Been a weber kettle dood for 8-9 years. I've tried it all, experimenting and pushing my skills. Researching how I can 'upgrade' my game. I've looked at it all. Saving my pennies for a Chudbox!
I started out with a Weber Smokey Mountain. Because of the Michigan Winters, I upgraded to a Lone Star Grillz Mini insulated smoker, I’ve kept the WSM for direct cooking. Thanks for your great content! I’ve done many of your recipes on the WSM. Thanks again for the great content!
Your Chud Box is basically the Ultimate Version of the old fashioned public park grill. I remember dad getting a thin layer of hot coals going, and throwing on some burgers and dogs. This is the Chud Box.
Thanks Brad! Never worry about the naysayers man. You’re following your passion, something a lot of us wish we had done. So keep on making these awesome videos and sharing your recipes and skills. I’m considering the mini Chud box and Hastybake for direct heat cooking. How would you compare them like you did in this video?
I love that design. The pulled pork I grew up on in western KY is cooked on an old style brick pit in a smokehouse. I have limited space on my patio and the offset is huge so I don't have room for a grill and a bunch of other cookers but the offset and the ChudBox would be a perfect combo. And I definitely gotta try a mop sauce soon.
This direct heat BBQ style of cooking has become my very favorite method for cooking almost everything with the exception of pulled pork or brisket requiring an offset smoker via low and slow. Other than that this cooker does it ALL and it’s so much fun to cook on! The flavor is the best I’ve ever tasted due to the fat juices hitting the coals and flavoring whatever you’re cooking. Once you try it you’ll be hooked!
I am down here in South Africa and had a Chudbox built during Covid. Love it so much I built another two Chudboxes and a half size BabyChud for my apartment balcony or camping.. Gracias Senor Brad!
I’d say a Hasty Bake grill\smoker is a closer comparison. It’s probably a bit easier too because of the crank for raising and lowering grate at any height within reason.
i'd love to have something like this along side my offset, sadly in the UK we are limited without paying a fortune for a custom build from a metal worker that does not understand the requirements that something like this needs. I started as someone that always wanted a smoker (finally purchased this year for £100) so you can imagine what i bought for an offset at that price, BUT I LOVE IT AND SO DOES THE FAMILY!!! watching your videos (and a few others sorry) I have learned so much & already I am thinking on what i can improve from my own experience. to have a Chud box style grill would improve our BBQ experience so much more as it takes away the distance from the coals to emulate the BBQ flavour without having to worries about the flame charring and bitterness that current BBQ's in the UK lack.
A good organic anti fungal I have had great success with is need oil. I haven’t used it specifically for that flavor of rust, but I have used it on powdery mildew and tomato blight. It’s also pollinator friendly which will be important for your fruit tree.
Great walk through of the Chudbox! I have a Hasty Bake with a firebox that cranks up and down for a 17 inch gap. I can do similar style of cooking on it. Love the ribs that way. I made pork steaks wearing my brand new Chuds apron Sunday!
I’ve owned several PK grills, a drum cooker, still have a high end offset, a Hasty Bake roughneck smoker and most recently bought the newest Mini Chud Box. All are fine cookers for their intended purpose and the Chud Box is now my #1 GO TO for 80% of my grilling needs and there is nothing like “direct heat bbq”. My offset and my Hasty Bake roughneck smoker are awesome for all my low and slow smoking needs and I’m here to tell you the Mini Chud Box does everything else better than any cooker I’ve ever used. Their customer service (Nick) is outstanding and while you’re at it the Chud Chimney coal starter is a WINNER! No other style of cooking generates so much flavor and it’s an absolute JOY to cook on…one chimney of lump gets it right at 275-300 and that will suffice for most of your cooks but so easy to add individual larger chunks of lump to keep it going for as long as you need. Congratulations Brad on an EPIC cooker! 🔥 🔥
I think I'm up to 8 pits/cookers now and none of them are drums. Closest one would be one of my first - my WSM that is still chugging along. And thanks to this channel I removed the bowl and use it like the mini chud box now. Definitely gives the meat an excellent flavor profile.
Brad, since finding your channel & discovering the Chud Box. I’ve been using my Weber Smokey Mountain to cook in that same method. Works great! Thx for all you do brother 🔥👊
@@davidandrews-lq6vy No water pan & cook on lower grate. Started with chimney full of lump, u can add when needed through that access panel. Pork steaks turned out amazing!
I've been doing the same thing with my Chubby 3400. Take out the water pan and heat diffuser, light about a quarter chimney of charcoal, throw it on whatever charcoal is left from my last cook, and it runs about 300 for 4ish hours. Drop the grates about 20 inches above the coals and it's awesome. Been loving chicken and beef back ribs cooked like this.
I'm broke, but I love good BBQ, so I was excited when a neighbor was tossing their Dyna Glo offset box smoker. I picked it up and brought it home. Didn't realize the main firebox was rusted out, so I sealed off the side box and just use it like a chudbox with direct heat real lump charcoal and occasionally a handful of select wood chips, usually applewood. I've been thoroughly impressed with the quality of whole hog BBQ I've been able to produce when used in conjunction with the foil wrap/ 170°F heated oven rest method. If I lived anywhere near Texas I'd be buying a chudbox and getting rid of my charcoal grill as well as the box smoker, but sadly it'd cost a LOT to get one shipped to the east coast.
Cheap side comparison is an expert grill 24" heavy duty from wal mart for 96 dollars (370" of cook surface with upper racks) and on a high end 48" smoke slinger... Can you make a comparison for those? Also rotisserie function is great but becauae its not notched actually loading it seems a little sketchy because the rod has to be pulled over the fire to load.
Tempted to buy a chudbox. Love the idea. The one minor downside for me is I don’t like the lip where the charcoal sits. Makes cleanup harder. In my offset there is no lip and sweeping out ash it easy. I guess I could add firebricks to raise the bottom to meet the lip.
Love the Chudbox, wish I had one. Actually planning on building my own as a welding project. Won’t be as nice as the ones you’re selling, but it’ll get the job done and it’ll be something to dip my toes into making pits. I really want to build my own offset, but sourcing a tank or pipe is a challenge and this seems more doable to start building pits.
I'm old school tried and true. They weren't cooking on those old brick pits in the hill country alone. They were everywhere. Never cared much for offsets. Give me an old tractor rim to burn wood in, and I'll shovel coals into a old brick pit. Or tin pit. Or one made from oilfield pipe. That is the bbq i grew up on. Back in the day everyone had a mop recipe. In my neck of the wood's it was called sop mop. I still use it when cooking brisket. Oh btw. I'm lazy and cook most of my meals on a pellet grill. Never any complaints from anyone that eats my cooking.
Sold my weber kettle after cooking on the chudbox. Love to cook split chicken and chicken wings on it. Honestly the best chicken I have ever had, plus anyone that has it says the same. Also crispy skin pork belly all day long. And just for giggles I threw a pork shoulder on the rotassire attachment and made crispy skin pernil and it was fantastic. I just need to make a trip to the fish mongor, so I can cook up some seafood on it.
I’m still curious as to the flavor profile from a Chud Box vs a drum cooked at the same temp. The principle seems to be the same but price is substantially different.
I LOVE my Chud Box. So easy to use/control temp.. My fam loves what comes out of this bad boy!! This fall I plan on making Cowboy stew using the Chud box.. How? Get a piece of rebarb rod and put it through the rotisserie holes. And hang the cast iron pot over the coals.
I wish I could afford one of these. This is something I’ve been looking for, but didn’t know I needed. I’m not saying that as a joke. I can do direct grilling no problem. But this kind of a 2 foot away. Direct grilling is what I’ve been been looking for. I think I’ve wanted it ever since I saw a video on Snow’s barbecue.
So glad you made this! I've been wanting to understand better what exactly the Chud Box is so this was great timing. I've been wanting to start experimenting with coal/real fire as I've only been in a Traeger so far and the would love to get one of these one day
I grew up camping A LOT and your CHUDbox reminds me of a better, enclosed way of cooking over a fire with a tripod. But not some huge backyard rig to do it, like some other direct heat cookers out there. Totally cool man.
I have been using indirect heat to do tri tip up to medium rare and then sear on green egg. Never thought of doing a direct heat cook. Will try today. Thanks BR
Most people who don't understand the Chud Box, also don't understand traditional open pit barbecue. When the process of North Carolina whole hog barbecue is explained to them, they can't understand it is not grilling. I have two WSMs, and use both (at least 90% of the time) without the water pan & with fully lit coals. It's an easy way to get an open pit experience at home.
Oh sweet I was right. I always thought it reminded me a bit of those whole hog cookers only smaller. It looks like so much fun to use. Hopefully one day I can grab one.
Great video, and I love the inspiration to cook over direct heat in other cookers. Direct heat ribs in my kamado are by far the best I've ever made. Thank you for all the knowledge you are sharing on this channel!
I'd love to have a Chud Box. I have a Humphrey's Battle Box. I've been experimenting with this style of cooking by pulling the deflector plate and water pan/tray. I put a grate where the water pan goes, or I put the grate on one of the shelf brackets to get further away from the coals. Not as easy or probably as good as the Chud box, but I can play with this technique. I love it so far.
