Rotate your phone for full version
BBQ Smokers, Pig Roasters, Chicken Cookers, and Grills From Meadow Creek

Welcome

I'm Lavern Gingerich, advocate for Meadow Creek barbecue equipment and editor of StoryQue magazine. Take a few minutes to discover our blog, recipe library, StoryQue Magazine, and revolutionary barbecue equipment. You can find us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Meadow Creek: A Thriving, Advancing Brand

May 23rd, 2012

Before 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 sturdy welded rod 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:

19 Responses to “Meadow Creek: A Thriving, Advancing Brand”

  1. Doug Says:

    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.

  2. Mike burns Says:

    @Doug, I agree, I have been looking for a new smoker and this change without the option is disappointing.

  3. Lavern Says:

    Why do you find it disappointing? It’s a bit of a mind-shift, but have you seen these in real-life? They are stiff and built to endure many years of use. They won’t get wavy like the expanded metal grates did and they work excellent. Just because one style is proven to work doesn’t mean it’s the best or only option out there.

  4. Russ Welkley Says:

    @Lavern, We have had the wire cooking grate style on our chicken racks in out fire department for 35 years now. We built them out of 304 stainless steel rod and welded them up and I have to say that style is much better than the expanded metal. The expanded metal will bend, bow, has sharp edges and is hard to clean. We have many racks and I can’t even begin to tell you how many cases of chicken halves they have cooked in that 35 years. The fire dept. owns them and we let the boy scouts, masons, youth group and the church us it many times during the year besides what we do on our fire dept. BBQs. I have personally seen the racks out live two BBQ pits with our racks on them. My TS250 has the same SS rod system in it and the change was made just before I purchased it and I was very happy to see that instead of the expanded metal. One of my good friends has expanded metal in his BBQ pit and I have cooked on it. The expanded metal is in no way better than the SS rod grate, just cleaning the expanded grate with a wire brush it will catch the brush and pull the bristles out of the brush and leaving them on your cooking surface. I don’t really like to eat wire bristles in my food. So all in all with my experience the new racks are stronger, safer and much easier to clean.

  5. Lavern Says:

    Thanks, Russ, for chiming in here with your opinion. 🙂

  6. Jeff Says:

    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.

  7. Lavern Says:

    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.

  8. Armando Says:

    Do you have pictures of the new models?

  9. Lavern Says:

    What did you want to see? You can see the new grates if you browse some of the latest photo galleries and blog posts. Here is an example of a chicken cooker with new grates.

  10. ed Says:

    It seems to me the parallel mesh grates would not work as well when grilling. Vegetables, shrimp, fries, etc would slip through easier, plus the resistance from the expanded metal would make it easier to flip burgers, wings, etc without them ‘sliding’ around.

  11. Lavern Says:

    Shrimp (not on skewers) and small pieces of vegetables and fries should be done in a grilling pan or wok. As for flipping burgers, on the BBQ26S Chicken Cooker for example, the bars contacting the meat run left to right so you have some grip for getting beneath the meat.

  12. ken Sterling Says:

    I will look at Lang now….expanded metal is and will always be more durable than the cheap ones you use now.
    Can we still order one with expanded metal. If not …that will be a big factor in who’s product I purchase.
    Is this so with ALL your smokers. I was going to purchase a TS250 and a gas pig cooker this spring and I DO NOT want the wire trays.

  13. Lavern Says:

    The cookers are all using the steel rod grates. Have you seen them in real life? They are very sturdy and nicer to use and clean than the expanded metal ones. Check it out in real life and reconsider your opinion. 🙂

  14. Gerry Says:

    I was ready to purchase for my business but those new changes are not what I want. Sorry but that was a huge mistake!

  15. Lavern Says:

    Sorry about that.

  16. Joe Hanna Says:

    Wow. That’s exciting. Stainless steel rods of that diameter are actually stronger and more robust than expanded metal. I may have to reconsider to meadow creek

  17. Lavern Says:

    @Joe Hanna, Yes, I don’t think most of the people complaining about this understand how heavy and sturdy these new grates are. They are also very sleek and they look great!

  18. Tommy Hines Says:

    I have had a CD120G Caterer’s Delight for about 5 years with expanded metal grate,great cooker. Last year I bought a 42″ Roaster (gas) with the new grate. I have found out that when you are trying to pick up a Boston Butt that might be stick on the new grate that your spatula will slide under the grate making it harder to lift off the grill. I slide the spatula from right to left to get the meat off and that is when it goes under the grate. If I slide it from front to back it is not a bad. Also, I think that clean up on the new grate takes longer. It is much easier to scrape and pressure wash the expanded metal than the new grate that is round. With all that said it is still a GREAT GRILL.

  19. keith Johnson Says:

    I HATE Expanded Metal Grates.
    1. They a a pain in the butt to clean with a brush.
    2.Over time they warp.
    I have 2 chicken cookers and will be ordering a 3rd one soon.
    I love the new grate
    1. Easy to clean
    2. Durable

Leave a Reply

Credit Cards We Accept
Struggling to choose the right cooker for your needs? Check out our Meadow Creek cooker comparison charts. If you would like to discuss your dream cooker over the phone, call Marlin toll-free at (877) 602-1568 to get some good, friendly advice. Or if you're close by, come visit our display lot in Pikeville, Tennessee to check out these fine barbeques! We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all our Meadow Creek barbeque equipment (except the Ultimate Caterers—sorry, too much risk). Please realize that we (Yoder’s Smoky Mountain Barbecue) are a dealer for Meadow Creek. This promise applies only if you buy from us. If for any reason you are not happy with your unit, you may return the cooker to us within 30 days of the delivery or pickup date, and we will refund the purchase price minus the shipping and handling. You are responsible to pay the return shipping.
What did you think of the videos? Meadow Creek makes some amazing smokers, pig roasters, chicken cookers, and grills. All this equipment is made in the Amish Community of Lancaster County, PA. The talented craftsmen at Meadow Creek hand-make each unit. They seriously go the extra mile to make sure you’re smoked pink. What really puts the sauce on the brisket is all the revolutionary features and options that make barbecue fun and easy, and even a money-machine, if BBQ is your business.
Integrity: Meadow Creek cookers are made in a culture of Godly ethics—honesty, diligence, and fairness. Whether it’s a Shoo-fly pie or a barbecue smoker, you will be treated right.
Stainless Steel Grates: Every Meadow Creek barbecue cooker comes standard with non-rusting stainless steel grates. This eliminates the hassle of scrubbing rust and the danger of possible rust contamination on your meat.