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Lang Smokers vs. other Top of The Line Smokers

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Harv  Im leaning the same way your are on the guru.  Now Im trying to decide when to order mine. Ive heard we are getting in the top dollar shipping time before Christmas, and that Jan shipping is cheaper.  I need to check this out.  mike
 
Hey Mike.

I am sure that you probably know this but just in case you don't, you can either call Lang or go on their web site, main page and hit the shipping icon and that will take you to a page to fill out some info and they will send you a shipping quote. I believe that they have a couple of different ways to go, some a little slower and cheaper and those that are faster delivery and a little more money.

I am lucky in that I live about 4 1/2 hours away and I am planning on driving up to pick mine up and will probably season it on site, hopefully with the main man, Ben Lang and then drive it home ready to go.

I am going to go with the stainless steel upper and lower grates as you are and enjoy the benefits of easier cleaning.

I still haven't decided on the cover yet but I like having a full custom fit cover.......top to bottom protection.....easy zip on and off and a 10 year warranty.

Harv
 
Harv, i just got a lang 36 and i am also finding it has hot spots. Maybe the 108 is less noticeable givem the size. But with my 36 i just got last week, there is a 20-25 degree difference from what the tel tru reads and the right side of the upper rack closest to the smoke stack. When the tel tru reads 275 that is the temp on the left side closest to where the heat and smoke come in. And the bottom right closest to fire box will be 290 and right above around 300. Ben suggested closing the stack 3/4 open but it then i start getting white smoke. My solution was to purchase an alluminum 4" x 6 " vent from home depot and just placing it on the smoke stack inside to lower the heat escape inside the smoker. Temps are now even across. Only having thr bottom right about 10 degree hotter
 
ChipotleQ,

Sorry to hear the news of your trouble as I have not herd this before and I have spoken with no less than 25+ Lang owners, many of them competitors in "Q" contests all over the country and they speak very highly of the Lang Smoker.

The 108 I cooked on was about three years old and just cooked like a dream. Since that time I have had the pleasure of smoking butts and briskets on a Lang 60 and got the same smooth results.

I will be smoking with the church team starting at 4:00AM tomorrow again on the 108 doing butts and turkeys. We will see how things go this time and if I don't get the same great results of smoking with ease and moist butts and turkeys I will definitely let you know.

Not sure if you are aware of it but there is a Lang forum on smokingmeat forums and I think if you hook up with some of the guys here you might get some good smoking technique suggestions. The smoking temperature variants that you are experiencing sound awfully unusual and out of character for a Lang smoker. Have you had any further discussions with Ben Lang concerning your smoking heat differences on the shelves?

Just closing the pin wheels down alone doesn't seem like that alone would be the fix as doing that will also increase the smoke coming out of the stack.

Harv
 
Hey Harv    I hope others that have a lang 36 will chime in here on the un even heat problem mentioned above.  I have heard no complaints to date........but if there are problems I certainly would like to hear about them.  I have also never heard of anyone having to modify a lang 36 to make it work properly. 

Harv I wanted to mention another smoker Im looking at since you and I have been doing a lot of research.  You can look at it on Goodwinindustries.com.   Its the model 24/24.   It would cost me about $2060 with tax.  Its made by the people who created and manufactured the Good One before they sold out.  Now they are making quality smokers again under the name  "The Smoker"  Check it out.    It would be about the same you are spending for the 48.   The smoker can be left unattended for hours and maintain its heat.  Ive seen it in person and its a quality smoker manufactured in Burns Kansas. 

Im having a real problem deciding what to do.  I really like both  the lang and The Smoker.  they are very different quality smokers.  One big issue for me is The Smoker is $400 more than the lang 36.  However The Smoker has more room and the ability to cook unattended for hours........What to do?????????
 
