meat comparison between fe 100 and ameriq

Great question! I have the AmeriQue and love it. It is simple to use, "set it and forget it"!! The meat is great, chicken, ribs, jerky, brisket, pork...etc, all very good. I do want to hear from the experts on this because I might have to switch to the FEC100! I don't do any comp cooking, only for my family and friends, so the electric AmeriQue seemed the easy way to go!

Yes.

come on folks i know some people can give me a opinion. i,m just interested in your taste preferences the differences if you think there are any and if so explain and which do you prefer or maybe you like them both the same. i hope i get some feedback. i think it makes for some interesting conversation plus i believe a lot of people on this forum are very smart about these kind of things thanks smokechop

If you want an opinion, I'll give you one. FE all the way. I have two 100s, and I love them. I wouldn't exchange them for any electric.

That said, I have no experience with the electrics. I got the FEs because I enter a few comps.

I'm sure the guys that use the electrics are just as proud of them as I am of the FEs. Some use both.

Either way, if it's a cookshack, you can't go wrong. The best customer service in he world, and you're not talking to someone in India or Pakistan like I am on my internet problems with Time Warner.

Too d**n long a story to even get into, plus, it raises my blood pressure.

If you REALLY felt the need to lay on more smoke,the AQ could do so.

Although it is texture,not taste,if you REALLY felt the need to fry chicken skin at 350* the FEC could do so.

All other taste areas are the same.

There that covers it.

Hope that provided the interesting conversation.

Why does somebody always get that way when somebody asks this simple question?



Anyway. I think there IS a difference in taste but it's only really noticeable in smaller cuts on shorter cooks. #1 would be ribs. Due to the way the wood smolders in the cookshack and the extra moist environment the smoke sticks and concentrates on the ribs to give them a off flavor compared to those coming off the FEC as it's smoke is from burning wood and it's a little dryer. But not...dry.


There are ways to get around these shortcomings as there are ways to do anything. Open the door to let out the steam and so on, but each time I open my cookshack door I can tack another hour onto the cook. Spares that take 9 hours......mmmm I don't think so. Having to do all these things defeats the purpose of the electric.

Now my cookshack is great don't get me wrong. But, there's a reason why it's my pork butt cooking machine now and not my ribs and PB cooking machine.

Don't mean to be argumentative,but I thought the simple question was about the difference in TASTE?

If you mean why does someone always "get like this" by ANSWERING THE QUESTION instead of taking the thread a different direction,I guess Smokin'Okie has drilled it into us.

Now I cook comps on FEC s,and I will cater/vend on my CS electrics.

I have cooked a lot on each ,over the years.

My answer as to TASTE still stands.

Now if the question was wood consumption,electric usage,access to type of fuel,wiring,exhaust,temp recovery when opening doors,weight of unit,hot cooking poultry,cold smoking,fish,cheese,bacon,training for use,resale value,cost of woods,water pan usage,oversmoking,smokering,which charcoal can bring the best smokering,burning sawdust/chips,which can cook different products more moistly,which I might use if cookoffs were open to all,which makes a better holding oven,storage of fuel,which I feel I can alter flavor profiles better with,etc.-I certainly would give a shot at answering the QUESTION.

Just my $0.02

Ahhhh nevermind. This is going to go somewhere it shouldn't go.


EDIT

i don't understand alot of what i"m reading but what i think is for moist chicken use the cookshack for fried skin and more dry but not a bad dry use the fc100, the cookshack can't do a bark on meats and can turn out stewy on occasions. the fc 100 do have a nice bark and can be dry if not done right. for ribs the cookshack can have falling off the bone ribs while the fc100 are more dry. i guess the taste are the same any more input appreciated thanks smokechop

Smokechop,I think you may be taking some differences in technique ,between two different cookers,and READING in big differences in eating the final product,which are not there.

i.e.,trying to take a 2% difference in technique,and trying to find a 50% difference in eating the product.

It is the COOK-Not the COOKER-that will make even those minor differences.

Smokin' ,and other folks ,that have tried to teach me about bbq,stress learning how your cooker cooks,and then adjust your technique to produce the results you intend.

Most good cooks can cook well on most cookers,and adjust with each one.

Both cookers produce equally moist chicken.

If your goal is to produce ,crispy fried chicken skin-which is not a goal of many people,the FEC can produce some higher temps.

I have no idea where "stewy" came from,as I've never heard of it.

Both produce equally fine bark.

An example would be ,would one of your neighbors Gold electric oven cook a better tasting turkey than the other neighbor's Avocado colored electric oven.

It probably would depend on which neighbor cooked on which color.

Fall off the bone ribs,means they are overcooked,and you can screw them up equally with either cooker.

I's say,that Smokin', and the many other fine cooks around, could produce you the same product from both cookers and you would never be able to pick one from the other.

Hope this helps a little.

well tom that clears alot of things up and makes good sense to me. the reason i asked the question was i just bought a ameriQ new at a great price from a dealer in Louisiana and had the chance to sell it for what i paid for it to a friend if i decided not to keep it. i didn"t want the opportunity to slip by if product in the fe 100 was just superior and reached levels that couldn't be attained with a cookshack. some people have hinted that to me and i just wanted to get some unbiased opinions from the forum. thanks again for explaining things to me.
smokechop

As some of the folks mentioned,each has advantages,and disadvantages over the other.

I love my electrics and I love my FEC s.

These are not TASTE issues,but might be important to you.

I often cook the same products on both,but each can do a couple items different than the other.

Down in Cajun country you may choose to cold smoke some fish,which the AQ lends itself to.

We have jerky and sausage forums,which are mostly electric CS s.

Our cheese smokers get great results on their electric CS.

You can pick up wood off the ground in LA,and cook for free.

Cooking a 6 lb butt for 12hrs is free.

You must buy and dry store pellets,and they could cost you $1/hr at 250º

Nothing major,but a consideration,if that is how you cook.

Glad this helped a little.