Amazingribs.com Membership Is It Worth It?

GregW

What do you guy's think, is it worth the 23.95/ yr?

lousubcap

I have not seen the value.  I can access the site and the great index of information and the related articles.  But I have no idea what you gain from the investment.  
I may be missing something I don't know I need.  Kinda like this site sometimes-along comes a sure-fire gotta have and the next thing you know I have it  

GregW

lousubcap said:

I have not seen the value.  I can access the site and the great index of information and the related articles.  But I have no idea what you gain from the investment.  
I may be missing something I don't know I need.  Kinda like this site sometimes-along comes a sure-fire gotta have and the next thing you know I have it  

I think he has the forums behind the paywall. 
I use the uBlock Origin plugin on my Chrome browser and it removes the page view limitation he has setup, however the forum section requires a login the get into that area of the site. I'm particularly interested in the pitmaster forum.
I have a new Cookshack FEC 120 pellet smoker and I've heard that there are a number of Cookshack owners on the forum.

 

lousubcap

Dang-that's quite a rig-with that investment and no free forum options I would go for the one year deal and suck up all the knowledge you can get.  For 50 cents a week... 

GregW

lousubcap said:

Dang-that's quite a rig-with that investment and no free forum options I would go for the one year deal and suck up all the knowledge you can get.  For 50 cents a week... 

There are a few free forums around, but they cover all brands of pellet smokers/grills with not that many Cookshack owners. I think that most of the people that have a Cookshack are using it in a commercial setting and don't really have a need to participate in online forums.

lousubcap

Wherever you land enjoy the FEC.  That reads like quite a machine.  As you well know, have fun.

GregW

Thanlousubcap said:

Wherever you land enjoy the FEC.  That reads like quite a machine.  As you well know, have fun.

Thanks, I'm enjoying it so far. I does have a learning curve.
I do have a commercial venture in mind in the future, I bought the FEC to learn to cook on it before going further with my plans.

HeavyG

I'm a paying member. Glad to help support the site.

I like the Pitmaster Forum and I find it is worth the annual fee. I mean, it's only $24 a year.

My main interest in the Pitmaster Forum tho is that there are a bunch of us that own Karubecues and that is the main draw for me. 

When I bought a copy of Meatheads book last year it gives one a free trial membership so you can check out the forum and see if it is something worth continuing. Had there not been an active and growing KBQ community I may not have been as interested in remaining a dues paying Pitmaster Forum member.

Meatheads book is just like J. Kenji Alt-Lopez's "The Food Lab" book in that the content of both is pretty much what is already available free on their websites but I'm glad to buy them because 1) I love books and 2) glad to throw a few bucks to them to support their efforts.

Skiddymarker

Long time browser of the site, no membership. Found it searching for recipe for Italian beef. Meathead's was right on, his giardiniera recipe is not the best. Basic cooking and reverse sear info is/was helpful. Still bookmarked. 

GregW

HeavyG said:

I'm a paying member. Glad to help support the site.

I like the Pitmaster Forum and I find it is worth the annual fee. I mean, it's only $24 a year.

My main interest in the Pitmaster Forum tho is that there are a bunch of us that own Karubecues and that is the main draw for me. 

When I bought a copy of Meatheads book last year it gives one a free trial membership so you can check out the forum and see if it is something worth continuing. Had there not been an active and growing KBQ community I may not have been as interested in remaining a dues paying Pitmaster Forum member.

Meatheads book is just like J. Kenji Alt-Lopez's "The Food Lab" book in that the content of both is pretty much what is already available free on their websites but I'm glad to buy them because 1) I love books and 2) glad to throw a few bucks to them to support their efforts.

Thanks for the information.
At your convenience, would you mind looking on the pitmaster forum to see if there is any Cookshack pellet cooker users?

Thanks

pgprescott

I just ponied up this AM. Prolly not worth it, but I look at it like @HeavyG. Believe it or not!

HeavyG

GregW said:

HeavyG said:

I'm a paying member. Glad to help support the site.

I like the Pitmaster Forum and I find it is worth the annual fee. I mean, it's only $24 a year.

My main interest in the Pitmaster Forum tho is that there are a bunch of us that own Karubecues and that is the main draw for me. 

When I bought a copy of Meatheads book last year it gives one a free trial membership so you can check out the forum and see if it is something worth continuing. Had there not been an active and growing KBQ community I may not have been as interested in remaining a dues paying Pitmaster Forum member.

Meatheads book is just like J. Kenji Alt-Lopez's "The Food Lab" book in that the content of both is pretty much what is already available free on their websites but I'm glad to buy them because 1) I love books and 2) glad to throw a few bucks to them to support their efforts.

Thanks for the information.
At your convenience, would you mind looking on the pitmaster forum to see if there is any Cookshack pellet cooker users?

Thanks

AmazingRibs Pitmaster Forum does have a dedicated section for pellet grills. Doing a quick search it does appear that there are quite a few Cookshack owners but given the nature of search results it wasn't always clear which model of Cookshacks folks owned - but at least a few did have Cookshack pellet grills.

If your primary interest is just connecting with fellow Cookshack owners you should check out the Pelletheads Forum as they have a dedicated Cookshack section - http://pelletheads.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=2b5f64d8fa10037dbddcde29e9b6833d&

Also keep in mind that the AmazingRibs Pitmaster club offers a 90 day get your money back guarantee. So you can always check it out for awhile and if you found there just wasn't enough Cookshack activity it won't cost you anything.

GregW

HeavyG said:

AmazingRibs Pitmaster Forum does have a dedicated section for pellet grills. Doing a quick search it does appear that there are quite a few Cookshack owners but given the nature of search results it wasn't always clear which model of Cookshacks folks owned - but at least a few did have Cookshack pellet grills.

If your primary interest is just connecting with fellow Cookshack owners you should check out the Pelletheads Forum as they have a dedicated Cookshack section - http://pelletheads.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=2b5f64d8fa10037dbddcde29e9b6833d&

Also keep in mind that the AmazingRibs Pitmaster club offers a 90 day get your money back guarantee. So you can always check it out for awhile and if you found there just wasn't enough Cookshack activity it won't cost you anything.

Thanks again. I have been a member of the pelletheads forum for a couple of years. Lot's of good information there with helpful members. A few of them have Cookshack FEC 120's. and a great deal more that have the FEC grills.

I'm probably going to go ahead a join the Pitmaster club to see what they have to offer.
I enjoy a variety of smokers and grills, but I will always have a BGE, other's may come and go as my whims change. 

TheRealMeathead

Several things here that need to be clarified: There are more than 1000 pages on the site that are free and there is NO limit on how many you can view. The membership is to The Pit, our members only forum. It contains a LOT of cool stuff. Here is a full list of benefits and features. We are constantly adding more. Notice that 5% goes to Operation BBQ Relief. The rest keeps us alive since we don't sell anything!
http://amazingribs.com/pitmaster_club/index.html

We have a 90 day moneyback guarantee. Refund requests usually are handled within minutes. That said, renewal rate is about 90% so most members like what they get.

In 2 years we have had to kick out only 2 members. Conversation is about cooking. Never politics. Civility reigns. 

And yes, my fresh giardiniera recipe is not typical of the commercial jarred stuff. Lotta people don't like it, but many do. The recipe explains this.

Cmon in!

GregW

TheRealMeathead said:

Several things here that need to be clarified: There are more than 1000 pages on the site that are free and there is NO limit on how many you can view. The membership is to The Pit, our members only forum. It contains a LOT of cool stuff. Here is a full list of benefits and features. We are constantly adding more. Notice that 5% goes to Operation BBQ Relief. The rest keeps us alive since we don't sell anything!
http://amazingribs.com/pitmaster_club/index.html

We have a 90 day moneyback guarantee. Refund requests usually are handled within minutes. That said, renewal rate is about 90% so most members like what they get.

In 2 years we have had to kick out only 2 members. Conversation is about cooking. Never politics. Civility reigns. 

And yes, my fresh giardiniera recipe is not typical of the commercial jarred stuff. Lotta people don't like it, but many do. The recipe explains this.

Cmon in!

Thank you for your clarification. Am I wrong in remembering in the past that there was a page view number limitation? If I'm remembering incorrectly, it is a vivid memory. I remember in the past seeing a page view counter letting me know how many additional pages could be viewed without becoming a member.

I do plan to join Pitmasters soon.

I would like to thank you for the Memphis Dust recipe. I used it on ribs this last weekend and they were the best that I have ever cooked.

I hope that you will continue to visit the Egghead forums and actively participate here.

Thanks for joining the forums, we don't get many celebrities around here......

