Very cool man, thanks for sharing! That is a beautiful smoker that looks incredibly efficient. I have a 175 gallon offset stick burning smoker that I built about 2 years ago and it's amazing, but I am also in your same position where I would like to get a smaller smoker as well. There are times when you only want to cook up a couple pork butts and there is no need to fire up the big smoker. I looked at their website and $2500 base price is actually not too bad and worth considering. When I built my large smoker it cost about $1700 and 80-100 man hours. It was more work than I thought, but man was it rewarding knowing I built something that will be passed down to future generations. Now I am somewhat stuck on whether to buy my next smoker or build it myself. This thing looks awesome for the price and the fact that it just shows up at your door no work required makes it even better! Awesome video man.
Rus, that was a detailed and well explained overview! If I were in the market for one of these I can’t imagine having any unanswered questions after watching this! You did a PHENOMENAL job, sir! All the details from top to bottom were covered, even the water pan explanation for different temperatures. Who needs a manual when they’ve got you? Lol. Wow what an awesome video buddy!
Troy, I'm loving this new insulated cabinet smoker! Man this thing is more stable than my kamado grills which is very exciting! Thanks for watching and new upload coming later on tonight!
That is a nice smoker. Converting one myself right now from a commercial portable oven. I like the adjustable racks on mine, places like lone star need to look into that design and use it. It's handy being able to adjust racks wherever you need them .
Finally, someone stated a fact that different grills seem to be good at one thing, but not so great doing other things. I cook steaks and hamburgers on a charcoal regular grill, but I use my pellet grill mainly for smoking, like ribs, roast, beer can chicken, brisket and bratwurst. Now the pellet grill does have a sear function, but I still find the regular charcoal grill barbecue best for cooking steaks and burgers, while the pellet grill sucks at it.
I'm from CNY, and during the winter smoking is kind of a problem but not as bad as people think. Using the cheapest smokers, Brinkmann vertical & charbroil offset, I've had great success, but it's a lot of charcoal/ wood and heavy wool blankets on top to help hold heat. This seems to be really what I'm looking for, just always on a budget so I'll do some research. I grill all year up here as long as it's not bitter windy late winter weather, lol. Great review sir.
Man. I'm so jealous. Not so much because of the smoker, which I love but, the fact that I wasn't the driver who delivered it to you. LOL. That's sweet.
It's a really good one Chris! Man this thing performs and holds temps better than my kamado cookers. I can only imagine how well it will do using a CyberQ! Gonna find out this weekend ;)
Rus, the Lone Star Mini is a most impressive smoker! It sure doesn't look mini to my eyes. It looks like a commercial device. You could throw a party and feed the city of Biloxi! What a sweet cooker! Best of luck with it my friend!
It sure is John, and I sure appreciate you checking the video out! Yeah, it really is commercial quality, but this model is perfect for consumer applications.
Dude that's awesome. Here in Minnesota that's exactly what I need. Have 2 pork butts on now. Been 15 hours in the WSM. Temps from 280 to 200 degrees tried lump and not impressed with overall temps. Your killing me with this smoker. #enjoy.
I agree. Tending fire can be a pain when you have stuff to do or if you need some rest. I prefer a gravity fed so I can put in butts and briskets in for 12 hours and spritz the meat once in awhile. I can cook pork ribs on my Smoke EZ's nearing the end of the longer cooks.
but you still have to tend a GF became they put off such a weak smoke profile. Therefore you have to keep adding wood chunks to the firebox....unless you ad small chunk to the feed with the coal
I watched your review on the offset and it pretty much sealed the deal in my head!! I appreciate your very detailed reviews. Also the Lonestar website shows everything in great detail. Looking to have one rolling into my yard in time for Thanksgiving.
