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Digi Q vs ?

Hungry in Lilburn
Hungry in Lilburn Posts: 756
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hi. My wife saw the Digi Q at the mothership yesterday and I mentioned that I had been thinking of buying one. I saw the little gears turning in her head this am when I put the giant pork butt on the BGE (I am making pulled pork BBQ, Brunswick Stew and Baked beans using the BGE Big Cook book recipe). I kind of remember that there was some other computer controll device out there that some folks like better than the Digi Q. So which one is better? Heck, what is the name of the other one? Baachus use to call me "TurboButt" because I cook my pork butts at 350 and it only takes me 6 hours. But heck, everyone loves my pulled pork anyway but I would really like to cook one low and slow some day so I can figure out if it really tastes better. I am coming off night shifts permanently next week so I will begin to live a normal life again after 2 years. So I could do a low and slow over a Friday night into Saturday night. So any suggestions on these control devices before Santa Claus brings me the wrong one?

Comments

  • The other one is Stoker.

    I have the older BBQ Guru and more recently a DiGi Q ( a gift)

    Love em both !
  • Thanks. I didn't even know how to start the search on here for some ideas and now I have found several. The one at the store didn't look anything like the pictures on Naked Whiz's site. It was green. Maybe that was the blower. I guess I need to go back up there and look at it. Besides, I have got to buy me an Egghead hat! Ho Ho Ho!
  • is that the digi q dx? i went to their site and now i am even more confused!
  • tsbrady
    tsbrady Posts: 101
    my wife bought me a DIGIQ DX as an early Christmas present at eggtoberfest and I have been very happy with it. The Stoker will connect with a wi-fi network and send data to your computer or i-phone and I think it can control 2 pits at a time but it costs more. I don't think you can go wrong with either, it just depends on your needs, BTW... the DIGIQ does come in different colors
  • Thanks! very helpful comment. I think my needs are simple, I don't see me doing the wireless thing, I just want to plug it up, set it and forget it until the food is done. Kind of like the crockpot comment before. I went back to the Digi site and now I think I understand what they are saying. I would need the Digi Q Dx with the 10 cfm fan and the large adapter. The stoker sounds nice as well. I will need to check it out. again thanks
  •  
    I have great luck with Turbobutts. 400° dome. 8# Boston Butt done in 6.5 hours. Unless someone cooks a heck of a lot of butts they couldn't tell the difference.

    Powered Vent System... The Guru folks have several different models. The DigiQ (q2), CyberQ and some others. There is a pretty inexpensive unit that folks have been talking about and building. There are several different posts but I can't recall the name, it has some build it yourself parts.

    The other is the Stoker which has a great interface.

    You can get a side by side specification listing on the Naked Whiz's site.

    I have and use both the q2 and the Stoker. The q2 is more popular among the forum folks. I looked at the side by side specs and a long with all the chat on the forum about how great the q2 was going to be I decided that was the one I wanted. With the q2 I was in on the very first shipments. The q2 is simple and easy to use and works well. I had some problems and the service was very good.

    However, the q2 didn't have the computer interface and I like that feature. So I ended up also buying the Stoker. Communicating with Stoker via email was a bit slow, but when I got on the phone all went smoothly. For me their service is really good and they had covered some out of warranty issues at no charge. I did have to pay shipping with the Guru folks but that is no big deal and not a decision buying factor.

    If I was never going to expand the Stoker or use the computer interface I would probably just get the q2. The only reason is that is is much smaller.

    A little about the Stoker and I were to have only 1 powered vent system why I would get the Stoker.

    I like having the ability to connect to the computer with a wireless network, as sell as connect to the internet with password protection. I really enjoy the data logging and chart display on the computer for a cook if I want that information.

    I am able to control different eggs and monitor many different foods that are cooking. I also moniter the q2 usgin the Stoker. I use a Stoker probe along with the q2 pit and temp probes. I can't make changes on the q2 but I can monitor the pit and food temperature (and hear the alarms) of the egg that is being controlled by the q2.

    From the computer I can change temperatures on the Stoker which is great when I make Summer Sausage. The Summer Sausage takes 3 temperatures during the smoking stage. I set the timer and when it beeps I tell the Stoker to kick up the temperature from the computer.



    The Stoker will also 'Tweet' if one is into that stuff. The Stoker can be monitored from anywhere there is an internet connection if one wants that feature.

    I like having the ability to probe each piece of meat I am cooking which as long as one has enough probes is a simple matter with the Stoker. If one has multiple blowers many eggs can be controlled and monitored by one controller and or by the computer.

    Another nice feature is the blower... on the q2 one has to close down the vent slider (no big deal). However, at times if one forgets to close down the slider, when the blower shuts off enough free air can pass through the q2 blower and cause the egg temperature to spike.

    The stoker has a door or 'flapper' if you will, that opens when the blower is in it's duty cycle and closes when no air is being called for. Again not a big deal and not a reason to buy one over the other.

    On the Stoker the pit and food probes can be interchanged, that is a food probe can be used to monitor the pit and a meat probe could be used to monitor food if one wanted. One can assign any duty to any probe and any probe can control the blower, there are no limits.

    The Stoker is just more flexible if one wants some extra features.

    The last two pictures, butts and brisket are being done on the large and medium eggs. The Stoker is controlling the air flow on the large and keeping track of the q2 which is controlling the medium.

    The silver braided wires are the q2 and the orange wires are the Stoker keeping track of what the q2 is doing. Large being controlled on the computer and the q2 being monitored on the computer. If changes were required I would have to go our and manually change the medium egg. The large egg was completely hands off. The cooks went well and neither egg was opened from start to finish.

