Has anyone used the "Heavy D" Stick burner attachment?

[zachd]

https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/the-heavy-d-stick-burning-heat-diffuser/




I wonder if its worth the price or just stick with the AMPS

 

[keithd]

Well, considering it's made of heavy gauge steel, it's probably worth it from a time and materials perspective, but I just got 2 cheapy square tube smokers for $18 total, and that should make more than plenty of smoke. I'd think even 1 AMNTS would be sufficient.

This would be for someone who really wants to use actual wood chunks a lot but doesn't want to ditch the pellet grill for a offset stick burner.

 

[mike243]

Too much heat the way he was talking,I could make 1 and not use the screen but leave 1 end open and it would smoulder without catching fire imo,be about the same as a chip box for a gas grill,just have to limit the fresh air and the wood will smoke without producing much heat

 

[RCAlan]

This is going to be along post, sorry, but I hope the info helps... I’ve been looking for some extra smoke flavor for a while... Saw the OP a while back and watched the video and did some research. I also watched the video of the JenUwineJerry stick burning heat diffuser and thought it was a good design also... hard choice, but I went ahead and got myself the Heavy D stick burning heat diffuser from SmokeDaddyinc.com last week and fired it up for the first time today. I have a Pitboss Austin XL which is a Non-PID controller pellet grill... I had some concerns with the possibility of abnormal temp swings because of the extra heat being produced. Its design is a much better heat diffuser then the stock one which is designed for direct flame grilling. I experienced no wild temps swings at all.. Didn’t need to prop/crack the lid at all and temps were within 10* degrees +- all day for a Non PID controller Pit Boss.. Now for the added smoke flavor... I used Hickory wood chunks and lump charcoals in the “Heavy D”, mostly the Hickory Chunks.. The added wood flavor was great true wood flavor.. I could truly tell the difference because of the size of the chunks and the amount of wood that can be added. The chunks will burn for a couple of hours and then the wood pellet smoke will kick in after the chunks have burned out, but that 2 plus hours of wood smoke is huge. Pellet smoke is nice, but those who miss that “Extra” that only true wood can produce, this is the direction you should go.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and always... Semper Fi

 

[ReefJones]

Excellent feedback RCAlan. Thanks!

 

[Cale89]

This is going to be along post, sorry, but I hope the info helps... I’ve been looking for some extra smoke flavor for a while... Saw the OP a while back and watched the video and did some research. I also watched the video of the JenUwineJerry stick burning heat diffuser and thought it was a good design also... hard choice, but I went ahead and got myself the Heavy D stick burning heat diffuser from SmokeDaddyinc.com last week and fired it up for the first time today. I have a Pitboss Austin XL which is a Non-PID controller pellet grill... I had some concerns with the possibility of abnormal temp swings because of the extra heat being produced. Its design is a much better heat diffuser then the stock one which is designed for direct flame grilling. I experienced no wild temps swings at all.. Didn’t need to prop/crack the lid at all and temps were within 10* degrees +- all day for a Non PID controller Pit Boss.. Now for the added smoke flavor... I used Hickory wood chunks and lump charcoals in the “Heavy D”, mostly the Hickory Chunks.. The added wood flavor was great true wood flavor.. I could truly tell the difference because of the size of the chunks and the amount of wood that can be added. The chunks will burn for a couple of hours and then the wood pellet smoke will kick in after the chunks have burned out, but that 2 plus hours of wood smoke is huge. Pellet smoke is nice, but those who miss that “Extra” that only true wood can produce, this is the direction you should go.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and always... Semper Fi

Hi RC Alan,
When starting you grill did you turn the temp up high to get the wood smoking like the video states? I turned my grill up to 300 and the wood lit up. The grill temps started to rise to 500 so I had to pull everything out and put my old heat shield in.
Any tips would be great.

 

[ReefJones]

Cale89 - What grille are you using it in?
Thanks,
RJ

 

[RCAlan]

Hi RC Alan,
When starting you grill did you turn the temp up high to get the wood smoking like the video states? I turned my grill up to 300 and the wood lit up. The grill temps started to rise to 500 so I had to pull everything out and put my old heat shield in.
Any tips would be great.

These are the steps I used with the Heavy D Heat Diffuser and my PB Austin XL... Each brand of Grill may function a little different.

