After three evenings on the phone, I finally found a store that had two left in the box and one display model. i scored one of the boxed units and CRG scored the other. I had to pay $57 shipping and tax bringing my total to $384, but all things considered, that is still a killer deal!
A search on the Home Depot website for "bubba keg" no longer finds the grill, only the cover. Unfortunately that means the online store is removing it from their inventory. I know this because I talked extensively to an online rep.
I thought I'd share what I learned over the past three evenings in case anyone wants one bad enough like me to spend the time on the phone hunting one down at this incredibly low price.
First, the skew# (695-785) is no longer valid and their computers won't find the product using that. After calling almost every store in Oklahoma, I finally discovered their system WILL find the product using the UPC (607869055013). So here's the steps.
Find a large city nearby if you don't live in one. Do a search for all stores within 100 miles of that city on their website. Start calling starting at the top of the list.
When the automated system answers (I found all Home Depots have the same phone menu) press 3 to speak to an associate in specific department. Press 8 for more options and then press 2 for lawn and garden.
When the associate answers, tell them you'd like them to look up a product via UPC and give them the number. If they tell you that's too many number let them know it's a UPC and not a Skew number. If the associate is still unable to find it, they are clueless. Hang up and go to the next store and repeat the steps.
Eventually, you will find an associate who is willing to help. Once they find the product, ask them to search all stores in their district. If they tell you nobody has any, hang up and go to the next store. I found that when they found the product via UPC, they'd take the Skew number and search the district which comes up empty because the Skew number is no longer valid.... duh.
I had to call all the stores in Oklahoma and 4 stores in the Dallas area until someone told me which store had some left. I'd be willing to be there are still some out there in other parts of the country if you want to take the time like I did.
I know, call me crazy.... but I love my cookers.... can you tell? ;D
Pics wil follow when it arrives.
You got lucky! They are almost all gone and have been brought back as the 'Big Steel Keg.' Ace should have them but the price went way up.
Congrats on The Bubba Keg.
I sure like mine.
Quote from: ronbeaux on June 09, 2010, 05:28:21 PM
You got lucky! They are almost all gone and have been brought back as the 'Big Steel Keg.' Ace should have them but the price went way up.
Hey Ron, thanks... I was lucky!
I was hoping you'd give me some tips on using it?
BAH! Nice score.... both of you!
Thanks Trent. This is a new type of cooker for me. I need Sonny and Ron to school me. ;D
Don't look at me, I'm winging it!
Quote from: classicrockgriller on June 09, 2010, 07:24:55 PM
Don't look at me, I'm winging it!
Oh sir... I've seen the pics... you can't fool me... :o
I open the vents up when I took the chicken off and in 7 minutes it was 750*.
Yowser!
Should have thrown some steaks on!
Quote from: classicrockgriller on June 09, 2010, 07:47:12 PM
I open the vents up when I took the chicken off and in 7 minutes it was 750*.
Yowser!
Should have thrown some steaks on!
Or a pulled pork pizza? Absolutely!
I am looking at about 800 bucks plus taxes here in the great white north
Not bad I guess when compared to the Green Egg plus all the other stuff like stands etc are included
I am really wondering about performance over a long cook like a brisket or butt
Will they hold that magical 210 temp for hours on end
Now my mind is scheming. A guy that works for me is heading to Michigan for the NASCAR race this weekend
He even hinted he could bring something back for me.... Maybe a Bubba
I must admit their web site is pretty slick. They have the marketing down really good. It almost has a Mini Cooper
web site / community kind of feel. Not the one that sells the cars but the one where owners interact
Congrats on findin a bubba keg DarqMan, way to stick with it.
I've herd many good things bout them.
Quote from: oakville smoker on June 10, 2010, 04:34:34 AM
I am really wondering about performance over a long cook like a brisket or butt
Will they hold that magical 210 temp for hours on end
I mainly am wanting it for tasks the Bradley and Traeger don't handle as well, like searing steaks. I doubt I'll be doing any long smokes like a butt or brisket.
I agree the green egg is grossly overpriced when you consider they don't include anything but the cooker.
Quote from: OU812 on June 10, 2010, 03:15:42 PM
Congrats on findin a bubba keg DarqMan, way to stick with it.
I've herd many good things bout them.
Thanks OU... looking forward to it.
OK, Keg tips and tricks 101;
1. Throw directions away
2. Put about 2lbs of lump charcoal in there and then coat the entire inside with vegetable oil, including the top vent both inside and out.
3. don't forget to coat the cast iron grate!
