Gator Pit of Texas - Testimonials


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	Below are testimonials that were posted on our Gator Pit Forum, emailed to us, or postal mailed to Gator Pit of Texas:

	Hi Ritchey, I just wanted to let you know that my husband received the smoker for Christmas and he LOVES it!! We've been having a blast trying it out and had to have wood shipped in just to use it. We are having some seriously cold weather, between 10 and 20 degrees, so you can imagine having to tend that fire, but damn that food is great at the end. Thanks so much, we just love it!! Regards, Mary Beth, Minnesoto

	Ritch and Helen: Love the Budget Mobile. "Most fun I've had in some time". I've used it in some pretty extreme winter conditions and it's awesome! As you will see in some of the pictures when I was done smoking it was -11 degrees with a wind chill of -28 degrees. That was when I was done. When I started at 8:00 in the morning it was -21 degrees/wind chill -38 degrees. I received the pit on Friday. The very next day for the Packers/Seahawks playoff game I did 14 slabs of St. Louis style ribs. Turned out great! "Only Regrets - - - - Wish I would kept my original plan - - Double Barrel Smoker" (I'm a chicken &*^%) Ha! I want to come to Texas when you guys do a competition and help you behind the counter and see how the Pro's do it! Thanks, CJ Garber, Wisconsin

	On Saturday, the Gator and I traveled about 75 miles south to an informal BBQ cookoff which was put on by the Ladies Of The Harley as a fund raiser for breast cancer research. I entered just to have fun. And I had fun. There was only two catagories. Meat and sides. I cooked 4 slabs of spares which were doused with apple juice and then rubbed with TXBBQ original rub. They were on the pit for the 3-2-1 meothod. For the final hour, I glazed them with pinapple habanero and apple jalapeno jellies. I did a batch of beans using a modified recipe from the BBQRUB site. Them beans sat on the heating plate of the Gator for the full six hours. I think the beans had a good bit of gas in every bean when I got done. Turn in and tasting was done about 6pm. Them hog riders must have been hungry by them as when I got back to the food line, there were no more ribs. Man, an 6 hour cook, and I can't tell ya what my ribs tasted like. Now, that ole Gator, she makes me proud. When all of the voting was done, I took first in meat and first in sides. Now if that don't give ya a big head, I don't know what does. This queing stuff can get in your blood. Thanks Ritch for the Gator. The only complaint that I got on this smoking mo-chine, is that I did not have a bigger one fabricated. Harry

	Dear Sir: All three of the fire pots arrived in good condition. They really looked nice and met all my expectations. You do good work. The weather was nice and we had a hotdog and marshmellow cookout with my two sons, their wives and the grand children. Both sons were surprised and appreciated the quality of the fire pots they received. Thanks for building the fire pots to my design. Cordially, William D. Jenness, III, Lansing, MI

	Hey guys - Ritch and Crew has done it again! My dad always says that if you buy quality - you only cry once, and that is the honest truth. I'll be posting some of these pics in the "Pit Maintenance" section, but I wanted to post all of the pics from the weekend here also. My brother came down from Dallas to help out, and he and my Dad helped clean and season. We made a whole weekend of it with my wife's mother, my folks, my brother, and some other friends coming over for dinner the next day.. It was a great time had by all and Ritch has a couple more future customers. I'll tell you - this this is huge! To give you an idea, I had my German Shepherd sit in front of the pit Twomarks's Photos Take care, twomarks

	Your're right.....we're awfully loyal to gator pits but even Ritch will tell you that his competitor (s) also build some nice pits. What sold me on Gator Pits was the customer service and I felt like I got more bang for my buck. Ritch will entertain any and all mods or add-ons you want to make to your Gator and not charge you an arm and a leg to do it. Just go back through some of these threads and you'll see some of the different "customized" pits Ritch and the Gator Pit Crew have created. I'm pretty sure you would be hard pressed to find that level of service and willingness to go the extra mile for the customer anywhere else. Serial Griller, Friendswood, Texas

	What he said....and then some. At Gator Pit you get exactly what you want in the pit and are not pressured to buy something they already have in stock. Zilla, Universal City, Texas

