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Landmann Kentucky offset smoker


HeyBertHeyErnie

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On 9/1/2018 at 6:11 PM, May the Sauce be with you said:

Hi everyone, 

Just a quick question about the Landmann Kentucky which is currently on sale at Homebase for £100. I was definitely going to buy one (for low and slow as i have pretty good gas grill already) but after doing a bit of research  I'm confused. Some websites have the Kentucky as recommended but others dont and you guys seem to have modified them to make them work properly. I'm fine to add some heat rope if needed but don't really want to have to do too much. Also I don't really want to spend £250 on a WSM or Pro Q Frontier.  So basically do you think the Kentucky worth it for £100?

It's only an opinion and only mine but I don't think it makes so much difference, as far as mods are concerned, whether you spend £100 or £900. I run an Oklahoma Joe Highland and I needed to spend another £100+ on mods, most were DIY, before I got it working as it needed to! I could have gone on spending 100s but that applies to every hobby out there. I think you need to look at what you want the item for, will you only smoke or will you also use the cooking chamber as a grill? How often you are going to use it! For £300 and up you get a decent offset with average thickness of metal with a shorter life span but jump to £500+ and you have 8mm thick steel which is going to last a long long time and the only part likely to fail will be the firebox due solely to heat! The 3-4mm units, £100+, will give you a good few years of use and if you are learning then that may be the way to go! Who wants to spend big money on an item that may end up as a garden ornament? As a final thought the OHJ weighs in at some 14 stone and if you shop around you can find them for as low as £400+ they will still need those mods so be prepared to spend. Is it worth spending more than £100+ on a offset? Only the buyer can decide that one. Hope this info helps.

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I would normally discourage people from buying a low end offset smoker (if they have not already bought one) but a lot of people do use them successfully and on the Forum here we will help people to get good results from them if they have already bought one. You will be able to get some great smokes from the Landmann but you just need to be prepared to invest a little more effort during the cook to maintain a stable cooking environment. The mods that you see are what others have found that work to reduce this required extra effort. It is a balance and often the price can be a big factor in the decision making process.. 

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That's exactly why I didn't mind getting one, I enjoy spending the time modding it, and the time spent using it rather than 'fire and forget'. I said already, but I'll just agree again, If the aim is to buy something solely for the use of smoking meat, a cheap offset smoker is not even the most cost effective way to go by the time you factor in extra fuel costs/modding costs/time and effort spent.

Price wise, I'm more annoyed I spent £175, 3 months ago, when I could have waited but that's by the by!!

Just out of interest, I can now have my Kentucky maintain 115-117 celsius for about 3-4 hours (5 in hot direct sunshine) on one chimney of Weber briquettes. Don't know if thats good or not.

Edited by HeyBertHeyErnie
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16 minutes ago, HeyBertHeyErnie said:

What temp and time did you cook at? And how much did the bird weigh?

Think it weighed 1.5 to 2kg, maintained a temp of 160. did not let it dip under 150, was 160 fairly consistently. Took around 2 and half to 3 hours. Used beach wood smoking chunks, applied a couple of large ones every 45 mins to an hour for the first 2 hours. 

Edited by Cumminz
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39 minutes ago, Wade said:

I would normally discourage people from buying a low end offset smoker (if they have not already bought one) but a lot of people do use them successfully and on the Forum here we will help people to get good results from them if they have already bought one. You will be able to get some great smokes from the Landmann but you just need to be prepared to invest a little more effort during the cook to maintain a stable cooking environment. The mods that you see are what others have found that work to reduce this required extra effort. It is a balance and often the price can be a big factor in the decision making process.. 

Agreed, offsets, they can be hard work, but to be honest, in my case, the OHJ was just as hard to handle! That was not due to the quality/thickness, well not as far as the metal went anyway, it was just a whole new way of doing things. I was used to slinging some hot coals on the grate and dropping some kind of meat on top until it smelt and looked good. Learning to control the fire/heat from an offset was for me a steep learning curve! Maintaining that heat in different weather conditions was yet another hurdle to be cleared and then, if you are unlucky enough, to get a bad batch of coals or wood not properly seasoned, suddenly everything you thought you knew is thrown into doubt!! Hence joining a forum such as this. Where others far more experienced can offer help and advise that would take the new user months if not years to gather from going it alone! I rest my case m lud.?

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3 hours ago, Brinkman said:

Maintaining that heat in different weather conditions was yet another hurdle to be cleared and then, if you are unlucky enough, to get a bad batch of coals or wood not properly seasoned, suddenly everything you thought you knew is thrown into doubt!! 

You are so right Brinkman, weather can play a very significant part when cooking, Wind, Rain and yes Sun can throw those temperatures all over the place.

 

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  • 5 months later...

Such is the life of a offset smoking, it kind of depends what you invest in the first place.  Not saying lots of money is the answer but if you think ahead then plan accordingly you can really personalise it to suit yourself.  It is  a learning experience but take interest in the journey and you might enjoy it?

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@goldencrunchs take it easy mate, one step at a time,  don't take too much on board at the moment. Keep it simple, if you try too much it may bite you in the arse.  Prep your meat, light the Landmann,  slap your joint on the farthest side away from the firebox. Then start to monitor the temp by using the firebox door,  and the vent to control the temp, you'll soon get the hang of it.

Then by moving your joint along towards the hot end you increase the temp on the meat, away from the hot end is cooler,  you can even add a dish with water between the heat source and your meat, this will add moisture to the BBQ.

On the hints and tips, take it easy, make one at a time so you can see what you have achieved.

 

Ice.

 

Edited by Icefever
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