FEC-100 vs FEC-750 For Competition...

There are three burners in a 750 vs one in a 100 so you'll tend to get more "smoke". But you're burning 3 x the pellets.

The issue I have with 750 for comps is WHY was the space?

Get two 100's and you can run different temps. Butts/briskets in one, ribs/chicken in another. That's what I do.

Not sure many people have the option of a 750. Seems like overkill and a lack of temp variation for different dishes (unless you tweak when butts and briskets come off and ribs/chicken go on.

Yep,everything Smokin'says.You can move an FEC100 around by yourself.Soft sand,or mud takes all the fun out of a 750.
Eddy seems to feel he gets some benefit in color at times with his 500,but he has a Greyhound bus to move it around.

Focus. For me I feel like the FEC-100 allows an immediate view of whatever you're cooking with no wasted space. You just have such quick access without having to cycle through the rotisserie. I ask this because I know that the FEC-100 does rack up wins on the cook-off circuit, but here at regional contests in Texas the consistent winners are not using pellet smokers at all even when there are teams using big units like the FEC-750 or FEC-500. What does Eddy prefer to use himself if he has to take one unit into combat to enter a brisket? I'd love to know his take on that.

For almost all competitors in this world carring around a cooker the size of the 750 is not practical. The 100 is something biq enough for a cookoff but also small enouggh to still use at home on a very regularly. A 750 full of meat will make a lot moister product then a 750 with only 3 or 4 pieces on it. The amount of moisture coming from all that protien breaking down self basting itself realy makes a differance when your done. Flavor between the 2 units to me seems pretty much the same though.

Hey, is that an FE sighting in the CS forums.

Looks like FE, sounds like FE, but IS it FE???

That makes a lot of sense about a full 750 versus one only 1/4 full (if that). The affect on moisture is something I had not factored into the equation. Just attended an event over the weekend and the trend I have been seeing continued with no pellet smokers reaching the top 10. I'm thinking of hauling the FEC-100 out to the next event and volunteering it into service with one of the teams I know and seeing what happens. I hear that the 100 does really well at big events like the Jack Daniels and Memphis in May winning a large chunk of top honors. I have no doubt it can win at the smaller events. I think I need to add another 100 to my arsenal and just have that one for ribs and chicken and keep the other for brisket exclusively.

quote:

Originally posted by FalcoX:
... and the trend I have been seeing continued with no pellet smokers reaching the top 10.

Interesting, first time I heard this one. Were there FE's entered? I've been to a number of contests where they aren't even present.

Also, just because you have an FE, doesn't mean you'll win, you still have to be a good cook. I won a lot of money with my pair.

If you're planning on buying it to make you a winner, you might want to examine everything. It's not just the cooker, but the cook (I think more so).

I'd differ to say that plenty of people win with them, overall. There are just no #'s to prove it. Unlike the PGA tour, no one is keeping statistics of what wins (smoker).

This event was sponsored by the Gulf Coast Barbecue Cookers Association. I have an FEC-100 myself but help out on a team with an FEC-750 that they use exclusively. I have never entered into competition on my own. I grew up learning the hard way on stick burners and know how to cook via my experience with a friend who owns a BBQ joint in South Texas and who is very good. However, cooking for the public and cooking for competition are very different. Smokin, what do you compete with these days? I did see one pellet smoker team place in another event using a Traeger COM190, but that is about the only team I've run into place in the Top 10 recently.

Smokin, how do you haul around your two 100s. The nice thing about the 300-750 series are the trailers they can be mounted on. The 100 doesn't seem to lend itself to that.

You won't find a lot of FE's in the Texas associations. Seems you need oversmoked food to score well there.

Yeah, nice to have the trailer mounted smokers, but you still have to haul all the other stuff too. Unless you're Eddie and you have a luxury RV pulling a trailer FE smoker.

When I compete (not much this year) I have a 16' V nose trailer with two matching (left door/right door) powder coated OU red smokers (named boomer and sooner). I roll them out on the ramp (after I level it). It has electricity, AC, a bunk for sleeping, prep tray built into the wall. All my comp stuff stays in there and I part it at storage. I have battey backup for the FE's.

I think, outside of texas, the FE's win a lot. I know of a few that do well in Texas but they have some tricks to add smoke (sorry, they're not divulging the tricks) but no, they're not popular in the Texas contests.

Falco,

you might want to go over to Pellet Envy's web site and take a look at his trailer set up using two FEC100's.

The FEC500 or 750 is like hunting with a tank. Alot of over kill for the size.

I did use my 500 in combination with my 100 in a comp, and did very well.


