Anyone switched to WSM from a stick burner?


 
N

Noel Hartough

New member
Looking for comparison of owning and using both-

There's a part of me that wants to add a stick burner to the arsenal- but there's a part of me that thinks I should really dig in to get deep fire flavor with the WSM, because stick burners are a pain in the butt, and may not be worth the trouble for the extra 20% of deep rich smoke flavor.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Long time ago, I had a offset barrel stick burner, it was like baby sitting feral cats.
Switched to a propane cabinet, easier but tight to get stuff in and out of and the burner and valve needed constant maintenance (cheap Master built or forge)
Kids found a 22 WSM cheap, Pretty easy to set up, easy to keep temperature, and plenty of smoke if you use enough chunks.

So I still go outside to baby sit it, but there's nothing to do, so I sit in the shade and watch it smoke along, till I get up to check it again, Still nothing to do.
The food comes out great, and I have an investment of 150 bucks, and a few bags of charcoal, kinda boring. :cool:

Now mind you, these are not multi thousand dollar big boy rigs, have zero experience with those, but then I don't have multi thousand dollars invested in them.
So... YMMV
 
I've got both. My offset is an Old Country model that you can buy at academy. For the price it is a good cooker. I got it for around $350. The flavor is great on it if I run my fire well. The trick is using small splits and well seasoned wood. Even still, 90% of my cooks are on the wsm

A better smoker would be easier to run. However, it's a beating, and I can't spend time with my family. So it's just up to you what you want. I still really enjoy cooking on the offset from time to time.

Once you have an offset running well you only have to add a split every 45 minutes to an hour
 
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I switched from a stick-burner to a WSM. In my climate in the winter the WSM shines!

Tim
 
Hi I have both the stick burner is good when you want to spend the day at home. The WSM I use mainly for over nights, briskets and Pork butts.
The WSM is set n forget it, the stick burner you have to watch and feed it.
DanB
 
I have both. The offset is an entry level OK Joe Highland. Hands down, the offset produces the best Q - cleanest tasting smoked meat I've ever cooked. However... it takes a lot of baby sitting to manage the fire. I love that cooker & rarely use it. I'm sure a higher quality offset would be more efficient - however.... not in the budget for years to come. So... the WSMs see most of the action. They do a great job, are incredibly versatile and so ez to use.
 
I don't have a stick burner (smoker) but if I had an "covered outdoor room" I wouldn't mind having a Pellet pooper. The Traeger TFB29LZA Junior Elite Grill would suit me fine, but the Traeger Pro Series 34 Pellet Grill On Cart - Blue - TFB88PUB would be the cat's meow for me
 
I had a stick burner years ago. I found that I burned so much wood that it cost too much to cook on. I also didn't care for all the time spent feeding it and trying to keep the temp where I wanted. My WSM has solved both issues.
 
Geo S said:
Long time ago, I had a offset barrel stick burner, it was like baby sitting feral cats.
Switched to a propane cabinet, easier but tight to get stuff in and out of and the burner and valve needed constant maintenance (cheap Master built or forge)
Kids found a 22 WSM cheap, Pretty easy to set up, easy to keep temperature, and plenty of smoke if you use enough chunks.

So I still go outside to baby sit it, but there's nothing to do, so I sit in the shade and watch it smoke along, till I get up to check it again, Still nothing to do.
The food comes out great, and I have an investment of 150 bucks, and a few bags of charcoal, kinda boring. :cool:

Now mind you, these are not multi thousand dollar big boy rigs, have zero experience with those, but then I don't have multi thousand dollars invested in them.
So... YMMV
Click to expand...
Feral cats! Nice wordage, and quite the visual.

- - - Updated - - -

Pat G said:
I had a stick burner years ago. I found that I burned so much wood that it cost too much to cook on. I also didn't care for all the time spent feeding it and trying to keep the temp where I wanted. My WSM has solved both issues.
Click to expand...


you know- the wood part is really the only thing that scares me about the stick burner- we live on the coast in North Florida, and I would worry about the expense and hassle of feeding a stick burner
 
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