I Sold My XL and Small Egg, I'll Shirley Miss Them!

WeberWho

Hotch said:

WeberWho said:

Hotch said:

Nicely done sir!! 

Thanks @Hotch! I'm finally getting going on it. I'm going to post over on the Brethren as well. Just need to figure out that whole picture posting thing.

Give me a call and I can help with that!!

Thanks Hotch. Once I get everything finished up on the smoker I'll start looking to see what I can use for pic sharing. I'll definitely be bugging you if I can't find something. 

WeberWho

distanceman said:

Congrats, that’s awesome! I actually had a SF smoker in the que for Paul to build, then decided to cancel. I wanted something more versatile & easier to move since I move every few years. Ended up with an XL. 

I still dream about one day owning a SF—such a standout family and cookers that are second to none!

Thanks Distanceman! You definitely made the right decision if having to move it every few years.

I couldn't agree more with you about them being a standout family. Most proud to be a Shirley owner on that alone. 

WeberWho

SonVolt said:

Congrats. I've been struggling to adjust to my XL after coming from a large offset. I've learned to love the BGE in its own right - for grilling, outdoor oven etc, but it's a lousy smoker by comparison. You're going to love having a true stick burner and all the real estate it brings. I think a Kingman is in my near future. 

Thanks! You pretty much nailed it Sonvolt. The BGE is almost the perfect grill. Minus the smoke flavor when compared to a stick burner. It's much, much more work for that smoke flavor but it can't be recreated anyway else. 

WeberWho

A few more pics from today. Mocking up the rails, drilling a hole for the handle, making a handle, and welding the handle onto the damper:

WeberWho

I had a chance to wrap up the project late Saturday night. Here's the last of the pictures. 

I turned the warming box into a makeshift spray booth for parts.


Handle for the damper. (Still needs an end cap)


Bottom painted.


 Block plate for the main chamber.


Heat deflector in place.



I fired up the smoker Sunday morning to burn off the paint. Sunday evening it was ready for some food. 


The block plate kept the main chamber from heating up 


Food.


A big thanks to my brother in law and Dad. It wouldn't have got done without their tools and brains. Looking forward to getting the smoker back home. Lots to learn yet with this setup. Thanks for looking. 

lousubcap

Dang- talk about taking the vision and seeing it thru to the finish-line.  Congrats to all for getting it done.  Looks like you have it all dialed in right out of the gate.  Great looking groceries.
Most eggcellent.  

WeberWho

lousubcap said:

Dang- talk about taking the vision and seeing it thru to the finish-line.  Congrats to all for getting it done.  Looks like you have it all dialed in right out of the gate.  Great looking groceries.
Most eggcellent.  

Thanks! I still need some time to get it all straightened out and up and running right. Not that I'm complaining about firing up a smoker and cooking! 

SonVolt

@WeberWho - So at the time of reading this I had no idea that Shirley Fabrication was right down the road from me.  How pleased have you been with this smoker?  I was considering a Yoder or Gator but the prices on Shirley's website are just too good to pass up.   They seem to be over-built and under-priced... 

Biggreenpharmacist

Wait time on a shirley is a pretty long time last I checked.  

WeberWho

SonVolt said:

@WeberWho - So at the time of reading this I had no idea that Shirley Fabrication was right down the road from me.  How pleased have you been with this smoker?  I was considering a Yoder or Gator but the prices on Shirley's website are just too good to pass up.   They seem to be over-built and under-priced... 

@SonVolt The quality is hard to beat. One of the best pits for the money. The downfall is the wait time. Which says something about their company. I think it's around a 3 year wait. @Hotch @CTMike @Thatgrimguy and I think @SGH also have Shirley's. 

WeberWho

@SonVolt

I believe there is a Shirley Facebook page that has used pits for sale every once in awhile on it. (I don't have Facebook) I've also seen used Shirley pits posted on the BBQ Brethren For Sale page. Shirley also teams up with the St. Louis BBQ Store and will sell pits through them. They sell quick. It might worth giving them a call and see if you can pry any info out of them about getting future Shirleys in store. Unlikely but worth a shot. 

blasting

Nice build - I really like what you did.  Looks like you maintained Shirley standards too.

SonVolt

WeberWho said:

SonVolt said:

@WeberWho - So at the time of reading this I had no idea that Shirley Fabrication was right down the road from me.  How pleased have you been with this smoker?  I was considering a Yoder or Gator but the prices on Shirley's website are just too good to pass up.   They seem to be over-built and under-priced... 

@SonVolt The quality is hard to beat. One of the best pits for the money. The downfall is the wait time. Which says something about their company. I think it's around a 3 year wait. @Hotch @CTMike @Thatgrimguy and I think @SGH also have Shirley's. 