RandyE

I got started in this mess by taking the CBJ and Cooking class at Cookshack 2 years ago. We came back to Texas thinking we were going to set the world on fire. Not. We just couldn't figure out why we were not hitting. Of course we immediately blamed it on lack of smoke. To some extent this was true by using the old T brand of pellets but not the main reason. I was told for months to go judge a contest. Hmmm... ok... I'll get around to it sometime. Hell...I'm a CBJ! I know how to judge! LOL . Not down here. I finally relented and judged final table brisket. Up until then we had never walked on brisket. The next week we got 1st. Then 1st the next 2 out of 3. The one we didn't win we forgot our rub. duh. Moral of the story for us. KCBS and IBCA are two very different animals. Go judge before you pull ALL your hair out Oh by the way.... we use 1 FEC 100. I know this may have slid off topic a bit....but you can still be competitive down here with em

I do judge sometimes, but only in the Gulf Coast BBQ association. What is a CBJ? Certified Brisket Judge? How do you get that? Anyway, I obviously need to get out more!

What the cooks are saying is"you may cook the best squash in your neighborhood,but after going thru judging you may find the contest was about watermelons".

Then you know what to cook and how to present it..

TX may have zero sauce allowed off the cooker,and maybe no garnish.FL will have zero garnish and look like a sauce contest.Memphis may have zero garnish,but cups of different sauce in the box.They also will have onsite judging, where you tell your story to the judges.

Memphis is an all pork contest,so many cooks may be cooking whole hogs and shoulders-as well as loinbacks.

Some cookers and configurations may lend themselves to certain products.

The Jack will cook somewhat like KCBS,so a lot of that type cookers.

TX associations may not use certified bbq judges,but may have experienced cooks at the finals tables.

They may judge half chickens,include sausage,do spares and briskets.

KCBS cooks might prepare and present differently.

Like Smokin says,out of old habits TX may have a great usage of offset smokers for many years.
Thus, not as many FECs may be seen yet.

Now come to Lakeland ,Fl at the end of the month and see the kickoff of the major point contests for KCBS.

It will look like an FEC 100 convention with 3-4 Jambos and a couple other offset smokers.

We can vouch for the winnings by FEC 100s.

quote:

Originally posted by FalcoX:
... What is a CBJ?

CBJ's are in KCBS

KCBS. Kansas City Barbecue Society.
CJB. Certified Barbecue Judge

Basically KCBS is ONE organization for contest and they have a certification process for their judges.

To get back to the original purposed of this thread and just sort of by looking at teams winning with Fast Eddy Cookers, it would appear that you'd be better off going into combat with a pair of FEC-100s than with a 750...at least for the purpose of a cook-off. The sniper rifle versus 'hunting with a tank' comment someone posted. The only weird thing I have been hearing lately is that some teams like Pellet Envy are actually going away from pellets to Jambo units which look pretty traditional with a prettier coat of paint and possibly better building technology.

You can't always chase what the other guy is doing. Can't really say why Rod (Pellet) is switching, but we can't call him Pellet Envy anymore. He won a LOT of money with his FE's.

You need to go with something you're comfortable with and then cook a @#$% load and get good at it. People win with cheap brinkmans/small webers and people lose with Jambo's.

Get into it for the fun of it.

I have 4 FE's and compete with 2. Like to have two on site so I can run different pellets and different temps.

FalcoX

I have and used for years a 30" X 12' 3 door tandem mounted Oklahoma Joe and a very similiar Klose. My partner had a large Jambo. We catered and did a great job... but, we got tired of tending to wood, fire and meat all day and night.

Any of these units will do the job but you have to learn and be comfortabe with what you are using.

I don't care who builds it, how fancy it looks and all that, it is still a stick burner, going thru cords of wood and a lot of tending to and sleepless nights!

I am thru with any cooking except for my family and friends, that is why I chose the CookShack AmeriQue. Simple and easy.

Good luck to you however you decide.

Not sure about Rodney "going away from pellets to a Jambo".I believe the Jambo is about eight yrs old.It is not even made anymore.It has the old paint job,not the new wet paint look.
Going from KCMO to Fl,back to KCMO,on to NM,or AZ pulling a single cooker,with his pickup,and sleeping in the truck and making return loops each week is less expensive and quicker when chasing TOTY points.

The side compartment holds Rod's wood,charcoal,EZ Up,etc.

That is one reason.

I cooked next to Trigg at a comp last year.......he said Rod was gettin 2 Jambos for that trailer. We'll see I'll cook Jamies cookoff this year (June) and see what he says. It really doesn't matter. There are pros and cons in everything. But until a stickburner can learn how to maintain itself all night, slice the meat and put it in the turn in box, I'll stick to my FEC-100

Yes Rod is getting two Jambo's, but not the trailer mounted full on, but another model.

At least the last report.

I haven't heard his new name either.