4. Get you a sheet of newspaper and spray Pam on it, wad it up and shove it down into the lump and light it.
5. replace the cast iron grate and open the bottom and top vents about 3/8"
6. Let the Keg get to 400 to 450 degrees and then back off the vents about 1/2 way from original
7. Let it cook until it runs out of fuel. You are now seasoned.
To cook always start closing the vents 50 degrees before you get where you want. And I mean close them almost all the way! It will hold whatever temp it was at and may even still climb a little for awhile. It is very hard to bring down once you go past it.
Check around the bottom vent. Some of them showed up with only a partial caulking. I had to finish the job to stop the leaks and it allowed me to maintain a lower temp. The Large BGE platsetter fits in it for an indirect barrier or you can go to the Dollar store and buy one of those $8.00 mini charcoal grills with the legs like this:
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04479.jpg)
Just wad up some foil and then stretch it back out and lay it in there, then repeat about 4 times. This helps reduce the chance of burning the dripping grease and giving a burnt taste to your cook.
Excellent! Thanks for the tips Ron.
Whenever it arrives I'll follow your directions to season and starting for the ideal temp. Looking forward to my first cook.
Nice find Darq!
I don't own a Bubba Keg but my Primo keeps temps using the same concept. I know CRG was stating he was having trouble keeping the temps low.
As Ron said, make sure you start adjusting the vents down before you reach the temps you are shooting for. If I want to do something at 225 I will get a few coals going then close the lid and leave both vents wide open. Once the temps get around 190-200 I will shut them both down more then halfway. As it creeps closer I shut them down more.
Usually I will have both vents almost closed to maintain 225. But once you play with it and get dialed in you can hold just about any temp you want. It is much harder to lower the temps then to raise them.
Have fun!
Bryan
After you fire is lit just set the el-cheapo grill down in there, place the cast great in and then start controling the temp.
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04478.jpg)
Ron,
What is the firebox made of on the bubba?
Bryan
I got a PM from ron on not letting the temp get high and
try to bring it down and that has worked for me also.
I know I have a lot to learn on this thing, but it sure is fun! ;D
Thanks Bryan, I've read your posts about the primo and know how much you enjoy it. This type of cooker has always intrigued and now I have one. It's going to be great fun. Thanks for the tips on controlling the temp.
Thanks Ron, I figured what you getting at by putting the cheapo grill over the charcol for the indirect heat. I'm stopping at dollar general tomorrow.
Quote from: classicrockgriller on June 10, 2010, 06:41:13 PM
I got a PM from ron on not letting the temp get high and
try to bring it down and that has worked for me also.
I know I have a lot to learn on this thing, but it sure is fun! ;D
You'll be the newest resident expert on this baby in no time!
Ahhhhhh! I saw something in one of his post pics and could not figure it out.
Brain is working and it all makes sense now.
Thanks ron!
It ain't that hard. I've had all of the BGE's and still have the Mini. Plus I have the Primo XL. They all are similar but the ceramic ones will let you lower the temp easier than the Keg. Steel holds the temp longer and you have to get a feel for it. DON'T go over your target. You can darn near shut it down completely and it won't even move for a long time and if you don't see a whiff of smoke coming out the top vent it probably snuffed the fire. NO PROBLEM if it does. Just poke a MAPP torch into the bottom vent and relight it, that way you don't have to unstack it to get to the coals.
The foil wadded up and layed in there on top of each other is not my idea. A fellow by the handle 'Old Dave.' He is a comp cook and used this method on Backwoods Smokers in place of water in the water pan. The idea behind it that it will have air gaps between the layers of foil and 'insulate' the surface of the top layer so it will not burn the grease that drips down and keeps it from burning.
It works just fine on Both the Backwoods and in the Keg. When using the 'barrier you have the walls of the cooker contributing to the exposure to the meat and convection cooking. It's like an oven with smoke. And speaking of smoke. Use large chunks of wood not chips. Lay them in there so that when the fire migrates to other areas it will cause them to smolder. That is all they will do since there is very little air flow through the cooker.
Try and find the round el cheapo grill like this one.
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04477.jpg)
I'm on it, again thanks ron for sharing!
The fire box is steel. The grate at the bottom is cast.
another suggestion;
Cooking ribeyes like this was done at 450 dome temp.
