From BGE to stick burner

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robertm

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I've been cooking on BGE for well over a decade. I made 2 racks of ribs on a nice 1/4" backyard offset last summer and they were the best I've ever made. I've made 100s of racks on my BGE so this was actually pretty upsetting.

This summer I did a couple briskets, ribs, sausage and chickens on a monster 300 gallon offset. I did everything wrong and chased temps all day. Regardless, far and away best brisket I've ever made.

I know all the tricks to using BGE and I make pretty dam good BBQ on it. But it simply doesn't compare to the two stick burner offsets I used. The difference is obvious. Burning nothing by wood imparts far more smoky goodness than lump coal and slow burning a few chunks of wood.


I've decided to sell the egg and have some fun with a new smoker. Planning to go with a LSG, Shirley or maybe Matts. Something in the 20/24 x 36/42 range. I have two questions in regards to traditional vs reverse flow.

1) Does reverse flow require as much attention every hr adding a split or does it run longer without having to add fuel? (Will reverse require as frequent attention as traditional)

2) If offset doesn't burn at the same rate as a traditional it seems like less flow will produce less clean smoke and less flavor. Is this accurate or do traditional and reverse flow produce equivalent product? (Will I get a better finished product with traditional over reverse)

I suspect the answer to both may be subtle but I'm curious what others think. Coming from BGE, less constant attention to fire management would be nice but I do not want to sacrifice any quality of finished product for ease of cook.

On a side note, I cook a lot of pizzas in the BGE. The LSG is appealing for it's firebox setup and the ability to radiate heat back down on the top of the pie.

Thanks in advance for your input!
 
I only have experience with reverse flow and it is very limited experience. My only thought is that you might consider keeping the egg and just adding a stick burner. I bought a used Lang and although I wish I could use it more, I still find myself using my drum because I don't always have the time to tend the fire.
 
I hear ya! I went from cooking on Kamado Joes for quite a few years to a stick burner. Difference was night and day. A much more clean and pleasant smoke seasoning vs just being smoked. Also, came to realize how dirty and stagnant kamado smoke really is (just not enough airflow). Smoked up a bunch of food on my stick burner only to realize that I really don’t have time for a stick burner. Went from stick-burner to pellet muncher and couldn’t be happier. 90% of the stick burner flavor with 10% of the work. That allows me to do a whole lot more outdoor cooking. I also find that food from the pellet muncher gets just as many compliments as the food did from my stick burner and WAY more compliments than the food from my KJ’s ever got. A win-win if you ask me. Just my experience and 2 cents :)
 
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Robert,

The short answer to #1: Yes you are going to have to add splits every 45 minutes to and hour. They key to making an offset work well is to get in a rhythm of adding a certain amount every so often. That's what keeps the temps even. The short answer to #2: The main difference between a RF and a traditional, is that with the RF you have a deflector plate running under your racks which should help to produce more even temperatures left to right. This is not going to be nearly as noticeable on a 36" or 42" pit as it would be on one that is 72" long for example. That feature is not as important. I personally like the RF for a few different reasons, including that it helps contain drippings, and helps keep them out of the firebox. You also do not have an overly hot end like you would at the firebox end on a traditional.
 
I cook at 275* with beer can thick 16” long splits and feed every 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes I’ll add in 2 splits depending how the coal bed looks. Ive never ever gotten to the famed “one split every 45 mins to an hour”, and I have an insulated firebox. That being said there’s not a lot of effort and screwing with it required.
 
I have had a BGE and also know a lot about coaxing great meals out of it. I got a Yoder YS640 pellet pooper because on the smoked meats, I had tasted better coming out of a smoker than I was getting. Long story short: I use the Yoder for smoking and the BGE for grilling. That may not fit somebody's version of the gospel of meat, but, its how I do it.


The Yoder is hands down better for smoked things like ribs, brisket and other things.
The BGE is a standup great grill for steaks and burgers and such.
I didn't get rid of my BGE. I just decided its better purpose was grilling and not smoking
 
I'd hold onto the BGE. It will come in handy. I went from a BGE to a reverse flow smoker. The flavor is night and day difference between the two. Hard to make Q on the egg when you have an offset. What you won't always have is time. That's where the BGE will still come in handy. Even if it isn't not cooked with sticks.
 
I find myself in the same scenario as you. Years and years with the BGE but ready for something different. I’ve also done some cooks on an offset over the last year. I currently don’t have time for a stick burner but I’m doing my research. With the wait time of the Shirley Fabs, by the time it’s ready, I feel like I’ll have much more free time (oldest out of college and youngest headed to college AND a wife telling me I’m going to have to find another hobby when that happens) to enjoy some long cooks. With that said, I’m keeping the BGE, hope to send Tyler an email within the next few months and may go with a pellet while I wait.
 
1) Does reverse flow require as much attention every hr adding a split or does it run longer without having to add fuel?

