Tucker Cooker

Meat The Team: Queology - GrateTV on Blip An awesome Team with a...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:33:17 -0500

Meat The Team: Queology - GrateTV on Blip

An awesome Team with a Tucker Cooker, they have won lots of awards!

We always try to add the new Accessories everyone asks for. The...

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:57:00 -0500

We always try to add the new Accessories everyone asks for. The newest one is the “Beer Can Chicken Holder”.

It is 22” x 22” and fits in the Adjustable Rack, leaving space on the main cooking racks for more food. The Tucker Cooker Chicken Holder allows 12 whole chickens to cook at the same time. They are “Beer Can” style, but don’t limit yourself to beer, use apple juice, or your own favorite mixture.

We have wanted, for a long time, to put a page on the Tucker...

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:40:11 -0500

We have wanted, for a long time, to put a page on the Tucker Cooker web site that shows Tucker Owners Barbecue related businesses.

There are lots of Tucker Owners that have BBQ related businesses. Tucker Owners have been, and have started, doing what they love to do, BBQ. Tucker Cookers are built to do what ever type of cooking you wish, from Appetizers to Desserts. This is what makes them perfect, whether cooking for employees, catering, a restaurant, set up in an industrial park and sell BBQ sandwiches, do work for charities and lots more

If you own a Tucker Cooker and do Barbecue related jobs, let us know and send your info and a picture and we’ll post your info and pic on the new page. Getting your name in front of people is what you need. If you do what you love, it shows in your food, people will know and keep coming back. That is what everyone is looking for, good food.

The attached Menu belongs to three friends that just graduated Culinary School
To those of you that have sent your info before, please resend it. I will be starting this very soon.

The Best Memphis Burger Fest was held September 30th at...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:45:00 -0500

The Best Memphis Burger Fest was held September 30th at Minglewood Hall in Memphis, TN. For a first year contest in the rain it turned out great. Giving credit to a couple of hard working people like Tim & Seth and the great folks they were surrounded by. They were all quick to jump in and help where ever they saw a need.

The Tucker Cooker was made for all types of Barbecuing, but it is made for Great Grilling too. This contest showed off the Tucker Cooker abilities in an awesome way!

There were four different categories, Best Memphis Burger, Veggie Burger, Anything But Beef, and Extreme. Best Memphis Burger Prize went to “I Like Big Burgers And I Can Not Lie”

There were bands all day and even an all you can eat burger contest.

The proceeds from this event, $4000.00 benefited the Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services.

Drinking out of a mason Jar is a Southern tradition, maybe it...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:23:06 -0500

Drinking out of a mason Jar is a Southern tradition, maybe it has something to do with Moonshine, maybe it’s the Sweet Tea that Southerners love so. I would be inclined to say that since they have tops it was the best way to carry tea out to the hot dusty fields.
The Tucker Cooker Mason Jar (top not included) will be going in the Tucker Store next week. Sweet Tea not included, unless you want to pick up yours here at the Tucker Cooker Fire House, no moonshine though.

Tucker Cooker

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:38:00 -0500

Saturday September 22nd is the first official day of Fall. With the cooler weather, outdoor...

Ribs

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:26:15 -0500

Ribs There are several different types of ribs available, depending on the section of rib cage...

Hamburgers

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:24:00 -0500

Tucker Burger http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuckercooker/sets/72157629251877089/ This is a very...

The New Tucker Cooker Warmer December 30th, 2011 With the New...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:20:21 -0500

The New Tucker Cooker Warmer

December 30th, 2011

With the New Year comes a new Tucker Cooker accessory, the Tucker Warmer! After a few prototypes, and lots of testing, we have just what we, and many Tucker Owners, were looking for.
Warmers have a stainless steel interior, holds full size steam table pans and has two vent controls to maintain the temperature you want.

We have also redesigned our Weather Covers. When you buy a Tucker you have the option of getting a cover with or without the Warmer extension. If you choose later to get a Warmer all you have to do is unzip the fire box end of the Cover, get the attachment and zip it on.

Stop by and take a look at what is going on, our doors are always open.

Tucker Cooker Owners

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:13:16 -0500

Tucker Cooker Owners September 1st, 2011 What are your plans for the weekend? I am trying out a...

What We Enjoy Most August 24th, 2011 It’s true, I do have the best job in the world. What...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:12:31 -0500

What We Enjoy Most August 24th, 2011 It’s true, I do have the best job in the world. What...

Check out Gettin' Sauced Radio with Drapers DBQ

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:36:54 -0500

Check out Gettin' Sauced Radio with Drapers DBQ : Shane had a “Round Table” live...

