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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 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.
Published On: 9/22/2014 Last Modified: 5/21/2022
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When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first then the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
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