3... years? Good lord, that's a long wait.  With that long a lead time you'd think they hire some more folk to churn things out quicker. Maybe that's part of their charm (business model). I'll check the wanted adds... don't have Facebook. 

Biggreenpharmacist

I don't think both guys have a 3 year wait.  One does but I read a post on the brethren saying they'd probably get them out faster than that, but they won't hire a bunch of people to "churn them out".  They don't want quality to suffer and Paul says that lots of people start out with a patio model or something and by the time its finished they've added a trailer and roof and everything else.  They build them to order and work with you throughout the build so it does take a while.  

Hotch

6 Butts on my Shirley yesterday!


Cooks like it’s on cruise control!
The wait is worth it!

SonVolt

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I don't think both guys have a 3 year wait.  One does but I read a post on the brethren saying they'd probably get them out faster than that, but they won't hire a bunch of people to "churn them out".  They don't want quality to suffer and Paul says that lots of people start out with a patio model or something and by the time its finished they've added a trailer and roof and everything else.  They build them to order and work with you throughout the build so it does take a while.  

Interesting.  So by "both guys" do you mean Shirley has 2 owners/builders under the same brand? 

marysvilleksegghead

What did you have to do to get mates on your small?  Thx

WeberWho

SonVolt said:

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I don't think both guys have a 3 year wait.  One does but I read a post on the brethren saying they'd probably get them out faster than that, but they won't hire a bunch of people to "churn them out".  They don't want quality to suffer and Paul says that lots of people start out with a patio model or something and by the time its finished they've added a trailer and roof and everything else.  They build them to order and work with you throughout the build so it does take a while.  

Interesting.  So by "both guys" do you mean Shirley has 2 owners/builders under the same brand? 

Dad (Paul) started the business. His son (Tyler) took over the business the last year or so. I don't believe Paul is taking any more orders. (He works full time at a refinery) I believe they hired an extra hand or two but don't plan on hiring anymore. They only want the best quality pits leaving their shop. They're unwilling to cut corners and rush orders. Like biggreenpharmacist mentions above each order is custom made. So it takes time.

Paul has great Youtube videos going over pits they have made. It will give you an idea what goes into them. Worth checking out. 

WeberWho

blasting said:

Nice build - I really like what you did.  Looks like you maintained Shirley standards too.

Thanks Blasting!

WeberWho

marysvilleksegghead said:

What did you have to do to get mates on your small?  Thx

@marysvilleksegghead I hope this answers your question 

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1203577/i-finally-found-out-if-large-mates-fit-on-a-small-egg-pics

marysvilleksegghead

WeberWho said:

marysvilleksegghead said:

What did you have to do to get mates on your small?  Thx

@marysvilleksegghead I hope this answers your question 

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1203577/i-finally-found-out-if-large-mates-fit-on-a-small-egg-pics

Thank You for for eggcellent explanation
Always wanted to attend Frozen Fest but would have been a 2 day drive for me.   Wasn't one last year and a I'm assuming this year also

SonVolt

WeberWho said:

SonVolt said:

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I don't think both guys have a 3 year wait.  One does but I read a post on the brethren saying they'd probably get them out faster than that, but they won't hire a bunch of people to "churn them out".  They don't want quality to suffer and Paul says that lots of people start out with a patio model or something and by the time its finished they've added a trailer and roof and everything else.  They build them to order and work with you throughout the build so it does take a while.  

Interesting.  So by "both guys" do you mean Shirley has 2 owners/builders under the same brand? 

Dad (Paul) started the business. His son (Tyler) took over the business the last year or so. I don't believe Paul is taking any more orders. (He works full time at a refinery) I believe they hired an extra hand or two but don't plan on hiring anymore. They only want the best quality pits leaving their shop. They're unwilling to cut corners and rush orders. Like biggreenpharmacist mentions above each order is custom made. So it takes time.

Paul has great Youtube videos going over pits they have made. It will give you an idea what goes into them. Worth checking out. 

Interesting. I bet they're only taking large custom trailer orders these days. I sent Tyler an email just to check. Would love to own but don't need a $10k trailer model. 

WeberWho

marysvilleksegghead said:

WeberWho said:

marysvilleksegghead said:

What did you have to do to get mates on your small?  Thx

@marysvilleksegghead I hope this answers your question 

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1203577/i-finally-found-out-if-large-mates-fit-on-a-small-egg-pics

Thank You for for eggcellent explanation
Always wanted to attend Frozen Fest but would have been a 2 day drive for me.   Wasn't one last year and a I'm assuming this year also

No problem. I'm glad it helped. @marysvilleksegghead

Frozen Fest was cancelled last year. A bunch of people backed out last minute and the flu struck. Frozen Fest was back up and running last weekend. A very small group this year. When BGE took over the forum everyone scattered to different places. The guy who puts it on (Ripnem) has joined a small Facebook group. So it's been harder to get people to commit. Especially when you're not in touch with the old group all that often anymore. Which is too bad. Some great characters in that group. Always been a fun Fest.

