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BBQ Guru vs. Stoker

easttexasaggie04
easttexasaggie04 Posts: 108
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum
Last night I smoked a brisket for the first time on my BGE.  I set the temperature at 225 and watched it for 20 minutes or so and it didn't move, so I figured everything was good.  When I woke up the temperature was on 260 and had been for who knows how long.  Think its time I got one of those gadgets that regulates the temperature for you.

Do most Egg Heads like the BBQ Guru or the Stoker better?  They both seem to be pretty similar in price.



Thanks for the help!!
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Comments

  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316

    A friend of mine has the Stoker and wont shut up about how great it is. I would guess though they are about the same.

    Ive done the overnight brisket before but woke up every two hours to check the temp. I was quite grouchy the next day.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    What temp are u using. Grate or dome? I know your not asking for cooking advice I'm just curious. General conscious on here is about an hour to set fire and temp but i think u had amazing results only from 220-260. Most people go out or up to 350 that'd be bad.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Cookbook_Chip
    Cookbook_Chip Posts: 1,299
    Another way to go and less $$ is to use a remote thermometer like the Maverick 732 - set it to alarm below 215 or over 235 or whatever.  But it may do that all night and make you grouchy anyway!
    Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
    Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
  • joe@bge
    joe@bge Posts: 394
    edited July 2012

    I have two guru units (CyberQ II and CyberQ WiFi) so I am a little partial, but they absolutely work as advertised.  Depending on your needs and how much you want to geek out with these things will determine which one to get.  Naked Whiz has an excellent review on both Guru and Stoker units.  Check it out:  www.nakedwhiz.com

     

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I bought the DigiQ DX2 because it was small and the price was right.  Works like a dream.  Haven't tried the Stoker.

    I mounted the controller on a microphone goose neck on my table and put some wire ties to manage the 4 wires it uses.  I'm extremely pleased with it.

    image
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Oh yeah, welcome to the SEC!  (bwaaaahahahahahah)

    Geaux LSU!
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • tmackie
    tmackie Posts: 67
    I have a Stoker. It does an AWESOME job! It holds the temp better than my GE Profile oven does. It is a well made, industrial grade product that is powder coated.

    My only complaint is that the WiFi can be a bit flaky. It disconnects all the time. It's definitely the Stoker that is the problem. (I'm a CCNA and have isolated the Stoker as the issue)

    The folks at Rock's need to issue a firmware update to stabilize the WiFi. It reconnects pretty quickly but the disconnects are an issue that need to be addressed.
  • joe@bge
    joe@bge Posts: 394
    tmackie - that's interesting.  The Guru WiFi (so far) has solid WiFi performance - I haven't had a disconnect in 5 cooks, but I wish I had the applications that the stoker has to go along with it for graphing etc.  I am working on writing my own app for the Guru WiFi to fill this gap, just can't seem to find the time to sit down and write some code.
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Oh yeah, welcome to the SEC!  (bwaaaahahahahahah)

    Geaux LSU!
    Ok, not nice!

  • XLBalco
    XLBalco Posts: 607
    Last night I smoked a brisket for the first time on my BGE.  I set the temperature at 225 and watched it for 20 minutes or so and it didn't move, so I figured everything was good.  When I woke up the temperature was on 260 and had been for who knows how long.  Think its time I got one of those gadgets that regulates the temperature for you.

    Do most Egg Heads like the BBQ Guru or the Stoker better?  They both seem to be pretty similar in price.



    Thanks for the help!!

    i love the justification here to get one!  LOL :)
  • I lucked out...my dad has the BBQ Guru and he's been looking for an excuse to get the WiFi one, so he's getting a new one and giving me his old one!  Freebie...why not?

    Gig Em Aggies!
  • bigphil
    bigphil Posts: 1,390
    i have the digi Q and love it i used it a few times for overnight cause am not confident enough in myself to let it go all night yet on my own . during the day i have gone on my own  and i  seem to play the chase game on lower cooks but higher seems to be ok . so till am more confident in myself bbq guru saves me .
    Large Big Green Egg , XL Big Green Egg . BBQ Guru, Weber Kettle, Weber Q grill for road trips.
  • GatoGordo
    GatoGordo Posts: 80
    I have the Stoker and it works for me. I have only had a problem with the WiFi once, but I am not sure if it was the Stoker or my router. After resetting everything in my system, it reconnected again and has been solid. I am not sure what problems tmackie has, but I sure do not see them.

    One thing you might want to consider is future expansion. The Stoker can easily control multiple pits with multiple food sensors in each.
    LBGE, Stoker WiFi, UDS, Pit Barrel Cooker
  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    Oh yeah, welcome to the SEC!  (bwaaaahahahahahah)

    Geaux LSU!
    Ok, not nice!
    Its going to be a long year in Aggie land.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • krobertsmsn
    krobertsmsn Posts: 655
    what is the best device for temp control for long cooks without wifi? I do not have a network...