1. Soak your wood chunks for 30 mins. but “Don’t “put them in the heat diffuser dripping wet. A few hours before your cook should be fine. Do you have to soak the wood?? No.
2. Preheat your grill for 20-30 mins. at 300-350* degrees “Without” the heat diffuser or flame broiler installed.
3. Add your wood to the heat diffuser as per the instructions from the SmokeDaddy instruction form. Use the larges pieces of wood chunks possible.. Small chunk pieces and chips will burn to fast. Do not put any wood on top of the heat diffuser. Make sure you have/use a good wood source too. Not all packaged wood is the same... That’s for a different thread.
4. Once your grills temp has stabilized during the preheating at either 300-350* degrees, now set it between 200–250* degrees and now install the Heavy D heat diffuser, the flame broiler main plate and slider centered on flame broiler and then add your cooking grids and water pan. Then add your meat.
5. If You set grills temp higher then 250* degrees, like at 300* plus degrees, the wood will fire off to hot and you’ll see the temps race up and You’ll have a Smokey mess... Set it between 200-250* degrees and the wood will fire off just right. Also adding a water pan will keep your grills temp very stable.
6. Once the wood chunks have fired off, you’ll know by the smell of the wood and a nice steady stream of light smoke which will be different then the smoke your pellet grill puts out. To help the wood chunks to last longer, the moment you smell the wood or first see the light steady smoke, Set/keep your grills temp between 200-225* degrees.
7. You shouldn’t have to prop/crack the grills lid if you use a water pan. My Grills temp stayed within 10-15* degrees of my set temp while using a water pan.
8. I hope these tips help.. I’m still thinking about foiling the wood, but I want all the extra Wood Smoke Flavor I can get for those two plus hours, so I haven’t used/tried any foil yet.
9. Once you get it dialed in, You’ll notice the difference in the smoke flavor in your bbq. It’s a smoke like a stick burning grill. Pellet smoke is nice, but there is a difference.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[Cale89]

Cale89 - What grille are you using it in?
Thanks,
RJ

I have a GMG Jim Bowie.

 

[MrBewst]

RCAlan - Does your SD HD fit in the XL ok? It seems to be quite a tight fit in my Pit Boss 700FB and causes the PB drip pan to sit with less angle and really close to the grates on the left side. By the way, great information. Hoping to make this work and get similar results.

 

[RCAlan]

RCAlan - Does your SD HD fit in the XL ok? It seems to be quite a tight fit in my Pit Boss 700FB and causes the PB drip pan to sit with less angle and really close to the grates on the left side. By the way, great information. Hoping to make this work and get similar results.

The SmokeDaddy Stick Burning Heat Diffuser is a tight fit for my Austin XL as far as depth wise, but it does fit. I have the heat diffuser placed about a inch to a inch and a half off center to the Right covering the Fire Pot. You’re going to have to experiment a little too find the best placement fit for your size grill, but it should work. Not all Pellet Grills dimensions are a like... Some are Deep and some Small Grills are Super shallow. I would say anyone thinking about getting one and may have doubts, should reach out and contact SmokeDaddy first for their input and advice. Again, with my size grill, I knew I wouldn’t have a problem and I think with Your size grill, it should work fine after finding the right placement over the Fire Pot. Is it going to be a perfect fit for most pellet grills?? Probably not, but BBQing is a hobby that requires experimenting and experimenting requires adjustments... That’s what makes this hobby so much fun.. Good luck.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[Cale89]

His rc Alan,
Thanks for the tips. I will need to play around with it when I am not cooking anything and see what works for my smoker.

 

[RCAlan]

RCAlan - Does your SD HD fit in the XL ok? It seems to be quite a tight fit in my Pit Boss 700FB and causes the PB drip pan to sit with less angle and really close to the grates on the left side. By the way, great information. Hoping to make this work and get similar results.

