Spend my money

[StirrednotShaken88]

Happy Sunday to everyone, I hope your weekend has been wonderful and full of thin blue. Long time lurker and I am in need of some opinions on my upcoming purchase.

I have read through the IVC and offset threads ad nauseam so I am as educated as I will get regarding the overall performance and pros/cons of each. I have narrowed my search down to two specific pits and am looking for opinions from those that have used both or have seen both in action. I am between the Shirley 24x36 model and the Ironside IVC. I had originally discounted IVC's as I wanted to go a more traditional route, but the Ironside's ability to burn wood added a new layer into the equation.

Both companies have sterling reputations and in a perfect world I would grab one of each, but for the time being this will be my first major purchase into the hobby.

I have zero issue with feeding a fire and tending to a pit, so the offset style is in no way an issue. The IVC obviously offers a level of set and forget and some flexibility which is a perk no matter how you slice is. Do you feel as if the smoke flavor is truly comparable with the IVC and do you feel like it has the ability to cook items such as poultry well (crisp skin) given its design. At the end of the day I am looking for the best smoke flavor I can get. And yes, I realize so much of cooking is subjective. Thank you in advance for any insight, this community has taught me a ton in the years of lurking.

 

[Stlsportster]

Every mechanic wishes he had one tool for every situation.

IVC is not a Stickburner. Ironsides will let you do it, so will a vertical Old Country Smokehouse.

Shirley 36 is the Cadillac of backyard Patio stickburners.

Don’t buy a Swiss Army knife if you want a chainsaw.

 

[Nuco59]

I think "what he said"- but I've been up since 3:00.

 

[StirrednotShaken88]

Every mechanic wishes he had one tool for every situation.

IVC is not a Stickburner. Ironsides will let you do it, so will a vertical Old Country Smokehouse.

Shirley 36 is the Cadillac of backyard Patio stickburners.

Don’t buy a Swiss Army knife if you want a chainsaw.

I appreciate your response and I agree with the mechanic comparison.

My overall inquiry had more to do with the end product and if there was a noticeable difference between the options, and if either (specifically the ivc) struggled at anything that I might be missing.

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

Do you have good access to splits to run the shirley? And somewhere good to store wood?

I think that is another thing to consider when choosing a stick burner.

 

[pjtexas1]

I can get 80-90% of the smoke flavor on my insulated cabinet that my shirley puts out. But I use the shirley way more.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[StirrednotShaken88]

Do you have good access to splits to run the shirley? And somewhere good to store wood?

I think that is another thing to consider when choosing a stick burner.

Thankfully I do have a good source of wood (hickory, cherry, and oak) for the offset. It is seasoned and not kiln dried which is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[StirrednotShaken88]

I can get 80-90% of the smoke flavor on my insulated cabinet that my shirley puts out. But I use the shirley way more.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

That is good to know. I appreciate you chiming in as someone that owns and has experience with both. It looks like I will be cutting a check and sending it to Paul and Tyler this week then.

 

[Stlsportster]

By the way. For a fire hound who loves feeding a fire anyway. Stickburner is always the way to go. Flavor is the most authentic and the fire tending is a bonus.

It’s nice to have a charcoal cooker as a backup when it’s convenient.

Some of us have overflowing toolboxes.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

I've looked into Ironsides quite a bit and they're my next purchase...maybe late next summer if I can get the funds together. I've chatted with a couple of BBQ food trucks who are running Ironside smokers and the main thing they all say is that when they run it like a stickburner they 100% get a stickburner "flavor profile." One food truck is called "Rubbed 'N Tugged BBQ" out of Colorado. I reached out to them and they have had the Ironsides MULE for a couple of years now, and they had nothing but great things to say about it. They have quite a few videos of them running their Ironside with wood splits and you can clearly see it's thin, blue smoke.

LOTS of people have never seen an Ironsides cooker in person, so they are skeptical of how well it can burn sticks compared to an offset cooker. I think that skepticism is absolutely warranted as it's really the first of it's kind, but if you do the research I think you'll see that it's a solid hybrid which will give you the best of both worlds.

All that being said the guys (and gals) over at Shirley are some of the nicest people in BBQ. That 24 x 36 they are making right now might be the best value in terms of an offset on the market today. It has an amazing amount of cooking space for an incredible price!

 

[StirrednotShaken88]

By the way. For a fire hound who loves feeding a fire anyway. Stickburner is always the way to go. Flavor is the most authentic and the fire tending is a bonus.

It’s nice to have a charcoal cooker as a backup when it’s convenient.

Some of us have overflowing toolboxes.

I can appreciate the overflowing toolbox and borderline obsession with a hobby all too well haha. I agree that there is something that is both primal and tranquil about tending to a fire. Honestly, that is a large part of the appeal for me.

 

[StirrednotShaken88]

I've looked into Ironsides quite a bit and they're my next purchase...maybe late next summer if I can get the funds together. I've chatted with a couple of BBQ food trucks who are running Ironside smokers and the main thing they all say is that when they run it like a stickburner they 100% get a stickburner "flavor profile." One food truck is called "Rubbed 'N Tugged BBQ" out of Colorado. I reached out to them and they have had the Ironsides MULE for a couple of years now, and they had nothing but great things to say about it. They have quite a few videos of them running their Ironside with wood splits and you can clearly see it's thin, blue smoke.

I was browsing their FB and saw the restaurant that you mentioned and it seems like the Ironside has rave reviews across the board. I agree that there is probably some skepticism since it is a hybrid in a sense and so few people have used one.

I am going to pull the trigger on the Shirley but the Ironside will be in the longterm plans. I can always convince myself to get another toy and with kids being on my horizon in the next few years a cooker that has flexibility and set and forget type potential has some major appeal. I figure I will be set for life with those two pieces of equipment over the next few years so long as my fiancé doesn't shoot me first haha.

Once again, I appreciate the info and I believe that is the route I will be taking. I look forward to contributing a bit more around here once the new toy arrives.

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

I figure I will be set for life with those two pieces of equipment over the next few years so long as my fiancé doesn't shoot me first haha.

I'm not sure your fully understand this sickness shared by many in this board. You will never be set for life with cookers. The cookers you get will last a lifetime, but there are always more cool toys out there. UDS? Santa Maria? What if the 36 isn't big enough? Do your want to do a whole hog one day?

Welcome down the rabbit hole, enjoy the ride

 

[StirrednotShaken88]

I'm not sure your fully understand this sickness shared by many in this board. You will never be set for life with cookers. The cookers you get will last a lifetime, but there are always more cool toys out there. UDS? Santa Maria? What if the 36 isn't big enough? Do your want to do a whole hog one day?

Welcome down the rabbit hole, enjoy the ride

Haha so so true. I fully intend to enjoy my trip down the rabbit hole. I just moved into my new home and a black stone was my first "toy" purchase. The fiancé is wondering how many usable feet our 24x24 patio will have in the next few years given the current trajectory hah.

 

[pokeable]

I am going to pull the trigger on the Shirley but the Ironside will be in the longterm plans. I can always convince myself to get another toy and with kids being on my horizon in the next few years a cooker that has flexibility and set and forget type potential has some major appeal. I figure I will be set for life with those two pieces of equipment over the next few years so long as my fiancé doesn't shoot me first haha.

Welcome to the club! :clap: