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

[SlowmotionQue]

I get Your point... If the goal is to enjoy a real stick burner flavor profile in Ones bbq, why not just use a real Stick Burner, which is truly the original and best way? Well, IMO opinion, it’s the hobby aspect of trying new things and testing news ways and seeing what those efforts can bring. If I can get my pellet grill to produce real wood smoke, why not give it a try? Will those efforts bring results exactly as an original Stick Burner? You never know until you give it a shot...
That’s one of the fun aspects of this hobby besides making great bbq is being able to try something different and perhaps make something better by thinking outside the box.
Does burning real wood increase the wood flavor profile produced by pellet grills? Yes. Are there some compromises in this effort? Yes. Is it worth the extra effort? For some, Yes and for some, No.

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

Well, yeah, I guess you have a point.

If you like to experiment and tinker, well then this is certainly one way to do it.

However from what I'm reading, it would seem that this method could still use a good deal of tweaking.

Have you considered using a miniature burn barrel, ie a chimney, to burn the wood chunks down to embers and then putting those glowing embers into an open topped and/or bottom perforated container inside the pellet grill?

I thought of this because some pit masters use a burn barrel to create embers. They use these glowing embers for both heat and for the resulting TBS which comes from them.

I got this notion, because someone actually used this method for a Weber kettle.

They kept a chimney of wood chunks going, reducing those chunks to red hot coals to burn off the "nasties" ie most of the byproducts which would result in bitter, white smoke, and basically did the entire cook, I don't recall whether it was a brisket or ribs, using these burned to red hot coals wood chunks on one side of the kettle for heat and for the barely visible TBS that wood burned to this point, tends to produce.

It's not something that I am willing to try, as at this point, I tend to believe...no, I'm personally convinced, that the whole exercise of attempting to get stick burner flavor from a pellet grill, is at best a questionable expenditure of time. A dubious expenditure of time and effort when a real stick burner can be had for less than $800.00.

I don't want to go so far as to call it a "fool's errand", but there is no doubt in my own mind at this point, that it is and has been, at least for me, a questionable expenditure of time.

It is my opinion, and it indeed conforms to logic, that the only way to consistently, reliably and accurately get "stick burner flavor"............................................................................is to cook on a stick burner.

Anything else, any other method, has clearly not to this point, been shown to reliably and consistently provide same....... except in the minds of that very small handful of "non stick burner, but pellet grill" owners who've attempted via makeshift methods.

In other words, no blind or double blind taste tests have been performed, at least not to my knowledge, which would confirm that any of the aforementioned "stick burner flavor mimicking" techniques described in this thread, actually does indeed and without doubt, provide flavor the same as that produced from off of a stick burner.

However what I describe above, using a burn chamber to produce red hot coals, giving off TBS, to be transferred into a container inside of a pellet grill, might plant a seed or motivate someone who actually is interested in investing time into such an endeavor as attempting to mimic stick burner taste results on a pellet grill by using "real" wood in it.

 

[kstone113]

Hey all,

I did use my Heavy D the other day for Pork shoulder. I used the foil method and worked as I thought it would. I cooked the butt at 250 which gets the real wood smoking within 30 minutes. My temps held steady.

I'm more with RCAlan to where he is coming from. I do like to tinker but also, I just don't have the time in my life to do the whole stick burner thing. I probably will someday but right now, I just don't. I do realize when using the Heavy D, it takes away some of the set it and forget it but still has less work than even my propane smoker was.

The whole meat loaf thing I am still tinkering with. I did a cook with wood chips and chunks in it covered with foil but poked holes and cooked around 225 and a lot of the wood didn't even smoke or ignite. But when I tried uncovering it another cook, it caught fire. So I'm still messing around with that. Appears at least with my Rec Tec Bull that cooking at 250 is always hot enough to ignite extra wood whether in Heavy D or meat loaf pan. If I want to cook at 225, I'm better off pre-heating the grill to 275 to 300 to get the wood going and let the grill tamper off down to 225. I do know when I do that though it will take a lot of time to get down to temp because of the extra heat from the wood. I am ok with that though as the PID controlled Bull does get back down. It just can take an hour or longer.

