WestCoastScot Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Hello all, first time post (and first time on a BBQ forum of any kind). currently looking into upgrading my outdoor cooking equipment. Having watched a lot of the comparisons on YouTube I’m somewhere between the pit boss Austin XL and the Masterbuilt 560. Having been recently told I’m wasting my time and should get a combo of a Webber kettle and a barrel or bullet! would appreciate any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoogl Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Hi , Neighbour, I'm just outside Glasgow. I'm a fan of Bullet/Kettle for first time users as they are both easy to use and give consistent results whilst being easy to learn. Though the Pellet/Digital ones are easy to use and also deliver consistent results though I think some have said the Pellet can give a slightly less Smokey flavour (Which many prefer) I haven't used the ones you have said but many do favour the Pellet style. I think it comes down to what kind of cooking you want to do. Do you want to baby sit a fire? Do you feel a fan/digital method is cheating? There's no right or wrong answer just personal preference. I'd say if you have the cash available go with the biggest you can afford as you can always put less food on (though who wants to do that) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastScot Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 Thanks hoogl, I think a 57cm kettle and proQ frontier is about the same as the pitboss Austin XL. it’s whether I get 2 or just the one?! hopefully going to get to the point to low and slow for 3 or 4 hours before checking. it’s just an awful lot of money to spend and I have been deliberating for a month or so.. when I came across this forum. im down in Ayrshire (west Kilbride).. any tips on what rubs to use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoogl Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 20 hours ago, WestCoastScot said: deliberating for a month or so.. I'm pretty sure I spend over 6 months debating which BBQ to get. Though the Mrs says it felt more like 12 Months . It is easy to fall down the rabbit hole. The PitBoss look good, great capacity easy to use. Though factor in the additional cost of Pellets and availability of them can make it a little less appealing for some. (It did for me) Plus you probably won't be able to get high heat needed for searing steaks or making Pizza in if that's your thing. Rubs, I haven't bought one for a long time. I normally just make my own. I recently Smoked Salt so that get's thrown in one of my mixes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chae Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Welcome WestCoastScot! I have a ProQ and Weber and am quite happy with that (for the moment) but if money and space wasn't an object I'd possibly plump for the Masterbuilt 560 as it seems pretty versatile with low & slow and being able to sear, and I'd like to keep using charcoal or briquettes (I don't know much about pellet smokers) so I have been eyeballing it recently. In saying that I'd also want a decent offset to play with so I'd better start playing the lottery soon so I can win big for all these plans! 🤣 And I'd probably still keep the ProQ and the Weber... so I don't think that answers your question! I suppose it really comes down to what you really want to use it for, what you have the space for and how many people you reckon you're going to be cooking for. As for rubs, I generally make my own (I have quite a few books to choose from for inspiration!) - I sometimes buy if I see one that catches my eye when I'm shopping but often find they're a bit of a let down so it's good to experiment if you feel brave enough! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastScot Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 Chae, thanking you for the input. Having watched several series of Pitmasters and BBQ showdown, its seams that true BBQ enthusiasts don’t favour the pellet grills as they don’t require fire maintenance or smoke the food well. I think I am swayed now to look at the ProQ and a Weber. Seems the perfect combo! I have a few recipes for rub, but didn’t know if it was common practice to buy tried and tested. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chae Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 20 minutes ago, WestCoastScot said: Chae, thanking you for the input. Having watched several series of Pitmasters and BBQ showdown, its seams that true BBQ enthusiasts don’t favour the pellet grills as they don’t require fire maintenance or smoke the food well. I think I am swayed now to look at the ProQ and a Weber. Seems the perfect combo! I have a few recipes for rub, but didn’t know if it was common practice to buy tried and tested. There are a lot of people who own them, I'm just unsure how they work (probably because they're also out of my price range! 🤣) but I think they maybe don't impart as smoky a flavour. I believe they might be easier to control though and get the temps you need but I'm prepared to be corrected! The ProQ and Weber do what I need - I do wish I bought a bigger ProQ as I only got the smallest, but I make do with what I have - and once I have the funds (and more garden space) I'll look to getting something else as well. Some folk swear by buying rubs, I just prefer making my own and then I can change what I put in if I want to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoogl Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 2 hours ago, Chae said: I do wish I bought a bigger ProQ as I only got the smallest Yeah This is why I went with the 57cm WSM. can cook less but plenty of space for more meat. 2 hours ago, Chae said: I just prefer making my own and then I can change what I put in if I want to. I'm also this way. I have a base ingredients for my rubs/sauce and can add to it to change the flavour as needed. It's easy to do and more cost effective. Like my main sauce, i sometimes swap in less water for fruit juice/Bourbon/coke/Vinegar. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wilson Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) Sorry put this in the wrong place. Have reposted in Roll Call. Hi everyone. I'm Andy from the North West of England. I recently picked up a ProQ Elite and have now used it twice with ok results. Looking forward to tweaking my performance by learning from this forum. Main problem, inevitably, is temperature maintenance. I also yesterday had a stall on my small (2kg) brisket which lasted about two hours! That thing took much longer than I expected to get finished and I had to push the temp up to push the internal temp. I need to learn more about that too. Cheers Andy Edited April 18, 2021 by Andy Wilson Wrong place 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icefever Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 No worries dude....👍. Ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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