Peoria Custom Cookers Meat Monster Review

By: Max Good, AmazingRibs.com’s Full-Time Grill Tester

Published On: 9/22/2014 Last Modified: 5/1/2025

Peoria Custom Cooker’s Meat Monster smokers resulted from collaboration between owner, Bill Cusack, and award winning competition team QUAU. It comes in two basic configurations: the Meat Monster Internal Firebox (MMIF shown above), and the Meat Monster Offset Firebox (MMOF). MMIF places the firebox inside the smoke box while MMOF has a large firebox on the right. QUAU uses the MMOF.

Mike Wozniak of QUAU had been experimenting with cooking on his high quality, insulated offset pit. In 2005 Cusack and Wosniak made a Meat Monster BBQ prototype and QUAU’s trophy collection began growing exponentially.

The thick layer of rolled fiberglass insulation throughout the smokebox and firebox is encased in steel. How thick is it? The two inch walls of the external firebox are pictured above.

Cusack and Wosniak give a detailed explanation of Meat Monster in the video below.

Wosniak is a great guy and talented competitor. Click here for insight to one of his most controversial techniques.

Manufacturer:

• Peoria Custom Cookers

  Peoria Custom Cookers makes a variety of backyard and large commercial smokers with heavy duty construction and unique designs. This small, privately owned company is gaining strong regional recognition in the Midwest. Although they still have a number of traditional, heavy gauge steel offsets in stock, they are shifting focus to their two new Meat Monster cookers that are fully insulated. One model has an outside firebox, the second has an inside firebox. These unique, fully insulated cookers use very little charcoal and require minimal air movement, thus reducing convection heat and maintaining consistent temperature and internal humidity. They also make traditional offset smokers, large fryers, kettle grills, and vertical lift grates as add ons.

  If you’re researching the purchase of a heavy, competition grade smoker, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything but glowing accolades about Peoria Custom Cookers. New owners gush about the heavy construction, attention to detail and enjoyable experience of dealing with PCC.

  All sales are currently direct.

• Max Good, AmazingRibs.com’s Full-Time Grill Tester - Max Good is AmazingRibs.com's Vice President of Product Reviews & Keeper of the Flame and is the world's only full-time reviewer of outdoor cooking equipment including smokers, grills, pizza ovens, griddles, and more.

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