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


 
I believe with an AMEX card you must pay the entire balance off each month....no carry over or they get mean...

It's best not to own any of those dang things...
 
I've mentioned the ATC devices to my wife, and she swiftly said, "you dont need that." And I tend to agree, but the more cooks I do the more I wonder if I do. Especially since I like to drink, and am not fond of waking every few hours to stumble out and check temps. I just cant help but think that you have to be loosing some skill in using a stoker/guru. But then again who uses DOS commands anymore
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and I still remember those. /help

Brandon
 
I just cant help but think that you have to be loosing some skill in using a stoker/guru.
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Possibly, if you are worried about your ability to adjust vents to maintain temps. However, a truer skill is being able to know when food is done. So, far they can't do that.
 
I think as long as you had your WSM temp control down prior to getting a ATC it's like riding a bike. I forget why but I had to do a Stokerless cook awhile back. No big deal, caught my temps on the way up, shut down my vents and watched her settle in, adjusted the vents just a bit and I was golden.

I agree that heat control is only part of a successful cook; others are as Pat says knowing when your food is "done" and not by reading a therm., proper seasoning, cooking method i.e. brisket fat up/down, high heat low heat, when to foil etc. I think technique plays a big part in a successful cook.

For me the Stoker is more convenience and it's a toy. Sure I can pretty much dial in a temp for several hours without an ATC but then I wouldn't get the cool email messages while I'm at the car wash telling me what my pit and food temp is.
 
For me the Stoker is more convenience and it's a toy. Sure I can pretty much dial in a temp for several hours without an ATC but then I wouldn't get the cool email messages while I'm at the car wash telling me what my pit and food temp is.
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Same here. It was pretty cool last Friday when I'm in Sam's club picking up a case of briskets, I'm getting e-mails telling me the temp of the brisket I'm smoking for that night's dinner. The convenience factor on long cooks is unbeatable if you are busy and / or lazy. Somehow I'm both.
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Originally posted by Brandon A:
I just cant help but think that you have to be loosing some skill in using a stoker/guru.
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Actually, you gain a skill with Stoker, not lose. You have a full graph of how your smoker did overnight. You can save these and then compare them to your future cooks and refine how you set your vents, make your fire, etc.

The situation is like digital photography vs film. With digital, you take a picture and if it looks too dark, you learn why and can quickly fix. With film, you get the results back days later and by then can't remember what you did wrong and no chance to do it over again.

With stoker, I can watch the graph and notice that wild swings in temps and go and do something about it before going to sleep so that the temps are more stable, etc.

Further, you can share your graphs with others and ask them for help if you can't figure something out.

Really, there is no down side other than the initial expense. The "art" here is in cooking, not being an human thermometer
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When you guys set up your ATC's using the minion method do you start your devices after your temps are stable or do you set the temps you want on the units, assemble the cookers like normal with a few lit coals, then turn on the units and let them get the WSM up to temperature? I am thinking about getting one but I don't want to have to sit there and wait for the temperature to settle. I want to turn it on and walk away.

So how do you guys do it?
 
This is one of the great benefits of using an ATC. I dump my lit (MM), assemble my WSM with meat on, turn on my Stoker and grab a cold one and let it do it's thing. Brings it right-up to temp and then maintains it. Based on how I've seen the DigiQ II work, same thing.
 
I view these as time saving devices - checking temps constantly for 6-14++ hours is not really a skill for me, but more of a chore and I like to keep busy or sleep instead of minding these details. I may have spent around $400 for DigiQII and a bunch of accessories, but its well worth it. A session or two will pay for my fairly valuable time.
 
Originally posted by Amir:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Brandon A:
I just cant help but think that you have to be loosing some skill in using a stoker/guru.
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Actually, you gain a skill with Stoker, not lose. You have a full graph of how your smoker did overnight. You can save these and then compare them to your future cooks and refine how you set your vents, make your fire, etc.

The situation is like digital photography vs film. With digital, you take a picture and if it looks too dark, you learn why and can quickly fix. With film, you get the results back days later and by then can't remember what you did wrong and no chance to do it over again.

With stoker, I can watch the graph and notice that wild swings in temps and go and do something about it before going to sleep so that the temps are more stable, etc.

Further, you can share your graphs with others and ask them for help if you can't figure something out.

Really, there is no down side other than the initial expense. The "art" here is in cooking, not being an human thermometer
icon_smile.gif
. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Point(s) well taken Amir. I would have to say that I am probably more afraid of ATC's then anything. Although I know my way around a computer well, I have no knowledge about networks, other then my neighbors offer me free internet
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. It seems to get a bit intricate, and I'm not sure I can handle all of it. Any advice on how I could get started without getting totally confused?

Brandon
 
Brandon,

I own a stoker, and I have also used a Guru Digi Q 2. I gave up the Guru because I wanted to get the stoker since it can control multiple cookers. I am expecting my third blower today, so I will be able to run 3 WSM off the same unit. Very handy for competition.

So, my advice to you would be - if you don't need the ability to control multiple cookers, and it doesn't sound like you love computer networking, maybe you should consider the Guru. The guru is incredibly easy to use and works just as well.
 
Originally posted by Brandon A:
Point(s) well taken Amir. I would have to say that I am probably more afraid of ATC's then anything. Although I know my way around a computer well, I have no knowledge about networks, other then my neighbors offer me free internet
icon_wink.gif
. It seems to get a bit intricate, and I'm not sure I can handle all of it. Any advice on how I could get started without getting totally confused?

Brandon
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That is a fair and common concern. But no network knowledge is needed beyond what you already know. The stoker is very easy to get connected on your home network. All you need is a network (Ethernet) cable and the rest is automatic.

Now, using wireless takes a bit more work as you have to buy an adapter for it. But the community here is excellent and can easily help you through that (there are also existing threads here).

Once there, you can use the browser to configure the stoker or my program. Both are very simple to use since you are not messing with a small display on a device. If you can surf the web using a browser, you can control the stoker.

Again, people here are quite helpful and some are IT/networking professionals in their day job so they can help you with just about anything.

So jump in. The water is warm around here
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Originally posted by Amir:
So jump in. The water is warm around here
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.
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Not quite yet, I really need to lay off the spending. Xmas is comming you know
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Maybe ol'Saint Nick will bring me one.

Brandon
 
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