Meadow Creek smokers?

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cabin fever

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Dec 1, 2009
116
11
Orange, VA
I came across the below smoker made by Meadow Creek when I was looking at their chicken cookers. It looks pretty solid as they're Amish built in Pennsylvania and I like the idea of cooking over a water pan as I've never been a fan of offset smokers. Anyway, does anyone here own this unit or another smoker like it? I'm curious to see how long of a cook one would get depending on how much charcoal is added.

http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/store/PR36_Backyard_BBQ_Smoker-pid-94-3.html
 
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Now it looks like a pretty good grill but I don't know that much about smoking with indirect heat. I'm sure that it is built well I hear that the Amish make some really good and quality stuff now.
 
Looks nicely built, But if you start adding up all the options it gets pretty pricey. I think for a smoker you can find something better priced.

Robert
 
They are sweet cookers.  I live about 1.5 hours away from them.  There are a tad on the high side as far as price but they are definately quality built.  Alot of their units are made specifically for charcoal, so I am sure that they would be efficient.  No direct experience with them though.  
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I'm keeping my options open and just thought I'd ask. I would go the WSM route, but looking into it the 18.5" is just a little too small for my liking. Also, it doesn't sound like the 22.5" model is as fuel efficient or as "set it and forget it" as it's little brother. Both are great smokers I'm sure, but I think I'd just prefer to cook on something like Meadow Creek's PR36 backyard model.

With that said, I really just cook for myself, but I like to smoke a lot at one time and freeze a good bit of it so I can get the most out of the time I put into the smoking process. I know, that makes me sound cheap, doesn't it? Oh well, the search continues.
 
I have the Meadow Creek PR36 bottom slide out. Very well made and well worth the $. You can use charcoal, lump, wood or combo of any. The one i have has a water pan that is just under the grate. Heavy guage metal throughout and will give years of service. When we lived in Lancaster County all the chicken BBQ's are done on MC charcoal pits. Located in New Holland PA. I went down 1.5 hours and picked mine up.

I did my pastrami on the MC.

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Nepas,

I'm glad to finally come across someone who actually owns a Meadow Creek cooker and I appreciate the information and pics. Mind if I pick your brain a bit?

How long of a burn can you get out of the PR36 with 20-30 pounds of plain charcoal and is it easy to maintain temp?
 
I see on their site that they suggest you not do ribs on the model you are looking at.  Damn, if you can't do ribs I'd definitely look elsewhere.  Also, the capacity seems small for the price.  Just my humble opinion.
 
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I see on their site that they suggest you not do ribs on the model you are looking at.  Damn, if you can't do ribs I'd definitely look elsewhere.  Also, the capacity seems small for the price.  Just my humble opinion.
When we suggest grilling ribs on the PR36 instead of smoking them, that is a general statement, aimed mostly to beginners. It's just harder to make perfect smoked ribs because you get more direct heat on the PR36 than on an offset smoker, such as the SQ36 Smoker.

I personally own the SQ36 and love it. With the optional grill pan, I can grill or smoke low and slow. I can easily make outrageous ribs or pork butts, low and slow.

The downside to the Meadow Creek smokers is that they are not cheap. This is because of the heavy duty craftsmanship, good quality, and unique features. But they are certainly not for everyone.
 
SeriousBBQs,

Do you have any experience smoking with a PR36? I'm not new to smoking, but I've never cooked on anything the size of the PR36. I know it's the smallest of Meadow Creek's pig cooker line, but I've only ever owned small offsets and electric smokers. I'm just not a fan of offsets in general and that's why the PR36 caught my eye. There just doesn't seem to be that much information available about them.
 
I looked at these grills in Southern Ohio and they are very nice and well built and I came very close to buying the SQ36 but it was a bit expensive. They are very nice!  
 
I just moved my PR36 from the garage to the patio. Soon i will show you what it can do.

I'm doing a little upgrade to my PR36 slide out.

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Wow - 40lbs of charcoal to smoke for 8-10 hours? That's an awful lot. In fact, more than even the WSM, which can be some-what of a fuel hog. 

Maybe that's a typo or something. 
 
I wouldn't mind if the PR36 used 40 pounds of charcoal for an 8-12 hour cook. To me that beats needing to add fresh coals/wood every 45 minutes and tending a fire.
 
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