if you're going to compete, you need a grill

One of my great joys is making BBQ that others like to eat.  I'll be transparent- I feel a great personal pride when someone says "Dude- that's some seriously good BBQ.  You should open a restaurant.". Now I'm not interested in running a restaurant or a catering business.  I do this for fun- and making money sounds like work. Anyway, I was talking with a friend of mine who loves BBQ so much he *did* make a business of it.  Richard Hill runs Legacy BBQ and catering in Rockwall, TX.  Richard competes in local BBQ competitions to create brand recognition for his catering business.  Anyway, as I was asking him about competing, Richard's advice was strangely simple- just sign up and try it.  You may or may not win your first several competitions, but you'll learn more than talking to me for hours.  This simple advice created a few problems for me though:  I couldn't use my upright smoker in competitions, it was propane powered.  I wasn't going to roll my 300lb ceramic Kimodo around- and not to mention the chance of cracking it in transport.... So I needed a competition cooker.  I knew from experience that everything I have every grill or smoker I cooked on in the past had some number of negatives.... So I wanted to build my own and fix all these negatives.  At first, I was going to build some simple fireboxes and convert my upright propane smokers to work off coals/wood.  However, the cost of metal for the fireboxes stunned me- it was going to be hundreds of dollars for 3 fireboxes.  I didn't want to take a new line of credit to build a custom grill.  There had to be a better way.... And Craigslist came to my rescue!

Some of the criteria I had for my new grill/smoker included:
1) Size - had to be large enough to simultaneously cook multiple briskets, ribs, whole chickens and more.
2) Reverse flow - I wanted a reverse flow smoker for more controlled heat
3) Portability - Needed to be able to move it to and from competitions easily
4) Offset stick burner - I think the offset stick burners give more control over the fire and ultimately better flavor.
5) Flat cook surface - i wanted to be able to heat water, cook beans, or make coffee on the firebox as I wanted.
6) Large grill - I wanted to be able to grill in addition to smoking.
7) Add fuel - Needed to be able to add more logs/fuel if needed (a limitation of my Kamado)
8) Indirect heat - A absolute non-negotiable mandate for smoking.
9) Compliant with IBCA regulations - so no propane heat source allowed.
10) Removable cooking grates - for cleaning and easy accessibility to items in back when fully loading the cooker.

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