Do I really want a stick burner?

For what it's worth, here's where I'm at... I've had a UDS for a couple of years and a Weber Summit charcoal for a little less than a year and I'm beginning to get bored with the set it and forget it. Is it simple? Yes. Do they cook great food? Yes. Are they convenient? Sure! Are they boring? They're beginning to get that way for me so I'm drawing an offset vertical to build! That being said, I'm pretty sure at some point I'll get tired of tending the fire. But I'll have the set it and forget it's to use...

Long story short, either way you go, eventually you'll want something different...
 
I have to add another side to this discussion...

For the longest time I thought I really _needed_ a stick burner. I heard the flavor was beyond anything else, etc.

Well, I built a RF for myself. Maintaining the fire with my RF is a full-time job, when doing over 300F I need to add a split every half an hour. Also I have a big temp difference between sides, so I need to rotate meats or pull at different times. And it is built according to every "recommendation", Feldon calculator, etc. Just bad luck, I guess...

I do understand why people enjoy playing with RF in a place where weather is nice, can drink beer and have friends hanging around.

A typical cook for me however, is to drive over to my folks (where my stickburner is), start it up, cook some food and try to make it back home for the night. Usually it's raining or snowing, it's dark outside and temps under zero. And don't even get me started on trying to get acquire hardwoods where there are not too many native hardwoods...

In the summer it's of course pretty cool ;-) But I think people really over romantize stickburning. Yes, there is a flavor difference, but not significant for me. Comps are won with all kind of cookers, not just with stick burners.

And now I know what kind of cooker I really _need_ :D
 
Dang it, I wish I hadn't read this thread or responded. Have been aiming at a LoneStar Grillz Insulated cabinet, just hadn't pulled the trigger yet.

Then I think about the good ole days around a stick burner.

Then I get to thinking, what withh the hot and fast cooks that I read about Bludawg and Pitmaster T, and others doing, and I start to think maybe I should get an offset with a vertical smoker cabinet (like Thoey sold to Wookie, and replaced with an insulated cabinet).

I could do low and slow if i wanted to spend all day/night (depending on when I want to eat), or could get up in AM and do hot and fast, and would have smoker cabinet as well.

Can't swing both. Could continue with kamado set it and forget, which is limited on space.

Decisions, decisions.
 
big_weight said:
Dang it, I wish I hadn't read this thread or responded. Have been aiming at a LoneStar Grillz Insulated cabinet, just hadn't pulled the trigger yet.

Then I think about the good ole days around a stick burner.

Then I get to thinking, what withh the hot and fast cooks that I read about Bludawg and Pitmaster T, and others doing, and I start to think maybe I should get an offset with a vertical smoker cabinet (like Thoey sold to Wookie, and replaced with an insulated cabinet).

I could do low and slow if i wanted to spend all day/night (depending on when I want to eat), or could get up in AM and do hot and fast, and would have smoker cabinet as well.

Can't swing both. Could continue with kamado set it and forget, which is limited on space.

Decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...

Old Country Smokehouse and a UDS. :mrgreen:
 
big_weight said:
Can't swing both. Could continue with kamado set it and forget, which is limited on space.

Decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...

Can't swing both at once, but with time there is no reason not to have both...and a few more.

Sounds like you have the set and forget somewhat covered with the kamado and controller, so go stick burner next, then the LSG insulated cabinet, then...
 
My 2 cents worth

Started with a Mastor Forge Electric Didn't like cooking on 2 racks the bottom rack was a MPIA..Was more or less a set n forget.
Next was Brinkmans Smoke n Pit leaked like crazy, sealed the leaks,side to side temps was way too off my liking.
So I decided if I wanted a stick burner, go with the best. That is what lead me to the Shirley Patio.
Didn't want to feed the Shirley for overnites. Found a 22" WSM on CL for overnites. Not bad smoker at all..If I had to do over again I would have started with the WSM. The move on to the Shirley.

Just my 2 cents worth:caked:

DanB
 
Maybe even a KBC. Takes tending - about a log a half hour for entertainment. But it does work quicker than a typical stick burner from what I can tell so far, because of its convection fan.
 
Get a stick burner. I`m a firm believer if you take your Q serious and want to deliver the best product to your friends and family... go with a stick burner. Before I started building my own grills, I was just like everyone else. I have gone through countless brands and types of smokers from offsets to verticals and just about everything in between. From thin junk to thick steel and well insulated. The materials and build quality make all the difference in the world. You can have a thick steel offset smoker with gaps in the lid and firebox doors. The damn thing will last a lifetime but it's a headache trying to keep temperatures stable. You definitely get what you pay for. So look for that when buying your smoker. Now this is not a sales pitch to you on my grills, I know you want something bigger anyways so its not going to matter. haha But if I can push more people to traditional stick burning then I'm all over it. =) On my M1, I refuel with wood every 1-2 hours. Even if the cooker is still hot and stable after an hour and a half, I will throw on a fresh stick just to give it more smoke. It's really nice to be able to control that smoke during long smokes. You can always just use charcoal for long cooks if you want to get some rest, but being able to just use wood as your source makes all the difference in the world when it comes to flavor. There is also something about it that's just kind of fun when stoking a fire. You really feel in control of your cook. It's like being more apart of your craft rather than letting a machine do all the work for you. So just my 2 cents. I say go with a stick burner and never turn back. Learn the craft of making the best barbeque you can possibly make. When I do grilling demo's next to some competitors (I'm not going to mention any names) I've had many of the other companies reps saying the food I smoke on my stick burners is some of the best they have ever had in their life. I am not a "professional cook" by no means so that's definitely a great feeling.

Here is a little video my son wanted to do this past Saturday. I decided last minute on smoking ribs and he really wanted to film me doing it. haha So of course I let him and just threw this up on youtube for the hell of it. Roughly at the 6 minute mark I show how I start my fire and tending to it. Just start with a basket of lump coal for a base fire and smoke with wood throughout. This is going to be the same pretty much with any stick burner. It's just the quality of the stick burner is going to regulate how often you need to refuel and hold stable temperature. (and of course longevity) It is not hard at all. I think when some people say it's very tough and involved to stick burn they probably either never done it before or were told that by a sales guy so he can push a Big Green Egg on them. haha

[ame]https://youtu.be/R0tcJrune38[/ame]
 
I started out with a small propane smoker, and loved it.
Moved to a Stumps XL-Baby, and loved it.
Upgraded to a Stumps Classic, and loved it.
Added a Lang 36, and loved it.
Made the switch to a 24X70 stick burner, and love it.
Each time I changed my cooker, it was because I wanted to improve my game a little and felt it was the right next step in my own progression. At each stage, the cooker I purchased fit my needs at the time I acquired it. Like many of the others, I am at the point where I enjoy the process as much as the end product. That being the case, I wouldn't trade my stick burner for anything.
 
Just cooked / smoked on my Old Country Brazos stick burner yesterday for the first time in a while (Small Boston Butt, one rack of ribs, 5 chicken breast.) Used all hickory wood. I still have a hard time maintaining temps on this thing for some reason (might be the tuning plates need adjusted, as well as I need a better fire grate than the stocker..it sucks...Not enough holes for air).

Point is, I was not greatly impressed with the flavor (smoke profile) compared to my LSG IVC cooks....Not sure why the smoke penetration wouldn't have been as good on a stick burner, but to be honest, I usually get more smoke taste from my LSG.

Conclusion... I think you can produce great food on ANY type of smoker..Just need to learn it and practice ( I need more practice on my Sticker burner for sure ).

I love having both styles (plus my Eggs), to do whatever fits my time needs at that time. For the record, I love maintaining a fire on a stick burner when I have the time to enjoy it.


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travismagee said:
Get a stick burner. I`m a firm believer if you take your Q serious and want to deliver the best product to your friends and family... go with a stick burner. Before I started building my own grills, I was just like everyone else. I have gone through countless brands and types of smokers from offsets to verticals and just about everything in between. From thin junk to thick steel and well insulated. The materials and build quality make all the difference in the world. You can have a thick steel offset smoker with gaps in the lid and firebox doors. The damn thing will last a lifetime but it's a headache trying to keep temperatures stable. You definitely get what you pay for. So look for that when buying your smoker. Now this is not a sales pitch to you on my grills, I know you want something bigger anyways so its not going to matter. haha But if I can push more people to traditional stick burning then I'm all over it. =) On my M1, I refuel with wood every 1-2 hours. Even if the cooker is still hot and stable after an hour and a half, I will throw on a fresh stick just to give it more smoke. It's really nice to be able to control that smoke during long smokes. You can always just use charcoal for long cooks if you want to get some rest, but being able to just use wood as your source makes all the difference in the world when it comes to flavor. There is also something about it that's just kind of fun when stoking a fire. You really feel in control of your cook. It's like being more apart of your craft rather than letting a machine do all the work for you. So just my 2 cents. I say go with a stick burner and never turn back. Learn the craft of making the best barbeque you can possibly make. When I do grilling demo's next to some competitors (I'm not going to mention any names) I've had many of the other companies reps saying the food I smoke on my stick burners is some of the best they have ever had in their life. I am not a "professional cook" by no means so that's definitely a great feeling.

Here is a little video my son wanted to do this past Saturday. I decided last minute on smoking ribs and he really wanted to film me doing it. haha So of course I let him and just threw this up on youtube for the hell of it. Roughly at the 6 minute mark I show how I start my fire and tending to it. Just start with a basket of lump coal for a base fire and smoke with wood throughout. This is going to be the same pretty much with any stick burner. It's just the quality of the stick burner is going to regulate how often you need to refuel and hold stable temperature. (and of course longevity) It is not hard at all. I think when some people say it's very tough and involved to stick burn they probably either never done it before or were told that by a sales guy so he can push a Big Green Egg on them. haha

https://youtu.be/R0tcJrune38
Click to expand...



I'll gladly vouch for Travis! The M1 is no joke. If you wanna have the ability to stick burn and grill on 1 cooker, the M1 is the bomb! Ribs look fantastic buddy! Now go get that M36 built ;)
 
I appreciate everyone's awesome input. Not scared off in the least and something amazing about the burning of wood. I have wanted a BBQ pit for a long time and the nice thing about a pit with a warming oven is that it is so versatile. I believe the LSG uses tuning plates and is a little different than the reverse flow built by Shirley Fab. No perfect system but I am so impressed with not only the Shirley product but the entire organization that RF it is as that is what they build and I want to own a Shirley. Each to their own and I darn near bought a LSG Insulated Vertical Smoker but to me that is too much like my Komodo Kamado and I want a true stick burner as I will have most cooking styles and gamuts covered. Thanks again for all the input and insight - this forum is great

Mark
 
OP - if you are wondering you probably know the answer.

In my opinion, its hard to beat being outside before dawn, tending a pecan / oak fire that is smoking meat. Sometimes it is cold, sometimes it is hot and sometimes it is raining. Not only do i like the Q, I like the time where it is just me, the cooker and a beer (coffee, cigar, tea, bourbon, water, fill in the blank). Hard to explain but real nonetheless.
 
orangeblood - you got our number! Those moments of looking around and reflecting, mixed up with some of those of crazy panic!
 
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