The heavy D is nice and I'm glad I have it but if I was someone else and I was tight on money and didn't have an extra $100, I would just do the meat loaf pan trick. Another thing to keep in mind with the Heavy D is that it is made for side loading hoppers. It does work on the Bull turning it sideways but still not made for a backend hopper. So like SlowmotionQue just uses a heat diffuser whereas I won't ever do that because of the design.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Hey all,

I did use my Heavy D the other day for Pork shoulder. I used the foil method and worked as I thought it would. I cooked the butt at 250 which gets the real wood smoking within 30 minutes. My temps held steady.

I'm more with RCAlan to where he is coming from. I do like to tinker but also, I just don't have the time in my life to do the whole stick burner thing. I probably will someday but right now, I just don't. I do realize when using the Heavy D, it takes away some of the set it and forget it but still has less work than even my propane smoker was.

The whole meat loaf thing I am still tinkering with. I did a cook with wood chips and chunks in it covered with foil but poked holes and cooked around 225 and a lot of the wood didn't even smoke or ignite. But when I tried uncovering it another cook, it caught fire. So I'm still messing around with that. Appears at least with my Rec Tec Bull that cooking at 250 is always hot enough to ignite extra wood whether in Heavy D or meat loaf pan. If I want to cook at 225, I'm better off pre-heating the grill to 275 to 300 to get the wood going and let the grill tamper off down to 225. I do know when I do that though it will take a lot of time to get down to temp because of the extra heat from the wood. I am ok with that though as the PID controlled Bull does get back down. It just can take an hour or longer.

The heavy D is nice and I'm glad I have it but if I was someone else and I was tight on money and didn't have an extra $100, I would just do the meat loaf pan trick. Another thing to keep in mind with the Heavy D is that it is made for side loading hoppers. It does work on the Bull turning it sideways but still not made for a backend hopper. So like SlowmotionQue just uses a heat diffuser whereas I won't ever do that because of the design.

Just as a side note, you can cut the SDHD in the same places as the stock diffuser is cut, and still use it in your Bull as a replacement stock diffuser if you were so inclined.

Secondly, I did an interesting experiment yesterday and smoked ribs on my Kamado Joe at between 225 and 250 degrees.

But using apple wood, instead of hickory this time along with my usual Royal Oak lump charcoal.

What I discovered was that because apple doesn’t give off as strong an aroma when it burns, ie lighter smoke flavor, the ribs off my Kamado Joe using apple wood chunks as opposed to hickory, tasted uncannily similar to ribs off my Rec Tec, using Lumberjack MHC Competition pellets and my smoke tube filled with hickory pellets.

Remarkably similar.

In other words, while my Kamado Joe isn’t a stick burner, when it comes to smoke flavor, I may already have what I’ve been looking for.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

As I think about it, it sort of makes sense. Hickory and other nut woods, generally give a stronger smoke profile than do fruit woods.

Thus hickory pellets in my smoke tubes placed in my pellet grill, gives me a flavor very similar to, close to on par with, reminiscent of, whatever you want to callout, apple wood chunks placed in my Kamado.

I'm thinking that were I to try the same taste test, that I'd get similar results using other fruit woods such as peach or cherry.

I can get my hands on some peach wood, and will also try this experiment with cherry wood too.

I use A-MAZE-N pellets in my smoke tubes. I bought hickory and Pecan. They're pricey, but they're good pellets, and a few of them go a long way when I use them in a smoke tube. I'd never use them in my hopper. Too pricey.

This has me wondering if Mesquite pellets, or a mix of say, Mesquite and hickory pellets, 50/50 burned in a smoke tube, would give a smoke flavor on par with what I'd get using hickory chunks in my Kamado. Mesquite pellets, though I've never burned them, should offer a still stronger smoke profile than even hickory or pecan pellets.