	I have bought 2 gators. Reason I would even go with Gator again if I ever needed a larger pit is as has been stated many times above. Ritch and crew really bend over backwards to do what it takes to satisfy the customer. They don't pressure you into bigger or more profitable add-ons and actually made some suggestions on my last pit that reduced the cost considerably, which was obviously in my best interest not theirs. They are straight up honest folks that not only build and sell pits but really seem to have a passion for bbqing.... My first gator was a 20, my new one is a 24 with an upright. According to my wife I am pretty tight fisted with my green. I am generally the kind of guy that buys slightly used cars, fixes things my self and would rather rent a dvd than spend bucks at the movies.... (and no i am not going to rent Broke back Mountain)... I pushed the budget pretty high on the second gator and I have got to say I still have no regrets at all and after owning it for 2 - 3 months it is still by far one of my favorite purchases ever.. Go big and enjoy your Gator for many years to come. Every cook gets better and better. Carnivore, Texas

	I chose Gator for a bunch of reasons. A big one was I got more pit for the money. I don't care what the name is but I care what I've got and how it works. But the biggest thing that I liked was customer service, not just over the phone before and after the pit was made but in building the pit. These suckers are all custom when you get right down to it, and I wanted something really different. I never heard "we can't do that" from Ritch or Chris. I heard a lot of "we've never done that before" but it was always followed by "but sure we can". That's to me was what brought me to Gator and I'm totally satisfied with my choice and if I ever buy another pit (which I hope to someday) it will be a Gator and it will generate a whole bunch of new "we've never done that before's" and like the pit I have they will get it done and get it done with style! Grand Scale, York, PA

	Gotta agree with Grand Scale..... I knew after one call to Gator Pit I was going to get more quality pit for the money. It was also important for me to have a good 'feeling' about the people I was trusting with a very important purchase. That was obviously not an issue.... _________________ Tom Fat Tommy's BBQ, Bel Air, Maryland

	The first time I met Ritch I was not even looking at a pit. He is a friend and fellow member at TexasBbqRub.com. I knew he made pits but I already had a Lang that I thought cooked really well. After seeing the Pride Ritch showed at the Maiden Voyage of The Texas Legend we started talking. To make a long story short I was impressed by Ritch and Chris and the Pit. We have become good friends over the last couple of years. Swilly, who is also a member at TexasBbqRub.com, was at the same cook off and he let me stay with them for the cook off from start to finish. As Swilly, Redneck, and Flapdaddy cooked on a Gator Entertainer I started seeing the way Gators were designed so much better than my Lang.... I have a custom Predator on order for when me and my family move to Glen Rose Texas as soon as we sell our house in Md. If I am closer to you than Houston you will be welcome to come and join me in cook so you see what I am talking about. I must tell you when I met Ritch he did not bash my pit that showed me he was a man of honor. I did not go to the cook off shopping for a new pit. What I did was find a pit that had none of the design flaws I had found in my pit by Lang. BBQ101, Maryland

	Gator not only gives you more pit for your money, you get a better pit for your money. Look at my photos. at www.peppersandsmoke.com/photo/ Look at the attention to detail on the pits. No spatter on the welds, doors that close without gaps, laser-straight cuts done by hand. The guys at Gator Pits are masters of their craft. I own a Gator Family Smoker right now, and I've started sketching my next Gator. Photo Kirk, Houston, Texas

	I can attest to the quality. Just this morning I called Chris and paid off the budget mobile I put on layaway when I picked up my BYCC. now I am going to start saving for a steak grill. You just can't go wrong with Ritch and Co. Top Notch! Texas John, San Antonio, Texas

	I just finished and won my first comp with my new gator (Sweetness)!! WOO HOO . This was a small, ribs only event here in my home town. There were 17 teams (5 more didn't show-up). We were required to cook 3 racks of each, pork & beef. The event is a fund raiser for the local cattle women's association, so two racks of each were cooked for the luncheon and one of each for the comp. My team took 1st place in both sets!!! My wife and I had such a blast. She even asked if I was going to do more comps. I would like to thank Ritch and the rest of the gator crew for building a great pit!! There was even people that asked where they could get one. One lady wrote the gator web site on the back of her hand and called some one to "book mark" the web site. I would also like to thank any and all of the forum members for the tips, advice and responses to my dumb questions!! Neil, California

	Hey Chris ! I can't tell you enough how well the Texas Legend is working for us down in New Orleans!! In about 10 days we (Blood-n-Fire Ministries) fed pork loin, chicken ,ribs etc. with side dishes prepared on the cooker as well ,to approx. 20,000 hungry folks whose lives have been devastated by hurricane Katrina, and the numbers are still climbing. We are still down there and now we are sending more teams into Southeast Texas and Southwest La. to help because of Hurricane Rita. The BBQ pits are invaluable to us in our ministry !! You guys Rock !! Thanks a bunch, John Richardson Blood-n-Fire Ministries Inc. www.bloodnfire.com Atlanta, Ga.

