Meadow Creek: A Thriving, Advancing Brand
May 23rd, 2012Before you invest lots of money in equipment, you should ask yourself, Will I be able to get replacement parts? Where will I turn if I need service? It’s good to think about future support in case you lose a cooking grate or can’t get your rig up to temperature.
Meadow Creek is an example of a thriving, advancing brand. They are constantly looking for ways to improve their equipment, and Melvin (the owner at Meadow Creek) is always there to help resolve problems, such as freight damage and other unfortunate situations.
Beyond the changes I mention in this blog post, Meadow Creek is already working on more changes, such as better paint and solid rubber tires for the small models.
New Style Cooking Grates
Meadow Creek is switching from expanded metal grates to a wire mesh grate (see the photos above). It is a big change and one they gave much thought to. There are basically three reasons for changing:
- No sharp corners means no one will get cut handling them.
- Less stick surface means faster clean-up.
- No waste in manufacturing means better cost control.
They have already switched grates on the chicken cookers and pig roasters. The smokers will probably be switched over in a few months.
On the chicken cooker trailers, the grate mesh has 7/8″ spaces. The smaller chicken cookers, pig roasters, and smokers will have 1/2″ spacing.
Screens in Ultimate Caterer
Now you can opt to close the side panels of your Ultimate Caterer with screen to keep your cooking area free from flies and other pests.
TS120 and TS250 Grates
Meadow Creek realized that the tank smoker trailer models had too much dead space at the ends of the grates. They have added about 6″ to the length of the doors and grates. Everything else stayed the same, except they’ve added more cooking surface.
Extra space in the TS250 (approx):
- 2 more briskets
- 4 more racks of ribs
- 6 more butts
Charcoal Insert on PRGs
This new charcoal insert for the gas pig roasters comes with a series of holes along the top, which means you can cook with both charcoal and gas at the same time. (Sweet!)
For example, you could start the cook with charcoal/wood to get a delicious smoke flavor; once it starts dropping in temperature, turn on the gas for the rest of the time.
In Conclusion
Like I said, Meadow Creek is always trying to improve their offset smokers, pig roasters, chicken cookers, and grills. They have proved to me and the barbecue industry that they are truly a thriving, advancing brand.
Have fun,
Lavern Gingerich
Tags: meadow creek updates
June 5th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
I think changing the cooking grate is a mistake- An option to buy either would be nice. The expanded Metal design is proven to work, and the change is disappointing.
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June 13th, 2012 at 11:10 pm
Was just about to proceed with the purchase on the BBQ42 and fortunately I clicked on this link describing the changes you made to the cooking grates. Can not believe you changed the cooking grate, being able to flip 40lbs of meat with one simple motion was the one thing that sold me on your grill. Without it you are just another large charcoal “box” grill.
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Lavern Reply:
June 22nd, 2012 at 2:53 pm
No, you are misunderstanding. The chicken cookers still have sandwich grates. It’s just that Meadow Creek switched from expanded metal to rectangle openings. It’s still stainless steel, but easier to clean up and safer to use, and more efficient to make.
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