Lone Star Grillz Offset vs Insulated Vertical Smoker Part IV

[@JPBBQ]

Appreciate you guys watching this series of videos. I hope to shed some light for those that may be on the fence in deciding which way to go, offset or IVS. Please consider subscribing to the channel, give it a thumbs up and visit my website as well www.jp-bbq.com thanks for the support.

[@LouisatRshackBBQ]

Great 4 part series. I am thinking about adding a IVS to my Arsenal

[@JPBBQ]

Thanks Louis, Best Smoker in the market, thats for sure.

[@sammypsycho8273]

Very informative. I been waiting for a side by side comparison. Good job jp

[@JPBBQ]

Thanks Sammy, Glad you liked the video and appreciate your comment.

[@scottpayne753]

My man J.P. Great information. Thanks

[@JPBBQ]

Thank you Scott, appreciate you compliment.

[@ortiz11039]

I loved all these videos. Great information 🙂

[@JPBBQ]

thanks appreciate that very much

[@helpme7479]

Thanks JP!

[@JPBBQ]

You got it Darren

[@victorbenner539]

I ordered my IVS in October , should be getting my phone call any week now. You have been helping through this waiting period so I thought I would give you a bbq tip to consider for all your hard work. There is a misconception about what temp to target the interior meat at. This is mostly because many folks don't understand what is truly happening during the " stall". So the stall occurs at about 160°f. Between 160° f and 180° f collagen begins to render making the brisket tender,silky smooth and oh so flavorful. Once you understand this a person might say well then why do we need to take the internal temp up to 190° f to as high as 210° f for some folks. The answer is,you don't need to. Infact I avoid that like the plague. Folks are in a rush to get to 190° f not realizing it's mostly important to keep in the stall temperature to make meat tender. The longer your in that range the more tender your meat with no need to over cook. This is why we ultimately do probe tests to determine tenderness, not temperature. So during the cook I do not wrap my brisket, and fyi,neither does Aaron Franklin. He wraps with the paper when he's done " smoking" or cooking it then puts back in the smokers but stops feeding fuel in the fire box and just lets the meat " finish ". Becoming fully tender while doing a long rest. I do the same thing. After being in the " stall for 4,5 or 6 hours, however long it takes, all briskets are a little different, I finally wrap mine in foil ( I really hate the mess you get with paper) I wrap that in a towel and place in a cooler. With the internal temp at about 180° f the temperature will of course continue upwards some eventually peaking and finally begin to come back down very slowly finishing in the stall range getting more tender without needing to use fuel or your oven. It will be hours before it drops down to 140° f so its food safe and you can do other things during that time. I hope you consider what I have shared with you. This does work amazingly well and it's so darn simple once you understand the complete process. It also clears up space in the cooker for other things to cook like ribs and chicken. Have a great day.

[@JPBBQ]

Congrats victor I know you will be so happy with that new smoker. Hey I appreciate the tip as well and I’m always looking to improve my smoke. Appreciate you sharing.

[@victorbenner539]

@@JPBBQ thanks for the reply. I know my tip about temperature seems contrary to what most folks have been doing for years. But if you play with this,once you get comfortable and understand it you will be saying to yourself this is much easier and more efficient. Just takes awhile to get the hang of it. Just remember, it's not a race to get to 190°f. It's about making the meat tender so the longer the internal temp is between 160°f and 180°f your in the zone. If I'm smoking at say 275°f when the internal temp reaches 160°f drop the cook chamber down to 225°f. Of course like ALL vertical smokers ( WSM or the IVS or a Kamado) they don't like coming back down on temp very quickly. That's alright. I set my target for 170°f internal temp simply because it's in the middle of the zone. Eventually the internal will finally push up to 180°f even though your slowly dropping the cook chamber temp. When that happens, probe test the brisket. It should be done or so very close. This is when I wrap in foil. And again place in a towel and into the cooler. First time you do this place a probe through the foil then wrap and place in cooler so you can monitor temp progress without opening the cooler. Your going to be amazed at how long it will continue before dropping out of the 160° f mark. And longer yet before it reaches 140° f so it's food safe for many hours with no need to babysit. Have fun. Let me know how this works out for you. Fyi, I'm getting my IVS because I'm starting a catering business and I'm really looking forward to the extra capacity, fuel efficiency and set it and forget it ability. Until then I'm just having to make do with my two 22" WSM'S. Have a great day. 😃👍🔥🍻

[@urexpressionsphotography1082]

Thanks for the video. The information helped me decide which LSG grill to purchase. I think it's going to be the insulated version. I like to smoke meat during the winter and this will hold Temps better and longer during the cold months here up north. Thanks again.