I owned a barbecue like this about 15 years ago. Except it had a lever on the side that raised the charcoal high up or dropped it really really low. So you could grill directly over 🔥 or keep the heat fairly far.
There's no comparison. The Chud Box blows a Webber Kettle away. My poor old PK360, an awesome cooker, hardly gets used anymore. Even my offset is getting jealous! Chud Box Rocks!
You can beat your meat, you can beat the streets, but you can’t beat the direct heat! I agree I have a pit barrel xL and Damm… the chicken and ribs that come off are awesome!
Turn to the WSM when several pounds of meat are on the menu. Other than that its a kettle for the win. Have gone full circle be it electric, pellet, drum, frankenstein build, offset.... Started with simple coal fire with various real wood chunks tossed in.... tried pretty much everything else aaaannnnndd ended up right where i started so many years ago.
I have a kettle and an offset already. What's great about the kettle is it fires up quickly and is low maintenance. The offset has effectively unlimited capacity but is more work so gets taken out for special occasions. As just some guy cooking for my family, my main concern is if the upgrade in cooking quality comes at the cost of more of a time commitment.
As an owner of a Weber Smokey Mountain, I can say that coal access is a pretty prohibitive factor. When the fire dies out, it's pretty difficult to get it going again, without removing the top portion of the grill, which is a good 30-40 pounds of effort, if you factor in the grill, the meat and whatever grease/water apparatus you got going. Def. wish I could afford one of your grills! I say this after doing two brisket cooks in 48 hours last week. I had to finish them both in the oven because after about 8 hours, you really have a lot of trouble keeping the Weber going at a steady temp.
Bradley how about a chub box series? You know similar to the the Webber kettle series. Cooking pulled pork, brisket, burgers and crispy chicken thighs “fork don’t lie” Let’s see how this beast turns those cuts out. Most of us are cooking those frequently and would like to see some real world action with recipes and reviews. Keep it up man channel is awesome and this Chud box is looking like a future purchase
What is the current lead time on a Chud Box? I would enjoy a subset of your channel were you only cook on the Chud Box. It would help (perspective) owners seeing your intended use / cooking methodology and would drive Chud Box sales. Thank you for your videos!
Have you ever thought of manufacturing retorts for making charcoal at home? I have seen videos of the ones people have made from just spare parts they have found but I am sure a Chuds BBQ build would be epic!!!
I was inspired to try direct heat cooking on my kamado thanks to your videos. Definitely more of a challenge on that style of cooker, but the end result for chicken thighs and pork steaks has been fantastic. I've been sorely tempted to purchase a Mini Chudbox more than a few times!
Same here! I actually removed my firebox from my kamado to give me more space. The results have been, by far, my favorite for bbq. I have caught some crap about removing the firebox and possibly “damaging” the kamado - I figure if the kamado breaks i can buy that chudbox!
@@Joebsj2lc I hadn't even considered removing the firebox, but anything to get a little more height above the charcoal bed. I wouldn't think that you'd damage it since the body of a kamado is ceramic as well, but I don't find it at all hard to believe that you caught flak from other kamado grillers!
@@codytutor567 On my kamado (22” diameter) removing the firebox and using some grate risers gives me abotu 18” of space which seems about right. I also use an ash basket to hold the charcoal and raise that up about an inch with fire bricks (i tell myself becuase of air flow). Seems to work pretty well Word of warning is it does tend to make my bottom air input pretty hot
I disagree with your comment about drum smokers. I built my ugly drum smoker, and it does create dirty smoke for the first 30 minutes, but once it's up to temp, it runs clean all the way through. Also, a full basket will burn at 250 for 24+ hours. That said, I would love to own a Chud box. Keep the great video content coming. Fan-taste-ic channel.
I made pork steaks on my Weber Smokey Mountain using the lower grate in an attempt to replicate the Chud Box, and it worked very well. It'll tide me over until I get the real deal
Question: spanish style charcoal ovens are becoming very popular. The Chud Box seems like it could work as a charcoal oven just by adding a couple more grid levels below the top one. The only difference I can see is the lower efficiency (the ovens are well insulated) but that’s it. Am I missing something? If not I think it could be a worthwhile addition
Primo kamado XL400 has similar capabilities to the Chud box by running with the additional upper grate to get the distance from the coal bed and no grate on one side for access to the the coals to add wood. It's the only cooker I can think of that has similar characteristics as the Chud box. I guess the WSM fits in there too come to think of it.