I'm thinking that "dialing up" on the type or selection of pellets to use in a smoke tube, ie pellets which would give a stronger smoke profile, might land me at about on par with a wood selection which is "one step down" from whatever pellet I'm burning in the tube.

In other words, to arrive at what apple would give me in a charcoal burner, I dial the pellets up to hickory. And in order to arrive at a smoke flavor that would be close to hickory in a charcoal burner, I dial the smoke tube pellets up to Mesquite ....or even Mesquite and hickory 50/50.

This is what I call a worthwhile experiment. And I intend to do it and get back. I know that this experiment will not cause my temps to shoot up and out of whack.

Below is a pic of my smoke tubes. During a cook, I use one of them or the other, not both. But I'm contemplating using both for my next brisket.

I place them onto the grates, but I place them at spots which would cause much of the smoke tube to be off of the drip pan. Or not over the drip pan. I don't want the drip pan underneath them. I do this so as not to waste grate space. I never stack food outside of the drip pan. That's a good way to get a grease fire.

 

[RCAlan]

Hey all,

I did use my Heavy D the other day for Pork shoulder. I used the foil method and worked as I thought it would. I cooked the butt at 250 which gets the real wood smoking within 30 minutes. My temps held steady.

I'm more with RCAlan to where he is coming from. I do like to tinker but also, I just don't have the time in my life to do the whole stick burner thing. I probably will someday but right now, I just don't. I do realize when using the Heavy D, it takes away some of the set it and forget it but still has less work than even my propane smoker was.

The whole meat loaf thing I am still tinkering with. I did a cook with wood chips and chunks in it covered with foil but poked holes and cooked around 225 and a lot of the wood didn't even smoke or ignite. But when I tried uncovering it another cook, it caught fire. So I'm still messing around with that. Appears at least with my Rec Tec Bull that cooking at 250 is always hot enough to ignite extra wood whether in Heavy D or meat loaf pan. If I want to cook at 225, I'm better off pre-heating the grill to 275 to 300 to get the wood going and let the grill tamper off down to 225. I do know when I do that though it will take a lot of time to get down to temp because of the extra heat from the wood. I am ok with that though as the PID controlled Bull does get back down. It just can take an hour or longer.

The heavy D is nice and I'm glad I have it but if I was someone else and I was tight on money and didn't have an extra $100, I would just do the meat loaf pan trick. Another thing to keep in mind with the Heavy D is that it is made for side loading hoppers. It does work on the Bull turning it sideways but still not made for a backend hopper. So like SlowmotionQue just uses a heat diffuser whereas I won't ever do that because of the design.

Kstone113, here’s a good read I came across awhile back... It covers all aspects of wood smoking... Good and bad... When white smoke is good and even when smoldering smoke can work in a good way. It also covers the struggles with temp management while burning wood. There’s even info about aluminum foil wrapped wood and aluminum meat loaf pans... It’s a long read, but anyone interested in wood fired smoking should read the entire article. It’s very informative and great info to share..

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...iring/what-you-need-know-about-wood-smoke-and

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

 

[kstone113]

Before I read that article, I wanted to report I used my Heavy D over the weekend on brisket. My first briskets I made in my Rec Tec were great and these were also. But I was surprised that I didn't really have a smoke ring at all to the first time I did briskets, I did.

The smoke flavor to me was the same with the Heavy D and without it. There is a few factors at play here. The first briskets I did do 4 so two of them were on racks which could allow for better smoke distribution b/c I did have to rotate the meats. But also I can't help but think it might be because of the heavy D. In the Bull(Not stampede), the heavy D is made for a side auger, not a rear one. I could use my heavy D as my main heat diffuser but since the diffuser sits lower, it doesn't allow the firebox flame to get as high and have as much airflow.

I know smoke rings in general mean nothing really for taste but I do like to see one b/c it looks better. I cooked my briskets mostly at 225(I meant to go 250 before I went to be but forgot). Perhaps that had something to do with it.

