Stick Burners or Pellet Cookers

Capn Kev

Capn Kev

is one Smokin' Farker
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I've been noticing a trend over the past couple of years, and I have also been taking some notes on the cookers that championship teams are using. I'm curious to see if everyone else is noticing it too.

Top 20 TOY KCBS teams from 2010, and their Cooker:

QUAU - Offset (Peoria)
Pellet Envy - Offset (Jambo)
Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ - WSMs w/ Guru
Rhythm 'n Que - WSMs w/Stoker
Lotta Bull BBQ - Offset (Custom Yoder)
BIG CREEK BBQ - Not sure what Jeff cooks with...FECs if I remember right
Parrothead Smokers - Stumps Vertical
4 Smokin' Butts - Green Eggs
MUNCHIN HOGS@THE HILTON - Vertical Stick burner, won with it at Winter Q
Butcher BBQ - FEC-100s?
Bub-Ba-Q - Stumps (if I remember right)
CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ - Offset (Jambo)
All Sauced Up - ??
TippyCanoe BBQ Crew - Stumps or Backwoods...can't remember
The Long Dawgs - Offset (looked like a Jambo at the Jack)
4 Legs Up BBQ - Combination of pellet cookers
BIG T'Z Q CRU - FECs?
GROG N HOGS - ??
Buffalo's BBQ - Offset (Jambo)
KC Can Crew - Set of UDS cookers

2010 GAB - Big Creek BBQ - FECs?
2010 AR Invitational Winner - Smokers Wild - Offset (Jambo?)
2010 AR Open Winner - Lotta Bull BBQ - Offset (Yoder)
2010 Jack Daniels Winner - Quau - Offset (Peoria)


If I'm wrong on any of the above, please let me know.

From what I'm seeing, there is a shift from pellet cookers back over to stick/wood/charcoal burning units. 4-5 years ago pellet cookers were making their run. In fact pellet cookers were winning a lot of the big championships.

Now, in the past couple of years, we've seen some of the biggest names revert back to stick burners (i.e., Pellet Envy). I'm curious to hear from some of the above cooks as to why they are making the shift. Is it flavor, smoke ring, ease of use now that there are aids such as gurus/stokers, etc.? It used to be that pellet cookers were favored because they achieved similar flavor results to stick burners, but allowed the cook to get some rest in the evening.

I'm not trying to start a great debate, I'm just curious to understand the shift. I'm considering adding a stick burner to my arsenal, but will probably never give up my FEC-100. :-D

Kevin
 
Personally I feel that a good cook can turn out great bbq on practically anything out there. You've pointed that out in your post already. Speaking for myself a pellet smoker will allow a team more rest, if they so choose. Obviously stick burners require attention all night long whereas pellet smokers are predictably stable. Stick burners are not hamstrung (no pun intended) by electrical requirements and at contests the power can go out anytime. I do feel that stick burners, wsms, stumps type cookers definitely will out perform any pellet smoker in the smoke flavor department. Drawback is you have to know what your doing because over smoked food is not very good and I don't think you have to worry about that with a pellet smoker. I own two, FEC 100 and Traeger Lil Tex. They are very good cookers but have their faults and limitations. I used both in the 3 comps I did last year. In one of them the FEC went haywire and cut out with a high temp problem. Killed my brisket and pork. Had to replace the entire controller but thankfully it was under warranty. I am practicing now for the 2011 season and experimenting using the WSM in combo with pellet smokers. At least I will have options in case something goes wrong.
 
if im not wrong Pellet Envy has a pellet burning Jambo.correct me though if im wrong.
 
I'd be interested to see what some of the teams listed above mention as the reasons
for switching. Scottie? Why now the Jambo?

I wonder if it has some to do with competing in other non-KCBS sanctioned cookoffs
that dont allow electric or gas power of any kind.
 
I think the pellet cookers have had their due, rightfully so, but who wouldn't want a Jambo or a sweet Yoder like Lotta Bull? I do know that my wife was on board with an FEC 100 and she was not with a Jambo for obvious reasons. I do know that if we achieve success these coming years with the FEC 100 we can justify the Jambo. Perhaps it boils down to being able to justify a $10 - 15k smoker and in order to do that the majority of people are going to want to be successful in competition bbq first.
 
Lake Dogs said:
I'd be interested to see what some of the teams listed above mention as the reasons
for switching. Scottie? Why now the Jambo?

I wonder if it has some to do with competing in other non-KCBS sanctioned cookoffs
that dont allow electric or gas power of any kind.
Click to expand...


Mid-life crisis.... In reality, it's the challenge for me. Folks think that us pelletheads can only turn on a switch and award winning BBQ comes out. I'm here to change folks opinions on that...

Plus, while a FEC is sharp with the stainless. Nothing beats the sleek lines of a Jambo...
 
Lake Dogs said:
I'd be interested to see what some of the teams listed above mention as the reasons
for switching. Scottie? Why now the Jambo?
Click to expand...