If your looking to expand into Australia, hit me up, could definitely build that under licence for you, got a day a week the laser is silent, and a sheety that I can give more work.
Someday I'll get myself a Chudbox, currently I have a WSM and while it smokes meat well enough for me, doing direct heat chicken and hanging ribs over the coals with a rib hanger add on is my favorite thing to do. I completely understand your direct heat opinion and I need to up my cooker game sometime!
I cook direct a lot more on my BGE now. No better way to cook a chicken thigh. I also control the temp with the top vent on the BGE and leave the bottom door open
2:40 I’m sorry Brad but the reason I bought the Primo Oval XL is because I can place an entire brisket to one side and have an open fire on the other. And I mean wide open, no coverings to block access for more coal or more logs I wanna throw in. The oval shape and split grills allow this. In that aspect I believe it’s much better than what you’re giving it credit for. I agree tho the Egg and KJ aren’t good in this aspect. If I could afford a 4th outdoor cooking device I would definitely grab a Chud box!
cool grill but the WSM can do everything the chudbox does for 1/4th of the price, no problem just removing the water pan for more direct heat if it's desired. It's probably my preferred griller because you get that extra distance from the coals. I don't get the access to coals thing too, there's plenty of room through the door.
Great video man, loved your explanation of what the Mini is and why it works like it does. Unfortunately, because I live north of the 49th and as far east as you can get and still be in North America, shipping would more than double the cost so I don’t see one in the cards. Keep up the great work. Love the channel.
I think its time for retrospective video. Run down your top 10 favorite cooks that either you've done or been apart of with others (Mad Scientist, Omnivours Adam, Guga etc). Also would mind just a top 10 of your fave BBQ dishes from around Texas.
I appreciate your thoughts on the kamado and barrel cookers. I have a kamado and have to agree with you. A smoker it is not. It does well as a grill/oven.
I try and run my kamado as a direct heat cooker with pretty decent results. Because of your channel I've really enjoyed direct heat cooking. The only thing I've found is that my cooks usually go faster than yours because, I'm assuming, the cereamic holds the heat in more. But its been fun. One day when you have a seller in Canada I'll definitely buy a chud box.
If you're not going to say the Chudbox is better than a Weber Kettle or a Drum Smoker, I'll say it.....it's better!🤘
I totally agree
Joe speaks to truth……
What beef cuts is the Chudbox your weapon of choice for?
Right? I can tell it's better and I haven't even used one.
I'll be ordering one soon!
Honestly the Chud Box has always struck me as one of the most versatile cookers available. Great explanation.
Been a weber kettle dood for 8-9 years. I've tried it all, experimenting and pushing my skills. Researching how I can 'upgrade' my game. I've looked at it all. Saving my pennies for a Chudbox!
I started out with a Weber Smokey Mountain. Because of the Michigan Winters, I upgraded to a Lone Star Grillz Mini insulated smoker, I’ve kept the WSM for direct cooking. Thanks for your great content! I’ve done many of your recipes on the WSM. Thanks again for the great content!
Your Chud Box is basically the Ultimate Version of the old fashioned public park grill. I remember dad getting a thin layer of hot coals going, and throwing on some burgers and dogs. This is the Chud Box.
That is where I have seen that basic design, you are correct.
My Mini ChudBox has quickly become the one and only cooker i cook on
Thanks Brad! Never worry about the naysayers man. You’re following your passion, something a lot of us wish we had done. So keep on making these awesome videos and sharing your recipes and skills. I’m considering the mini Chud box and Hastybake for direct heat cooking. How would you compare them like you did in this video?
This is easily a top 5 bbq channel on the net✔🎯💯👍🏾
I love that design. The pulled pork I grew up on in western KY is cooked on an old style brick pit in a smokehouse. I have limited space on my patio and the offset is huge so I don't have room for a grill and a bunch of other cookers but the offset and the ChudBox would be a perfect combo. And I definitely gotta try a mop sauce soon.
This direct heat BBQ style of cooking has become my very favorite method for cooking almost everything with the exception of pulled pork or brisket requiring an offset smoker via low and slow. Other than that this cooker does it ALL and it’s so much fun to cook on! The flavor is the best I’ve ever tasted due to the fat juices hitting the coals and flavoring whatever you’re cooking. Once you try it you’ll be hooked!
Perfectly said! I didn’t fully get it until I cooked on it. Now I cook whatever I can on it
I am down here in South Africa and had a Chudbox built during Covid. Love it so much I built another two Chudboxes and a half size BabyChud for my apartment balcony or camping.. Gracias Senor Brad!
So amazing that you passion for BBQ motivated you to create the Chud Box. Your a legend my friend.