I probably get ~45 minutes with only about 25* temp drop... between splits. This pattern will result in a slow decline of overall temp though. Easy to correct with a couple extra before a longer walk away. (This was with super dry wood and chocked the inlet down a little)

I’ve left before for up to 2hrs and went from about 275 to 200. Still some good coal bed and A few small dry splits and off and running.


2) If offset doesn't burn at the same rate as a traditional it seems like less flow will produce less clean smoke and less flavor. Is this accurate or do traditional and reverse flow produce equivalent product? (Will I get a better finished product with traditional over reverse)


I have no real PERSONAL experience with a high quality traditional flow but have two excellent RF. It smokes as clean as you want so I can’t imagine an inferior product. I think it’s superb and I fact better than anything I’ve ever experienced including my friends Q from larger traditional flows.
 
I went from BGE to stick burner (Shirley 24x60). I agree in that I prefer that it's a definite but more subtle smoke. (If you are burning really clean, it may be too subtle for some).

I haven't gotten rid of my egg because I think someday I might like the occasional convenience of sleeping through the night but for now I'm still having too much fun tending the fire.

I think the argument for reverse flow is more consistent temps across the chamber but I'm not sure there is a huge flavor profile difference. I still have to add splits averaging about every 45 minutes. I think that if you wanted more smoke flavor you could vary the moisture of the wood and use greener stuff. Because my pile is probably overcured it burns pretty clean and sometimes can be an issue keeping a good coal bed.
 
Stickburners to me are just the best form of smoking. I love the active part of it too (Even if its in the middle of the night) I just love cooking on my offsets. Its like a journey every cook.
 
I have a bge and was considering a stick burner but currently don't want to spend that much on a new grill. I found the BGE can be a little smoky but I found running it 250-275F gives me a cleaner fire and. I use less wood chunks and I put the wood at the bottom and middle, not the top. I think if I did get a stick burner I would keep the BGE for grilling and high temp cooks.
 
I found that using chips instead of chunks more evenly dispersed throughout the charcoal bowl helped quite a bit at removing that oversmoked/smoldering wood taste when cooking on my Primo. They just barely sip air so it's easy to get some off flavors IMO.
 
I acquired a Shirley a few months ago and a couple observations I've noticed over several cooks. I only get white smoke when first starting the fire and building a coal bed. That's understandable. It only takes about 30 mins for the fire to settle down and start rolling thin blue smoke. Even when I add splits the smoke profile from the stack barely changes. Sometimes there is no visible smoke at all, only vapor trails coming out. I dont know if it gets more efficient than that. I like splits between 1/4 and 1/2 and I'm guessing I add a split every hour. I'm going to pay close attention and time it on the next cook. As for a traditional offset I've never owned a quality made one so I cant say how they would do but my old cheap one was a bear to cook with. Also, I like to run my pit between 250-275, the two temp gauges on the doors of my cooker never vary more than 5-10 degrees so the RF definitely distributes the heat pretty evenly.
 
I went from a cheap offset to a cheap bge clone.

I much prefer the bge clone and I do not notice any flavor differential
 
Echo what has been said: hang on to the egg. What you gonna grill burgers on? I only have a BGE myself and am wanting a RF to add to my equipment. The egg is right out the back door and it's great when I come home from work and the wife has it going with burgers or chicken for supper!
 
There is no difference in airflow or how often you need to tend a fire between a RF and a Traditional flow offset due to that design difference.

All offsets are going to require more work and more experience/skill to run well compared to a BGE or a pellet grill. For some people that’s a big part of the fun. For others it is a big burden. For most people it is both depending on the circumstances. That is why many are suggesting adding a stick burner and not replacing your BGE.
 
I cooked on Weber kettles for many years and went on to a BGE. I soon realized that the BGE is a great cooker, but so/so as a smoker. I bought an Assassin gravity feed to fit that need, and it does so nicely. The Assassin is well insulated, so I can smoke in 10 degree cold and hold temperature.

I will never sell my BGE, though. I love the high heat grilling I can do on it - especially with reverse sear prime rib, pizzas, and my wok.

When I retire in about 5 years, a stick burner is in my future. :-D
 
sudsandswine said:
I cook at 275* with beer can thick 16” long splits and feed every 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes I’ll add in 2 splits depending how the coal bed looks. Ive never ever gotten to the famed “one split every 45 mins to an hour”, and I have an insulated firebox. That being said there’s not a lot of effort and screwing with it required.
Click to expand...




Maybe it has to do with the size of your cooker? 24x60 seems pretty larger? Who knows.
 
I add a split to my 250 gal RF every 30-40 min. My splits
are about wrist thick and 14" long.
Usually I can't see any smoke out of the stack as my wood is very seasoned.

I recently pick up a promo xl new in the box for half cost. Haven't used it yet, but now I'm having second thoughts about keeping it..
 
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