Do I really want a stick burner?

I have a Shirley.. As far as maintaining, I usually add a stick of wood every hour depending on what temp I want smoke at. Mine holds the heat really well and can stay at 250-275 all day. Love my Shirley!

Cut,split,season wood. Add said wood to fire box when needed. cook food , do not go to the store or ball game. Do not sleep. Make real BBQ. Repeat as needed.

Later,
Doug

This!

viking72 said:

Cut,split,season wood. Add said wood to fire box when needed. cook food , do not go to the store or ball game. Do not sleep. Make real BBQ. Repeat as needed.

Later,
Doug

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I got my reverse flow about 4 years ago. If you truly like cooking BBQ....not a set it and forget it cooking but an active, fun experience each time (well just about each time haha), a stick burner is the way to go. To me, it's really satisfying working the fire, adding wood when necessary, playing with the temps. It's just a different route to getting that same good BBQ we all like....

It's only as much of a pain as you let it be. You'll get to know your cooker, how it acts, what certain environmental conditions will do to it, etc. I cook a little hotter, and I don't expect to eat at noon, that way I can still get a good night's sleep AND enjoy the best BBQ anywhere around.

Adding wood every 30-60 minutes is usually no big deal. The downside is you can't go away for too long or run overnight while sleeping. The upside is (to me) noticeably better flavor than I can get from a charcoal or electric device.

It is best to have multiple tools. Stick burner for when you can use it, and something that can run on its own when you can't tend the fire.

You have a KK, right. If yes, there's your set it and forget it cooker. If you sometimes get bored with the KK during low n slow cooks, you will LOVE a stick burner. Not only the end result, but the fun involved in the cooking process. I have an M1 (M Grills) smoker and love it!!!!!! I also have a pellet muncher for those days that I just don't have time ;-)

I don't have a stick burner...yet... but I know I'm going to love it. I've always been the guy who liked playing with the campfire and keeping it going, adjusting and feeding it wood....since I was a kid. And now I feel the same way about a fireplace. We have a wood burning fireplace and I can't imagine having one that runs on gas. It's relaxing to me to feed the fire.

Most of the tricks I've heard on this site, like pre-heating splits, I've been doing for years without knowing why. I can't wait to feed a stick burner.

If this sounds like you then go for it. If not then stick with what you have.

viking72 said:

Cut,split,season wood. Add said wood to fire box when needed. cook food , do not go to the store or ball game. Do not sleep. Make real BBQ. Repeat as needed.

Later,
Doug

Click to expand...

daninnewjersey said:

I got my reverse flow about 4 years ago. If you truly like cooking BBQ....not a set it and forget it cooking but an active, fun experience each time (well just about each time haha), a stick burner is the way to go. To me, it's really satisfying working the fire, adding wood when necessary, playing with the temps. It's just a different route to getting that same good BBQ we all like....

Click to expand...

Pretty much what these guys said. I don't have a smoker like a Shirley or LSG, mines completely home grown so I'm sure I have a different experience with stick burners compared to someone that has a professionally made smoker.

But once my fire gets going well, I can make trips to town/store in short bursts as I only live a few minutes from town. But when cooking with wood you have to manage the fire. So imagine your self dedicating roughly 8-12 hours for cooking adding wood every 30-60 minutes.

I love cooking on my stick burner, I personally think there's nothing else like it. You just have to make sure you have time to dedicate yourself to the craft of BBQ. I am at home 90% of the time, So I have no important commitments when I decide to cook something. I have the free time to maintain a stick burner.

Then you also have to consider the fact you need fuel. Can you keep supplied well with wood? I have a 8ft bed on my truck, an entire truck load lasts quite a while. Just depending on how often I cook and what I'm cooking.

Never understood the reasoning behind a set it and forget type it unless your just unable to maintain a fire. There's people out there that puts food on the smoker and goes to sleep. No way I could do that! Even with a pellet pooper.

Stlsportster said:

I don't have a stick burner...yet... but I know I'm going to love it. I've always been the guy who liked playing with the campfire and keeping it going, adjusting and feeding it wood....since I was a kid. And now I feel the same way about a fireplace. We have a wood burning fireplace and I can't imagine having one that runs on gas. It's relaxing to me to feed the fire.

Most of the tricks I've heard on this site, like pre-heating splits, I've been doing for years without knowing why. I can't wait to feed a stick burner.