Hot spots not really a problem for me. I also just got it and may need to just get used to it. I did the temp test while I was seasoning the pit. And I have only smoked food twice on it since I got it. Last time I smoked 5 whole split chicken and all came out pretty even on the temps. All chickens registered more or less the same temperature after I tested for doneness. So it just may have been user error on my part. Cooking that chicken at 300 degrees made the skin crisp up nicely and golden color. Love the clear heat results and the sizzle is music to my ears.
 
Mike,

Why don't you hook up with garyt, he has a Lang 48 I believe that he has had for several years and is very happy.

I will take a look at the smoker from goodwinindustries that you have mentioned but I can honestly say that it is going to take a lot to move me away from purchasing the Lang 48 patio that I have honed in on.

My reasons why Mike is that I had the opportunity today to smoke on the 108 again as well as firing up a Lang 60 deluxe and I did 16 butts, 70 chicken thighs and 12 turkeys and the results were absolutely outstanding. After I got the smokers up to 300 degrees initially I added all the food and kept the temperature at 240 degrees all day with minor tweaks to the pin wheels. Started at 5:00AM this morning and we were done at 4:00 PM this afternoon. Turkeys were golden brown in color and full of juice. The butts we pulled and they came out perfect.

I added a split of oak wood about every hour and a half.

Harv
 
Harv     Your direct experience with the langs is invaluable in determining which smoker to buy.

Have you found a place that makes covers for Langs?  If I get one Im thinking about removable smoke stack to make it easier to cover. I talked to Ben Lang today and he said a removable smoke stack has no impact on performance nor does it leak.  He said it is not an uncommon modification.   If someone makes a good cover for the lang patio 36  at reasonable cost I may not get the removable smoke stack.      mike
 
Hey Mike,

I have in fact found a good company that makes marine grade covers for a wide variety of smokers and they have made several for Lang smokers.

Their covers are custom made with a zipper that goes from top to bottom for easy on and off. I also found out that the covers fit over the smoke stack of course and go all the way down covering the wheels and have easy straps to secure the cover on the smoker.

The cover allows the air to breath around the smoker so no moisture build up happens and the covers have a 10 year warranty against defects and any fading in color.

Here is the info I got:

Harv

Harv - Thank you for the inquiry and congratulations on your new smoker. We offer GrillWraps to order to fit all models and sizes of grills, islands and items needing a cover. While we do offer several marine grade fabrics, our number one choice is the Sunbrella fabric. It has a canvas appearance, breathable to limit condensation, 10 year warranty, and the largest choices of colors.

You can see the full line of colors at: http://snb.la/SR0178   (We use the Marine Exterior fabrics with style numbers beginning with #46__).

We have made covers for the Lang Patio smokers and have all  the dimensions. A Sunbrella cover for your smoker is $549 including shipping. The cover will be reinforced for the sharp corners and top of the stack, have a zipper on the end for easy on/off and have straps with quick release buckles to hold snug. We are currently shipping 4 weeks from order. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Bill Donohue

Cove Point Canvas
P.O. Box 389
Barrington, RI 02806
Telephone: [u]401-648-6858 [img]skype-ie-addon...ing  FREE   end_of_the_skype_highlighting[/u]
Fax: 401-633-7500
E-mail: [email protected]
www.grillwraps.com
 
Glocksrock,

I think if you look at the thread from the below you will see a lot of comments from Lang owners. Look for CulpeperSmoke.

Harv

11/19/12

Thread Starter  


  • 80x80px-LS-d6729414_35330-1014a.jpg

My wife and I are considering buying a new smoker for Christmas. I’ve been back and forth between a stick burner and pellet. My budget is right around $1000. I’m pretty much sold on the Lang 36” which should be plenty of space of us, if I’m real good maybe we can up the budget to include the deluxe model.

My questions are pretty simple but cover all the problems I have with maintaining temps on my current charbroiler. If burning hardwood like Hickory or White Oak how long can you go before having to add wood. Once added additional wood can you keep going without changing the vents etc and still maintain temps? Anything else I should know?