I was thinking if You added 2-3 metal binder clips on the left side where your drip pan sits in your PB 700, they could add 1/4-1-2 inches in elevation and give it more of an angle to help your drip pan work more effectively.. A bag of clips goes for about $4.00 at Home Depot... Experimenting and new ideas... Give it a shot.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[RCAlan]

Update.. For those who have the SD HD Stick Burning Heat Diffuser, if You can find/buy your wood in stick or small log pieces that will fit in the heat diffuser, the burn time will be a lot longer then using chunks and that should be your first option. Once your wood has just started to fire off, lower your grills temp to 200-225* degrees and add a water pan. You can also go down to smoke mode too benefit from both the pellet smoke and the wood stick/small log pieces burning at the same time.. That route would be up to You as now you have more options to try too dial in the wood flavor to your liking... but you’ll never be lacking in true wood smoke flavor. FYI... The higher the temp, the hotter and faster the wood will burn and You’ll have smoke all over the place and you don’t want that. TBS type smoke is always the goal. If all You have are chunk pieces, do the same steps as the wood stick burn. Don’t use wood Chips... Make sure the chunks have fired off first and then set your grill to 200-225* degrees or smoke mode. In Smoke mode, the wood will still burn because of the grills temp and the initial fire off of the chunks... and Sticks... It’ll just be at a lower and slower pace... Remember to add a water pan for the wood chunk smoke burn as well. The lower the grills temp, the longer the wood will burn in your SD HD heat diffuser. Every Pellet Grill is different, so trying and testing the lower temps is a part of getting things dialed in. Always Smokin my Que... Hope the info helps.


PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[StevenAg03]

RCAlan, did you have to make any modifications to your Austin XL to get the SD HD to work? does it still go under the arched drip tray?

 

[RCAlan]

RCAlan, did you have to make any modifications to your Austin XL to get the SD HD to work? does it still go under the arched drip tray?

No modifications... The fit is a bit snug though. You’ll have to place it a little off center to the right covering the burn pot, other then that , no mods. Make sure when you use it, preheat your grill first for at least 20mins. before you do anything... Once done, for a long Smoke, set your grills temp no higher then 225* degrees... “Smoke” mode is best.. Wait until your grills temp settles down from the Preheat temp, on down to either 225*-200* or Smoke... and then place your SD HD in your grill, drip pan, grill grates and a water pan in your smoker, then your meat and close the lid. Your grill will produce smoke from the pellets first and it may take 30 plus mins. until the wood in the SD HD starts to fire off and smolder... Keep an eye on the temp. For a regular bbq cook, set your desired temp to 250* degrees and then place only the SD HD in your grill over the burn pot and watch it until the wood starts to smoke from the SD HD. When you see the Wood just starting to smoke, drop your grills temp down to 200* degrees and then place the drip pan, grill grates and then your meat in the grill and close the lid. Once the wood chunks or sticks start to fire off, you’ll know by the smell of the smoke and the temp on your grill will start to rise... Your grills temp will read a bit higher due to the wood burning, but the lower the grills temp setting, like “Smoke” mode or 200* degrees, the longer the wood will burn and smoke for you. Also, adding a water pan will help keep you grills temps stable. Wood Prep.. Soak your wood first for at least 30 mins. but don’t put them in the heat diffuser wet... And don’t use wood chips. The larger and denser the wood pieces the better. You want the wood to light up and smolders, not light up and burn up... Just know, the wood will burn and the temp on your grill will rise. If it gets to hot, open the lid to help the heat to escape and then close the lid back. A water pan really helps in keeping the temps more stable. Using the SD HD is not a set it and forget it tool... You have to watch your grill. Keep an eye on everything and once You’ve done it a few times, you’ll know how to make the right adjustments for your cook.
Good luck

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[mike243]

Sounds just like running a old style smoker,I traded a lighter smoke profile for less monkeying with the smoker lol,a tube gives a xtra hit of smoke with less trouble,lot of different ways to get where you want to go and all are fun but repeatability means a lot to me

 

[RCAlan]

Sounds just like running a old style smoker,I traded a lighter smoke profile for less monkeying with the smoker lol,a tube gives a xtra hit of smoke with less trouble,lot of different ways to get where you want to go and all are fun but repeatability means a lot to me

It’s like having the best of both worlds... Natural wood and pellets, but with the distinct nature wood flavor that pellets and pellet tubes can’t duplicate. There is a little bit more work involved, but it’s not that hard... and the outcome is truly worth the effort.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[sweetride95]

Sounds just like running a old style smoker,I traded a lighter smoke profile for less monkeying with the smoker lol,a tube gives a xtra hit of smoke with less trouble,lot of different ways to get where you want to go and all are fun but repeatability means a lot to me

This is what I was thinking. If I wanted a tedious experience, I would still be running my ugly drum smoker. To each their own though.

 

[retfr8flyr]

I would try some Mojobitcks before I went to the "Heavy D".