing a Texas dream.
Also want to make a note of agreement with pmillen ... if I were to purchase a '67 Impala I agree one of the last things we'd talk about is gas mileage. It just isn't the point (pellet consumption). I'll try to monitor and make some sort of opinion call after more experience with the new pit.
Finally, texasbrew, I certainly haven't tried yet, but I could probably fit 6 packers in the configuration you mentioned.
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DK
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Week One Impressions:
- Lid. I suppose it goes without saying that the body of this pit is built like a tank. 1/4 inch virgin steel. 2436 is the largest pit without a counterweight on the lid. I initially thought maybe I made a mistake as the weight is really something to get used to. Which I now have, it's very evident this is not a thin China made pit. It takes a pretty good tug to open the lid.
- Tel-Tru gauge. Back on PH us Traeger owners affectionately labeled this a hood ornament vs the controller. On this pit the controller and hood ornament are in very close alignment after temps settle in.
- Pellet consumption. I'm waking from an overnight brisket cook. 185 degrees for 6 hours, didn't hit the 35lbs hopper hard at all. I suspect you all are correct, this will most certainly eat more pellets than my Traeger, haven't noticed a huge issue yet.
- Drip Pan. Oh boy this thing is kind of a pain. It fits absolutely perfectly in the bottom of the pit. But it too is HEAVY. Cleaning is going to be a chore vs the light weight Traeger stuff I am used to.
- Controller. I am not used to the variable fan. New sound, not as relaxing as the constant hum of the Traeger. I haven't quite figured out where to maximize smoke production. I was an admitted fan of my Ortech controller. This PID is clearly more advanced and better at keeping temps in a very narrow range. I do believe I'm seeing more thin blue smoke than I saw with the Ortech.
- Grates and capacity. Except for Thanksgiving, I suspect this will be more capacity than I ever need. I kind of like it that way, lots of room to work. I love the lower slide out tray. I have one half of the upper tray removed for ease of access. I have all the room in the world to cook 3 lbs of bacon flat if I desire. Two pounds of bacon is a rather common occurrence at our house so the room is a nice plus.
- Folding front shelf. How did I ever live without one? Upgrading to the 14 inch vs the 12 inch is probably the way to go, but I'm happy as is.
More to come ...
DK
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DK117 sounds like a killer pit.
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Mine runs just about identical to yours. I got the 12" folding shelf and wish I had the 14" folding shelf. Lid is heavy, as I live about 2 hours from the shop I may get a counterweight put on.
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these pictures unfortunately just don't do it justice. This is my first overnight cook on the Gator.
The players
14.67 prime Costco brisket (my first prime!)
Injected with beef broth and Make it Meaty phosphates
molasses glue, way thinner than I use for baby back ribs, but still a great glue
1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup coarse ground pepper, tablespoon of garlic powder, tablespoon of smoked paprika, teaspoon of cumin. for the rub.
On the Gator at midnight, ran 185 until 9:00 AM or so, bumped up to 200 and finished at 225 at 1:45 PM. IT ranged from 206 to 197. Probe tender except for part of the point. I had to get on the road at 2:00 so wrapped in butcher paper and towel and cooler.
Served warm around 5:30 that evening.
I've been eating at our excellent new BBQ joint The Smokin' Oak Vancouver WA. I really like their brisket. Mine is simply better :P.
I made a few adjustments and my total packer experience I'm sure is less than a dozen, of which only two were memorable, until now.
1) New pit. I was very pleased with the consistency of the new pit. I did run through a lot of pellets. I'm guessing almost a pound an hour over the 14 hour cook. Since you guys keyed me onto this, it's something I'll try to monitor. I still have no concerns.
2) No foil / texas crutch. I don't know what made me change, but it just didn't look like I needed it, I mostly had the time to monitor the cook as I saw fit.
3) butcher paper for the rest. Since I didn't foil, I just used butcher paper for the rest, probably didn't do a dang thing, but it looked traditional.