I’d say a Hasty Bake grill\smoker is a closer comparison. It’s probably a bit easier too because of the crank for raising and lowering grate at any height within reason.
Or a Burch Barrel.
i'd love to have something like this along side my offset, sadly in the UK we are limited without paying a fortune for a custom build from a metal worker that does not understand the requirements that something like this needs. I started as someone that always wanted a smoker (finally purchased this year for £100) so you can imagine what i bought for an offset at that price, BUT I LOVE IT AND SO DOES THE FAMILY!!! watching your videos (and a few others sorry) I have learned so much & already I am thinking on what i can improve from my own experience. to have a Chud box style grill would improve our BBQ experience so much more as it takes away the distance from the coals to emulate the BBQ flavour without having to worries about the flame charring and bitterness that current BBQ's in the UK lack.
Morning Brad and thank you for inventing the Chud Box man, I can't wait to get one!
A good organic anti fungal I have had great success with is need oil. I haven’t used it specifically for that flavor of rust, but I have used it on powdery mildew and tomato blight. It’s also pollinator friendly which will be important for your fruit tree.
Love the Chud BOX can’t wait to buy.
The Chud Shop is on my list of “stops” for my Texas trip in October.
Great walk through of the Chudbox! I have a Hasty Bake with a firebox that cranks up and down for a 17 inch gap. I can do similar style of cooking on it. Love the ribs that way. I made pork steaks wearing my brand new Chuds apron Sunday!
I’ve owned several PK grills, a drum cooker, still have a high end offset, a Hasty Bake roughneck smoker and most recently bought the newest Mini Chud Box. All are fine cookers for their intended purpose and the Chud Box is now my #1 GO TO for 80% of my grilling needs and there is nothing like “direct heat bbq”. My offset and my Hasty Bake roughneck smoker are awesome for all my low and slow smoking needs and I’m here to tell you the Mini Chud Box does everything else better than any cooker I’ve ever used. Their customer service (Nick) is outstanding and while you’re at it the Chud Chimney coal starter is a WINNER! No other style of cooking generates so much flavor and it’s an absolute JOY to cook on…one chimney of lump gets it right at 275-300 and that will suffice for most of your cooks but so easy to add individual larger chunks of lump to keep it going for as long as you need. Congratulations Brad on an EPIC cooker! 🔥 🔥
Have you had a smoke slinger?
No I have not.
I think I'm up to 8 pits/cookers now and none of them are drums. Closest one would be one of my first - my WSM that is still chugging along. And thanks to this channel I removed the bowl and use it like the mini chud box now. Definitely gives the meat an excellent flavor profile.
Good stuff, always wondered about the Chud Box, why it's different and the idea behind it. Wish I had one for sure. Nice work
Brad, since finding your channel & discovering the Chud Box. I’ve been using my Weber Smokey Mountain to cook in that same method. Works great! Thx for all you do brother 🔥👊
no water pan I take it and do you cook on bottom or top grate ?
@@davidandrews-lq6vy No water pan & cook on lower grate. Started with chimney full of lump, u can add when needed through that access panel. Pork steaks turned out amazing!
I've been doing the same thing with my Chubby 3400. Take out the water pan and heat diffuser, light about a quarter chimney of charcoal, throw it on whatever charcoal is left from my last cook, and it runs about 300 for 4ish hours. Drop the grates about 20 inches above the coals and it's awesome. Been loving chicken and beef back ribs cooked like this.
@@rodgrimes5897 will definitely give that a try on my WSM 👍
I'm broke, but I love good BBQ, so I was excited when a neighbor was tossing their Dyna Glo offset box smoker. I picked it up and brought it home. Didn't realize the main firebox was rusted out, so I sealed off the side box and just use it like a chudbox with direct heat real lump charcoal and occasionally a handful of select wood chips, usually applewood. I've been thoroughly impressed with the quality of whole hog BBQ I've been able to produce when used in conjunction with the foil wrap/ 170°F heated oven rest method.
If I lived anywhere near Texas I'd be buying a chudbox and getting rid of my charcoal grill as well as the box smoker, but sadly it'd cost a LOT to get one shipped to the east coast.
The old firebox holds my wood.
Great explanation of the subtle differences between all these cookers. Your videos have been quite an inspiration.
Cheap side comparison is an expert grill 24" heavy duty from wal mart for 96 dollars (370" of cook surface with upper racks) and on a high end 48" smoke slinger... Can you make a comparison for those? Also rotisserie function is great but becauae its not notched actually loading it seems a little sketchy because the rod has to be pulled over the fire to load.