	Ritch: Just a great big thank you to you and Chris for making my Bandit happen. We are helping to feed the victims of Katrina/Rita and did something a little different last week. Our group fed 175 Red Cross Volunteers at the Central La Command Center. These folks were so thankful of what we did. Lots of hugs, tears and thanks for remembering them. Could not have done this without you guys at Gator Pit. Thanks again, Jay

	Dear Gator Pit, Back in April I ordered one of your small mobile pits (Budget Mobile) that you modified by adding double doors, slide-out trays, a square firebox with gas assist, and tuning plates. I picked it up in July and hauled it back to Kansas. I couldn't believe how easily it pulled, especially when one of your main competitors there in Houston told me that a 24" x 48" pit was too small for a trailer. I have since cooked several times on it, but last weekend I cooked the most I ever have attempted at one time, a large brisket and seven slabs of ribs. They all came out great, especially the brisket. Everyone raved about it. Brisket was something that always gave me trouble with my old pit, and I think now I know why. The temperature on my new Gator Pit is so even from left to right and top to bottom, there are no "hot spots" that cause one end of the meat to burn while the other is barely warm. Since I haven't tried my pit without the tuning plates I can't say for sure that these are the reason for such even heat distribution, but it only makes sense that they are. I would recommend that anyone buying a similar pit opt for the tuning plates. Paul Swain Columbus, Kansas

	Dear Ritch, I am going to make a short story long, because I think you deserve it. I wanted to thank you for everything you and Chris have done to make my pit buying experience nothing less than perfect. This time 8 months ago, I knew nothing about BBQ pits/Smokers. My dad has an old Oklahoma Joe 20"x42" smoker. All I knew was that I wanted one like it. I had a bad experience with one of your competitors; one that lasted for about 3 months. After several months of researching the company and their product, I was left confused on several different occasions. The last straw was in early June when he didn't return my phone call like he had promised. The next day, I found Gator Pits on the internet. Out of frustration, I bought a pit the very next day. I hadn't done any research on your company or product. At the time I knew that I made a hasty decision, and was nervous about what I had just gotten myself into. As time went on, Chris has helped me every step of the way. I am not kidding Ritch.....I have amended my order so many times that I thought Chris would block my number from your phones. Have you seen my invoices? There was a grand total of 6 of them. That is how many changes that I have made along the way. I can tell you this, NOT ONE TIME did Chris EVER give me the remote impression that I was inconveniencing him in any way. He answered my questions with a smile and told me to call him back if I had any others. When I was dealing with your competitor, he didn't even know half of the answers to the questions I asked. (did I mention that he was the owner) I just wanted to make sure that you knew that. If you or Chris ever find yourselves in Baton Rouge, call me so I can set up a BBQ. The hurricane came through earlier this week. I had to feed several people in a time of need with your help. They thank you for that as well. I haven't even gotten to what I think about your product yet. I think your product is nothing short of amazing. The craftsmanship is unbelievable. We have family from New Orleans staying over for a while. One of them is a former welder. He was very impressed with your work. I could go on and on about what I think of the pit. Just know that I am very pleased with the pit. I just wanted to say thank you again for the help, product, and hospitality, from you and your crew. Brandon LaBorde Baton Rouge, LA P.S. Your forum is the best that I have ever seen. I have learned so much about BBQ pits/smokers, and how to use them.