Day 3 of Memphis in May – Down to Business Posted on May 22,...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:44:15 -0500

Day 3 of Memphis in May – Down to Business

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Big Wayner by Big Wayner | 1 Comment and 2 Reactions

Day 3… the day of reckoning. This is the day when the gloves come off, and teams get down to the business of preparing turn-ins for their respective categories. I arrived on-site around 8:00 am, and I must say our hog was looking really, really good!

The morning went on, and the pig cooked on. At around 11:30am, the team started to assemble the turn-in box, which was due for turn-in between 12:00pm and 12:15pm. (Pictures below courtesy of Ben Wilson of Q-Bones BBQ)

Below is a video of the box prep process.

After the box turn-in, it was mere minutes before the first of the three on-site judges show up. For those of you unfamiliar with the style of Memphis in May judging, there are 2 components – blind box judging and on-site judging. For the on-site judging, three judges go to your area one at a time at approximately 15 minute intervals to view your site and judge the meat on-site. I was not able to get video of the on-site judging, but I do have a few photos (thanks again to Ben from Q-Bones).

Unfortunately Tucker Cooker did not make finals, but we finished a respectable 16th out of 38 teams, outpacing such well-known teams as Jack’s Old South and Famous Dave’s. Considering that this was the 5th whole hog ever cooked by the guys who cooked the pig, it makes the results that much better! (Full results for the whole hog category can be downloaded from the Memphis in May website). A huge congratulations goes out to Pete & Melissa Cookston of Yazoo’s Delta Q for winning the whole hog category as well as the overall grand champion of Memphis in May! Full results are available on the Memphis in May website.

A huge thank you goes out to George and Holly from Tucker Cooker for allowing me to join the team this year. I got to experience first-hand the versatility and quality behind the cookers, having seen them used from hamburgers to whole hog! More pictures are available on my Facebook page.

Day 2 of Memphis in May – Picking Up Speed Posted on May 21,...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:56:39 -0500

Day 2 of Memphis in May – Picking Up Speed

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Big Wayner by Big Wayner | 1 Comment and 2 Reactions

With day 1 of Memphis in May in the books, it’s time to move on to day 2. The arrival this morning brought the delivery of the hogs to use for the whole hog cooking contest as well as the finishing of brisket for the beef turn-in.

This day brought about more of a business feel, as the ancillary categories were to be turned in today. This included 3 sauces (tomato, mustard, vinegar), beef, poultry, seafood, exotic, and hot wings. While various team members worked on their respective categories, others worked on construction of holding boxes to put the hogs on ice until prep time. Even yours truly got involved, assisting with the chicken turn-in.

Helping with the chicken turn-in really allowed me to work with the Tucker Cooker and get a small taste of the cooker’s versatility.

The results for our ancillary contest turn-ins were varied. Our sauces did well, while our food items ran anywhere from the middle of the pack to not as good as we hoped. The results from our ancillary turn-ins are below:

Hot Wings – 108/121
Exotic – 63/78
Beef – 36/105
Seafood – 81/102
Poultry – 54/98
Tomato-based Sauce – 30/121
Vinegar-based Sauce – 23/75
Mustard-based Sauce – 35/73

Later that afternoon, the team all got together to prep the hogs.

I was able to get about an hour and a half of footage of prepping the hog. You can view the video below.

In addition to getting down to business, there was also plenty of time to get out and meet people and catch up with friends. One of the first people I ran into that morning was Larry Gaian of The BBQ Grail. For those of you not familiar with Larry’s site, you must go and check it out at http://www.thebbqgrail.com.

That afternoon, we taped a live show of Gettin’ Sauced with Draper’s BBQ live to talk about the Memphis in May experience!

Finally, that evening I had the privilege of hanging out with the Ubon’s team. If you ever get the chance to meet them, don’t pass it up! Garry, Leslie, Reggie (the Mayor of Barbecueville) and the whole crew are some of the nicest people on the face of the planet!

This brings day 2 of Memphis in May to a close. Next up is day 3, the day of reckoning for whole hog.

Day 1 of Memphis in May – Whirlwind Experience Posted on May 18,...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:22:58 -0500

Day 1 of Memphis in May – Whirlwind Experience

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Big Wayner by Big Wayner | 4 Comments and 4 Reactions

I thought I was prepared for Memphis in May. I thought I had done enough research, talked to enough people, and planned enough to thoroughly prepare myself for what would occur. Plain and simple: I lied to myself.