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04548.jpg)
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04549.jpg)
These were done at 550
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04495.jpg)
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/ronbeaux/Bubba%20Keg/DSC04497.jpg)
The difference was that since they were both the same thickness, the ones at 450 took 3-3-3-3 to get to medium and the ones at 550 took 2-2-2-2. That is place, turn, flip, turn. Both were perfectly cooked on the inside for me and cooking at a lower temp allowed me time to get them right with no thermometer of any kind. Just feel. At 700 you can char them too much and have a harder time getting them where you want them. In my opinion there is no reason to go over 500 for cooking a steak. But that's just me.
This is valuable information I'll put to use.
And the last suggestion for tonight is chicken.
I like chicken indirect at 325 but it's hard to get the smoky bbq taste at that temp before it gets done.
I put the chicken on at 250 with plenty of wood chunks on there and when the chicken starts to get close to within 15 degrees of being done I start ramping up the temp toward 350. the last 15 minutes of cooking I apply the glaze and it will help get the skin sort of crisp up and not be like rubber. I'm still working on this and may have to let it go at 350 for a bit longer before applying the glaze because the last chicken pic I posted still had parts of the skin that were like rubber. The goal is not to burn the sugar in the glaze and still crisp up the skin.
I've tried the wrap method sitting in a water pan but there is a fine line between the skin shrinking up like an old wool sweater and it getting bite through tender. Same for ribs wrapped in foil. It's too easy to over cook. I'm close but not there yet and will report back when I get it right. I willing to let it go to 400 for a bit and hold off on the glaze until the last minute.
Again, thanks for the info.
I have saved to fav's this thread!
I've bookmarked it too.
After being completely stood up by the shipping company twice, I finally went down to the dock tonight and picked it up myself.... but that's another story.
I got Bubba home and the box was sealed and in good shape. I'd read the post on the Bubba forum about parts in the top of the packaging so I made sure I got all those. After unpacking everything and checking all styrofoam I didn't have any instructions. I downloaded the instructions and took inventory... no multi-tool but everything else is present. Bummer.
Also, the lid has black smears all the way around the top. I looked closer at how the styrofoam fit on top and the black smears were caused from the styrofoam rubbing the silver paint off. There's one spot on the front worse than others. Oh well, it's a cooker and I got a good deal. At least it's not dented like some others I've heard about. I wonder if they have silver touchup paint?
Now I can't wait to season this puppy... ummm... I mean BUBBA. What will I cook first?
Congrats on gettin that Dawg to the House!
Gotta do a killer steak first!
I think a steak and some CRG Head Country beans are in order.
If I leave now I can be there by bean time!
You make them your way, I just posted a start.
Again, ;D all smiles that Bubba is at your House.
Geez, you won't ever leave the House now!
I may modify bean recipe slightly, but not much.
Wil have pics tomorrow night, tired now from running all over town and putting this thing together.
Got to bed if you can sleep!
Congrats again!
When I do the beans again and if I used can pineapple.
I would buy the small can of crushed and add that, and a small can of chunks and add that.
I took chunks and chopped them too much. Maybe just split the chunks in half.
Also, fryed bacon ..........yummmm, and fresh cilantro?
Congrats on the new baby...I mean Bubba Steve.
Thanks everyone. Overall pretty satisified with the deal I got. I promised pics so here they are.
Still packed and lonely
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/7f5e1824-1.jpg)
Put together and seasoning.
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/68a8dcd2.jpg)
He snuck up to 500 while I wasn't watching. Still waiting on the Stoker to arrive.
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/81c52e64.jpg)
Let the fun begin!
How does it feel to work to feed your Q habit? ;D
"Doctor! Doctor! Give the news ...... I got a bad case of Q'ing Blues."
Quote from: classicrockgriller on June 17, 2010, 06:03:32 PM
Let the fun begin!
How does it feel to work to feed your Q habit? ;D
"Doctor! Doctor! Give the news ...... I got a bad case of Q'ing Blues."
Oh man, it's a blast of course! I've got plenty of
toys tools to work with now. First cook is tomorrow night... standy by ;D
Looks great! Guess I'll have to forget about the Bubba Keg and just get the Stoker. How long ago did you order the Stoker and did you get an ETA at all?
Quote from: TTNuge on June 17, 2010, 06:24:09 PM
Looks great! Guess I'll have to forget about the Bubba Keg and just get the Stoker. How long ago did you order the Stoker and did you get an ETA at all?
I ordered it this past weekend. The website says 2-3 for shipping and he said he'd email tracking number when it shipped.
The order page is not secure (https) so DO NOT enter any credit card information. Email him and ask for his paypal address. I think it's a one man outfit and I'll bet he builds them when he gets an order. I may be wrong, but that's how it appears.
Calibrate your therm. Mine was 60 degrees off.
