British BBQ Society Forums

The Rotal barby is still available if you are interested, I've been off-line for a while
Paul

Why not try a combination of heat beads and good grade lump, I was forced to use left overs and got roughly 6 hours at a good constant temperature so I regularly mix them now. I think that as long as you use good quality fuel it works ok. Same goes for the BBQ itself, get the best you can and enjoy ...

As the other responses indicate the easiest and most practical route is a bullet type smoker which you can use as a smoker and as a standard grill type BBQ when needed. There's not much difference between a ProQ and a WSM, I have the ProQ and have used it for 3years the only mods are sealant around ...

I came across a Silver Birch that the local authority had felled and cut into manageable sections, ever on the lookout for a freebie I carried off some of it and after chopping into suitable pieces left it to dry out. I have used the wood for ribs, chicken thighs and wings so far, nice light smoke ...

Rob is correct, BBQ is so variable that timings mean little, the way you set your coals, ambient temp, ventilation, weight of meat, water temp, humidity, all affect the way the BBQ functions, it drives you mad!!!
Now where did I put those tablets and bottle of wine?

20 hour cook, what are you BBQing a full pig ? I am an expert in letting the temp drop, and I found that foiling saves most disasters, build up the temp and continue the cook leaving the foil on, yes the bark softens but at least you avert total failure. Or you can turn on the oven, that'll work too

Don't forget suitable flooring, stable access to the pit (tripping whilst carrying a well prepared brisket is best avoided), power is very desirable, and also"."................the list goes on. We eventually would end up with a permanent outdoor kitchen if not carefull , oh now I look outside there ...

You are right about it being a design flaw, maverick seem to be the weapon of choice in BBQ land, you would think the eyelets on a popular BBQ should take their probes !!!!! If you search this forum you will find the subject repeatedly, I did the squeeze the probe route and it worked! don't try ...

Welcome to the repository of BBQ knowledge brother manc, I am in sunny Bolton, and still learning the black art we call "smoking".
Good luck in your UDS etc projects

I have a pro Q excel and I'm guessing its the same as the frontier, although I'm very happy with it there remains a problem hitting the right temp and keeping it there. UDS is the cheaper option and you can adjust it, WSM are so popular and standard competition units, they must be good.
Whichever ...