Granted, I've cooked on everything from an open stone fireplace (made my own firedogs and gantry with an anvil and hammer) to the latest and greatest restaurant gear (I hate convection ovens and induction 'burners')... but I'm ok with $20 bucks worth of expanded metal over a pit fire and put a #2 tub over it if you want reflected heat.
Take a deep breath, and think about what $2KUSD will buy. And if you can afford it? Yay for you. Go for it.
Your mileage may vary. I have a live in chef. And I live alone.
/johnny
Dass why I’m aksin’ bro. I have shopped around and what I am looking for ain’t some piece of grill over bricks ;)
‘Preciate the input Johnny. The jury is still out, and the bux hadn’t been spent yet. I’m building a new cooking station as soon as I build a new back porch. And after that, the sky is the limit. I’ll drop a few dollars on something I can be proud of.
2K does not look bad when you compare pitts-spitts smoker.
http://pittsandspitts.com/SmokerPits.htm
WTC if in Houston you might want to stop by PittsSpitts off HWY 59 North. They have made smokers like the Tejas.
I’m with you. All it takes to cook something is fire. I’ve used the same little old cast iron hibachi my entire adult life.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/44035294/for-dfraggd-1950s-hibachi-grill-cast
just like this one.
Smile
I had to think about that one for a moment.