I gotta know!!

You hit the hammer on the nail head Brew!

You cant use electric or gas as a "cooking heat" source.

The FEC's use electric, but only enough to turn the auger & fan and to ignite the wood pellets. That's why they are allowed.

Thanks GeiyserQ,

I understand, but at the same time I don't understand.

Electric is electric no matter what function it serves. It's either allowed or disallowed.

Are these competitions endorsing BBQ slavery?

Taint fair I tell ya!!!!!

I guess it's kinda like the competition chili with no beans and no onions or garlic showing.

Waz up wit dat?

Thanks again.

I guess I'll have to continue competing with the loser neighbors.

Once the wood catches on fire (smoldering) in the Cookshack that isn't wood burning? Sounds like the cavemen with that organization hasn't figured out what fire is yet.

smokemullet

It may be wood burning, but it's not the heat source.

Jim,

I agree the wood in the Cookshack is not the main source of heat, but it is PART of the heat source. If they don't think so let them pick up the smoldering coals when the smoking/cooking is over. In that same light, let them put their hand on the electric coils after the pellet has started smoking.

I have eaten the same method of preparing pork and ribs, by the same competition BBQer using both his pellet smoker and his commercial size Cookshack and to me the Cookshack was a superior product with a cleaner smoke flavor and that is why I bought my first CS55 and now use an AmeriQue.

I have little respect for an organization that picks at trivial reasons to keep a better smoking method away from competition and the wrath from old time competitors who are used to their fire and coals. The old methods put out good products, but boy! how inconsistent they can be, they don't keep those gallons of water handy to drink. I guess it was a big gift just letting the pellets compete and they have no intentions of letting anyone else in.

I only smoke for friends and neighbor so I have no irons in the fire, but I have two competition friends that would love to use a Cookshack smoker because of their consistency and superior flavoring of the final product. One of them has a CS he uses for paid events.

Just my thoughts, right or wrong.

I hear ya,,,,,,

Also, if they allow the BBQ-Guru to be used, isnt that a little contradictory ?

The guru is an electronic control of the fire/heat, isnt it, haha

Seems to me there should be a "class" for electric only, then let the winners of each "class" to compete for the "grand" or overall champion.

I do admire the "pure stick burnin" folks, they are like our forefathers, its just that now we have the modern gadgetry that makes things easier, like the guru, the pellet auger, pellets and electric elements, whats next a solar smoker ?

No contradiction.

The heat source, with a guru, isn't the guru, it's the wood. Guru's control the air flow only.

It all goes to the fact of what a particular organization allows in a contest, based on their definition of what is BBQ. KCBS indicates that wood is the definition of BBQ so the heat source must be wood. FWIW, quite a few seem to dislike FE's at the contests because they are so efficient. In effect, others have developed methods (like Guru's) to achieve the same effect.

I think some of those competitors wouldn't like it if they were beaten by an electric smoker, or gas, or whatever. Maybe they're just not very good and don't like someone else winning.

Its all good to me, but I do understand that a contest has to have a common starting point.

Can you use charcoal in KCBS like a Stumps gravity fed ? just curious.

Waldo,

Not to tease you, but charcoal is wood (well, sort of, depending on which manufacturer)

With most contests requiring "wood" as the fuel source, a Stumps or any smoker using wood is alloweed. In fact, some allow you to start the fire with propane, but the gas has to be disconnected once the meat goes on.

Why are you asking? Want to compete? I'd suggest moving the thread down to the comp forum, more teams down there.

Smokin'

So, I have this Oklahoma Joe offset and I use an electric heating element to fire up my special blend of charcoal and wood and pellets.

...and then I turn off the electric element and let the cooking begin. Surely KCBS would not disqualify me.