    The price of the q2 and Stoker are very close if one is buying one blower, a meat probe and a pit probe. Of course the price of the Stoker will go higher when adding extra probes and extra blowers, but then one as passed the capability of the q2.

    Some multiple probe cooks using the Stoker.
    Here are several probes monitoring different Summer Sausage logs.
    sausage_summer.jpg

    Dual butt cook for Labor Day feast.
    ldbutts.jpg

    Cooking a Brisket also for that Labor Day feast. The Stoker is monitoring the point and flat.
    ldbrisket1.jpg
    Monitoring

    GG
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    You might also check this one out:

    http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=187


    It is a "no frills" controller, but much cheaper.

    Fellow egghead WeberWho did a review: http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=988702&catid=1


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  •  
    The link is for the other controller I was talking about above.

    Thanks SmokeyPitt for posting the link.

    GG
  • Hungry in Lilburn wrote:
    Thanks! very helpful comment. I think my needs are simple, I don't see me doing the wireless thing, I just want to plug it up, set it and forget it until the food is done. Kind of like the crockpot comment before. I went back to the Digi site and now I think I understand what they are saying. I would need the Digi Q Dx with the 10 cfm fan and the large adapter. The stoker sounds nice as well. I will need to check it out. again thanks

    That is what I got and I love the thing. The Guru is also a little more weatherproof (I think), and the bright red display is pretty easy to read from a distance.
  • Thanks so much! excellent post. I have been to Whiz's site. I think the bottom line becomes the experience of the cook along with the technology needs. My experence level has increased since I can and have cooked a lot of different dishes. However, I still consider myself a novice. I still can't cook ribs worth a darn! I cook the worse ribs that even make the McRib look tasty! But I have decided to get a fan controller and go for low and slow. Wife and I shall make trip to mothership again to check out what they are selling. And buy that hat! Again, thanks, your post is very helpful!
  •  
    You don't need the 10cmf for the large or smaller. You will be cutting the air flow down to 25 to 30% of capacity on every lower temperature cook. I don't use either when cooking for less than a few hours and one can't use either on high temperature cooks.

    I don't have an XL but I would suspect the 5cfm would do fine for that also.

    Both the q2 and Stoker are about the same price for the same packages. Stoker gets more expensive when one orders extra probes and extra blowers for controlling multiple eggs. There is no limit on how many blowers/probes can be plugged into the Stoker.

    Neither the Stoker or q2 is water proof. The connections have no water/moisture protection on either unit.

    GG
  •  
    Remember many people do not use a controller at all. The egg has no problem at all doing long cooks.

    The mothership does not sell Stoker (the last time I checked).

    Once you get a controller, either one, you won't use it am much as you thought you would, however, it sure is nice to go to bed and know you will be 'alarmed' if something goes off track.

    The q2 is what is is and can not be expanded. Setting up or changing the temperatures between the q2 and Stoker are just different, both simple and fast. The q2 has a brighter & larger display unless the Stoker is connected to the computer.

    You will enjoy either one you end up getting both work great.

    GG
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    I have the Digi Q and the 10cfm fan which I use on my lrge & small BGE...I use it a lot especially when smoking cheese, making jerky and anything I want to hold lo temps on...125-200...my butts and ribs are done turbo style.... :)
  • Another turbo butt cooker! We could end up ruling the earth you know!
  • Okay, a little confused. When I checked the site they matched the 10 cfm to the large BGE. Did I read it wrong or do they have it wrong? Do I just get the lower fan?
  • I just showed my wife your post. She just said to me "why the heck do you think I am buying you a Digi Q DX for Christmas!?" I think she is PO'd because I figured out yet again what she is buying me for Christmas. Ah, a successful 33 year history of figuring out my Christmas present before Christmas!
  •  
    As recommended by the Fred I ordered the 10cfm (viper).

    Because I got the 10cfm on the q2 I also ordered the 10cfm when I got my Stoker. On the q2 I have to close the blower slider almost closed, that is about 1/4 open. All things being equal that is about 2.5cmf when closed down. 10cfm is not too big and it won't blow ash around.

    Doing it again I would probably order the 5cfm.

    GG
  •  
    At 35 years of guessing what my presents my wife won't say a word about what she is getting me. No hints, no guessing no nothing. The last 4 years I have been SOL in trying to figure out what I was getting.

    My wife is so tickled about her success after all that time. When I ask her what I am getting the answer is 'nothing'.

    GG
  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    I have a Stoker on a LBGE. When I talked with the folks at Rock's Bar-B-Que during the ordering process, I indicated I wanted the 10CFM upgrade. He told me, for my large, that I didn't need the upgrade but that the 5CFM fan would be more than sufficient. And he was right. It work wonderfully on my large.
  • I have a stoker, but I guess you couldn't guess that. ;)

    Anyway, I love it, especially being able to monitor it from anywhere using my smartphone (blackberry). I can also change the temp etc. using my phone. If you like that feature or have an need for multiple probes, it is the way to go. Note, it is not waterproof. I keep mine in a tupperware storage box.

    The Digi Qs have a few less bells and whistles, but also seem to do a good job. I have no personal experience using them. I do believe some of their models are "waterproof". I say it with quotes because I think it may be more like splashproof, and it is not all DigiQ models are waterproof I believe.

    To go straight to the source go here:


    https://www.rocksbarbque.com


    http://bbqguru.com
  • I chose the stoker for the ease of setup via the web interface (I use a refurbished airport as the wireless bridge-paid 54.00 for it at cowboom). If you have an Iphone, you will kick yourself for not getting a stoker. Monitor and control the stoker via your Iphone (or anyphone that has a web browser). Set up a twitter account and watch your smoker tweet. Yes the egg will hold temp and really simple is a maverick wireless thermometer, but the stoker via internet is the bomb!