has anyone compared the cookshack products with southern pride? we are opening a new bbq restaurant and looking for comparrisons.I am opening a new bbq restaurant and have been testing out a southern pride 500 smoker. was wondering if anyone out there has used one and could give me some comparrisions to the cookshack products. thank you

Jim -- Welcome to the forum! Here is a search done on Southern Pride. Got a bunch of hits.

I am not familiar with SP and believe it's more of a commercial smoker. You might have better luck asking your question in the "Professionals Only" forum. Just a thought.

Good luck whichever way you go!

All you'll get is honesty here

Are you wanting to compare them with the Professional series (150/200/300)-- Electric or with the Commercial FE series (100/300/500/750?) -- Pellets?

Combined your post (from the Owners forum), no one there that owns a small Electric CS will have a large SP.

Question. Are you using the SP with Gas? If so, then there is no comparison, you don't need gas assist with a CS. Are you using it logs only? Less ash with the CS.

SP's have been around a LONG time, they're good cookers and you won't do bad by them. I think a lot of people have them because they've been around so long and there wasn't competition. Now them, OH, CS, lots of choices.

They're different cookers given the two points above.

Check out the link Wheelz put for the search and read some of those see if they give you some details. No honesty like what's already in the forum.

Let us know what specific questions you have.

Russ

my 2 cents (since you asked). The ONLY thing I wouls love to see on a fec would be a gas option. For my purposes I cook with my 500 and I then use it to reheat onsite. I'd love to use LP to heat the thing instead of pellets.

As for straight cooking, the fec is foolproof. I've tried and I still can't oversmoke the food. Since I like a sronger smoke flavor on brisket, I've made myself a fire grate of sorts that fits in the 500's fire box. I can put a small log on there and let it burn up without the hot embers dropping onto the base or into the fire pots.

in essence, when cooking I can get out of my fec what you can get from a SP or OH. For reheating I'd love to have a gas option.

I've never used a straight cookshack model. I suspect my feedback would be the same. In this instance I'd trade LP for the portable electricity to heat the big unit. But I'm talking a little out of my knowledge base on this.

good luck

Here is an example. Right now I'm cooking for 2 different events. First one is Butts, then Turkey Breast and Hams. All these need a certain amount of smoke to work out. Later I'll do my beans in the same smoker/oven. You see, I am using a Southern Pride Gas powered cooker. It can act as an oven with no smoke to speak of. One of these days I'll have me a big FE 300 or 500 and I bet it will do even better overall. My FE 100 has really opened my eyes!!!