Can a Meadow Creek Pig Roaster Cook Low and Slow?
September 14th, 2012
I have been tempted to rename the Meadow Creek Pig Roaster series, because it confuses some people who don’t know how they work. For instance, a common question goes something like this: Can a Meadow Creek Pig Roaster cook low and slow? The answer is yes, you absolutely can.
Meadow Creek has been building pig roasters since 1980. They were first designed to cook a whole pig, and they certainly do a great job cooking pigs. There is really no easier way to roast a pig than on a Meadow Creek Pig Roaster.
However, they are also a fantastic choice for about any kind of meat you want to cook low and slow. The PR60 and PR72 have lots of room and they make it easy to crank out barbecue perfection. Or you can add a grill pan and grill tons of burgers and steaks. So these cookers are extremely versatile.
Standard “out of the box” (except they don’t come in boxes) they cook whole pigs to perfection, ribs, Boston butts, briskets, whole hens and turkey, split breasts, pork loin, prime rib, ABTs—you name it.
Even though there is no offset firebox, the drip pan below the grate (see the illustration above) creates a barrier between the fire and the meat. This design of the drip pan and octagon-shaped body make it very easy to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the smoking chamber.
Here is what a couple of our customers say about their pig roasters:
I’ve been doing a lot of barbecues over the years, and I’ve never been more impressed with a grill than this one! I can roast, smoke, or grill knowing that what I put on the rack will come off as some of the best food I have ever cooked.
There is no force in the world as we know it that would make me give up my PR60T. I do a lot of cooking, and it has never let me down as far as performance and price are concerned! I don’t endorse many things, but I would gladly suggest this or any other Meadow Creek cooker to someone who really wants the best meat ever cooked!
Wade Janes
Wild Wades BBQ & Grill
Citrus Heights, CA
I love my pig cooker. I’ve made whole pigs (63 and 80 pounders), Salmon, pork shoulders, chicken and this Thanksgiving we will cook up turkeys. All turned out perfectly!
Thank you.
Steve Kagan
Chicago, IL
Lavern,
This past Saturday I cooked for our church group on my PR60. I cooked a case of beautiful pork butts that came out perfect on a 11 hour cook at 225 degrees. Being “old school” in my cooking techniques, I still use a burning barrel and use hickory and oak wood coals to fire the PR60. Where most people use charcoal and load their PR down with charcoal, I watch my temp and fire it up accordingly with hardwood coals. Besides making wonderful BBQ that people come back for seconds for, the old burning barrel is a perfect place for friends hang around and visit, which is the best part of a BBQ event. The PR60 Is a wonderful cooker and it can be used in many ways to cook good food on. It does a great job holding a constant temperature regardless of what you are using as fuel.
Regards,
Charlie Benton
Casar, NC
Meadow Creek pig cookers are available either as gas-fired models or charcoal/wood-fired.
Gas is a good choice if you need the convenience of set it and forget it. If you go with a gas-model, you won’t get that classic barbecue flavor unless you add something to create wood smoke. You can set the optional chip tray over the burner to create a little smoke, but it won’t produce as much flavor as a charcoal or wood fire. A better option might be a charcoal insert with holes punched where it sits over the gas burner which lets you burn charcoal for the first part of the cook, then switch to gas.
My favorite is charcoal with a little wood added. Whether it’s a small backyard smoker or a 72″ pig roaster, a real charcoal/wood fire will produce that indescribable barbecue taste everyone loves.
Check out our Pig Roasters page to research the various sizes and options available.
Sizzling regards,
Lavern
November 18th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I couldn’t agree more,My PR60T is incredible for so many things. Just like Charlie said,”it keeps it’s temperature” for hours. I can’t get enough of my roaster, just looking for a reason to put it to use. Wild Wade’s.
December 31st, 2013 at 4:21 pm
I am interested in a little trailer chicken cooker.
January 1st, 2014 at 11:38 am
Here is the smallest standard chicken cooker on a trailer Meadow Creek makes:
http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/store/BBQ96_BBQ_Pit-pid-63-5.html
Is that about the size you’re thinking of?
October 30th, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Can you use straight wood in this, or do you have to use charcoal with wood chunks?
October 31st, 2014 at 7:52 am
You technically can use just wood, but wood as a rule will burn hotter and faster and charcoal more even and longer. So yes, it will work, but you will probably want to add a charcoal pullout so it’s easy to tend the fire during a long cook. You might find there will be too much smoke if you start the wood in the pig roaster; you can start burning the wood in a short barrel or fire ring and shovel them over as you need them to cut down on the smoke flavor.