Are the ATC's worth the $ for the regular Joe?


 
J

John Horton

TVWBB Member
Are the ATC's worth the cash for a regular like me or just for the pro's? I typically use the minion method of loading and only touch it once or twice during a twelve hour period and it stays right at 225 very consistently. Any comments?
 
I asked myself the same question before getting the BBQGuru Pitminder. I use my WSM maybe every 2-3 weeks and thought that $150 was alot to pay for as much as I was going to use it. After getting it, I'm glad I did. Temps are rock-steady and fuel consumption is reduced (also switched to clay saucer). The way I see it, you're better off paying for it and feeling the pain once rather than reminding yourself about it every time you check the temp and adjust the vents in the middle of the night.
 
I'm about as regular as you can get, probably only use my WSM a couple times a month if that but I cannot imagine going back. I start my MM fire, assemble the cooker and walk away. I have the Stoker so I can monitor my cook via my computers which is nice but it works great standalone also. My buddy Ed. C. has the DigiQ II and we ran them side by side for a big cook we did and it's rock solid too. Just depends on the features you want.

Overall I'd say for me it's greatly enhanced my WSM experience and has been well worth the money.

You asked about the clay saucer, most people use only the foiled pan, some with foil balls in it. I however do use the clay saucer with my Stoker as I like the performance with it in there. Personal preference more than anything.
 
I started using the foiled clay saucer in the empty water pan before I got the Guru and continued using it out of habit. I guess one could argue that the increased thermal mass makes the cook even more consistent but the Guru handles temp regulation well regardless of what you have in the pan.
 
Larry,

Thanks for the response. I guess I'll end up going that direction.
P.S. A Tata toothy Flaa Flaa Flunky HTJA to you as well!
 
I have the Digi ll Guru, and honestly I don't fire up the WSM without using the Guru. You just set it and forget it.

We live very close to Lake Erie, and it's rather windy here most of the time, so I also picked up a Silver Bullet Jacket from BBQ Guru. I wasn't sure that this was a wise investment, but after using it on very windy days I found that I made the right decision.
 
Here is another benefit: you learn more about your smoker than without. At least with the stoker. You can monitor your overnight cook and see how she did. You can share the graph with others and ask questions about the performance of your system.

And this is the kicker: you will be the coolest dude in town!
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That, as the say, is priceless
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I had a problemed guru, I really believe that, but it would be nice. sounds like most love em. I asked myself "how much money do I have and how much do I love bbq" and that will answere your question. Now, about 2 months later (or something like that) I'm happy without one and glad to have the money back etc. for other things and hobby's and just life. I use wsm on average one every couple weekends, but often times more. im more of a griller then anything, but anyway at that rate, for me and just my opinion, I have to remind you how well they keep temp. all by themselves, with no add-ons. i have no problems, and just from the site I get the feeling everyones cookers are different, too. By the sounds of yours, sounds like shes pretty air tight and works really well, so there ya go, back to "how much money to I have?" and for me after my return, I knew I did the right thing for me. And I can go camping with mine and its cordless and battery-less... thats not a word is it...
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I use a Digi II and love it. There's other plusses other than temp control. You don't need ATC to sucessfully cook on the WSM. But they offer a LOT of convenience and worth it in the long run IMHO.

Others have mentioned the aspects on set and forget temp control for long cooks, etc. One of the other aspects that isn't usually communicated is the freedom from checking, adjusting etc. If you are doing a long 12-14 hr. cook you can feel free to work in the kitchen on other stuff you are preparing for the event and don't have to worry or think about it. You can run to the store, do errands, etc and be pretty much confident that the temps are going to stay where they should be.
 
Others have mentioned the aspects on set and forget temp control for long cooks, etc. One of the other aspects that isn't usually communicated is the freedom from checking, adjusting etc. If you are doing a long 12-14 hr. cook you can feel free to work in the kitchen on other stuff you are preparing for the event and don't have to worry or think about it. You can run to the store, do errands, etc and be pretty much confident that the temps are going to stay where they should be.
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That's pretty true. In case of stoker, you can even get notifications on your phone should something go wrong, or your food reaching its target temp.
 
i have gotten lazy with my Q'ing because I can just use the Digi Q or Stoker to keep my cooker going. Just this weekend, I did a big beef brisket and I did not touch my pit for 11 hours straight. Just looked out the window. In my opinion, the ATC's are worth the upfront cost. In the long run, you will get your money back in sleep if nothing else.
 
I originally bought a Digi Q II, but ended up selling that and getting a Stoker. Both worked great at temperature control. I just preferred the Stoker due to its multi-cooker control capabilities.

In competitions, I have it set to control my 2 WSMs for overnight briskets and pork butt. It's a nice insurance policy and allows me to get some rest.

Around the house, I use it only for overnight cooks. I still like to mess with the vents and do something when I cook ribs or chickens. On those cooks, I use a Piedmont pan and it keeps things at 235-250 very easily. I just check it out every 30-45 minutes.
 
I use the guru. I am a noob on the WSM front. I have had, to date, 5 cooks with the WSM.

The first one I checked the vents and temp every 15 minutes and it was a serious stress day. Good Q. Second smoke was similar, but without the stress and a full water pan. After the third cook I got the Guru.

I have had two cooks on it and I won't go back. Worth every penny. You don't touch the bottom grates at all, so that is eliminated from the equation--They are all closed. After the dark smoke is gone you cut your top vent back to a sliver and let the Guru do it all for you.

I like making Q, and I LOVE eating it. But tending a pit every 15 minutes and worrying about heat was not for me. Is 265 good? What about 275? 285? 292? And how long is that ok?

Now, I am learning that the WSM and Q in general is relatively forgiving. But why not just set the WSM for 240 and rest assured that it will stay there? It works.

I bought a WSM so that I could MASTER BBQ. Brisket, Pulled pork, ribs, smoked fish, etc without heating up the house. I want to be able to consistantly produce far superior BBQ than you can get at any restaurant within 100 miles of my home.

And for me, having to check the vents every 15 minutes just isn't worth it. Get an ATC.

I love my Guru. To answer your main question: YES!
 
So John, did you pull the trigger on a ATC? If so which direction did you go? Can't go wrong with either.
 
When I went from briquetts to regular hardwood charcoal I decided to get the Guru to better control temps. I still get some temp spikes that the Guru can do nothinga about but no low temps. I don't think ATCs are as needed with briquetts since WSM does a good job regulating temps. However I'm a toy guy so would probably get one anyway.
 
Originally posted by LarryR:
So John, did you pull the trigger on a ATC? If so which direction did you go? Can't go wrong with either.
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Larry, Not yet but I'll most likely go with the Stoker from all the comments I've heard. I like the idea of the possible connectivity (hows that for a scrabble word score) with my plethora (another scrabble word score) of wireless devices. I'll probably pull the trigger in the next few months.

John
 
For me I just received the DigiQ II with the silver smoking jacket and a few other accessories.

I was going to order the Stoker but they didn't take American Express or Paypal so that ended that. I don't use Visa or MC because I will not ever have a card that can get me into debt. I am funny that way. No debt - ever. Anyways...

As an IT/software guy - I did like the idea of the Stoker, but I already have a thermo logger that I can use to log pit temperature.
 
Originally posted by Cameron:
they didn't take American Express or Paypal so that ended that. I don't use Visa or MC because I will not ever have a card that can get me into debt.
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Just curious, how does an AMEX card allow you to avoid debt? I own all of the above and am wondering what differences I am missing. Sorry for the thread hijack.
 
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