Tempted to buy a chudbox. Love the idea. The one minor downside for me is I don’t like the lip where the charcoal sits. Makes cleanup harder. In my offset there is no lip and sweeping out ash it easy. I guess I could add firebricks to raise the bottom to meet the lip.
It’s very cool that hear you reference Carolina BBQ. I am an eastern NC native. Been in Texas about 5 years. Love it here and love Texas BBQ.
Love the Chudbox, wish I had one. Actually planning on building my own as a welding project. Won’t be as nice as the ones you’re selling, but it’ll get the job done and it’ll be something to dip my toes into making pits. I really want to build my own offset, but sourcing a tank or pipe is a challenge and this seems more doable to start building pits.
I'm old school tried and true. They weren't cooking on those old brick pits in the hill country alone. They were everywhere. Never cared much for offsets. Give me an old tractor rim to burn wood in, and I'll shovel coals into a old brick pit. Or tin pit. Or one made from oilfield pipe. That is the bbq i grew up on. Back in the day everyone had a mop recipe. In my neck of the wood's it was called sop mop. I still use it when cooking brisket. Oh btw. I'm lazy and cook most of my meals on a pellet grill. Never any complaints from anyone that eats my cooking.
The chud box reminds me so much of the Baltimore pit beef cookers. Love it. The in between of the grill and a smoker
Sold my weber kettle after cooking on the chudbox. Love to cook split chicken and chicken wings on it. Honestly the best chicken I have ever had, plus anyone that has it says the same. Also crispy skin pork belly all day long. And just for giggles I threw a pork shoulder on the rotassire attachment and made crispy skin pernil and it was fantastic. I just need to make a trip to the fish mongor, so I can cook up some seafood on it.
Just sold my Weber too, love my chudbox!
I plan to get one of these soon. Old hill country style is amazing
I’m still curious as to the flavor profile from a Chud Box vs a drum cooked at the same temp. The principle seems to be the same but price is substantially different.
Chudbox Is the closest way to cook Argentinian style! Love it
I LOVE my Chud Box. So easy to use/control temp.. My fam loves what comes out of this bad boy!! This fall I plan on making Cowboy stew using the Chud box.. How? Get a piece of rebarb rod and put it through the rotisserie holes. And hang the cast iron pot over the coals.
Yes! Bring back mopped BBQ. I grew up on it with my Grandpa's BBQ and I'd love to see a trend take off bringing these old methods back.
I wish I could afford one of these. This is something I’ve been looking for, but didn’t know I needed. I’m not saying that as a joke. I can do direct grilling no problem. But this kind of a 2 foot away. Direct grilling is what I’ve been been looking for. I think I’ve wanted it ever since I saw a video on Snow’s barbecue.
Just bought me mine and…damn she’s gorgeous. Can’t wait to get some cooks in.
Innovation in action. Idea, prototyping, trial and error, mastery.
Thanks for giving us options Mr. Robinson.
And here's to you, Mr Roninson
So glad you made this! I've been wanting to understand better what exactly the Chud Box is so this was great timing. I've been wanting to start experimenting with coal/real fire as I've only been in a Traeger so far and the would love to get one of these one day
I live in Australia so we built our own style with some variation and it work’s incredible.
I grew up camping A LOT and your CHUDbox reminds me of a better, enclosed way of cooking over a fire with a tripod. But not some huge backyard rig to do it, like some other direct heat cookers out there. Totally cool man.
I have been using indirect heat to do tri tip up to medium rare and then sear on green egg. Never thought of doing a direct heat cook. Will try today. Thanks BR
Well said. It’s a home version of a brick pit cooker, and that’s awesome!
Love my Chudbox! Fire it up at least once a week. Might be adding another one to the arsenal soon 👀
Ok I want a ChudBox now. Great sales pitch Brad
Most people who don't understand the Chud Box, also don't understand traditional open pit barbecue. When the process of North Carolina whole hog barbecue is explained to them, they can't understand it is not grilling. I have two WSMs, and use both (at least 90% of the time) without the water pan & with fully lit coals. It's an easy way to get an open pit experience at home.
Oh sweet I was right. I always thought it reminded me a bit of those whole hog cookers only smaller. It looks like so much fun to use. Hopefully one day I can grab one.
It’s all about that mini chud box baby! I gotta get myself one!
Great video, and I love the inspiration to cook over direct heat in other cookers. Direct heat ribs in my kamado are by far the best I've ever made. Thank you for all the knowledge you are sharing on this channel!
The chudbox is a mini open pit block pit. If you have never cooked on a block pit it is an awesome flavor.
when I think of famous Texas BBQ pits that use direct heat I think of Kruez Market and Smith's in Lockhart, TX., Thanks for the great video.
