pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
I have to say this is an awesome thread! It could have gone very negative but we have this instead. :thumb:
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Done with the stick burners
- Thread starter el luchador
- Start date
longhair75
Full Fledged Farker
I do so enjoy the process. Even cooking inside, I enjoy the long cooks. Spaghetti day at my house starts in the early morning and lasts most of the day
SmittyJonz
somebody shut me the fark up.
5th group - same as 4th except No Pellet Poopers or Sous vide.........
Beentown
is Blowin Smoke!
6th group - no pellet poopers with a love for sous vide
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sudsandswine
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I guarantee you I could pass the "Pepsi challenge" between a brisket cooked using a clean wood fire and one using a charcoal fueled smoker 100% of the time. I get the convenience factor - I still use and love my Primo XL with some quality lump, and I've cooked on and owned most of the popular charcoal fueled smokers out there, but the two produce noticeably different products. That doesn't mean one or the other is bad, but IMO they're definitely not the same.
There are times when running a stick burner is not feasible for me, but it's usually related to the start up and shut down (cooling off time) required as opposed to the level of effort in feeding logs for the cook itself. Stepping outside every 30 to 40 minutes to plop a new log on the fire is hardly time consuming and aside from having to physically leave the house for something (which I wouldn't do with any style of cooker running a live fire anyway) it's hardly more work, especially when the end result is taken into consideration.
One of the best things cooking on a stick burner did for me was to break me from the "the entire cook must run at ___ degrees or else it'll be a major fail" mentality...now I generally operate on a 50* +/- window and aim to keep it at a particular median temperature some of the time. I used to be so anal about keeping a cooker at some particular temperature otherwise some catastrophic undesirable end result would occur. But, it never did, I just turned out some really awesome barbecue if I'm somewhere aroundish 265-330*.
But most importantly, figure out what works for you and your lifestyle and keep on barbecuing - that's what matters :thumb:
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BobBrisket
Moderator
Kinda funny how things kinda do a turnabout. I had started out with an old modded Brinkmann S&P. I learned how to use it and mastered the curve, but then marriage and kids came along and allnighters with the stick burner were a no go. Bought a WSM, built several UDS's. I have given them all away. I now stick to my Kettles, BUT now that the kids are older and I can get all the damn pecan I want.........I want to go back to a stick burner. The flavor profile is much different. I miss that flavor. I use the PBC to get my fix, but still want to burn stick again.
Bob
Bob
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Rockinar
is Blowin Smoke!
Ban!!!!!!!!
el luchador
is Blowin Smoke!
the "pepsi" challenge - we need to do that one. maybe I should organize one for two or three guys here in NTX before I sell my stick burners.
a couple of things for me about wood vs charcoal.
1. the best and cleanest fire out of my stick burner was when the wood was burned down to charcoal embers-clean clean clean and smelled great. I could only smell the meat and the heat, no smoke to see or smell. thats essentially hardwood lump.
2. good smoke should be barely there. the meat is the star of the show - either wood, or charcoals can get one there.
as for just plopping a stick on every 30 mins- disagree there. significantly more time consuming that you suggest- plop the wood on, open the vents, check that the wood has caught, let it come up to temp, start adjuting the vents, then eventually its at a good state then I can go back in and resume what ever me and the family were doing -thankfully I have a patient wife.
I will agree on the stick burner breaking the temp habit. I used to try to get ±2 degrees with charcoal. now , if Im within 50° its all good.
I feel you and felt exactly how you felt- most feel wood is most authentic- so I acquired two wood burners to test it. there was no value added for me so going back to charcoal.
I do believe that to get the best out of a stick burner requires a huge unit that can burn 4-6 sticks at a time.
but, as a wise man once said:
lol
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One thing that's great when the kids get teenage is that they're old enough to split wood. My older son (16) is ready to do manly chit so he likes to split wood. I just cooked 130# of butts this weekend, I didn't swing the maul once, and there's plenty wood left over. :whoo:
I love days when I have time to use the offset, and I also love having verticals & kettles for when time doesn't allow for tending a fire all day. My preference is stickburning, but I just don't have the time to do it as often as I'd like. A beautiful day with the Klose chugging along is a glorious thing indeed.
JokerBroker
Knows what a fatty is.
Generally speaking, I agree with most of everyone's points of view on this thread but this particular observation may only hold true with offsets that aren't designed as well as they could be. I always preheat my splits by placing them to the side of the fire. This is easier to do when you have a large firebox. Once it's preheated and its time to add to the fire, I can plop it on the coal bed and walk away. There is no need to adjust vents, make sure the wood catches (because it always does), and the temp hardly fluctuates at all because 1/4" plate holds the heat so well. It takes a concentrated effort to move my temps up or down once they are stabile. The only thing I have to watch out for is waiting too long to add another split because the temps will hold for a while even after the fire is almost out.
Beentown
is Blowin Smoke!
We just did it this week. Chuckies with and without wood.
Everyone could tell.
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pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
if your wood is seasoned and the offset is designed properly you can just put a stick in and walk away. i only need 1 small stick every 40 minutes or so. if i want to go longer i will add 2 sticks and let the temp jump a little bit. i start with my intake and exhaust wide open and never touch them until it is time to put it away. most of the time i don't even open the fb door. i just push the sticks in thru the intake.
i get what you are saying about the wood just being lump once it burns down but to me the flavor i like comes from the smoke as it burns down into coals. that is why i tell people to add a green stick if they don't get enough smoke from their stick burners.
let's keep this thread going. i am loving everyone's comments. :thumb:
i get what you are saying about the wood just being lump once it burns down but to me the flavor i like comes from the smoke as it burns down into coals. that is why i tell people to add a green stick if they don't get enough smoke from their stick burners.
let's keep this thread going. i am loving everyone's comments. :thumb:
jasonjax
Babbling Farker
I love my stick burner.
The sticks are incredibly small though!
The sticks are incredibly small though!
mstewart39
Full Fledged Farker
“Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself....To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountains which sustain life, not the top.”
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
ModelMaker
Quintessential Chatty Farker
- Joined
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A man gotta do what a man gotta do to make his heart light.
Carry on.
Ed
Carry on.
Ed
Czarbecue
Babbling Farker
In a somewhat related topic, I thought no real BBQ restaurant would use a pellet pooper until I saw that video about Big Mista's place in the LBC. Surely on my place to check out when I visit my sister in the foothills.
sudsandswine
Quintessential Chatty Farker
What kind of smoker do you have OP? I open my intake a little over 50%, open exhaust fully, and never touch vents again until it's time to shut her down. If I want the cooker hotter or cooler I just adjust the size of the fire...feed logs more or less often, or feed more or less logs at one time.
If you're constantly having to fidget with vents, maybe there's an issue with your cooker, as joker mentioned.
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bonz50
Take a breath!
I'm a firm believer in having the right tool for the job at hand. if the job at hand requires an overnight 'set and forget' cook then fire up the coal burner. if the job is a midday relaxing rib cook with beers and friends, stick burn it. no shame in having a preference, no shame in having multiple smokers either.
jestridge
somebody shut me the fark up.
people puts way too much trying to control the heat, , feed it wood and dont worry about the temp. if get too hot open the door if too cold close the door, yes bbq taste better with wood , but a lot of people that eats it can't tell the difference, use whatever fuel source you like, in the end that all that matters
JohnH12
Full Fledged Farker
A chore for some is a pleasure for others.
Do whatever trips your trigger. Just don't go vegan!
Do whatever trips your trigger. Just don't go vegan!