Greg

  

OhioEgger

I joined and feel I got my money's worth. I even renewed for a second year. By the end of my second year I think I will have reached the break-even point and paying for a third year won't be worth the dough, but we'll see how I feel at the time. 

I would encourage anyone on the fence to give it a try for a year. Lots of very worthwhile info there.

GregW

OhioEgger said:

I joined and feel I got my money's worth. I even renewed for a second year. By the end of my second year I think I will have reached the break-even point and paying for a third year won't be worth the dough, but we'll see how I feel at the time. 

I would encourage anyone on the fence to give it a try for a year. Lots of very worthwhile info there.

Thanks for your thoughts. I do plan to join. Hopefully the forums will be active.

GregW

Apparently Meathead just popped in to promote his site...........

20stone

GregW said:

What do you guy's think, is it worth the 23.95/ yr?

I decided to sign up the 4000th time I referenced his meat temp guide.  No real additional value for normal stuff.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I joined just to support meathead. I don't find myself using it but the dr blonder chat about clean smoke was worth it for me alone... and it cost me $1500 (kbq) . Ive never used the forum but I like Meathead so I pay in  to support what he's doing.

GregW

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I joined just to support meathead. I don't find myself using it but the dr blonder chat about clean smoke was worth it for me alone... and it cost me $1500 (kbq) . Ive never used the forum but I like Meathead so I pay in  to support what he's doing.

The quest for clean smoke is costly. Your KBQ is a fine machine. I've decided to give the Cookshack FEC 120 a try. So far it's doing a good job.
I'm going to need for you to guide me through a brisket. 

Corvus

I joined a couple years ago after lurking on the site for several months.  The $25 cost is my contribution for access to a ton of great info.  Now, if you're an accomplished outdoor chef, you probably won't learn much.  As for me, I had given up on trying to smoke a good batch of ribs or brisket.  In the past 2 years, I have the turned out a variety of great recipes due to AR.com.  We live near Kansas City and have not gone to a bbq joint in over a year.  Beware though, in addition to the $25, it has cost me the price of a new Weber Genesis, Performer and a L BGE.  At AR.com, it's called MCS (more cooker syndrome).

GregW

Corvus said:

I joined a couple years ago after lurking on the site for several months.  The $25 cost is my contribution for access to a ton of great info.  Now, if you're an accomplished outdoor chef, you probably won't learn much.  As for me, I had given up on trying to smoke a good batch of ribs or brisket.  In the past 2 years, I have the turned out a variety of great recipes due to AR.com.  We live near Kansas City and have not gone to a bbq joint in over a year.  Beware though, in addition to the $25, it has cost me the price of a new Weber Genesis, Performer and a L BGE.  At AR.com, it's called MCS (more cooker syndrome).

Welcome to the forum.
Did you find the Pitmaster forum to be a good place to learn from? or did you primarily use the free pages on the site?

Corvus

I was drawn into the free side for the technical details of cooking, cookers and recipe building.  I view the Pitmaster forum daily for the wealth of knowledge contributed by users of many types of cookers, styles of cooking and hints and tips.  Your milage may vary.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

GregW said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I joined just to support meathead. I don't find myself using it but the dr blonder chat about clean smoke was worth it for me alone... and it cost me $1500 (kbq) . Ive never used the forum but I like Meathead so I pay in  to support what he's doing.

The quest for clean smoke is costly. Your KBQ is a fine machine. I've decided to give the Cookshack FEC 120 a try. So far it's doing a good job.
I'm going to need for you to guide me through a brisket. 

Holy Crap- I just looked at what you bought. That thing is a beast. I'm not a pellet guy but that is one hell of a cooker. 

Brisket should be a snap in that thing. Let me know if you have any questions. 

GregW

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Holy Crap- I just looked at what you bought. That thing is a beast. I'm not a pellet guy but that is one hell of a cooker. 

Brisket should be a snap in that thing. Let me know if you have any questions. 

Thank you, the FEC has upped my game by around 1000%.
It's almost like cheating, well it's exactly like cheating because it is.
So far I've cooked ribs and butts on it, they were the best I've ever cooked or eaten anywhere.
I was concerned with it being a convection unit that it would tend to dry things out, that hasn't been the case. Everything has been moist and tender with a really good smoke profile.

If I can pull off a brisket like you cook, that would be my ultimate achievement.
I have tried brisket on the egg before and it was a miserable failure.
In hindsight, the odds were against me. I had bought a flat not knowing any better.