NEED LARGER SMOKER !

You'll need to move to something bigger and if I had to choose, I'd recommend a smoker with a rotisserie.

Now Southern Price and Ole Hickroy make some (and there are others), but I've cooked on those and the FEC and I think the 500 does have benefits.

Ash. While the SP and OH can run on gas (and many Q places do that but don't tell you) when you use the FE it's 100% wood with a whole lot less ash. You can add chunks of wood to the others or even burn whole wood.

Cost. Might want to do a comparison for fuel. If you have 40 acres of wood and it doesn't cost you anything but labor, then it's hard to beat. If you have to buy a rick of wood a month then compare it to costs of buying pellets.

If you're really interested in a 500, jump up to the FE forums and look through there. You can post also as several people recently have bought 500's.

If you're worried about loss of smoke taste/SR I understand. The 500 has 2 burners and the 750 has 3 burners and they are being used in a number of restaurants today. Unless you're oversmoking on your SB, which is impossible to do on a 500, then maybe you need to fine someone with a 500 or 750 to go see one in action.

Just call up CS, ask for John Shiflet and just have a conversation with him and he can answer some questions and possibly put you one to someone.

Steven,

Can't comment on the non-stick burners, beyond their final product is also excellent. I'm old school and love my stick burner, however, I cook nothing that takes longer than 4 hours.

Here are a couple of suggestions:
1) Convert. It will save you time and hassle.
2) Try one of the large rotisserie smokers with double shelves offered by sybbq.com or others. These are good stickburners that can cook plenty of food at one time with little hassle. You don't have to turn the meat, but temp control is a little work.
3) Increase the output of your current uit a)Reduce the cooking time of your butts by cutting them into smaller pieces or increasing the temp. or b)Add additional shelves to your current unit.

Good luck!

Steven,

You must talk to Eddy about this. The people we know who have replaced their stick-burners with FEC's rave about the differences. They are saving money, no problems about shipping and storing logs, food is fabulous, etc.

Terry Black, owner of Super Smokers BBQ in Eureka, MO, wrote us this letter, in which he talks about his experience with FEC's. He saved $1,000 off his gas bill the first month. Give Eddy a call!

If you'd like to talk to me direct you can call me on my cell at 816-213-3473 or just email me your ph# and I'll call you.

quote:

Originally posted by Steven Knapp:
Hey All,
I posted this ? on FEC owners and was advised to move it here. At the present time I have a smoker built by cookersandgrills.com, it's a 31"x10'. Since buying this unit I've opened a BBQ restaurant and have out grown it only after 3 weeks open. We are selling 50-100 lbs. of pulled pork per day. This number will continue to go up week by week. I can only cook 2 cases of butts at 1 time. I don't want to lose my smoke ring or the AWESOME taste that I'm getting from this stick burner. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated as I need to get some SLEEP. Having to BABYSIT this smoker all night then running the restaurant during the day is going to KILL me. Thanks in advance for your advice. I have thought about the FEC 500. Would this be a GOOD CHOICE?

steve... you shoulda bought the 'coffeebluffbbq'. all the hard work was already done. then, you wouldnt have any problems..
well, good luck anyway....

Steve, how's this issue comming along for you? Just curious. Thanks,

I have the FEC500 and love it. Has plenty room to feed a lot of people. I still use the FEC100 almost daily. Wouldn't get rid of either one.

Fast Freddie,
I noticed your FEC500 has trim around all of the edges. What purpose does this serve? Is it strengthened for tranporting to competitions? I just ordered an FEC500 and would like to put it on a trailer. Thanks!
Ed

Ed,
The corner trim is stainless, and it protects the raw edges of the black siding.