The smoke ring wasn't all that pronounced, probably due to the molasses. Same would be said with the overall smoke taste vs post oak and lump charcoal. The taste and tenderness where just spot on. I'm sure a tad overdone vs competition. Bark was to my liking, not too hard, not too soft.
I've got another one ready to go for 4th of July. Might try to get a better finished picture this next time.
DK
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Here is how it was served. 15 guys, no left overs (many just grabbed a slice or handful as we were out camping.)
guerrero corn tortilla
ancho salsa (grilled on the gasser)
lots of cilantro (wife cannot tolerate cilantro, so extra when camping with the guys.)
corn and bean relish
home made / doctored up crema
cabbage for texture
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It looks like a Texas Brisket!
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As a person who has been using sodium phosphate for over 10 years let me ask you a question, do you think it makes a difference? Do you think it would be the same as just injecting that beef broth?
Injected with beef broth and Make it Meaty phosphates
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As a person who has been using sodium phosphate for over 10 years let me ask you a question, do you think it makes a difference? Do you think it would be the same as just injecting that beef broth?
Injected with beef broth and Make it Meaty phosphates
honest truth is that I don't know. If I recall correctly I was following your lead ;D. Minor or not, I made so many changes on my most recent brisket that I couldn't determine on if phosphates were the winner or not. I just prepped my 4th of July brisket and followed the same process. I suppose I'll run out of phosphates by November. Then I need to ask myself a few questions. If, and I stress if, my second brisket in a week turns out better than my favorite local BBQ joint, do I really want to start modifying the process and tempting fate by skipping the phosphates? $25 for enough to make one gallon of injection. I used 1 1/2 to 2 cups on the last two briskets.
Then I could take another thought process. My pit, although superior in my mind, is probably lesser to the post oak monster that my local BBQ joint uses. My prime grade might be superior. Let's call the rub a wash. I doubt they inject. And since I'm now a non Texas crutch guy that is par too. I doubt they use molasses as glue. I tend to think I cook a tad lower and slower. If I had to guess, and this is just wild speculation, there's something to the injection. Also I am resting the injected and rubbed brisket for 12 hours before cooking.
So with all that said, I have no idea.
DK
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Wow! If you think this Make it Meaty has the flavors that are making it what it is, then I guess you would need to buy it. But you can get 16oz. of sodium phosphate for about $15 online. 16oz. of sodium phosphate will make about 10 gallons of injection!
Make it Meaty phosphates
$25 for enough to make one gallon of injection.
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Wow! If you think this Make it Meaty has the flavors that are making it what it is, then I guess you would need to buy it. But you can get 16oz. of sodium phosphate for about $15 online. 16oz. of sodium phosphate will make about 10 gallons of injection!
Make it Meaty phosphates
$25 for enough to make one gallon of injection.
you got me. I found Make it Meaty as a suggestion on PH. Cost wasn't really a factor in my decision making. Assuming I purchase again, I'll search around. I don't tend to think $15 or $25. (to prove this point, I just checked Amazon and it's $18.95 on prime, not $25) My purchase was 4 plus years ago. I don't do a lot of brisket and as with us all, am still trial and error and learning.
DK
PS this reminds me, I still need to post about my decision making process on the purchase of the Gator.
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I use the Make it Meaty Phos-This! Phosphate as well, but mostly in sausage and not injecting. However, the 1lb container, which is currently around $20, does make 10 gallons of injection.
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I use the Make it Meaty Phos-This! Phosphate as well, but mostly in sausage and not injecting. However, the 1lb container, which is currently around $20, does make 10 gallons of injection.
PhosThis! Premium Phosphate Blend (16oz) is indeed $15.95 for 16oz
I'm using Make it Meaty Injection Base - one gallon pack $18.95, 5.2 oz. Maybe I'm using the wrong stuff, who knows, works for me at this time.
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DK
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Back to the Gator Pit.
BBQ/Grilling/Smoking is my hobby. I don't have a boat, RV, jet-ski, motorcycle. I don't own viking appliances. My trusty Toyota Tacoma is from 2003. When you wrap your head around how inexpensive pellet grills can be vs other hobbies, well that opened up opportunities for me. I could visualize spending thousands of dollars on this hobby. My 8 year old Traeger has had two hot rods, three controllers, a savage grease fire that was my fault for not cleaning after a huge cook and then trying chicken. It's warped and blistering, so I began replacing smoke stack, then SS burn pot and SS heat shield. I began to rethink light weight rusting components for heavy duty, long term, SS. Before my ultimate decision I looked at Jim Bowie (even with stainless and Wifi, it's near like for like of my old Texas) Timberline 1300 (this got me into the $2K thinking and fortunately for me, unfortunately for them, it has terrible reviews, 850 not so much) Rec-Tec (I'm so pleased they aren't orange anymore, but ultimately not for me) PG500 (I had a crush on this thing for a year, but ultimately decided the zones weren't for me) Memphis (this seems to be universally deemed the pinnacle of the pellet grill industry, but not for me.) I never really looked at Yoder which is odd as that's probably the closest comparison to a Gator.
I have no need for direct searing, I can do that on my very nice gasser thank you. I wanted additional capacity as last Thanksgiving, two turkeys and 30 lbs of turkey legs ... I had to borrow a Louisiana pit.
I ultimately decided that my style is low and slow. I ultimately admitted that I enjoy the artistry and experience of the process. I'll never be a stick burner, but that feeling is what I was going for. When I heard (here on PF) about Gator Pit, I quickly went into obsession mode. I watched hours of youtube videos. 1/4 inch steel, stainless burn pot and heat shield and drip pan (all things I either had or were planning on purchasing for the Traeger.) Dual stacks, wow this just did it for me. The design and function is just so cool. I hope to test out lower end smoking and cold smoking when I get some salmon. Which leads me to the controller. 35 lb hopper, really nice upgrade there. Pellet Pro controller and hopper assembly. I'm clearly still learning here, but the fan only option was appealing. Trying out a PID has been a modest learning experience. The bolt on hopper assembly to a industry leading custom stick burner pit was very appealing to me. You'll see 10 year old gators coming in for new paint and looking like new two days later. I can afford a new hopper assembly in 5 to 10 years or whatever the number. The pit should be in pretty much the exact same condition as it is today.
Then I finally discovered that these are actually custom pits. Built to order. I added a custom brand to the end of my barrel. (for perspective owners, think long and hard and get your options right.) So I didn't get a mass produced China made pit. I own a custom made-for-me pit built in the USA. That was a nice to have option.
More to come, 7 hours into a brisket cook as I type.
DK
PS any questions let me know. I need to get some more cooks under my belt to really know this pit.
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16.77 lb packer looks tiny on the 2436 Gator.
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DK
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it was a thing of beauty. It had that perfect jiggle. Nice smoke ring. Presentation was top notch .... but alas the flat was dry.
sigh, I've still got plenty to learn.
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DK
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additional observations.
- Temp consistency. It's not even a comparison, Gator has Traeger beat on this easily. I'm not noticing any left to right temp swings.
The drip pan is very wide and very heavy as I've mentioned before. It allows for hot spots at the very front and very back. The second shelf is a little cooler than the main shelf. Overall, very pleased with the entire chamber being near temp. - 2 inch ball valve. I don't think I get it. This is an upgrade for all stick and pellet pits at Gator. I've got mine open 100% of the time.
I don't move my pit. Looks cool, but I don't understand the need to close or the function for a backyard pitmaster. - I think I found the smoke producing sweet spot. Or rather I'm getting closer. 210 to 225. The consistent thin blue smoke is pretty nice. I'm going to have to make some adjustments as I used 180 a lot on my Traeger
- ash/fly ash. back to the gigantic drip pan ... I'm seeing no ash on my cooks thus far.
Next big cook is a month out, so it will be back to basics (tri tip, chicken thighs) for the next several cooks.