I had trouble staying asleep, so I got going at 6:00am. After a mandatory stop at Wal-Mart for some things I forgot to pack, I arrived at the site at around 7:00am. When I pulled in, I saw the bus for The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint. So naturally, I decided to take a picture or 2. Then all of a sudden, the door opens and this attractive woman volunteers to take my picture in front of the bus. As it turns out, the woman was none other than Chef Sara Horowitz of “Hells Kitchen” and “Best of Smoke” fame.

Some time later, I met George Karcher, one of the co-owners of Tucker Cooker Company. After a brief chat, he gave me a tour of the Tucker Cooker facilities, showing me some of the equipment used in making the cookers as well as his mindset behind the thought process that goes into making the cookers. All I have to say is if you are in the market for a quality cooker that gives you the best value for your dollar, you have to take a long look at Tucker Cooker!

The early part of the day was all about meeting people. First off, I met the rest of the Tucker Cooker team as we finished up final loading and proceeded to our site. At our site was multiple Tucker cookers, along with an arrangement of four tables in a square and a bar. Our site, by the way, has the best. View. Ever!

Mentioning meeting people… I finally got to meet the famous Robyn Medlin Lindars (whom you may know as GrillGrrrl) and her father Eddie! I also had the chance to meet Jesse and Kevin from Thermoworks.

Needless to say, the rest of the day was spent just taking in the whole atmosphere. I took a lot more photos, and you can find those on my Facebook page. All I have to say is that if you have the chance to go… DO IT!!! As a side note, I will be part of a live taping of Gettin’ Sauced with Draper’s BBQ tomorrow, courtesy of Darryl Mast of BBQ Superstars. Check out the Facebook page for Draper’s BBQ for more details on the show.

Interview with Tucker Cooker Posted on April 26, 2012 by Big...

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:53:32 -0500

Interview with Tucker Cooker

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Big Wayner by Big Wayner | 4 Comments and 7 Reactions

Again, if I haven’t mentioned how freakin’ excited I am to be going to Memphis in May, I’ll mention it again…

I’M FREAKIN’ EXCITED!!!!

There, now that I got that out of the way, I have got a huge thank you to give, and I plan to do that with this post. I will be part of the Tucker Cooker team at Memphis in May, and I wanted to give everyone a chance to learn about Tucker Cooker and what they have to offer.

Tucker Cooker is based out of Memphis, TN (in fact, not far at all from the Memphis in May site). They take pride in building their cookers, using the best materials and skilled labor available to ensure that the fit, finish, and quality are top notch. From talking with others, the Tucker Cooker is not just a “low-and-slow” piece of equipment – it is perfectly capable of handling direct-heat grilling just as well as offset cooking.

Some of the features in this cooker include:

A tray adjuster gauge to indicate height of charcoal cooking tray without having to open the cooker lid.
Adjustable inside rack that provides three levels of cooking surface.
Vents located on each door to properly regulate airflow.
Full-length and full-width grease/ash pan.
Easily adjustable stacks.
Numerous optional accessories to customize the cooker and make it yours.

I wanted to find out more information about the company, so I emailed Holly Jones from Tucker Cooker some questions. Her answers are below (BW – Big Wayner, HJ – Holly Jones).

BW: Can you tell me a little about how Tucker Cooker got started?

HJ: Through the years of building custom truck bodies we were asked about building and designing custom Smokers for different customers. After designing custom truck bodies for years, George went to the shop one weekend and built a grill and smoker that we could use ourselves. That first week a friend came by and wanted to buy 15, that was the start of Tucker Cooker and it has grown ever since.

BW: Tell me a little about the Tucker Cooker.

HJ: Tucker Cookers are designed to allow you to cook anything you could want all in one unit. The adjustable charcoal rack allows you to grill or barbecue direct. The offset firebox allows for easy smoking / indirect cooking. Tuckers are the right size to use by individuals or for commercial use.

BW: Why should someone consider purchasing a Tucker Cooker over another pit such as a Jambo?

HJ: We have never cooked on one, so I can’t say anything from personal experience. I can say that, again, Tuckers are awesome in design and capabilities, and are beautiful to have in your back yard, catering, competitions and on and on.

Tuckers are fuel efficient and allow for hours of smoking at a constant temperature without tending the fire, all for $3695.

BW: What options do you offer as part of purchasing a Tucker Cooker?

HJ: We have designed several accessories that will allow for easily cooking anything you may want. The Whole Hog Kit, features a one piece rack and a water pan that hangs on brackets under the cooking racks. The Griddle allows you to cook pancakes, eggs, peppers and an endless number of other accessories, just pick accessories that would best suit your needs. You can also “upgrade” to stainless steel and even chrome wheels. The newest accessory is a Warmer that is designed for full size restaurant pans and will hold a “warming” temperature while you are barbecuing.

