Wood Logs or Charcoal Basket?

[burksmoke]

I use an offset smoker, the firebox is made from 24" diameter pipe and it is approximately 30 long. I have been using logs for fuel and smoke. My question is, will using a charcoal basket and chrcoal for fuel and sticks or chunks of wood for smoke make controlling the temp. easier? I really don't have any trouble now but I was wondering it anyone could shed the light on any advantages or disadvantages of the two methods.

 

[bob-bqn]

Depending on the brand and type of charcoal used you can generate quite a bit of ash. It will take a considerable amount of charcoal to heat a large smoker so ash build-up could be a problem. Another issue to consider is cost, charcoal will cost more that wood sticks.