WeberWho

SonVolt said:

WeberWho said:

SonVolt said:

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I don't think both guys have a 3 year wait.  One does but I read a post on the brethren saying they'd probably get them out faster than that, but they won't hire a bunch of people to "churn them out".  They don't want quality to suffer and Paul says that lots of people start out with a patio model or something and by the time its finished they've added a trailer and roof and everything else.  They build them to order and work with you throughout the build so it does take a while.  

Interesting.  So by "both guys" do you mean Shirley has 2 owners/builders under the same brand? 

Dad (Paul) started the business. His son (Tyler) took over the business the last year or so. I don't believe Paul is taking any more orders. (He works full time at a refinery) I believe they hired an extra hand or two but don't plan on hiring anymore. They only want the best quality pits leaving their shop. They're unwilling to cut corners and rush orders. Like biggreenpharmacist mentions above each order is custom made. So it takes time.

Paul has great Youtube videos going over pits they have made. It will give you an idea what goes into them. Worth checking out. 

Interesting. I bet they're only taking large custom trailer orders these days. I sent Tyler an email just to check. Would love to own but don't need a $10k trailer model. 

You would think they would only take big orders but that's not the case at all. I've seen fire pits, grills, and smaller patio smokers from them. They make smaller versions of the Patio Smoker for the St. Louis BBQ Store. 

https://www.stlbbqstore.com/search.php?Search=&search_query=Shirley

Hotch

SonVolt said:

WeberWho said:

SonVolt said:

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I don't think both guys have a 3 year wait.  One does but I read a post on the brethren saying they'd probably get them out faster than that, but they won't hire a bunch of people to "churn them out".  They don't want quality to suffer and Paul says that lots of people start out with a patio model or something and by the time its finished they've added a trailer and roof and everything else.  They build them to order and work with you throughout the build so it does take a while.  

Interesting.  So by "both guys" do you mean Shirley has 2 owners/builders under the same brand? 

Dad (Paul) started the business. His son (Tyler) took over the business the last year or so. I don't believe Paul is taking any more orders. (He works full time at a refinery) I believe they hired an extra hand or two but don't plan on hiring anymore. They only want the best quality pits leaving their shop. They're unwilling to cut corners and rush orders. Like biggreenpharmacist mentions above each order is custom made. So it takes time.

Paul has great Youtube videos going over pits they have made. It will give you an idea what goes into them. Worth checking out. 

Interesting. I bet they're only taking large custom trailer orders these days. I sent Tyler an email just to check. Would love to own but don't need a $10k trailer model. 

Tyler will build what you want. From a 24x36 to what 
ever you can imagine. The Shirley quality is second to none! There are a few used ones that come up for sale now and then. As was mentioned earlier, Facebook fan page and the BBQ Brethen forum is where to find them. 

SonVolt

Turns out not only is Shirley Fabrication right down the road from me, the company I work for supplies most of their steel. That means a heck of a lot to me because we make some of the highest quality steel in the US.  Time to start designing that custom smoker...

WeberWho

SonVolt said:

Turns out not only is Shirley Fabrication right down the road from me, the company I work for supplies most of their steel. That means a heck of a lot to me because we make some of the highest quality steel in the US.  Time to start designing that custom smoker...

Good deal. The wait isn't all bad. It will give you time to change or modify your smoker to your liking along the way. Paul is a member over on the BBQ Brethren. It might be worth watching videos on YouTube to see what they're rolling out.

Thatgrimguy

I want one of those baffles for the main chamber. They didn’t start that till after I ordered mine.

SonVolt

This may be a dumb question, but do you still get the same heavily smoked flavor on a Reverse Flow that you get with a traditional offset?  

I went from a 250 gallon propane water smoker that made the best BBQ of my life down to a BGE XL (my FIL built it and decided he wanted it back).  Love the egg for grilling but want to get back to a proper stick burner.  Just want to make sure a RV smoker doesn't compromise on the flavor like an egg does. 

 

Hotch

I get a great smoke flavor on my 24x42 Shirley. I think it has to do with actually cooking with live fire what wood you use and at what level of seasoning it has. I use pecan mostly and it is well seasoned. I get great color by the 3rd hour in at 275. I also use post oak and cherry. The cherry is well seasoned and I get great smoke and fruity flavor from it.
I start my Shirley with a good bed of lump or briquettes to get it up to temp and the iron warm. Then sticks every 40-45 minutes, depending on the size. 
The difference in the flavor profile of a live fire cook and my large BGE is very noticeable. I have tried many ways to cook big proteins on my BGE and have not yet hit the flavor profile of my Shirley. @SGH explained to me quite awhile back about live fire cooking and airflow. That sent me on my quest for an offset and I have never looked back!