New Smoker/Cooker

[El Padre]

I bought an Orion cooker from Home Depot after my wife pointed out an ad she saw to me. I was skeptical but did my research and it seemed everyone who had one loved it. I have always been a big BBQ grill fan and have cooked many kinds of meat on my grill.

I have to say, the Orion cooker is something else. Light it off and forget it until it's time to remove your meat. It cooks by convection using charcoal and does so quickly. Couldn't be simpler and the taste is fantastic! Cooked two roasts today and some fish with some mesquite wood chips added for flavor. (Waxed my Ridgeline while it was cooking.) The beef and fish were terrific. I highly recommend it. See their site at Orion Outdoors (No, not affiliated in any way, just a very satisfied customer.)

[T Mac]

I have the Weber Smokey Mountain and absolutely love it. I'm going through withdrawal right now and desperately need to use it again soon. I think the 4th of July has some BBQ on the menu.

[El Padre]

I looked at the Weber Smokey Mountain a while back. It looked pretty nice, but I thought it was a bit pricey at nearly $300. I've been deep frying turkeys for the past 10 years every Thanksgiving and Christmas. They turn out great and everyone raves about them but I absolutely hate the cleanup - scrubbing the pot, disposing of the oil, etc. I was looking for an alternative which originally brought me to the Weber like you have. The Orion just seemed different and it cooks fast. The two roasts I did today took an hour and 15 minutes from the time I lit the charcoal until serving. A turkey, while not as quick as a deep fryer (50 min.), should take about 7 min/lb. I may not be able to wait until November to try one.

Good BBQ, whether cooked in the ground, on the grill/rotisserie or from the smoker, is a slice of heaven. Mmmm!

[zero]

I have both the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet (bought it on T Mac's recommendation) and the Orion cooker. They are both awesome. I like the Orion for the speed. If I decide in the morning that I want some ribs, I can go to Sam's, pick them up, season them, and have them smoked by 1630 for dinner in the Orion. The smoke ring is not as pronounced with the Orion as it is with the Weber, but the flavor is excellent. I have cooked up to 9 racks of ribs in the Orion at one time with excellent results. I have also done pork butt, boneless leg of lamb, and a few chickens. The lamb and the chicken were great, the pork butt was okay.

The Weber really excels at those smokes that really need a long slow cooking time, such as two large pork butts. If I do pork butts again, I will use the Weber. I find that the result is that much better to take the time to smoke for 10-14 hours. Much more of the connective tissue was broken down in the Weber than in the Orion. The flavor of the pork done in the Orion was great, but the Weber did it much better. For ribs, the Weber makes a richer smoke flavor, but you can't beat the ease and speed of the Orion. Folks that I have cooked ribs for cannot tell the difference.

Now some pics.

[shovelhd]

zero, my patio looks just like yours. Same blocks, same color, different sizes.

[T Mac]

I do have one negative to note about the Weber... since using it, I've developed Dunlap's Disease.

Whether you use the Weber or not, here's a really good BBQ/Smoker site

[zero]

Originally Posted by T Mac

Whether you use the Weber or not, here's a really good BBQ/Smoker site

That is a great site. The recipes are excellent. You haven't eaten bacon until you have tried "Pig Candy."

[Tcape]

TMac, thanks for the smoker website. I'm buying a Big Green Egg today, and will be doing lots of smoking on the new grille. Good to have some recipes and smoking tips.