If this sounds like you then go for it. If not then stick with what you have.

Click to expand...

THIS^^^^
Great words of wisdom in this post

Stlsportster said:

I don't have a stick burner...yet... but I know I'm going to love it. I've always been the guy who liked playing with the campfire and keeping it going, adjusting and feeding it wood....since I was a kid. And now I feel the same way about a fireplace. We have a wood burning fireplace and I can't imagine having one that runs on gas. It's relaxing to me to feed the fire.

Most of the tricks I've heard on this site, like pre-heating splits, I've been doing for years without knowing why. I can't wait to feed a stick burner.

If this sounds like you then go for it. If not then stick with what you have.

Click to expand...

I love this too, but where it loses its romance is when you are cooking for a party tomorrow and you have to put your food on at 1:00Am and stay up all night to make sure it gets done and to allow time for a stall. Then you get to go to your party with no sleep......I'm usually the guy passed out in the chair at 8:00Pm on those days!.......You gotta pick your battles. I loved my offset that I built with my own two hands, but my Yoder pellet smoker sure does make life easy!.......:twitch::mrgreen: Good Luck and enjoy which ever way you go!

Ed

Cat797 said:

I love this too, but where it loses its romance is when you are cooking for a party tomorrow and you have to put your food on at 1:00Am and stay up all night to make sure it gets done and to allow time for a stall. Then you get to go to your party with no sleep......I'm usually the guy passed out in the chair at 8:00Pm on those days!.......You gotta pick your battles. I loved my offset that I built with my own two hands, but my Yoder pellet smoker sure does make life easy!.......:twitch::mrgreen: Good Luck and enjoy which ever way you go!

Ed

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What about stick burning til the stall, and then finishing in the oven or pellet muncher. Works GREAT!!

rwalters said:

What about stick burning til the stall, and then finishing in the oven or pellet muncher. Works GREAT!!

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That or learning how to cook hot and fast at 300+ to get briskets and butts done between 6-7 hours. You can wake up at 8am and get brisket and butts done to be served at dinner time no problem at all.

aawa said:

That or learning how to cook hot and fast at 300+ to get briskets and butts done between 6-7 hours. You can wake up at 8am and get brisket and butts done to be served at dinner time no problem at all.

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Can I get an Amen.....since I started cooking hot, the stall is nothing more than an annoying bad memory....:mrgreen::mrgreen:

My perspective and I didn't read what others here have said. I came from the world of WSM's, they produce great Que. I added a Guru and set and forget. I threw stuff on the cooker, cut grass, tilled a garden, went to the dump etc. Come back at a designated time and had good que.

I now have a Shirley too, I use it everytime, the product is very similar maybe some better but I could make my WSM sing. What it has done to/for me is to teach me to BBQ. I now add wood, meat, get some coffee and relax next to the cooker, later I switch to beer/tea/bourbon, maybe read a book. I really enjoy the day more now, sure it's some more work but it's the act of Que to me.

YMMV

Yes- you want a stick burner. At least once. It's a bucket list requirement

Stick burning is an experience and very fun. Grab a case of beer and plan to spend most of the day or a day cooking. A lot more involvement than other cookers but the payoff is unparalleled IMHO. That being said once you've got the pit going it's pretty much on autopilot and just takes a stick every 30-60 mins (depending the smoker and where you live). Love to burn stick whenever I get the opportunity (time).

At the same time it's not for everyone so make sure if it's right for you before you dive in. I'd recommend buying something inexpensive off of CL and trying it first to see if it fits you. Obviously you can't compare a cheap offset to a Shirley (Easier to run a quality offset) but you'll get an idea of what's involved.

Good Luck!

aawa said:

That or learning how to cook hot and fast at 300+ to get briskets and butts done between 6-7 hours. You can wake up at 8am and get brisket and butts done to be served at dinner time no problem at all.

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Oh, I learned all about that, and that was my normal methodology before I sold it, but some folks are purists and like the low and slow, which can keep you tied to the cooker for 12 hours. That's how I first learned....I've come a long way grasshopper! :wink:

I mainly switched to my Yoder because I can still fit stuff in that garage stall where my offset trailer took up the whole space. I'm probably going to build offset v2.0 here pretty quick, just for grins......:mrgreen: