• working on DNS.. links may break temporarily.

flavor of a stick burner

JS-TX said:
This thread is interesting, cause I always figured a stick burner imparts more smoke flavor than a kamado/WSM style of cooker. Obviously fire managment on both styles of cookers is key but still..:confused:
Click to expand...
It is all about how a offset works. With the use of all wood fuel, you get a different burn. With a properly drafting offset, the smoke stays fresh and the unit cooks largely with convection. The heat and smoke do not sit on the meat. Every cooker should cook this way, but, the way the smoke hits meat in a vertical or cabinet is going to be different.

I prefer ribs off of a offset, I can say that for butts as well. But, I prefer brisket and chicken over a direct fire.
 
Wow. After 20+ responses, this thread hasn't gone the way 8 expected. :shocked:

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2
 
landarc said:
It is all about how a offset works. With the use of all wood fuel, you get a different burn. With a properly drafting offset, the smoke stays fresh and the unit cooks largely with convection. The heat and smoke do not sit on the meat. Every cooker should cook this way, but, the way the smoke hits meat in a vertical or cabinet is going to be different.

I prefer ribs off of a offset, I can say that for butts as well. But, I prefer brisket and chicken over a direct fire.
Click to expand...
I noticed thT on saturdat with this guys cookers. He left the firebox door open a we bit for the draft and it was all embers in there. He would throw more splits, funiter scraps etc on the fire. There would be smoke commin out of the chimney and other places but when he opened the chamber to show me, i was surprised to see that the smoke stayed mostly at the top, by passing the meat. It was interesting. there was lots of smoke comming off of the cooker but hardly any touching the meat. Ill see if i have a pic. Thanks
 
I have a Pitmaker BBQ safe, and an homemade offset comp trailer. I like the flavor of the offset better too. However, I sometimes put a few pieces of post oak, bark and all, in the charcoal box of the safe. I think it makes a big difference. The limbs of oak I use are about 2" in diameter, and about a foot long.
 
LT72884 said:
I noticed thT on saturdat with this guys cookers. He left the firebox door open a we bit for the draft and it was all embers in there. He would throw more splits, funiter scraps etc on the fire. There would be smoke commin out of the chimney and other places but when he opened the chamber to show me, i was surprised to see that the smoke stayed mostly at the top, by passing the meat. It was interesting. there was lots of smoke comming off of the cooker but hardly any touching the meat. Ill see if i have a pic. Thanks
Click to expand...
CG's will do that if you don't know the secret handshake
1) lower the stack to 3" above the grate by stuffing a Tall boy can in the bottom
2) remove the CI grates from the FB and place 1 at Each end of the Main chamber then put the Charcoal pan up side down on top of them and slide it all the way to the FB opening.
The smoke will travel under and escape low all down the length.
3) to equalize the temps across the surface drill 18 holes total in 3 lines 1/4 - 1/2" down the length of the pan. All that stuff is Free
4)Build a Log rack for the FB
 
I have a big, heavy (600 pounds) offset that I use whenever I have time for a long low 'n slow cook with brisket or butts or chickens. I usually start the fire with RO lump using the minion method in the maze firebox I built for it. Oak, pecan or mesquite logs go on top of the lump and that is all that goes in after the lump gets the pit heated up. I have a WSM that I use for convenience with RO or KBB and wood chunks when I don't have time to baby-sit the offset. I have two charcoal grills I use for steak, burgers, sausage, etc with mixed lump and wood. I love the process of cooking on the offset but it's a lot more work than the WSM.
 
Bludawg said:
CG's will do that if you don't know the secret handshake
1) lower the stack to 3" above the grate by stuffing a Tall boy can in the bottom
2) remove the CI grates from the FB and place 1 at Each end of the Main chamber then put the Charcoal pan up side down on top of them and slide it all the way to the FB opening.
The smoke will travel under and escape low all down the length.
3) to equalize the temps across the surface drill 18 holes total in 3 lines 1/4 - 1/2" down the length of the pan. All that stuff is Free
4)Build a Log rack for the FB
Click to expand...
so if i were to buy the CG samokin pro model 1224 i could do these following mods?

thanks
 
A stick burner requires you to hone the skill of heat and smoke at the same time. This to me in my opinion requires more skill that the other verticals type smokers where you fill a fluke with charcoal and set a temperature gauge. This is true BBQing. Please this is just my opinion, I am not trying to ruffle up any feathers. We all have opinions. Just adding to the thread. I use a custom stick burner!
 
I GUESS,
offset leaks every where, you have to keep wood burn in flame, a little more COMPLETE burning in higher temperature, flavor is burnt to CO2.
In a vertical smoker, heat efficiency is so good, charcoal never burn in flame, temperature is much lower, much "in-complete" burning, releases too much flavor. If you discard gasket on door, or even open a little bit of door, you will have a big fire, more flavor components are burnt to CO2.
Maybe heat insulated vertical smoker is a stupid idea. single wall vertical may be worth of a try
 
I have owned both type of smokers and to me there is a difference in smoke flavor. Yes there is more to learning to run a stick burner but it is hardly the last word in BBQ. I will argue about which taste better, taste is totally subjective and something an individual has to decide. Go to any comp and see what the contestants are using to cook with.
 
Last edited:
I never worry about fire control (whatever in hel lis that) In simple termI cook meat over a wood fire on various forms of equiptment
 
stephan said:
I have owned both type of smokers and to me there is a difference in smoke flavor. Yes there is more to learning to run a stick burner but it is hardly the last word in BBQ. I will argue about which taste better, taste is totally subjective and something an individual has to decide. Go to any comp and see what the contestants are using to cook with.
Click to expand...
i agree. taste is totally dependant one the person tasting it. To me, stick burner tastes better than charcoal on certain food. If i use lump charcoal, i do not use any wood agents at all.

thanks guys for all the awesome input
 
When I first got my Jambo I had to try something. Never having used a stick burner I threw on some beef ribs. What got me even before I tasted it was the beautiful carmel color....not black. Course the flavor was awesome but for some reason the color made me think of purity of light smoke......
 
ok, i just had some Q from a southern pride gas smoker. It turned out some good Q. I could not taste the gas at all. just nice wood flavor on the meat. I asked them if the wood smolders or actually catches fire. To my surprise, the wood was actually on fire in the fire box. I know that sounds odd that i asked if the wood was on fire, but i wanted to know so i could compere it to how it differs from stick burners and vertical style cookers. haha.

thanks all
 
My dad said if you don't have a burn barrel you should go use your oven.
 
I haven't read all the responses in this thread, but, IMO, a stick burner produces superior results. When I want to cook my best BBQ I pull out the stick burner and use white oak or hickory or a mix of both.
 
Last edited:
Smoking with a live fire will always beat smoking with a smoldering fire. You get good results either way but the clean burning fire is King.
 
When I first started smokin pork I used my 30 year old home made, low temp, verticle chest fish smoker, Wood fired of course. Burned the firebox out of it cooking pork at a hotter temp and so made a UDS Till I get old one fixed.
Ive used the UDS with lump and wood chunks, lump only, compressed charcoal blocks (excellent long burn time) and with wood only.

Wood is a more difficult burn requiring a lot more attention but to everyones (wife n me, kids eat anything so long as its free!) tastes produces a better smoke. I will not do fish on anything but wood, too many failures with charcoal.

But am really looking forward to flying home and firing up the UDS and doing some PP when I finish my current tasking at New Years. Gosh I miss the thin blue whilst working in the desert, over here its impossible to get charcoal and smoke always means someone is about to or already has had thier day ruined one way or another so is verboten.

Muzza.
 
here is an interesting question. if i were to burn some oak down to ember stage, would it produce the same flavor as oak lump that is in ember stage? i know that sounds like an odd question but i have often wondered if there is a difference.

In a stick burner, what creates the smoke? the embers or the newly added fule catching fire? thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

lastmajordude
Observations of an old dude
Replies
13
Views
624
jham0077
jham0077
Headgear
New Stick Burner
Replies
17
Views
850
lastmajordude
lastmajordude
Headgear
Pellet Grill Smoke Flavor
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
Headgear
Headgear
L
How to maintain very low temps?
Replies
5
Views
393
lhommedieu
L
GrapeRadio
Gravity Smoker can’t decide.
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
gfh
G
Back
Top