Great, thanks for the info. Still struggling with spending over $200 just for a remote thermometer but it would be soooooooo cool.
Quote from: DarqMan on June 17, 2010, 06:29:09 PM
Quote from: TTNuge on June 17, 2010, 06:24:09 PM
Looks great! Guess I'll have to forget about the Bubba Keg and just get the Stoker. How long ago did you order the Stoker and did you get an ETA at all?
I ordered it this past weekend. The website says 2-3 for shipping and he said he'd email tracking number when it shipped. The order page is not secure (https) so DO NOT enter any credit card information. Email him and ask for his paypal address. I think it's a one man outfit and I'll bet he builds them when he gets an order. I may be wrong, but that's how it appears.
I agree, it's a chunk of change but I know I'll get tons of use out of it. I've got a wireless game adapter I plan on plugging into the ethernet port so basically it will just be a wireless device on my network. I'll config my router to use port forwarding so I can control it from outside the firewall.
Quote from: TTNuge on June 17, 2010, 07:26:00 PM
Great, thanks for the info. Still struggling with spending over $200 just for a remote thermometer but it would be soooooooo cool.
Quote from: DarqMan on June 17, 2010, 06:29:09 PM
Quote from: TTNuge on June 17, 2010, 06:24:09 PM
Looks great! Guess I'll have to forget about the Bubba Keg and just get the Stoker. How long ago did you order the Stoker and did you get an ETA at all?
I ordered it this past weekend. The website says 2-3 for shipping and he said he'd email tracking number when it shipped. The order page is not secure (https) so DO NOT enter any credit card information. Email him and ask for his paypal address. I think it's a one man outfit and I'll bet he builds them when he gets an order. I may be wrong, but that's how it appears.
First bubba cook. Two USDA choice ribeyes marinading in soy and brown sugar foodsaver style.
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/143d69e3.jpg)
I used Ron's 3-3-3-3 method. Here's the initial place
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/85f51e86.jpg)
Here's the rotate after 3 minutes
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/50103657.jpg)
Here's the turn after 3 more minutes. Sorry for the poor photo.
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/e259b983.jpg)
Here's the last rotate after another 3 minutes
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/314de036.jpg)
After resting under foil 10 minutes.
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/594a2eb9.jpg)
A juicy bite.
(http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp228/steve_jensen/bradley_forum/7d36db1c.jpg)
I had fun! I really like this cooker but I have some learning to do. I should have let the fire go a little past my target temp because it took a little while after putting the steaks on to bring back up to temp. This litle dude holds heat like you wouldn't believe. I stopped at Sam's tonight to get the steaks and took another look at the black ceramic cooker they have for $500. The quality is not anywhere near that of this cooker. I'm pleased with it but have a ways to go before I get 'er down.
Get it down before the Texas Smoke Out!
Very nice!
You done good!
Quit you whinning out loud! ;D
You know you where smilin' from ear to ear eatin them beautiful steaks.
They look great. I can almost smell them.
Oh Wait! That's mine on the cooker!
Party on Steve!
They did taste delicious! They were 16 ouncers and we both ate every bite.
I just wanted to take a moment to give kudos to Home Depot.
Last week, Debra from the store I purchased my Bubba Keg from called just to make sure I'd received it and everything was okay. I'm not one to complain or be negative, but I did explain the fiasco with the shipping company and how I ended up having to eventually pick it up due to their complete lack of concern. I didn't raise cane, just explained the situation. She apologized for them and practically demanded I accept a refund on the shipping cost ($57). Well golly gee whiz... what's a guy to do? Of course i accepted and the credit hit my account today.
I just wanted folks to know I was impressed and appreciated her follow up.
Steve, I had PM'ed you about not having all my parts when I got mine.
I called them (InZone...Bubba keg) and they took what I was missing down.
I guess i was use to Bradley's service and got ansy.
Five days later I called back to see where my parts were.
They said 4 to 6 weeks.
That afternoon UPS driver honks (he won't get out of the truck ... afraid of my Dogs)
and My stuff was here.
So here's to you Home Depot and Bubba Keg. Almost as good as Bradley service.
Sonny, I called In-Zone the next day after I received your PM regarding the missing multi tool and they told me 4-6 weeks. I'm encouraged to know it will probably be here before that.
Quote from: DarqMan on June 22, 2010, 05:56:58 PM
Sonny, I called In-Zone the next day after I received your PM regarding the missing multi tool and they told me 4-6 weeks. I'm encouraged to know it will probably be here before that.
Not probably ... It's all here!
Actually it was six days counting two days on the weekend. I'm stoked!