I'd love to have a Chud Box. I have a Humphrey's Battle Box. I've been experimenting with this style of cooking by pulling the deflector plate and water pan/tray. I put a grate where the water pan goes, or I put the grate on one of the shelf brackets to get further away from the coals. Not as easy or probably as good as the Chud box, but I can play with this technique. I love it so far.
I owned a barbecue like this about 15 years ago. Except it had a lever on the side that raised the charcoal high up or dropped it really really low. So you could grill directly over 🔥 or keep the heat fairly far.
It's crazy that you had to make a video just to explain this, but nevertheless, great stuff. Keep innovating, bro, love watching your bbq vids.
There's no comparison. The Chud Box blows a Webber Kettle away. My poor old PK360, an awesome cooker, hardly gets used anymore. Even my offset is getting jealous! Chud Box Rocks!
Finally pulled the trigger on one of these! Can't wait to start cooking on it!
You can beat your meat, you can beat the streets, but you can’t beat the direct heat! I agree I have a pit barrel xL and Damm… the chicken and ribs that come off are awesome!
Turn to the WSM when several pounds of meat are on the menu. Other than that its a kettle for the win. Have gone full circle be it electric, pellet, drum, frankenstein build, offset.... Started with simple coal fire with various real wood chunks tossed in.... tried pretty much everything else aaaannnnndd ended up right where i started so many years ago.
I have a kettle and an offset already. What's great about the kettle is it fires up quickly and is low maintenance. The offset has effectively unlimited capacity but is more work so gets taken out for special occasions. As just some guy cooking for my family, my main concern is if the upgrade in cooking quality comes at the cost of more of a time commitment.
As an owner of a Weber Smokey Mountain, I can say that coal access is a pretty prohibitive factor. When the fire dies out, it's pretty difficult to get it going again, without removing the top portion of the grill, which is a good 30-40 pounds of effort, if you factor in the grill, the meat and whatever grease/water apparatus you got going. Def. wish I could afford one of your grills!
I say this after doing two brisket cooks in 48 hours last week. I had to finish them both in the oven because after about 8 hours, you really have a lot of trouble keeping the Weber going at a steady temp.
Love the video Bradley, I wanted the chud box before, now I really want one for the experience
Bradley how about a chub box series? You know similar to the the Webber kettle series. Cooking pulled pork, brisket, burgers and crispy chicken thighs “fork don’t lie”
Let’s see how this beast turns those cuts out. Most of us are cooking those frequently and would like to see some real world action with recipes and reviews.
Keep it up man channel is awesome and this Chud box is looking like a future purchase
Wish the best for man I’m happy for you , It’s better that a lot of smokers /grills I love it
It's the Chud Box, it's the ultimate all encompassing, complete cooking vehicle, just need to build the Chud press into it & it's complete 😂
I've been wanting to build one since I seen this machine and now you have convinced me 👊🏻🤛🏼
Fantastic unit mate. USA made can't beat that. All the best from Australia 🦘🦘
What is the current lead time on a Chud Box? I would enjoy a subset of your channel were you only cook on the Chud Box. It would help (perspective) owners seeing your intended use / cooking methodology and would drive Chud Box sales. Thank you for your videos!
Have you ever thought of manufacturing retorts for making charcoal at home? I have seen videos of the ones people have made from just spare parts they have found but I am sure a Chuds BBQ build would be epic!!!
I've been on the fence about the Chud box, this video sells it. I want one!
I was inspired to try direct heat cooking on my kamado thanks to your videos. Definitely more of a challenge on that style of cooker, but the end result for chicken thighs and pork steaks has been fantastic. I've been sorely tempted to purchase a Mini Chudbox more than a few times!
Same here! I actually removed my firebox from my kamado to give me more space. The results have been, by far, my favorite for bbq. I have caught some crap about removing the firebox and possibly “damaging” the kamado - I figure if the kamado breaks i can buy that chudbox!
@@Joebsj2lc I hadn't even considered removing the firebox, but anything to get a little more height above the charcoal bed. I wouldn't think that you'd damage it since the body of a kamado is ceramic as well, but I don't find it at all hard to believe that you caught flak from other kamado grillers!
@@codytutor567 On my kamado (22” diameter) removing the firebox and using some grate risers gives me abotu 18” of space which seems about right. I also use an ash basket to hold the charcoal and raise that up about an inch with fire bricks (i tell myself becuase of air flow). Seems to work pretty well
Word of warning is it does tend to make my bottom air input pretty hot
@@Joebsj2lc thanks for the info, I intend to try it out in my 18" KJ Classic. Great idea with the ash basket!