DK
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I cooked burgers on mine Sunday. I cleaned the grill with a steel brush while still running. Got out the water hose and spritzed the grate and grease pan and the smoker came clean just like my offsets do. Left the smoker at 275 until no trace of water left. Neat trick when you have enough metal. Still have to clean ash of course.
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I had my first major issue today. The pellet pro hopper has a grate, presumably to keep ones fingers out of the auger. It also does a fantastic job of preventing pellets getting to the auger. >:( I ultimately found there was a great big air pocket surrounded by pellets held up by the grate.
I was pleasantly surprised to see my pellet usage so low after an overnight cook. Then to my dismay my 225 pit dropped to 180. I restarted with lid open, yup, this part was totally my fault, I should have cleaned the fire pot first. Big combustion fire. Quick clean up and the brisket isn't worse for the wear, but that hopper grate is now gone. There were over 10 lbs of pellets in the hopper, and none in the auger. I'm a little ticked off. Hopefully someone with a pellet pro assembly will read this and not encounter my error.
DK
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Did that grate unbolt out of there or did you have to cut it out? I just got the new hopper but haven’t opened it up yet to look at it. My old hopper without the dump doesn’t have a grate in it.
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I'm afraid I must confess that I've noticed this issue twice before, but never a totally empty auger tube. I would just put my hand in the hopper and move the pellets around and it would all sink to the bottom.
The grate just sits there, took all of 3 seconds to pull out (no cutting no bolts). It looks to be powder coated and designed specifically to sit above the auger. It was just a miss for me and I won't be using it again.
Hopper Baffling System (Directs pellets into auger more easily)
That is supposedly new, so I see no reason for the grate at all.
DK
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Minor issue my friend, car wax, or food grade silicon on walls of hopper! The more pellets that go through it, the less and less you will deal with this small issue!
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I found something interesting on Facebook last week. The owner of Gator Pit posted some insightful numbers:
Past 3 years at Gator Pit:
About 100 custom stick burner trailers.
Nearly 500 backyard pits.
With Gator's pellet lineup being almost exactly a year old ... it leads me to believe that there are less than 100 Gator Pellet Grills in existence. Likely closer to 50. Just two of us on PF as far as I know.
While I expect that number to explode in the next 12 months as evidence by the youtube videos In the Gator Pit showing pallets of Pellet Pro hopper assemblies, it does highlight that Gator Pit is a custom shop and a very niche player in the pellet market. Again I'm speculating, but it looks like 6 welding stations, each station puts out a pit every other week on average (some are quite complex/custom.) Even with explosive growth, we'll not achieve Memphis, Traeger, GMG levels probably ever.
DK
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And a Custom Shop should not want to, it is what sets them apart.
Even with explosive growth, we'll not achieve Memphis, Traeger, GMG levels probably ever.
DK
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It's been ages since we went to Disneyland. Last month was the county fair. Something like $14 for a turkey leg (EACH!). I passed, but then realized I wish I hadn't despite the cost. So I did them myself. Butcher has them by the case for $45 plus tax. Mine are as good or better.
DK
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A little update.
Zero issues with pellets since removing the grate.
Believe it or not ... Thanksgiving was an influence in my purchase decision. Capacity was becoming an issue. I've mentioned before, last year I had to borrow a Louisiana for my turkey as my Traeger Texas was full with turkey legs. Yesterday we had our end of summer BBQ. 30 lbs of turkey legs (just a tad more than I do for thanksgiving.) The few times I might need the capacity ... I've now got plenty. 14 turkey legs (over 2lbs average each) fit in the 24x36 gator with plenty of room to spare.
Cook went well. Three day brine: salt, brown sugar, onion powder, meat tenderizer, cumin, liquid smoke.
I went long on this one, started at 9:00 ate at 5:30. 185 to 225, to 245 was where we topped out. The dark meat can take overcooking and still be moist. IT of 180 minimum is what I was going for. Top rack a little cooler that bottom, but very happy with the overall consistency of temps. I didn't get the red color one can get from higher temps, but this was a winner.
