re: Need a Smoker / grill combo

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When meat heats up a lot of liquid evaporates from its surfaces, and the more airflow the more the meat dries out. Since ceramics have low airflow, meat remains juicier. Other smokers have thinner walls and many leak a lot so they require more charcoal and airflow, which means that airflow out the chimney and the leaky doors carries away more moisture than the ceramics. It is not unusual for a pork shoulder to lose 30% of its weight in an offset smoker. Water loss on a ceramic is often under 20%.

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I have cooked BBQ my whole life and have ate off of almost any rig known to man. I've never once associated airflow with lack of moisture in meat. I've had dry meat come off them all and great moist meat come off them all. It is the over or under cooking of the meat that results in dry meat.

I've perused BBQ forums for years and literally not once, have I hear anyone say that a ceramic retains moisture because of the decreased airflow. I feel that any air flow conducted by any standard smoker isn't enough to make a difference in the end product.

Dehydrators need fans to get the oomph needed to dry out meat. Smokers can't create that kind of air flow on their own.