[@JPBBQ]

Glad you liked the video. Appreciate you watching and commenting. Thanks.

[@stetsonguy]

Thanks J.P. this was an excellent Video. I once had a good offset I bought from a friend who had it built locally. It was a very good pit and what they say is very true. Barbecue will always be better on an offset, however having said that, I recently got a lone star insulated mini IVS and lemme tell you. The convenience of set it and forget it FAR outweighs the minor flavor advantage of the offset, in my opinion. Other folks may see it differently and that's ok but for me, The IVS is the bees knees. I used to think like a lot of folks. I thought "there is no way I will ever want to cook on anything but an offset....I love managing a fire etc....." that is until I actually started doing it. The first couple of cooks were fun. I enjoyed tending the fire on the offset. But after a few 10 hour brisket cooks it gets old after awhile. Every hour you have to manage the fire, stoke the fire, add fuel to the fire, move the fire, make sure there's blue smoke coming out before you shut the firebox door, etc etc.... and I just got tired of it. The IVS is a godsend. The food you get off of it is just as good or almost as good as the average offset and most folks couldn't tell the difference in my opinion.

[@JPBBQ]

Thank you, I appreciate your honest opinion and thanks for watching.

[@jp23618]

Hey JP had a quick question…..on your IVS I noticed you don’t have any probe ports. Their website also doesn’t have an add on option for any of them. I figured because they are insulated that most likely wouldn’t be possible or cheap. How do you feel about placing your probe wires between the door and the cook chamber? I have a bbq guru and a smoke x4 by thermoworks. As you know, they are expensive. My biggest fear is having the actual wires begin getting pinched after awhile and becoming useless. Let me know your thoughts. Get series! Thank you

[@JPBBQ]

Great question Jeremie and thanks for watching my videos. There is a gasket on the door so I don't think it would damage them. Ive been using that method of running the probe wires through the door and they still work fine. But that is a good idea to have the option of probe ports installed on the IVS series. One could always email Chris at Lone Star Grillz and see if that could be done. Thanks again.

[@johnknapp6328]

Great Series J P I'm curious how often do you use Smokey Mountain with having these smokers.

[@JPBBQ]

Appreciate you watching and commenting John, Not as much since I got my IVS. But I do like to share the love, so every now and then Ill break it out when doing some smoked chicken or a picnic shoulder.

[@adamrutkowski4654]

Thanks for the videos, JP. What I was really interested in was a comparison as to the actual BBQ cook quality. Does the bark on the IVS come out as good as on the Offset? Same comparison regarding smoke flavor, meat moisture, smoke ring, and taste.

[@JPBBQ]

Thank you Adam, I appreciate your input. I will be working towards doing a food comparison as well. Thanks again.

[@juangranados9040]

I got one of the Ivs from lonestar as well. I love the “set and forget” nature of the cook. Once I use my FireBoard and fan, I can run this bad boy overnight and get 8 hours of sleep. Out of curiosity, how does the bbq taste differ between the two? Great video, I love watching them.

[@JPBBQ]

Thanks Juan, I appreciate your input. I will be working towards doing a food comparison on the two. Appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@todd7641]

If you could only have one smoker, which would you pick, the offset or the IVS?

[@jdavidson]

Really enjoy your channel! What BBQ apron is that you have in this video?

[@JPBBQ]

thanks Jeff, Unfortunately that apron is not available no more. but check this one out. Bought this one and it is a very good durable apron. amzn.to/3uWnieG

[@jdavidson]

Ordered! Thanks so much for the reply!

[@petercouch9572]

Hello im looking at both of these smoker's i like stick Burners if you can only have one which one will you pick?

[@lawrencegarcia1370]

Man Id love to add both of those to my bbq rig.

[@JPBBQ]

I know what you mean. I wish I had the room for the trailer. Thanks again.

[@horacejones5647]

This question isn’t related to the topic but I was wondering how do like the guru temp controller? I noticed you used it while during a cook on the WSM. I’m thinking about buying one and would appreciate your thoughts. By the way, I’ve been enjoying your videos.

[@JPBBQ]

Thanks for asking that question Horace. The BBQ guru that I use works great. It does a great job controlling the temp. The only thing I wish it had is WiFi connectivity and an app for my smart device. But besides that it is a solid device. Thanks again for watching my videos.

[@horacejones5647]

@@JPBBQ Thanks! The one I’m looking at is the UltraQ. It has Bluetooth and WiFi. Kind of expensive so I wanted to get some input on the quality.

[@JPBBQ]

I’ve not tried that model. I do like the large display though. The model I have has a seven segments display which is smaller to read but it does the job. I am looking at possibly getting the fireboard 2 drive. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. Hope that helps

[@gregalmeda9090]

What food warmer do you use after your briskets are done?

[@JPBBQ]

Thanks Greg appreciate you watching and asking. I use the Cambro food warmers, they work very well. Once you pre-heat for 30 minutes with boiling water. Then put your hot food in, it can hold for a long time. Not sure what the paper work that came with it says. But Ive actually had it loaded with hot food and was still hot 8 hours later. Check em out here amzn.to/2NB4PTf

[@gregalmeda9090]

@@JPBBQ thanks for your help and all your videos JP!

[@johnnyb57t51]

JP, I would like to know the temperature differences, if any, on racks located top, middle and lower. I have other verticals, and the temp differences between the cooking grates is drastic. I am considering buying a LSG IVS . Have you cooked on multiple shelves? Thanks, I enjoy your videos a lot.

[@JPBBQ]

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to make a video. I will see if I can get it scheduled and put my probes in it and see the temperature difference from top to bottom. My guess it will be hotter towards the top but by how much is what I will find out. Thanks again for watching and appreciate the question.

[@johnnyb57t51]

@@JPBBQ Thanks! The description on the LSG site states There is no temperature differential from one cooking grate to the other, meaning this smoker will be the same temperature no matter were you place your food.The reverse flow vertical I have gets much hotter at the top shelf making it almost unusable, unless I play musical chairs and start moving food around during cooks, and even then, the top food comes out with more color and finishes much sooner than the middle and bottom shelves. If that is really true on the LSG , I will be ordering one.

[@henryfabian3187]

It's crazy how expensive the IVS grills are compared to the offests.

[@JPBBQ]

Thank you Henry, appreciate your input. I think one of the reason they are more expensive is due to the workmanship quality of the build which leads to a more the efficient smoker. And I mean they are super efficient. Thanks again

[@TimLucente]

Not when you consider double metal, and double the welds.

[@lawrencegarcia1370]

Man Id love a insulated cabinet for ribs and pork butt, right now I use my pitbarrel cooker as a rib cooker and my large offset for brisket pork but and slabs of porkbelly

[@JPBBQ]

Right on Lawrence, appreciate you sharing and commenting, thanks.

[@paulhughes8364]

Appreciate the in depth videos, much helpful info indeed! What is the camera setup that's on the ivs table? Also, which of the two smokers do you like the best? Sub'd and can't wait to order me some rub, i hear they are great 👍

[@JPBBQ]

Thanks Paul, very much appreciated. The camera is an canon sld rebel 2. I like them both. But out of the two the most efficient is the IVS. Thanks for the sub and use jpbbq10 for a discount. Thanks again.

[@ralphr6650]

Does the IVS hold steady temps from top to bottom?

[@Ridgerider13]

I have the Mini-IVS from Lone Star Grillz and it holds steady temps top to bottom. It's really impressive.

[@ralphr6650]

@@Ridgerider13 good to know. How many briskets can you smoke on it?

[@Ridgerider13]

@@ralphr6650 I have the four standard shelves so I can easily do 8-10 full packer briskets, although I have never come close to cooking that much.

[@ralphr6650]

@@Ridgerider13 yea, that’s impressive!! Thanks! I have done my research on smokers for a few years now and I always gravitate back to LSG. They build quality smokers!!

[@Ridgerider13]

@@ralphr6650 I am sure that if you do decide on an LSG grill, you will not be disappointed. The quality of my IVS smoker is head-and-shoulders above any of my past smokers. Of course the cost is also a big consideration.