We always try to keep Tuckers as affordable as possible, that is why we offer the standard model, which comes with everything you need, and gives you the option to buy pieces down the road. We build in jigs and fixtures and in production runs, and buy in large quantities, wheels for instance… this is one more way to keep costs low and allow us to pass the savings on.

BW: I think that it’s really great that you offer Tucker owners the chance to cook at Memphis in May! How did that idea come about?

HJ: Tucker Cooker is located about a block from the South entrance to Tom Lee Park, where the MIM contest is held every year. We know a lot of people on teams, and a lot of Teams that compete at MIM own Tucker Cookers. We also get to know lots of Tucker Owners, whether on Facebook, some want to take the trip to the home of barbecue to pick up their Tucker, or email and phone calls. The idea to compete as a Tucker Owner Team kind of just happened, but it really came together on Facebook. We wanted to give Tucker Owners the chance to compete in the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Deciding to enter as a Tucker Owner Team, we knew just how much time, work and money is involved. With the group of Barbecuers that came together that first year, it couldn’t have gone any easier. Everyone pitched in and made it easy and lots of fun. By the time that first week came to an end everyone was planning for the next year. This will be our third year, we still have most of that same group of people and everyone has become great friends and each year we all make more.

BW: Are there plans in the works for a backyard model?

HJ: Yes, but we are such a small company it takes time to design new products. We do have a prototype, not the final design, but it is basically what we are going for. Just like we test all of our products, we will test it as well before putting it up on our web site.

BW: How can people interested in purchasing a Tucker Cooker get started?

HJ: Our web site www.TuckerCooker.com has a lot of information, we work on it constantly. You can call and we’d be more than happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have. You can email. There is also a page on our web site that allows for adding different pieces and automatically adds at the bottom of the page.

If you have purchased a Tucker Cooker, I’d love to get your feedback on how you like the cooker. If you are interested in purchasing a Tucker Cooker, you can contact Holly through their website at http://www.tuckercooker.com. You can also give Holly a call at (901) 578-3221 or email her at cookers@tuckercooker.com.

Shane Draper Talks Tucker Cookers (by DarrylMast)

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 17:22:13 -0500

Shane Draper Talks Tucker Cookers (by DarrylMast)

The Fan’s Guide to Memphis in May

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 11:32:10 -0500

The Fan’s Guide to Memphis in May

Tucker Cooker at Memphis in May 2012

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:08:09 -0500

Tucker Cooker at Memphis in May 2012

Memphis Downtowner

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:18:24 -0500

Memphis Downtowner: Memphis Downtowner article about Tucker Cooker

Tucker Cooker

Meat The Team: Queology - GrateTV on Blip An awesome Team with a...

We always try to add the new Accessories everyone asks for. The...

We have wanted, for a long time, to put a page on the Tucker...

We have wanted, for a long time, to put a page on the Tucker Cooker web site that shows Tucker Owners Barbecue related businesses.

The attached Menu belongs to three friends that just graduated Culinary School To those of you that have sent your info before, please resend it. I will be starting this very soon.

The Best Memphis Burger Fest was held September 30th at...

Drinking out of a mason Jar is a Southern tradition, maybe it...

Tucker Cooker

Ribs

Hamburgers

The New Tucker Cooker Warmer December 30th, 2011 With the New...

The New Tucker Cooker Warmer

Tucker Cooker Owners

What We Enjoy Most August 24th, 2011 It’s true, I do have the best job in the world. What...

Check out Gettin' Sauced Radio with Drapers DBQ

Day 3 of Memphis in May – Down to Business Posted on May 22,...

Day 3 of Memphis in May – Down to Business

Day 2 of Memphis in May – Picking Up Speed Posted on May 21,...

Day 2 of Memphis in May – Picking Up Speed

Day 1 of Memphis in May – Whirlwind Experience Posted on May 18,...

Day 1 of Memphis in May – Whirlwind Experience

Interview with Tucker Cooker Posted on April 26, 2012 by Big...

Interview with Tucker Cooker

I’M FREAKIN’ EXCITED!!!!

Shane Draper Talks Tucker Cookers (by DarrylMast)

The Fan’s Guide to Memphis in May

Tucker Cooker at Memphis in May 2012

Memphis Downtowner

The attached Menu belongs to three friends that just graduated Culinary School
To those of you that have sent your info before, please resend it. I will be starting this very soon.