    LBGE 4/2012, MBGE 6/2012 & Mini 11/2013
    Rome, GA
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    The PartyQ is $129.  It does one thing, control the temp of the grill.  The DigiQ DX2 is around $300, and it also has a food temp probe and you can cook to food setpoint and has a few other features.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    I lucked out...my dad has the BBQ Guru and he's been looking for an excuse to get the WiFi one, so he's getting a new one and giving me his old one!  Freebie...why not?

    Gig Em Aggies!
    Sounds EXACTLY like one of my kids. :D
  • krobertsmsn
    krobertsmsn Posts: 655
    thank you nolaegghead, I'll look into them both.
    LBGE 4/2012, MBGE 6/2012 & Mini 11/2013
    Rome, GA
  • "
    Its going to be a long year in Aggie land."

    This talk coming from an SMU fan?  A school that has had about a 50 year dry spell?  And a school that A&M beat by 30 points last season.  Pony up.
  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    " Its going to be a long year in Aggie land."


    This talk coming from an SMU fan?  A school that has had about a 50 year dry spell?  And a school that A&M beat by 30 points last season.  Pony up.
    I know. I Panicked.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • Still gonna be a long year in aggieland any which way you slice it or justify it....it is gonna hurt....well it is gonna hurt if you are an aggie...which I am not....(Thanking my lucky stars!)

     

    Have fun!

    Sic 'em and Hook'em!

  • Dave in Florida
    Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
    I have the Stoker WiFi and it works great.  I use it for all my over night low and slow cools.  I have yet to use the WiFi part because it is just so easy to set it and forget it. 
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • Whether you are an Aggie fan or not (I'm class of 2004)...you have to admit moving to the SEC was a good move for A&M.  Yes the competition is tougher, but it is the best conference in the nation (not to mention the most stable)...plus its more money for us, and more televised games.  I predict the Big XII will crumble within 5 years and the big programs like Texas and OU will be fine...but the smaller programs like Baylor and Iowa State will join C-USA and the like.

    Just my .02.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Do you still get to play Texas in a non-conference game?  Rotation?
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • michigan_jason
    michigan_jason Posts: 1,346
    I have a Stoker. It does an AWESOME job! It holds the temp better than my GE Profile oven does. It is a well made, industrial grade product that is powder coated.

    My only complaint is that the WiFi can be a bit flaky. It disconnects all the time. It's definitely the Stoker that is the problem. (I'm a CCNA and have isolated the Stoker as the issue)

    The folks at Rock's need to issue a firmware update to stabilize the WiFi. It reconnects pretty quickly but the disconnects are an issue that need to be addressed.
    @tmackie

    Have you assigned a static ip address or are you using dhcp?



    "Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity, and are able to turn both to their advantage."

  • It's funny but the egg seems to settle in at 260. Mine looks for that temp and will lock in on it for days when it gets there. so I just let it do it's thing.

    Just so you know, 225 on your dome thermo is around 200 at the grate- which is too low. 260 dome is the perfect temp for brisket. The 225 myth for brisket temp is just not correct. I did it for years but I get much better results at 260-275


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I agree - I think cooking brisket at 200-225 just results in a prolonged stall that ends up drying out the meat.  That temp range is fine for braising, but water transfers heat much, much faster than air.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Do you still get to play Texas in a non-conference game?  Rotation?
    We (A&M) wanted to continue playing Texas at the end of the season in non-conference games.  Similar to Florida/Florida State, SC/Clemson....the horns said "they didn't have room on their schedule."  I hope that LSU will be our Thanksgiving game soon.  I think that could develop into a fun rivalry like it used to be.
  • Do you still get to play Texas in a non-conference game?  Rotation?
    We (A&M) wanted to continue playing Texas at the end of the season in non-conference games.  Similar to Florida/Florida State, SC/Clemson....the horns said "they didn't have room on their schedule."  I hope that LSU will be our Thanksgiving game soon.  I think that could develop into a fun rivalry like it used to be.
    No way do you get to play LSU on Thanksgiving for a very long time, if ever........many things I want to say but will say none...of course it is all in fun....call me up when the Big 12 crumbles and aggies are playing Tigers for the Thanksgiving game!
  • Honestly, its already in the works.  LSU is already talking about switching out Arkansas game on Thanksgiving weekend with playing A&M instead.  It won't happen this year obviously because our schedules are set.  We play Missouri Thanksgiving weekend this season.  I think both sides want to see it happen.  LSU has never really accepted the "rivalry" game with Arkansas and wants something new. Texas A&M is now the largest school in the SEC.  

    Here are a few links...