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I've had a Weber Kettle since 1982...same one BTW....I also bought the Rotissery attachments for it .....Great unit for Grilling or Rottissering....definate A+

I HAD a 35 gallon Drum BBQ that a friend bought for me down on Century Blvd in LA...The Pork Roast were like they were made in heaven....7 lb roast would just disappear......bottom finally rusted..and I left it in CA...with this unit I had to keep the fire on one side of the unit with a small water pan and the ribs or raosts on the top rack.... A-


I replaced the Drume with a New Braunfels...Bandera....which looks like a filing cabinet with a fire box attached to the side..it has a water pan on the bottom....It can turn out some of the best ribs ever and smoked Salmon....but I have yet to make it work for a Roast.... the Bandera is an easy unit to use and keep clean.... B

I also had a Water Smoker....I thought they were a pain to set up and cook with....but they turned out some nice roasts... B-

Last year I bought a Big Green Egg..and have used it exclusivily....for grilling it cooks so quickly you'll hardly have time to set the table and juicie (got to be carefull with fish though)....I've done Filet Roasts that cook in an hour 45 and taste suberb....I've also done Pork Roasts that I've cooked for 13 or 14 hours...and the taste is good and smokey but they just done seem to fall apart the way the Drum BBQ ones did....The Egg is a bit of a chore to clean, and I think akward to get lit...I use a chimney with paper in the bottom (no petrolium after taste that way). B+


One of the things to consider when looking at Smokers or BBQ units is the gauge of steel used..the thicker the gauge the less fuel the unit will consume to keep your temp constant...because the thicker gauge will retain heat better....so in my estimation a unit with 1/4 inch steel plate would be ideal....but the weight would be prohibitive....my Bandera weighs in at nearly 250 lbs...and it is nothing more than 1/16....

maybe with my Pork Roasts I need to change the cut of the meat...I'm using Boston Butts currently...