DK
PS super outstanding smoke ring on this cook despite not getting the red/charred finished look. As normal with a gathering of 17 or so folks, no finished pics :(
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It is always nice to have the space you need!
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It is always nice to have the space you need!
So true!
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It's been ages since we went to Disneyland. Last month was the county fair. Something like $14 for a turkey leg (EACH!). I passed, but then realized I wish I hadn't despite the cost. So I did them myself. Butcher has them by the case for $45 plus tax. Mine are as good or better.
DK
This reminds me of the time I was in Dallas with my brother and he ordered a beef rib which was $20 a bone. That started me cooking beef ribs.
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3 lbs of bacon. I could probably fit 5 flat, maybe six. Thick cut, 1:45 at 185, then 225 to finish. Renders perfectly if you have the time. I gave the stick burner guys on FB a hard time, this is pure pellets.
DK
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A little update.
Zero issues with pellets since removing the grate.
Believe it or not ... Thanksgiving was an influence in my purchase decision. Capacity was becoming an issue. I've mentioned before, last year I had to borrow a Louisiana for my turkey as my Traeger Texas was full with turkey legs. Yesterday we had our end of summer BBQ. 30 lbs of turkey legs (just a tad more than I do for thanksgiving.) The few times I might need the capacity ... I've now got plenty. 14 turkey legs (over 2lbs average each) fit in the 24x36 gator with plenty of room to spare.
Cook went well. Three day brine: salt, brown sugar, onion powder, meat tenderizer, cumin, liquid smoke.
I went long on this one, started at 9:00 ate at 5:30. 185 to 225, to 245 was where we topped out. The dark meat can take overcooking and still be moist. IT of 180 minimum is what I was going for. Top rack a little cooler that bottom, but very happy with the overall consistency of temps. I didn't get the red color one can get from higher temps, but this was a winner.
DK
PS super outstanding smoke ring on this cook despite not getting the red/charred finished look. As normal with a gathering of 17 or so folks, no finished pics :(
Legs are in the brine!!!
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that's awesome! I got a little excited and put mine in brine Sunday afternoon. I'm not worried, I like the 72 hours and more for a brine. Thursday is going to be fun. I'll wake at 3:00 am to start the water boiling, I'm going to try and get crisper skin this time. Have to leave around 10:00 am (so 6 hour cook time max) for a 11:00 arrival and 1:00 supper. Turkey legs (dark meat) will take the heat and the long rest time just fine.
Good luck, let us know how it goes!
DK
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some of the advanced prep work entailed in the brining process.
DK
PS threw some new ingredients in the brine this year just for fun.
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so my hot rod died this weekend, after 9 months on the Smoke Daddy hopper assembly. Dennis was awesome, responded within like 15 minutes on a Saturday.
Ran out and got a new hot rod at $34. The dang screw that holds the old hot rod broke in one turn. After about 45 mins of trying to get that thing out another $39 for a stainless steel burn pot arriving Thursday, so I'm out of commission.
Fired up the 2009 Texas. Held 225 like a pro! Was fun to get the old pit running again after a lengthy startup (hadn't been run but twice in 8 months.)
Then I see a few paint chips on the Gator, nothing $3.50 in high temp BBQ paint didn't fix in minutes. Then I compared to my Traeger ... LOL rust.
I have some mixed feelings. Smoke Daddy hot rods fail just like any other. Gator paint chips, a little disappointing, but got that fixed. I still love my Gator, this isn't a bashing post, just a FYI as all pits are going to need maintenance.
DK
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my Traeger bulgogi skinless chicken thigh skewers, pretty tasty. [ Invalid Attachment ]
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back in business. No harm no foul. A little early in the life of my pit, but normal maintenance.
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my Traeger bulgogi skinless chicken thigh skewers, pretty tasty.
I'd eat that.
Bulgogi marinade, skewer and grill? If so, how long did you marinate the thighs?
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my Traeger bulgogi skinless chicken thigh skewers, pretty tasty.
I'd eat that.
Bulgogi marinade, skewer and grill? If so, how long did you marinate the thighs?
I think there was a discussion on this a week or two ago. I went 5 days because ... well I got busy. Evidently 5 hours would have done the same.
DK
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Gator paint chips, a little disappointing, but got that fixed. I still love my Gator, this isn't a bashing post, just a FYI as all pits are going to need maintenance.
DK
I believe the Gator Pit uses the same paint that went on my homemade grill. It's the Rustoleum grill paint. That paint gave me fits. One surface on my grill was bright shiny cold rolled steel. My prep before painting included washing with acetone to remove all oil from the surface. The paint peeled like cellophane a week after painting. Googling around I found that Rustoleum has given customers refunds when they had similar results. I did find buried in their documentation that the surface should be "scarified" before painting. Yup...that's the trick for keeping the stuff from peeling/chipping off easy. My stacks were media blasted before paint and the paint has held up well there. I repainted a few of my pits surfaces by wire brushing the paint off and going over the surface with a random orbital sander. A few of the surfaces will need to be repainted later. Rustoleum grill paint just doesn't do well on shiny new steel.
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Joe, you're exactly right on the Rust-Oleum BBQ paint. Still, I got the Gator painted and cleaned up, then played a bit with the filters on my phone.
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way back when this thread was started, almost a year ago, there were questions on pellet consumption. 35 lb hopper, 24x36 big cooking chamber. I'm on 15 min shutdown mode after an almost exactly 12 hour pork shoulder cook. Started at 195 for 5 hours, then 265 to finish. I just refilled the hopper and couldn't fit a whole bag in, so about 18 lbs of pellets eaten. 1.5 lbs per hour. A little bit high maybe? Still within reason. Ambient temps ranged from 51 to 58 and we did have rain and the pit was uncovered.
DK
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Compared to the other costs associated with each cook, I've never been concerned with the cost of an extra pound of pellets.
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I'm very pleased with this cook. Got a nice smokey taste, good bark, done to my liking, probe tender a little early 185 to 197 IT. I don't think I've ever pulled pork that early, but it was done bone slid out effortlessly. Seasoning imperfect as I ran out of my go-to but ... this will be pulled pork sliders with slaw for Sunday afternoon at the beach. I've got plenty of vinegar, cider, bbq sauce ready to go for the refresh on Sunday.
pmillen I use Bear Mountain pellets. Roughly $10 for 20lbs, I don't really worry about it either, just wanted to post the closest to accurate measurements I've had thus far. Normally I don't pay attention.
DK
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I used to smoke salmon frequently onl my old pit. I'm not sure I convinced everyone on PH as it's quite a boast ... but my old Traeger (which has only been used about two or three times in the past year) could hold in the 120's on a cool day (let's call that 50's or below). Many times I've smoked salmon for 5 to 7 hours. Very rarely a flame-out.
Albacore tuna today and giving the Gator a shot at smoked fish. It's 65 degrees out, moderate yes, cool, no. So not really a fair comparison, but I'm having trouble holding much below 170. Frankly this was expected as there isn't as much heat loss as the thin, leaky Traeger. Conversely, a good reason to keep my Traeger Texas.
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Assuming my bro gets me some salmon this fall, I'll probably go back to the Traeger for smoked fish.
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The Meat Slinger! LOL
Vertical pellet smoker, looks pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzbjgWDe3Sc
DK
PS you all know me well enough now, near 10 years posting on these forums. I have no affiliation with Gator Pit. I love mine yet confess it's not perfect. I do like to give these guys some credit with their quality welding, metal, and designs. Comes with a price though.
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That is a nice cooker, no doubt worth the price, but I think i may add a few bucks and buy an FEC100 if I was wanting something like that.
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additional observations.
- ash/fly ash. back to the gigantic drip pan ... I'm seeing no ash on my cooks thus far.
Yay!
You referred us to here from another post. I re-read the entire thread.