Thanks and hopefully sometime in January I’ll be showing a QView with a new smoker.
yahoo.gif
 
For those of you looking at covers, go to The Cover Store (www.the-cover-store.com).  They have covers for everything and they may not have one specifically for the Lang but they do have covers for golf carts and ATV's that may fit your bill. I have owned covers from them for my A/C unit, deck chairs and my Weber Genesis for the past four years and see no sign of dry rot or cracking. They remain flexible in the winter and you can't beat their quality. That said I only own their Ultima line. A little expensive but a lot cheaper then the prices I have seen for custom made covers.
 
Harv      I finally bought a smoker.  It will be delivered on this Tues.  After a lot of research and talking to lots of people I narrowed it down  to two smokers..... the Lang patio 36 vs the American Barbecue Systems All-Star.   I bought the ABS All-Star with ten inch wheels.  It is made here in Kansas City area.  I visited the facility where it is made and the owner Mark Hillman gave me an informative tour.  What put me over the top is a friend of mine who caters BBQ for a living  has experience on the ABS equipment.  He highly recommended the ALL-Star for a number of reasons including its quality build 11gauge steel throughout, Stainless steel cooking grates and shelves, and most important it's extremely easy to maintain a consistent temp in all ranges. I like the ease in which I can get to all three cooking shelve and how I can pull each of them out to get at whatever Im cooking.  It has a full length insulated fire box which provides consistent heat end to end in the smokerbox, 3 dampers for precise control of heat and smoke, a built in ash removal rake system allows easy clean out of firebox, and more cooking area than the Lang 36, I encourage any one to check it out on Americanbarbecuesystems.co.  There are more outstanding features than I mentioned here.

Both the Lang 36 and the ABS All-Star are outstanding smokers based on all my research.  For me I think the All-Star is a great match for my backyard cooking needs. 

I really appreciate every ones comments on the forum during my search.  The comments were realty helpful.  

Now on to looking at recipes on the forum.    Mike
 
Mike,

Congratulations on your smoker purchase. I take it that you live in the Kansas City area and it was certainly a great move to go the ABS site, meet the owner, see the products first hand and tour the facility.

I look forward to hearing back from you after you have had a chance to smoke some goodies and how well everything turns out and the ease of using the smoker.

I do have a question for you. Given that you were at the ABS site and I am sure looked at all of their smokers, why did you not consider their "Pit Boss" rotisserie model? I have recently read  several articles and reviews of using a stick burning rotisserie smoker and they have all been very very strong.

I in fact spoke with a BBQ restaurant owner in Georgia that has a great business going and he purchased a Cadillac rotisserie smoker and swears by it.

He told me that he has owned and smoked on several off set stick burner smokers and enjoyed the results but when he got his current rotisserie smoker he said he found "Heaven" and has never looked back.

He told me that the ease of using the rotisserie smoker is just uncompromising. He never has to turn over his butts, chicken, ribs, brisket's or turkeys. Pops them in and occasionally sprits the food with apple juice/apple cider and that's it.

Harv 
 
Harv   My friend who has the catering business has used the ABS pit boss rotisserie model and loved it and highly recommends it.  I would have loved to have one but I don't need all the space plus if Im remembering right it was about $1200 dollars more and I just couldn't justify it for what Im going to be doing.  If down the road I get into competition and cooking for more people like at church.....I will definitely get one.  I am really impressed by the quality and all the little features  ABSt incorporated into their smokers.  I started a new thread in "wood smokers" where I posted some pics.  mike    
 
Hey Mike,

I understand your position on the Pit Boss and it certainly makes sense.

I just tried to find your new thread with your pictures but didn't have any luck.

Harv
 
Harv. I'm a relatively new member to this forum. Since I posted some pictures the rules say the post may be delayed until they can determine it is appropriate. I assume that's why its not there. Since your spending more on a smoker look closely at the pit boss in your comparison to determine what best meets your needs. I found it to be a difficult decision not to be rushed. Abs has facebook page too.
 
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