	To be honest I have had a few folks comment on my pit and they said "Is that a Klose". Quickly and I mean quickly I said NOPE IT IS A GATOR. I looked at Klose, Gator and even the Tejas, but you by far had the best customer service of any. I have seen Klose's pits and they are nice, but they did not have the "Touch" of yours, that extra custom look. A friend of mine has a BYC Klose and he saw mine from the pics I sent him. His response was like mine when I first saw your website. Well he saw mine in person the other day and it was a hoot. I have not seen him in 2 years and he bolted straight to the smoker. No hello, kiss my rear, just a VLINE to the pit. He drooled over it and he has a Klose. Pictures do the Gator NO JUSTICE. Neil, MS

	Ok just one more compliment to Ritch and the Gator Gang. My company operates a Steel Fabrication Shop in Upstate NY. We make highway safety products, all steel, mostly welded. We're AISC certified which is the fabrication equivalent of ISO 9000 or such, no small thing. All our welders (12+) are NY state certified. All our products are third party inspected in shop. Long story short these guys know metal and they know welding and most of all they know quality. The reason I'm sharing this is that The Big Heavy (Gator Pit's Intimi-Gator) was up there all last week, for when I cooked for them on Friday and will be there the rest of this week before she comes home. Without exception the guys were impressed! And when I tell you they were all over it, that's an understatement. So Ritch and crew, from my 60+ crew of metal guys to yours..."you build one mean pit, and do some good work". Once I get it back I'll share with you why they're keeping her the extra week.... It's dangerous to leave something like that around welders.... Matt Shorb, PA

	Just received my new Party Gator today. The quality of the welds, fit, and workmanship is as good as everyone has said. Beautiful work; great job by your fabricators. I'm seasoning it right now. Thanks, Chris for your help and patience. Can't wait to show my friends. No one here in Northern Calif has one of these babys. Mark M, Northern California

	Gotta share this with ya. I did my first party cook yesterday for about 45 people and I even exceeded my own expectations. I cooked 12 racks of baby backs and 2 ribeye roasts (probably about 10- 1" spencer steaks each). Killer grub man, I got rave reviews and I'll probably send you a pic just to show you how beautiful they were. A lot of comments, "gatorpit huh". Some asking if they make smaller pits I could put in the backyard. Of course I made sure to wear my gatorpit t-shirt and made a point to invite them to hit the website. One gal said " my husband already made a a note to do so". So buddy, I got ya abunch more west coast exposure and had my ego messaged all day long. Ritch, I'm definitely proud to be a gatorpit owner and that's why I asked you to weld your website on my pit. Paul Knutson, CA

	Rich, How are things going? The Stinger is holding up really well and looks just as good as the day we picked it up. Question for you, when we go to BBQ contest it never fails that I get at least 5 - 10 people that really look at the pit with questions and information about Gator Pit. Needless to say I usually never have pad and pen so they can write information down. Would it be possible for you to possibly send me flyers, catalogs, stickers, or something halfway small to pass out if someone is interested or a small poster to hang up with information. Thanks. Steve Sukup Lazy J S Competition BBQ Team

	Thanks for your information on controlling the temperature in my back yard classic. I smoked some butts on Sunday and the pulled pork was a big hit for my friends. The hot spot on this smoker is right at 10" from the inside right edge of the smoker. I used oak and hickory only with no charcoal and it worked great. Learning something each time and writing it all down. The people that came over told me to do ribs for the 4th. Bob Halvorson, California

	Guys, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how pleased I am with my new Gator Pit. I just attended a BBQ competition cooking class and everyone, including the instructor (DR. BBQ) gave nothing but positive comments about my new pit. There was even a guy with a KLOSE pit who thought that he should have bought a Gator Pit instead. The two cooking next to me were using a cooker by TUCKER. All they could do was cuss it and wish they had something like my Gator Pit. All night long during the class, my temperature never varied by even 10 degrees. The instructor came by several times and said, “225 degrees. That was what it showed the last time I looked at it.” It went that way all night long. I couldn’t be more pleased. I have entered a competition in Severville , Tn. , in May. I will let you know how it went. Again, thanks for the quality pit that you guys built. Richard Kinsey
	Our office hours (Central Time) Sunday:Office is closed Monday thru Friday: 8:00AM to 4:00PM Saturday: 10:00AM to 2:00PM Telephone Office: 713-896-0144 Toll Free: 1-866-869-5166 Fax: 713-896-8857 Postal Address Gator Pit of Texas, LP 11161 West Little York Road Houston, Texas 77041-5015 USA Electronic mail: info@gatorpit.net Legal Inquiries pertaining to GATOR PIT of TEXAS, LP. Patents and/or Patents Pending, Registered Names, Trademarks, Copyrights, etc. are to be directed to Doak Proctor, Attorney at Law, Houston, Texas. Gator Pit® is a Registered Trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Content on this website is the sole property of Gator Pit of Texas, LP. © Copyright 1996-2011. All Rights Reserved.