First cook on new Stump's

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Headgear

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Wow this thing is different than my WSM. I just got a new Classic last week, cleaned it, seasoned it, and did some ribs yesterday. We had some guys over for the game and I was not too proud to serve them my first batch. They were cooked perfectly but not near enough smoke and it took a lot longer than on the WSM. I think since it is so much bigger, it is going to take a lot more wood to get the same amount of smoke on them. I will have to adjust and try again next weekend. We did have a great time though and the Ben-gals won. :clap2:
 
Congrats. There's an adjustment period anytime you make big pit changes. You'll find the quirks
 
several reasons for the smoke flavor, the design of the stumps really filters the smoke through the fire, it is a great way to make sure its a clean light smoke, you will need more wood, or add wood every hour for the first several, to get a stronger flavor, or a stronger wood.

as far as time, i would not think it should take any more time, if both cookers are reading the same correct temps.
 
Are you running briquettes are lump? Sometimes using lump will help in giving additional smoke flavor. I just used kingsford in my gravity fed and I did load up the firebox with wood. I'd fill it up pretty much and gave great color and flavor.
 
Thanks for the ideas. Sorry it took so long to get back, it was a long, busy day yesterday.


as far as time, i would not think it should take any more time, if both cookers are reading the same correct temps.
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I think the longer cook time was because I just went off the dial gauge on the WSM and with the stumps I am using a BBQ Guru. Even though I tried to keep the temp around 225 on the WSM, it was probably hotter. My 3,2,1 method on it was more like 1.5,1.5 .5 lol. But it worked so I never bothered fixing it.

Are you running briquettes are lump? Sometimes using lump will help in giving additional smoke flavor. I just used Kingsford in my gravity fed and I did load up the firebox with wood. I'd fill it up pretty much and gave great color and flavor.
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I have not tried lump yet but have a couple bags in the basement which I got just before the the Stump's got here. I have been reading a lot and going to competitions, asking a lot of questions and it seems like most of them, at least the ones I have talked to are using lump. For my first cook, I just wanted to do what I was doing prior so I could compare and then tweak.

There is another competition coming up in Cincinnati soon which is pretty close to us and I would guess it should be a bigger one. I will be doing some interrogating there too. I got hooked on this and am just ate up with it. I love to try new things that I can then try to learn to do better. This is great.

Thanks again for the help!!!
 
I run lump, not for any smoke reasons, mostly ash and the smell, I can not tolerate k and the ash from most bricks, is just a pita filling up the ash pan.

With lump, its very little ash after an entire comp and the smell is killer mixing with the meat...
I do keep a metal bar handy just in case a bridge happens, but they can happen with lump or bricks.
 
Smoke

I have a assassin and at first cook with kingford I was not happy. Switched to lump and small hickory chunks mixed in the chute with larger chunks in the ash tray. I have not had a bridging problem and get plenty of smoke flavor. You just have to experiment to see. google stumps nation site lots of good info there
 
I've already been on Stumps Nation but they are having trouble so I can't post or search. I do appreciate the info though and will definitely try lump on my next cook. I will get the smoke thing down then be hounding you guys for recipe tips. :grin:
 
Headgear said:
I've already been on Stumps Nation but they are having trouble so I can't post or search. I do appreciate the info though and will definitely try lump on my next cook. I will get the smoke thing down then be hounding you guys for recipe tips. :grin:
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How long has it been since you have tried to post or search? I haven't had a problem since they fixed the site.

Eric
 
How long has it been since you have tried to post or search? I haven't had a problem since they fixed the site.
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It's been a while. It would not let me log on, kept saying that my email was already active and wanted me to try another one. I'll have to leave a message for the administrator.

Is stump a water smoker?
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No it is a vertical, gravity fed cooker but I'm sure you could put a water pan on the lower shelf/grate. If the only reason for using water is to stabilize the temperature, I don't see a benefit. These units are so well insulated that they hold the temperature easily. With the addition of a Guru, it is incredible how well they hold it.

Thanks again
 
I picked up a Stumps Baby a few months back and it was my first smoker. Have to admit that it has exceeded my expectations. Temperature is easy to maintain and the results have been fantastic! Sure there is a bit of a learning curve (especially if you've used other smokers previously) but once you get it locked in, I think you'll be very pleased with how it performs....plus since its insulated you'll get some nice cooks in January! :)

I've been using lump and only throwing either oak or hickory in the basket...generally I let Stumpy get close to temp before putting any wood in then toss in a few chunks, let some smoke blow through for a few minutes then toss the meat on. Have had great bark results.

Good luck and have fun with this cooker...as others have said, once you've learned the quirks you'll be well on your way to consistent bbq.
 
Ha... I guess if you can Q in January up in Ontario, I should be more than fine down here. I used to live in Niagara Falls, I know how the winters can be up there and you may be far north of that. BURRR!!! Down here I use to put concrete blocks around the bottom of my WSM. I mounted some handles on the side of a 55 gal drum and would then turn it upside down over the WSM and rested on the blocks. It was the only way I could cook in the winter and even that was iffy. Not to mention a pain in bung-holeio. :laugh:
 
I have a Stumps Jr and that was the first thing I noticed was that my food was not as smokey as I wanted it to be. After a few posts on stumpnation they had some great tips. Some guys will add wood to the chutes, but for me I will add splits of wood instead of chunks. Most folks I que for prefers the lighter smoke, so it worked out just fine. As far as time for cooking meats, there is a difference on how the insulated smokers cook vs fire directly underneath your food cooker. Once you learn the curve, you will be spoiled and not use your WSM as much anymore. Best of luck.
 
Once you learn the curve, you will be spoiled and not use your WSM as much anymore. Best of luck.
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Yeah my wife is already wanting me to get rid of it and a pellet smoker. That's going to be a little rough for me. I never have very much luck getting rid of tools, guns or cookers. Its too much like loosing a family member. I just tell her "well, I'm thinking about it, maybe I will sell it" and she knows I'm not going to. She is from deep down in Dixie and it's what they call fix'n. We have been married since 93 and in all that time, I have learned that I can get away with "Fix'n" for a heck of a long time before I ever pull the trigger on something. :laugh:

Once again, I sure appreciate the info. Sounds like I have to use quite a bit more wood. Can't wait to fire it up again and see what I can do.
 
I've been cooking on a GF223 for 7-ish years. Not so much lately due to busy busy work and personal life. Mine has the straight chute- I was thinking Stump went to tapered chutes with some later cookers. I'd be very nervous about putting lump in my cooker, especially for an overnight cook. I really like the Trader Joe's briquette charcoal (aka Rancher). You're going to have charcoal bridge eventually, regardless, but uniform shape is safer. I have interspersed small chunks of wood in the chute when I wanted more smoke flavor.

Have fun getting up the learning curve!
 
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