I have a chance to get a Cookshack model 15 T 177. It's over 30 yrs old so CS doesn't have any
info. Anyone know anything about this?

Give Cook Shack Customer Service a call. If it's usable/fixable or whatever they can tell you. Great people just waiting to assist. 1-800-423-0698

Hope this helps!

quote:

Cookshack model 15 T 177

I can tell you that that smoker was probably built by my Dad (who is deceased) and Dale Emery, who still works for us. Thirty years ago they were 2/5's of our entire production crew. It cooks in the same way that our current smokers do. Be sure to check out the wiring; if any moisture or grease has got inside the insulation, which could happen in a 30 year old smoker, there might be problems. On the other hand, if the owner has taken good care of it, it might work just fine. We always say we build our smokers to last, and I guess this one proves it! :-)

Would love to see a photo. Donna you need a history page for the CS site!

Run a contest, who has the oldest CS's in use today

I was up at the factory a couple of weeks ago and found one of the original residential smokers, the precursor to the Smokette. They were called Model 10s, and they were on legs. I didn't photograph it but I asked them to preserve it for the company archives, so I'll take a picture of it and post it sometime. (I live about 100 miles from the Cookshack factory and offices, so I can't just run over and take a picture.)

When this business was started, it was literally in my Dad's backyard workshop. He was an inventor/entrepreneur, and loved barbecue. It wasn't any surprise to his family that he started designing smokers. He noticed immediately that all barbecue was cooked on pits by people who knew how to run just that pit. He set out to design an smoker that gave consistent results and could be operated by anyone. That was 45 years ago. I think he did a great job. (So do several of our competitors who have copied us!)

Anyway, he built a few smokers, and took off with them in the back of his pickup truck. He sold them to Mom and Pop restaurants in Oklahoma and Texas. Then he came home and did it again. This went on for a few years until the demand increased to the point that he could not do it alone and Cookshack began to grow.

My brother Mark and I were off doing other things (I was a social worker and Mark was an airplane mechanic in Papua New Guinea). We became concerned about how hard our parents were working, so we both abandoned our careers in 1981 and moved "back home" to help out. My Dad was in charge of sales, my Mom did the bookkeeping, I did marketing (which is way more fun than social work, by the way), and Mark took over production. Business was good, and then in 1985 my parents died in an accident. Mark and I continued with the family business and in 1991 (I think) we hired Stuart Powell as General Manager. By then I had a 3 year old son, and Mark wanted to spend his time sailboarding. I tried to resign but never made it. I still work part time for the company and I love it. Stuart is now President of the company and is a fabulous business partner.

We have grown from two employees in 1965 to about 30 employees today, so we are still a small company. We are in a niche market and will probably never be a big company. We love having relationships with our employees and customers that are closer than if we were a huge company. We can all go home and sleep at night, which I doubt if we could if were trying to build an international empire.

That's probably too much information, but I kind of got on a roll!

Your story makes me proud to own my 009.Ill have it the rest of my life if I have anything to say about it.Made in AMERICA some thing rare now a days.God bless you and your family.

Donna,

You REALLY need a corporate history section on the site. It's these kind of stories that make it fun to work with a company, to know it's inspiration and it's people.

Good read Donna. Too bad your mom and dad couldn't have lived long enough to see what their dream has become.

Donna,

Thanks for sharing your story. Smaller, family owned businesses are becoming a rare example of a part of what this country was built on. Stories of what your mom and dad did to build this business are an inspiration to us all. I am the fifth generation farming our small family farm that started in the late 1800's. It is gratifying to be associated with a company that is family owned.... and one which will actually allow you to talk to a live person when you give them a call!

Blessings to you and your business and thanks for this forum.

It's no wonder with a history like that,why we all think so much of the Cookshack family and are proud to use and recommend our smokers so highly.

Thanks Donna, Stuart, Tony, Karen and the rest of the good folks at CS.

Hook

Excellent description of the start of the company!!

I too think you should have a company history section on the web site and I also think it should have some pics and discussion about the current 'factory' and people. It would be nice to see pictures of these people we are talking to and dealing with.

I think it would make a lot of converts of people who stop by looking for a smoker and are 'on the edge' of buying.

(And I don't see how 30 people can crank out so many cookers!)

d love to see pics of the whole gang at cookshack.And the factory.How about a virtual tour. hmm?What neat thing that would be.God bless.

quote:

Originally posted by rmd1969:
d love to see pics of the whole gang at cookshack.And the factory.How about a virtual tour. hmm?What neat thing that would be.God bless.

Thats an awesome idea.

Well,even though I bought a Smokin Tex a few years ago,I must say my next purchase of a smoker will be an Amerique by Cookshack.This forum has been an amazing treat to me&others I am sure.And the service from Cookshack is above any other company out there today.Keep up the great works and great publicity of a great company!Bless you all!