As an online creative who does things that can't be described in a sentence I get you and that you for making these videos and those pits!
I disagree with your comment about drum smokers. I built my ugly drum smoker, and it does create dirty smoke for the first 30 minutes, but once it's up to temp, it runs clean all the way through. Also, a full basket will burn at 250 for 24+ hours.
That said, I would love to own a Chud box. Keep the great video content coming. Fan-taste-ic channel.
I made pork steaks on my Weber Smokey Mountain using the lower grate in an attempt to replicate the Chud Box, and it worked very well. It'll tide me over until I get the real deal
Yay my favorite time on Tuesday!
Question: spanish style charcoal ovens are becoming very popular. The Chud Box seems like it could work as a charcoal oven just by adding a couple more grid levels below the top one. The only difference I can see is the lower efficiency (the ovens are well insulated) but that’s it. Am I missing something? If not I think it could be a worthwhile addition
Primo kamado XL400 has similar capabilities to the Chud box by running with the additional upper grate to get the distance from the coal bed and no grate on one side for access to the the coals to add wood. It's the only cooker I can think of that has similar characteristics as the Chud box. I guess the WSM fits in there too come to think of it.
If your looking to expand into Australia, hit me up, could definitely build that under licence for you, got a day a week the laser is silent, and a sheety that I can give more work.
I'd love to get my hands on a ChudBox in the UK!
great video, so much information about all sort of cookers and cooking types.
Someday I'll get myself a Chudbox, currently I have a WSM and while it smokes meat well enough for me, doing direct heat chicken and hanging ribs over the coals with a rib hanger add on is my favorite thing to do. I completely understand your direct heat opinion and I need to up my cooker game sometime!
I just built a mini chud box and so far love it
So many people like those barrel cookers. I never had anything that tasted good, that was cooked on one vs a chud box or chud style box.
I cook direct a lot more on my BGE now. No better way to cook a chicken thigh. I also control the temp with the top vent on the BGE and leave the bottom door open
It's like a Hasty Bake! Without the crank.
2:40 I’m sorry Brad but the reason I bought the Primo Oval XL is because I can place an entire brisket to one side and have an open fire on the other. And I mean wide open, no coverings to block access for more coal or more logs I wanna throw in. The oval shape and split grills allow this. In that aspect I believe it’s much better than what you’re giving it credit for. I agree tho the Egg and KJ aren’t good in this aspect. If I could afford a 4th outdoor cooking device I would definitely grab a Chud box!
But then you're not getting the direct heat and fat smoke, which is pretty critical to the ChudBox flavor, and you're still strangling the fire.
@@Snark218and he also isn’t getting burned up meat either.
@@danielploy9143 Good thing a ChudBox doesn't burn the meat unless you suck at it.
My wife made her first ribs yesterday on the chud box she did a great job came out great
Great informative video - I really enjoy cooking on my direct heat cooker - the flavor can’t be beat
cool grill but the WSM can do everything the chudbox does for 1/4th of the price, no problem just removing the water pan for more direct heat if it's desired. It's probably my preferred griller because you get that extra distance from the coals. I don't get the access to coals thing too, there's plenty of room through the door.
This person’s tongue speaks the truth…
Great video man, loved your explanation of what the Mini is and why it works like it does. Unfortunately, because I live north of the 49th and as far east as you can get and still be in North America, shipping would more than double the cost so I don’t see one in the cards.
Keep up the great work. Love the channel.
I have a Weber Smokey Mountain medium and I don't even use the water pan anymore... It's so good.
I think its time for retrospective video. Run down your top 10 favorite cooks that either you've done or been apart of with others (Mad Scientist, Omnivours Adam, Guga etc). Also would mind just a top 10 of your fave BBQ dishes from around Texas.
I appreciate your thoughts on the kamado and barrel cookers. I have a kamado and have to agree with you. A smoker it is not. It does well as a grill/oven.
Good morning Brad 😌
I try and run my kamado as a direct heat cooker with pretty decent results. Because of your channel I've really enjoyed direct heat cooking. The only thing I've found is that my cooks usually go faster than yours because, I'm assuming, the cereamic holds the heat in more. But its been fun. One day when you have a seller in Canada I'll definitely buy a chud box.
Hey Brad, in the U.K. here and if you did a larger version and the Chuds table then I’m all in and you can take my money!
I’ve had my chudbox here in NC since May and I absolutely love it ❤
How is the ash cleanup with the lip? No big deal? Love the idea that’s my only small hang up.
good job dude👍kinda reminds me of a Hasty bake
“Snake in my boot”makes a return! 👍🏻