Competitors with stick burners and bbq guru

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DR

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I was watching an episode of BBQ pit wars last night and noticed one of the guys was using a Lang offset stick burner and was running a bbq guru with it. Why don't more guys on the competition circuit, that are running stick burners, use the guru to help cut down on the fire management time? That is one beauty about the vertical type smokers and lots of people with those do use the guru and you don't have to constantly monitor your fire like you do with a stick burner.

I have read where some people say that stick burners don't cook like that but why not? THis guy was a national competitor and did well with it. I am just trying to make using a stick burner a little but more easy and less monitoring.
 
Are you sure he was using sticks? We have an offset "stick burner" and started using Rock's Stoker last year. We had huge issues burning sticks. We ended up with a lot of soot in the cooking chamber. We switched to charcoal and the problem went away....and we started sleeping :)
 
Good question and i will have to go back and watch it as i didn't pay attention.

ALso i have searched this site and there are some past debates about this exact same subject but it seems to be about 50/50 if you can or not.

But those threads were a little older so i wasn't sure if mindsets have changed.
 
I've talked with a few competitors who have used gurus/stokers on their stick burners. Both burning sticks and both said similar things that they used it to better help maintain temps. Stick burners run fairly efficiently, but taking a variable out of the equation normally helps. Also they said it didn't increase burn time as they still had to feed it like a normal stick burner. Again just maintaining a very constant air flow was what it was about.
 
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fnbish said:
I've talked with a few competitors who have used gurus/stokers on their stick burners. Both burning sticks and both said similar things that they used it to better help maintain temps. Stick burners run fairly efficiently, but taking a variable out of the equation normally helps. Also they said it didn't increase burn time as they still had to feed it like a normal stick burner. Again just maintaining a very constant air flow was what it was about.
Click to expand...

Yes that is one thing i have read as well when they say it didn't really increase burn time or if it did it was slight.
 
Temp control in a stick burner is mostly about managing the amount of fuel in the fire box, at least if you're burning sticks and want a clean fire. A fan isn't going to magically add more wood for you.

Sure it might save a little work in damper control, but it's not the set-and-forget solution that it is with a big ol' pile of charcoal that isn't all burning at once.
 
I use a 25 cfm guru fan on my stick burner. Definitely helps manage my pit temp and run a more efficient fire than I get without. I use kiln dried wood and never have a problem with soot. Once I notice my pit temp drops, I know it's time to add another stick. Never touch my dampers once the pit is running at desired temp.
 
fnbish said:
I've talked with a few competitors who have used gurus/stokers on their stick burners. Both burning sticks and both said similar things that they used it to better help maintain temps. Stick burners run fairly efficiently, but taking a variable out of the equation normally helps. Also they said it didn't increase burn time as they still had to feed it like a normal stick burner. Again just maintaining a very constant air flow was what it was about.
Click to expand...

This (above); dead on.

However, there are potentially a few other ways to achieve this. On mine, for example, I have a rather large fire box. Rather than an automated fan, I raised the fire grate so that the whole thing is actually sitting above the air intake dials. This allows the air to come from underneath the fire; heat, rises. I found the fire burns a little hotter, and a fair amount cleaner, and because the fire doesn't interfere with air flow, it's more consistent. I found that that the more reliant I was on automation, the more subject I was to automation failure. I prefer keeping it as old school (less failure opportunity) as possible.
 
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DaveAlvarado said:
Temp control in a stick burner is mostly about managing the amount of fuel in the fire box, at least if you're burning sticks and want a clean fire. A fan isn't going to magically add more wood for you.

Sure it might save a little work in damper control, but it's not the set-and-forget solution that it is with a big ol' pile of charcoal that isn't all burning at once.
Click to expand...

This....I don't use a fan and I don't get a lot of temp swings either.

you have watch the fan blowing extra heat into the cooking chamber and scorching your meat, this happened to a friend of mine using a guru on his stick burner.
 
You don't want air cut off for a long time with a wood fire. Shouldering wood produces soot, charcoal doesn't. (Many of the chemicals were burned off when the charcoal was made.)

If you have a small clean fire you are going to be fine, but these draft controls are really made for charcoal fires. Are you sure he was using wood? I mainly burn charcoal in my offset.
 
Its like putting racing fuel in Yugo. No need. If you do, I would suggest charcoal and not sticks. I went from a FE to a Jambo. I did this because it gave me the challenge of tending a fire and fire control.
 
There is a guy on here that set his off-set up with a guru and sent me some pictures, but we decided not to go this route because we really can manage a consistent temperature without an outside unit. It's all about adjusting the dampers and tracking your cooks. We have cooked in enough different conditions now that we know where our dampers need to be based on outside variables, and we have no problems running a consistent temperature.

Also, like others said, you still have to add wood at about the same intervals so it's really only assisting with temperature control and if you know your pit you can do that without a fan system.

I agree with others that a fan system is really not going to help with an off-set pit.
 
Yeah the more I read the more I agree. It would be great if it extended the burn time but it doesn't.
 
DR said:
Yeah the more I read the more I agree. It would be great if it extended the burn time but it doesn't.
Click to expand...

If you are looking for the challenge of tending the fire like Scottie above, get a stick burner. If you are looking to sleep, get an insulated box cooker and a Guru. You don't get bonus points for using a stick burner and they don't take away points for using an insulated box cooker. The choice is yours. Best of luck.
 
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CBQ said:
You don't want air cut off for a long time with a wood fire. Shouldering wood produces soot, charcoal doesn't. (Many of the chemicals were burned off when the charcoal was made.)

If you have a small clean fire you are going to be fine, but these draft controls are really made for charcoal fires. Are you sure he was using wood? I mainly burn charcoal in my offset.
Click to expand...

A BBQ Guru does not cut off air from a fire. There is still a vent open constantly providing air flow through the guru. The fan simply increases the air flow when/if needed.
 
Lake Dogs said:
This (above); dead on.

However, there are potentially a few other ways to achieve this. On mine, for example, I have a rather large fire box. Rather than an automated fan, I raised the fire grate so that the whole thing is actually sitting above the air intake dials. This allows the air to come from underneath the fire; heat, rises. I found the fire burns a little hotter, and a fair amount cleaner, and because the fire doesn't interfere with air flow, it's more consistent. I found that that the more reliant I was on automation, the more subject I was to automation failure. I prefer keeping it as old school (less failure opportunity) as possible.
Click to expand...

I started like this. I have a 24x24 firebox. I built a charcoal basket that sat above the intake. Burned pretty well. This year, I actually removed the basket entirely and get the same results. Mine is a jambo clone so I use the stack damper more than the intake damper.

The episode of pitmasters was the champions Q-off. Corey Brinson with using a Lang with a stoker system.
 
If you think running a more efficient fire doesn't help with burn time, there is nothing I can do for ya. The guru keeps a constant air flow, preventing a build-up of bitter smoke and if you are getting soot, then you are not burning a clean fire or not using good quality, properly aged wood. My 2 pennies
 
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