I am starting to question though if using this is really worth it ans if just using a meat loaf pan would be a better option to use real wood in the smoker. I don't know when my next brisket will be but I think I will just try the pan next time.

I am starting to think I should of gotten a cold smoker from Smokedaddy. The downside of that is you have to drill a small hole in the smoker but not the end of the world. The cold smokers Smokedaddy has works very well from what I've read and seen from videos. I'm not ready to completely give up on the heavy D but may not be worth the extra work to set-up. I had thought my ribs were better because of it.

But for those of you who are on the fence about this product, I may be leaning towards not using anymore but need more testing before I go completely away from it.

Just my thoughts on this....but for me, the temp control isn't an issue....

 

[kstone113]

Thanks for the article RCAlan - still wrapping my head around this all. Perhaps that temporary white smothering smoke is ok for a shorter cook like ribs but not brisket?

My brisket was still amazing as usual but again, no smoke ring when last time I had a pretty good one from just using the smoker as is(not even a smoke tube).

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Thanks for the article RCAlan - still wrapping my head around this all. Perhaps that temporary white smothering smoke is ok for a shorter cook like ribs but not brisket?

My brisket was still amazing as usual but again, no smoke ring when last time I had a pretty good one from just using the smoker as is(not even a smoke tube).

Interesting report. However a smoke tube won't necessarily impact whether you do or don't get a smoke ring.

So that you still got a smoke ring on your prior brisket from just cooking in the smoker, but without using a smoke tube, really should not be a surprise.

In your prior post, you mentioned that a smoke ring has nothing to do with taste, and it's true.

But a smoke ring is also reported to be more dependent upon the reaction of NO and CO with the myoglobin in the meat, than the actual amount of smoke generated by smoke tubes and other devices.

A smoke tube thus, would have little or no impact on the presence or absence of a smoke ring.

This is likely why you saw what you report above in bold.

The following or first link, is an excellent article, one of the best I've ever read on the subject and well worth the read. Since reading it, I've found it to be very true, and it has definitely made me less concerned about a visible smoke ring than I have ever been. It puts the smoke ring into perspective perhaps better than any other article on the subject I've read.

It reads in part: "The fuel you choose to cook with determines the amount of NO that can be produced......According to Blonder, wood bark contains more nitrogen (therefore, more potential NO) than either sapwood (the newer, outer part of a stem or branch) or the heartwood (the inner portion), and charcoal briquettes contain even more. As cut wood dries, or seasons, it loses nitrogen as well, so green wood is better than seasoned wood if a smoke ring is the goal."

Its the amount of NO and CO you get from your fuel source to react with the myoglobin that gets you the smoke ring. Not the amount of smoke you can generate.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/the-science-of-the-smoke-ring/

The below quote

"Blonder has proven that the smoke ring is an interaction between a pink protein in meat named myoglobin with the gases nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). NO and CO are made by the combination of carbon and nitrogen with oxygen during the combustion of wood or charcoal. The white billowy stuff has nothing to do with the process."

comes from https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...nce/mythbusting-smoke-ring-no-smoke-necessary

It too is a very good read.

Like you, I also did a brisket this past weekend, and used both of my smoke tubes at the same time. Something I had not "successfully" done before. I did it really to see how much longer my 18in smoke tube burns vs my 12in smoke tube under the same grill temperatures. The results of the brisket and the smoke ring follow:

Not much of a smoke ring at all. Even with using two smoke tubes. This verifies to me that the use of a smoke tube has little or no bearing on whether or not a smoke ring results in behind using one. Or even two. But then I don't care so much. I only care how it tastes. And this was one of my best tasting briskets yet.

I started this one at 275° and allowed the temp to drop back down to 225°. It was also bathed in Worcestershire sauce before the rub was applied to it.

Starting it hot like that and coating it with Worchestershire sauce before the rub, may all have inhibited the reaction between the NO, CO and myoglobin.