I switched from Backwoods to a Jambo but mostly just because I wanted a new toy. I know that Rod had a season where he cooked on both FEC and Jambo and most of his wins came off the Jambo.
 
Additions, changes noted in red.

Capn Kev said:
I've been noticing a trend over the past couple of years, and I have also been taking some notes on the cookers that championship teams are using. I'm curious to see if everyone else is noticing it too.

Top 20 TOY KCBS teams from 2010, and their Cooker:

QUAU - Offset (Peoria) pretty sure he also cooks with Stumps vert interchangeably
Pellet Envy - Offset (Jambo)
Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ - WSMs w/ Guru actually Stoker
Rhythm 'n Que - WSMs w/Stoker
Lotta Bull BBQ - Offset (Custom Yoder) Still has his Jambo though, I think
BIG CREEK BBQ - Not sure what Jeff cooks with...FECs if I remember right
1 big arse beautiful spicewine
Parrothead Smokers - Stumps Vertical uses Jambo interchangeably that he sells at least once every season
4 Smokin' Butts - Green Eggs
MUNCHIN HOGS@THE HILTON - Vertical Stick burner, won with it at Winter Q last I saw he was using a big ol' Horizon offset with a weber kettle
Butcher BBQ - FEC-100s? yep-2
Bub-Ba-Q - Stumps (if I remember right)
CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ - Offset (Jambo)
All Sauced Up - ??
TippyCanoe BBQ Crew - Stumps or Backwoods...can't remember Definitely Backwoods--has a fatboy and burns his chicken on his party:twisted::rofl:
The Long Dawgs - Offset (looked like a Jambo at the Jack) bought his jambo off of parrothead
4 Legs Up BBQ - Combination of pellet cookers one self built and a louisiana I believe
BIG T'Z Q CRU - FECs? Everything but ribs on Stoker'd WSM's, FE for ribs so I can get an extra hour of sleep. :wink:
GROG N HOGS - ??
Buffalo's BBQ - Offset (Jambo)
KC Can Crew - Set of UDS cookers he calls them trash cans :becky:

2010 GAB - Big Creek BBQ - FECs?
2010 AR Invitational Winner - Smokers Wild - Offset (Jambo?) Jambo, yep
2010 AR Open Winner - Lotta Bull BBQ - Offset (Yoder)
2010 Jack Daniels Winner - Quau - Offset (Peoria)


If I'm wrong on any of the above, please let me know.

From what I'm seeing, there is a shift from pellet cookers back over to stick/wood/charcoal burning units. 4-5 years ago pellet cookers were making their run. In fact pellet cookers were winning a lot of the big championships.

Now, in the past couple of years, we've seen some of the biggest names revert back to stick burners (i.e., Pellet Envy). I'm curious to hear from some of the above cooks as to why they are making the shift. Is it flavor, smoke ring, ease of use now that there are aids such as gurus/stokers, etc.? It used to be that pellet cookers were favored because they achieved similar flavor results to stick burners, but allowed the cook to get some rest in the evening.

I'm not trying to start a great debate, I'm just curious to understand the shift. I'm considering adding a stick burner to my arsenal, but will probably never give up my FEC-100. :-D

Kevin
Click to expand...
 
All I see Lotta Bull cook on now is that Yoder. I would love to have a Jambo but I am afraid Lena would get awful jealous....
 
GROG N HOGS cooks on 22.5" WSMs. They have had a Superior Smoker in the mix at some point.
 
I switched to pellet cookers for sleep purposes. IT let me get a couple extra hours of sleep, which I need if I have a few cocktails with friends :)

I have cooked on a Jambo a couple times now (Thanks Rob!), and thanks to a quick download from Rod G., and Rob's input on his pit.... it was not hard at all to build/manage the fire. Very efficient pit. I think it has a similar smoke profile to pellets, honestly. And having never cooked on one, I still pulled at 7th overall at Shelby. I dont think the pit matters as much as the person using it.

Good cooks are good cooks. Kev, you mentioned Munchin's pit at winter fest... his Horizon was snowed in @ the shop in Oklahoma. He used Paul's home-made vertical... that he had never cooked on before.

And yes, the Royal and Royal invitational have been won 3 times by guys cooking on trash cans.
 
I don't think there's any particular "trend" going on. As mentioned, the cook has a lot more to do with it than the cooker. I'm a pellethead because of consistency -- much easier to maintain temps and recipe standards with a pellet cooker -- but well tended stick burners turn out great chow, too. Some of the great cooks I've encountered could probably win a contest on a $40 K-mart charcoaler if they had to.
 
I think many times these expensive rigs such as Jambos are bought for convenience and coolness factor. Not that they are not the awesome cookers that everyone says they are, but give Rod Gray, or any of the top guys four Weber Kettles, and I think they will figure out a way to beat most of the field with them. It will just be more work.
 
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