It's a great smoker Andy and a perfect smoker for a lot of people, but I can't say I like it more than the offset, I'll just say I love them both lol :D
Rus Awesome review on the Lone Star Grillz mini cabinet smoker! I agree if you want to tend to the fire offset is the choice and you’ll get some awesome Q’ out of one then on the other hand when you want to have that chance to relax and enjoy while smoking some awesome Q’ then the mini full insulated cabinet smoker is the way to go. I have a Klose offset that I don’t use as much as I’d like too but, you can bet if I was gonna to get a cabinet smoker Lone Star Grillz would be the one they take some great pride in their craftsmanship and attention to detail is bar none compared to others on the market. Looking forward to seeing the maiden voyage turkey cook video. Thanks again for sharing! -Joe
I have looked at prolly 15 brands of Insulated cabinet smoker and for the size and how well built they are,the stainless doors standard,the fire box and ash pan built that nice,2 inches of insulation, best deal in my opinion for that price range, great Company,Lisa Marie will help you with anything there at Lone Star
Hi Russ, Wow, that looks like a sweet unit, Congratulations!! I did some research over the past couple hours on this Mini and it's left me speechless. Please find some time to load her up in the near future with your famous ribs, maybe some huge beef Short ribs w/no paper, can't wait to see the unit in action. Again congratulations to the added member to your BBQ family and I look forward to your next Big Cook. Cheers and all the Best!! Craig
It is a very impressive smoker! I'm going to have many many hours of fun smoking with this. Lot of videos coming your way and thanks for watching this one!
Been looking at the vault style smokers for our start-up...it has been a toss up between Pitmaker and Lonestar and I think you just sold us on the Lonestar. I think running three of the larger models would be perfect for our goals. Thanks for this video!
I hope you go visit Chris over in Willis Tx and take a close up view of these smokers and you will instantly know what your getting. I'm super impressed with this backyard version and I'm certain his full version is dressed to impress as well. Thanks for watching!
Rus great review. I’m saving up right now for a vertical insulated smoker. I live up in the Northeast and like you said it gets cold and really affects a non insulated smoker like my Weber Smokey Mountain. I like all your videos but I’m going follow this one. Thanks brother.
Your welcome, and yes, this smoker works great anywhere, but in cold winter situations, it will be excellent. It doesn't get that cold down here, but this winter when we have a sure enough cold front come in, I'm putting it to the test. Thanks for watching!
I am selling my offset and going with the mini. I have had it with spending 6 plus hours tending a fire in the freezing cold. Even in the summer, it was just too much babysitting.
But it's FUN to tend to a smoker on a cold winter day! 😀 Well maybe not on a windy cold winter day. Having something like this would make all the difference in the world.
I love tending to a grill or smoker anytime of the year too Dan, but there are times I would like to do a over nighter and know I can go sleep for 8 hours and not have to worry about it, so this will come in handy for those times for sure. I'm loving it! Between this and my offset, I'm set for life on smokers. No need to look any further. Thanks for checking it out Dan! :)
That thing is built like a tank! Or a safe! The size is just nice for a person with a balcony like myself, slightly larger would be too large for sure. Find those ball valve to be an odd design choice, just doesn’t look right, but I am sure lone star grillz know what they are doing. Love the video intro!
It certainly is built like a tank and fantastic detailed work. The ball valve works perfect and allows you to easily adapt a temp controller to it as well. I like that design. Thanks for watching!
Looks like you came through the blow pretty well, and got yourself a nice shiny new toy. I vote you hang a couple racks of beef ribs in that beast and see how she does!
Naw man, thank YOU for putting out high quality videos. I have learned a lot, and I thought I had a pretty good handle on things grill. Of course, I only had a cheap Webber kettle from the local Ace Hardware on the 10x8 brick patio I built on the back of the house (I live on a steep hill - I would walk out on the deck I built off the end of the patio and pick apples off the top of my tree downslope). Now I get to barbecue vicariously through you, although I am only about half your spice tolerance... Thanks again!
Congats Rus! There is No Doubt that Lone Star is the best….. when it comes to design and attention to detail. It's The Pit…..when it comes to wanting good Que and needing to go and take care of other business. Set and Forget! Smoke On!!! \m/
Nice little smoker there Russ and also a great point about being able to smoke during winter. I live in extreme northeastern Vermont close to the Canadian border and we have some severe winters here and this would be great. Looking forward to your first cook vid. Cheers!
Thanks, I'm so impressed with this smoker! No video can do it justice like being right there looking at it up close and personal. Oh yea, these thing would work great in any cold weather region. We don't get severe cold here much, but I'm hoping we get at least a blast this winter so I can do a video in like single digit temps. It happens here every now and then but not often. Cheers
Charlie, in the initial seasoning and burn in yesterday, I couldn't believe how well it locked into 250°, It held it perfectly, even better than my kamado cookers do. Super impressed with that. You can use a temp controller on this unit, but I don't see a need for it at all.
@@ugursenturk5860 Did you see the video of the LSG delivery that just about ended up laying on the ground? I stayed well away from the truck that delivered mine in case this happened. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UnyinCAxjE0.html
It is just a option, but using water on a long cook is great insurance that your meat is going to remain nice and juicy because of the moisture in the air.
I cant wait to see how long and how well it holds temp. (hopefully 225-250) I've been looking at pellet smokers to replace my propane smoker for ease of use and taste...but this might be even better!
I can tell you already from the burn in, that once you get your temp dialed in, it will hold until you run out of fuel. I was super impressed. I'm going to experiment with my CyberQ this weekend and see how it does, but it's not needed at all for this smoker.
Oh I plan on it, you can bet that, matter of fact, CyberQ is sending me out a adaptor for the 2" ball valve. Hopefully it will arrive this week. Thanks for watching!
I very much enjoy your videos and especially with your Lone Star Grillz Mini. I have been looking at IVS for over a year and the Lone Star Mini looks amazing. I have had at least 10 smokers over the years (20+) and currently have 2 Traegers and a Yoder YS640 pellet smoker. Seeing as the Mini is a SIGNIFICANT expense I wanted to ask you a few questions about your experiences with the Mini over the last few years. I really appreciate any info you are able to share and thanks in advance ! 1) What does it really take to get the temperature dialed in and is it as easy at you made it look? 2) Is the Mini a smoker that you would feel absolutely comfortable doing an overnight cook (few briskets) and letting it just do it's thing for 7 hours while you are happily snoozing in bed? 3) It seems that a few of the sealed cabinet smokers can have a significant creosote build up during long cooks - is this your experience and if so does it effect the taste of your smoked food? 4) If you had it to do all over again would you still go with the Mini? 5) Most importantly, how does your food turn out - taste, bark, texture? Again, thanks in advance!!
As easy as dialing in any kamado style cooker. Yes, and I have done overnight cooks with it. The "creosote" is common in any smoker. I call it seasoning, and it it doesn't add any off putting flavor, actually I prefer any of my smokers to be well seasoned from cooking with them. The offset smoker is my favorite, but the cabinet smokers are great and you don't have to tend to them. The Mini has more cooking area then what I really need, but I do enjoy cooking with it and it makes a great smoker for fish as well. The food is comparable to any charcoal/wood chunk combination type smoker. It's really good, but I still prefer the flavor of a stick burner over any smoker I own, but that's just me.
Great video, Rus! It looks like the door hinges are not only serviceable with oil, you can put a real grease plug into the hole on the top and grease them up. Maybe talk with Lonestar Grillz about putting these grease plugs in for later units. I imagine many buyers would appreciate it. Best wishes from Germany!
Great information as always but I had to laugh when you began the video by pounding on a crowbar. Love the sound effects too! Anyone who's had a LSG delivered to them knows they love their nail guns in Willis, Texas!
dammed good looking smoker if i could i would buy a smoker like this from Lone Star Grillz the details are all made with knowledge and precicion i wait for the first cooking video
Would that charcoal basket for in the off set ? The baffles in this one would seem to work better than the other basket that you can get with the off set
Really nice grill Rus. I like the feature of adding the two gallons of water through the top, and being able to section off the charcoal basket if needed. Which of your Lonestar grill do you enjoy the most?
Thanks Steve! Yes great features, and I have a upload going now with my first cook on this smoker. Trying to decide which smoker I love the most between this one and my Lone Star Grillz offset is like trying to say which one of my children do I love more lol! They are both fantastic smokers and designed for two totally different styles of smoking but with very very similar results. If I don't have time to tend to my offset, then this baby gets rolled out and if it's cold and miserable outside, this baby gets rolled out. If I want to do a all night cook while I'm sleeping then this baby gets rolled out. If the sun is shining and I just want to relax and smoke meat outside in the spring and summer months then my Offset is coming out :)
Looks awesome Rus. I can't tell you how many times I have had to explain the multiple grills to people. Why are you cooking on X when you have Y sitting there. Why didn't you cook on Y, don't you like it any more? Its not about which one I like best, its about which one fits the cook and the situation at the time. I can't wait to see you fire it up again, and throw some meat in there.
Just got mine first cook was easy but food taste like i use lighter fluid. I never use lighter fluid. Doing sec cook in morning hope it goes better ,alot different than my stick smoker
My guru can be adapted to fit into the 2" ball valve easily, and I'm sure I will play around with that in time, but I wasn't believing how well this smoker was holding temps yesterday during the burn in. It never varied at all. Even my kamado cookers aren't this steady. Loving it!
New subscriber. May I get your help? I have been cooking on WSM’s for 8 years and am ready for my next smoker. Really like LSG’s and would love a vertical like yours and then a tube offset so I can play with fire. Does the snake method or lighting a small potion of the charcoals affect the flavor of the meats? On my WSM I use mostly Kingsford blue then add chunk of wood. I let the entire Kingsford turn white before adding meat because I can taste a bit of funk, or it’s in my head, when cooking with those charcoals burning and producing that heavy white smoke. Wouldn’t the snake method also create the same? That’s my only concern with the vertical cabinet.
Hey Russ, Are you in Biloxi? Some of those houses in the delivery scene look real familiar to me. Are you in Cedar Grove? I grew up in the neighborhood back in the 80's. I'm over in Long Beach now. At any rate, I enjoy watching your videos. Take care.
You still cooking on your LSG Smoky? Wondering what stirred you to the LSG rather then a pit like the Pitmaker Safe/Vault. I like the LSG construction myself.
I love that pit. Lone Star Grillz puts so much quality into their product. Love everything about it. Tending fire is the offset way. I know how true since I have one. I think I would trade up for this one. Can't wait to see you cook some different meat. Thanks for showing it to us.
Hey Jaxx, and you know it brother! We are moving into colder weather, and I needed a smoker I don't need to baby sit, with frigid north winds blowing, so here she is :)
I’m very excited to see the new smoker in action... as a Lonestargrillz customer myself...I hope it doesn’t work that good...i might be forced to order one! 🤦🏼♂️😅
Hey Rus, as always well done! I noticed you're using regular Kingsford. Have you tried lump in this cooker yet? If so, was there a noticeable difference in temps, time, and/or taste? Thanks brother.
I have the large insulated smoker. The problem I’m having is I can’t get the long (10-18 Hours) smokes on my brisket. When I go Low & Slow at 225, I’m done in 8 to 9 hours tops. When I went Hot’n Fast 4 to 5 hours and it’s done. The briskets turned out great both times. Are you able to smoke your brisket for 10 + hours? Not sure if this is a Problem but I just wanted to try a long smoke,
The time it takes to smoke a brisket is all relevant to the temperature your running and the size of the brisket. Naturally a larger heavier brisket is going to take longer to smoke than a smaller brisket. The grade of a brisket also plays a part in cook time. A fatty heavily marbled brisket usual cooks in less time than a leaner brisket. As long as your getting good results I wouldn't worry about it. Finished result is what we are really shooting for.
Russ, if you don't mind me asking, how much does one of those cost? I know that this new smoker will cook the same types of things that the offset will, but I see it as excelling at long, very low temp cooks where you need really tight temperature control, such as "cold" smoking, fish, and cured meats like summer sausage, bacon, or smoked pork picnics. Will you do some of these videos with the new smoker, in addition to the ever-popular items like brisket, pork butt, and ribs? Here's an idea for a short series (or a few): do something like smoked picnic hams and then show a few recipes that feature that meat - like scalloped potatoes or bean soup, etc. I look forward to future videos featuring the new smoker. Also really enjoyed your chat video with T-ROY. Take care, and have a great week.
I have a link to their website for prices. The run specials sometimes so I rather you just look for yourself. This smoker will do everything you just mentioned. You will be seeing most of that in the coming months as winter approaches. With the 2" ball valve, my cold smoke generator will easily adapt into it, as well as a temp controller such as my CyberQ Cloud. I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this smoker! Thanks for watching and a new video is uploading now.