I started it hot, because I had the Stampede set at 400° from the last cook, and did not recognize it until I was ready to put this brisket on and looked and saw the temp at around 390°.

Willing to wait only until the PID controller dropped the temp down to 275°, I went ahead and put it on.

This one below, also done on my Rec Tec, but done with just one smoke tube, which is again how I know that using a smoke tube has little if any impact on the presence or absence of a smoke ring, it came out a little prettier in terms of the smoke ring, but I'm just as satisfied with the first one as I am with the second one, despite the relative absence of a smoke ring in it.

As far as the SDHD though, well, it was inevitable that you would arrive at much the same conclusion that I did.

I found that for me at least, it's simply not worth the extra effort.

And when I see you write;

The smoke flavor to me was the same with the Heavy D and without it.......I'm not ready to completely give up on the heavy D but may not be worth the extra work to set-up........I am starting to question though if using this is really worth it an(d) if just using a meat loaf pan would be a better option to use real wood in the smoker.

I am hardly shocked by your assessment.

 

[DoubleBull]

Interesting report. However a smoke tube won't necessarily impact whether you do or don't get a smoke ring.

So that you still got a smoke ring on your prior brisket from just cooking in the smoker, but without using a smoke tube, really should not be a surprise.

In your prior post, you mentioned that a smoke ring has nothing to do with taste, and it's true.

But a smoke ring is also reported to be more dependent upon the reaction of NO and CO with the myoglobin in the meat, than the actual amount of smoke generated by smoke tubes and other devices.

A smoke tube thus, would have no impact on the presence or absence of a smoke ring.

This is likely why you saw what you report above in bold.

The following or first link, is an excellent article, one of the best I've ever read on the subject and well worth the read. Since reading it, I've found it to be very true, and it has definitely made me less concerned about a visible smoke ring than I have ever been. It puts the smoke ring into perspective perhaps better than any other article on the subject I've read.

It reads in part: "The fuel you choose to cook with determines the amount of NO that can be produced......According to Blonder, wood bark contains more nitrogen (therefore, more potential NO) than either sapwood (the newer, outer part of a stem or branch) or the heartwood (the inner portion), and charcoal briquettes contain even more. As cut wood dries, or seasons, it loses nitrogen as well, so green wood is better than seasoned wood if a smoke ring is the goal."

Its the amount of NO and CO you get from your fuel source to react with the myoglobin that gets you the smoke ring. Not the amount of smoke you can generate.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/the-science-of-the-smoke-ring/

The below quote

"Blonder has proven that the smoke ring is an interaction between a pink protein in meat named myoglobin with the gases nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). NO and CO are made by the combination of carbon and nitrogen with oxygen during the combustion of wood or charcoal. The white billowy stuff has nothing to do with the process."

comes from https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...nce/mythbusting-smoke-ring-no-smoke-necessary

It too is a very good read.

Like you, I also did a brisket this past weekend, and used both of my smoke tubes at the same time. Something I had not done before. I did it really to see how much longer my 18in smoke tube burns vs my 12in smoke tube under the same grill temperatures. The results of the brisket and the smoke ring follow:

View attachment 405415

View attachment 405416
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View attachment 405418

Not much of a smoke ring at all. Even using two smoke tubes. But then I don't care so much. I only care how it tastes. And this was one of my best tasting briskets yet.

View attachment 405420

I started this one at 275° and allowed the temp to drop back down to 225°. It was also bathed in Worcestershire sauce before the rub was applied to it.

Starting it hot like that and coating it with Worchestershire sauce before the rub, may all have inhibited the reaction between the NO, CO and myoglobin.

I started it hot, because I had the Stampede set at 400° from the last cook, and did not recognize it until I was ready to put this brisket on and looked and saw the temp at around 390°.

Willing to wait only until the PID controller dropped the temp down to 275°, I went ahead and put it on.

This one below, also done on my Rec Tec, but done with just one smoke tube, which is again how I know that using a smoke tube has little if any impact on the presence or absence of a smoke ring, it came out a little prettier in terms of the smoke ring, but I'm just as satisfied with the first one as I am with the second one, despite the relative absence of a smoke ring in it.

View attachment 405424

View attachment 405422
View attachment 405423

As far as the SDHD though, well, it was inevitable that you would arrive at much the same conclusion that I did.

I found that for me at least, it's simply not worth the extra effort.

And when I see you write;



I am hardly shocked by your assessment.

Beautiful brisket Slowmo, I assume that those briskets are choice or prime grade. They look very moist! Did you find the smoke profile to be stronger using two tubes as opposed to one?

As I have mentioned before I have not opened the package yet containing my A-MAZE-N-TUBE smoker but will probably try it the next time I smoke chicken thighs. And to think how nervous I was about smoke profile concerning pellet smokers before I purchased my RT 700.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Beautiful brisket Slowmo, I assume that those briskets are choice or prime grade. They look very moist! Did you find the smoke profile to be stronger using two tubes as opposed to one?

As I have mentioned before I have not opened the package yet containing my A-MAZE-N-TUBE smoker but will probably try it the next time I smoke chicken thighs. And to think how nervous I was about smoke profile concerning pellet smokers before I purchased my RT 700.

Thanks for the kind words. They are prime. Sam's Club. Here are three. Two of which I purchased on different dates. Sam's has the best price on USDA prime beef in my area.

When if comes to brisket, I'm a firm believer in that much of the success or failure is determined by the piece of meat you start with. This is why I don't even bother to cook Choice of Select briskets anymore after reading Aaron Franklin's book.

Cooking those, puts you behind the 8 ball right off the bat.

I was mistaken in that I had actually tried the two smoke tubes one other time, but one of them flamed out, so I don't count it as a real "attempt". This above brisket was another brisket that I did about a month ago. You can see the two lit smoke tubes.

The A-MAZE-N pellets are pricey, but I like them in the smoke tube.The smoke profile was a bit stronger using two A-MAZE-N hickory pellet filled smoke tubes as opposed to one for the brisket that I did this past Saturday.

But then to me it makes sense, in that I have seen it written that meat will take on smoke flavor or taste as long as it is exposed to it. And that smoke really does not penetrate meat to much extent, but rather the smoke taste you get, mostly comes from that which has settled onto the surface of the meat.

I believe it.

But as an aside, I was really again experimenting to see just how close to "stick burner" flavor, and just how strong of a smoke flavor I could get from off of my pellet grill. Hence the two smoke tubes.

I like to tinker and tweak. Hence my experience with the subject item in this thread, the SDHD. I actually eat less of what I cook than one might think. I eat just enough to get a good taste test in and a few leftovers. A rack of ribs, I might eat 3 or 4 bones tops over a two day period. Were I eating any more than that, well you can tell by all of the pics I've posted, I probably would have had a heart attack by now. I cook many times as a form of experimentation.

But I digress. Had I really done this "two smoke tubes test "right", I would have lit the second one after the first one burned out, instead of burning the two together. But I wanted to get some sleep.

The only reason why I know that the 12 inch burned for about 5hrs and the 18in had about 5 inches of pellets left in it at the same time as the 12 inch was petering out, was because I got up in the middle of the night to pee and decided to go outside and check on the brisket while I was up.

That said, both myself and my family are perfectly fine with the smoke flavor which comes from using the Xtreme smoke setting and no smoke tube at all.

Good luck in your efforts DoubleBull.

 

[kstone113]

Slowmotionque - yeah, a little humble pie to eat. I am not "done" with the heavy d but for now, I am going to tinker with the meat loaf trick. With where I am right now, seems like the the P.I.G. would of been a better way to go....
https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/big-kahuna-cold-smoke-generator/

If anyone is reading all of this, I would recommend one of smokedaddy's cold smokers over the heavy d.

Slowmotionque - the reason I won't use the Heavy D as a heat diffuer is because (as I said), it sits lower than the stock one so this prevents the Bull getting up to higher temps. And for now....I do sear on my Bull from time to time. I may get a Bullseye when they re-release it but for now....I still go to high temps in my Bull as it pretty much for the most part has replaced my Weber gasser.

 

[kstone113]

Slowmotionque - I haven't ever done a competition so wanted to say that first but I've gotten choice and prime brisket really didn't notice a big difference. These were just briskets for family though so perhaps when you get into competitions, that is where it comes into play. But after my first brisket I cooked that was good but not great, since then, all my briskets have come out awesome. To me, wrapping in butcher paper is one of the keys to mine. You have probably cooked more briskets than me though. I would say I've smoked briskets less than ten times but more than 5....I wish I smoked them more often.

 

[RCAlan]

Before I read that article, I wanted to report I used my Heavy D over the weekend on brisket. My first briskets I made in my Rec Tec were great and these were also. But I was surprised that I didn't really have a smoke ring at all to the first time I did briskets, I did.

The smoke flavor to me was the same with the Heavy D and without it. There is a few factors at play here. The first briskets I did do 4 so two of them were on racks which could allow for better smoke distribution b/c I did have to rotate the meats. But also I can't help but think it might be because of the heavy D. In the Bull(Not stampede), the heavy D is made for a side auger, not a rear one. I could use my heavy D as my main heat diffuser but since the diffuser sits lower, it doesn't allow the firebox flame to get as high and have as much airflow.

I know smoke rings in general mean nothing really for taste but I do like to see one b/c it looks better. I cooked my briskets mostly at 225(I meant to go 250 before I went to be but forgot). Perhaps that had something to do with it.

I am starting to question though if using this is really worth it ans if just using a meat loaf pan would be a better option to use real wood in the smoker. I don't know when my next brisket will be but I think I will just try the pan next time.

I am starting to think I should of gotten a cold smoker from Smokedaddy. The downside of that is you have to drill a small hole in the smoker but not the end of the world. The cold smokers Smokedaddy has works very well from what I've read and seen from videos. I'm not ready to completely give up on the heavy D but may not be worth the extra work to set-up. I had thought my ribs were better because of it.

But for those of you who are on the fence about this product, I may be leaning towards not using anymore but need more testing before I go completely away from it.

Just my thoughts on this....but for me, the temp control isn't an issue....

While doing some upgrades to my PB Austin XL and still in the process, you gave me an idea... You mentioned the SmokeDaddy Magnum P.I.G. cold smoke generator.. Thank You for the suggestion. After doing some research and many reviews...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review...5?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=five_star&pageNumber=1

I pulled the trigger on one and should have it by next week. The device is able to cold smoke and hot smoke and the generator does not add heat to the cooking camber... just smoke. When I get it set up and all the other mods I’m doing to my PB Austin XL completed, I’ll post back how the Magnum P.I.G. performed.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[kstone113]

hey RCAlan - let us know how you like it once you have it set-up. I was chatting with someone on a rect tec fb group and he has both the Heavy D and PIG. He likes them both but does prefer the PIG. Says though sometimes it is hard to keep going....I'm super curious to hear your experience as I've thought about getting one myself.

 

[kstone113]

Just wanted to report back some of my uses with the meat loaf pan trick. Well, pretty much every time I've tried, it has caught on fire which is not what I want and temps go crazy. Thankfully both times it was near the end.

I did ribs last night and used the meat loaf pan and was not happy with how it all worked. I didn't see extra smoke until after 3 hours when I had wrapped the ribs. That was also with pre-heating the grill up to 300 + for 30 minutes. So at this point, I'm not inclined to try the meat loaf pan trick. I know the guys I've seen do it just use chips but I like to use chunks also.

AT least with the heavy D, I saw and got more smoke and it was consistent with no temp spikes as long as I use the aluminum foil. For the meat loaf pan, a couple times ago I didn't cover in foil and just kind of crimped it closed but not fully. This time was foiled the top and poked holes but still got a fire so not sure where to go from there.

Next time I do ribs, I'm definitely going back to using the heavy D. The pain of the heavy D is you have to take everything out and I don't like leaving in there for just grilling. The temp from my testing does not get as high with it in.

Though I won't buy from Amazon b/c it is more expensive....I may start thinking about the cold smoker from Smokedaddy. I just initially went with the Heavy D over that because(and admittedly didn't research the cold smoker much) because I won't have to mod the grill or aka drill a hole into it.

Please keep us updated RCAlan on how the P.I.G. is when you've used it a few times.

 

[RCAlan]

Just wanted to report back some of my uses with the meat loaf pan trick. Well, pretty much every time I've tried, it has caught on fire which is not what I want and temps go crazy. Thankfully both times it was near the end.

I did ribs last night and used the meat loaf pan and was not happy with how it all worked. I didn't see extra smoke until after 3 hours when I had wrapped the ribs. That was also with pre-heating the grill up to 300 + for 30 minutes. So at this point, I'm not inclined to try the meat loaf pan trick. I know the guys I've seen do it just use chips but I like to use chunks also.

AT least with the heavy D, I saw and got more smoke and it was consistent with no temp spikes as long as I use the aluminum foil. For the meat loaf pan, a couple times ago I didn't cover in foil and just kind of crimped it closed but not fully. This time was foiled the top and poked holes but still got a fire so not sure where to go from there.

Next time I do ribs, I'm definitely going back to using the heavy D. The pain of the heavy D is you have to take everything out and I don't like leaving in there for just grilling. The temp from my testing does not get as high with it in.

Though I won't buy from Amazon b/c it is more expensive....I may start thinking about the cold smoker from Smokedaddy. I just initially went with the Heavy D over that because(and admittedly didn't research the cold smoker much) because I won't have to mod the grill or aka drill a hole into it.

Please keep us updated RCAlan on how the P.I.G. is when you've used it a few times.

Thanks for the update Kstone113... The SD Magnum P.I.G. should be arriving sometime tomorrow, so after I get it installed baring any setbacks, I’ll do my first cook with it hopefully Friday if not, then Sunday. I’ll post first how the install goes and then I’ll post my first try cook setup and results.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[kstone113]

Hey RCAlan - after you install yours, let me know of any tips installing. I am really thinking about pulling the trigger on it.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Hey RCAlan - after you install yours, let me know of any tips installing. I am really thinking about pulling the trigger on it.

Well one tip which might help, is that with your Bull, you'll need to either bore a hole through the stainless steel, or use a hole saw to cut through it.

Make sure that you use the right tools.

And before that, also you may want to take into consideration the remainder of the 6yrs of your warranty before you bore a hole through it. Just sayin'.

 

[RCAlan]

Hey RCAlan - after you install yours, let me know of any tips installing. I am really thinking about pulling the trigger on it.

Just an update... I just received the SD Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoker about 2 hours ago... After going through and inspecting all the parts, I discovered a defect in one of the parts. I reached out to SD and their Customer Service and Management were very helpful. A replacement part is on the way... I asked them to inspect and test the part prior to sending it out and they said that they would. I’ve ordered many items from them in the past and never had any issues and I wouldn’t hesitate ordering from them in the future... Great Company... I’ll post my results with the Magnum P.I.G. in another thread once I have everything together. And as for the SD Wood Burning Heat Diffuser, I still use it and the foil wrap does work for me... I just want a little more consistent smoke.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Just an update... And as for the SD Wood Burning Heat Diffuser, I still use it and the foil wrap does work for me... I just want a little more consistent smoke.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

Puzzled here.

Are you saying that the SDHD doesn't give as "consistent" of a smoke result as you would like?

If it doesn't give as consistent of a smoke result as what you are looking for, well then what are your thoughts as to why this is the case.