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Just thinkin' ... sometimes we OVERthink things while striving to attain the ultimate ____ whatever.

I am an admitted gadget guy, I love the Egg, I love buying accessories. We have extras that let us cook more or less up or down clean or dirty. The list is almost endless. I start to get jittery when the price lines come near the $100 mark as for thermometers...but, hey, I can justify a Thermopen or Javelin Pro (sorta, I mean I could get by with less but, hell, 2 seconds for a temp read seems justifiable). However, when surpassing the $200 mark I have to wonder if things like the digiQ are really worth the expense and hassle of setting up. Are we better off just doing it "free hand". I mean, are we taking the fun and possible necessary skill out of a simple, read "simple" BBQ? Do we need to channel Star Trek "the new grill movie: to get the perfect 12 hour smoked rib special???

I love buying toys, but you have to convince me a $200+ item is necessary for a long slow cook dinner. I'm thinking I'd rather fly under the radar and do it manually. To HELL with your blowers, your ding dongelers, your automatic smoking machines! I think Dr Seuss would approve. OK, tell me how I am wrong... (remember, I LIKE buying gadgets!).
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Comments

  • Wolfpack
    Wolfpack Posts: 3,551
    What $ value do you put on sleep? What did you spend on a mattress? Sheets?

    i will say I love spending other people's money.  I do have the cyberQ- really easy for low and slows. 

    If if I had it to do over I might have gone with the PartyQ as I have never hooked up the wifi. 
    Greensboro, NC
  • Bshults1
    Bshults1 Posts: 145
    You leave my ding dongeler out of this
  • flyerdoc
    flyerdoc Posts: 141
    Wolfpack said:
    What $ value do you put on sleep? What did you spend on a mattress? Sheets?

    i will say I love spending other people's money.  I do have the cyberQ- really easy for low and slows. 

    If if I had it to do over I might have gone with the PartyQ as I have never hooked up the wifi. 
    @Wolfpack ok, I am off to do some due diligence...

  • Jeremiah
    Jeremiah Posts: 6,412
    No controllers for me either. I don't do overnight cooks (wood deck) and I've never had issues keeping temp for low temp cooks. I bought a stocker a while back, but passed it along once I realized I didn't really need it. 
    Slumming it in Aiken, SC. 
  • flyerdoc
    flyerdoc Posts: 141
    btw, if someone DOES convince me to buy a DigiQ or CyberQ or PartyQ...whatever, how easy is it to reconvert back to manual. I hate having to assemble and disassemble small parts that I eventually cause to go missing...

  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I do it manually.......  =)

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    There was a guy who posted a long time ago on the other forum who ran a catering business.  Sadly, I've forgotten his handle. He had multiple XLs. He didn't feel any need for controllers except when he needed to feed 300 on time. Seemed like a reasonable economic argument to me.

    Do I really want something else dependent on electricity, wf-fi, or whatever, w/o which I can't cook? Nah. One of the prime reasons I bought the Egg was because of its ease of temp control. Despite loving to look at the charts of the pit and meat temp thru the cook, decided I'd spend the $ on better pieces of meat.
  • Cookbook_Chip
    Cookbook_Chip Posts: 1,299
    Well. I will add my two cents. I'm a big gadget lover, too. I had my egg for 3 years and had lots of killer long cooks on manual. One overnight that was wicked stressful. So I got a Stoker. Man! What fun!  I can set it (nothing to assemble) to 235, put on my meat and head to work and watch it all day in s browser. If it needs a bump in temp, I bump it and up if goes. Too cool!  Home to good eats. But I can still ride it manual anytime- and I do on anything under two hours. 
    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
  • CtTOPGUN
    CtTOPGUN Posts: 612
     I don't know about anybody else. But I actually enjoy the part about tending to the pit temps when BBQing. For an overnight(which I have not attempted) I would be more than happy to wake and check temps a couple times. It is not like I do this every day for a living. It is just satisfying to me to tend to my cooks while lounging around(maybe with a nice adult beverage or few). I do not forsee buying any type controller.

       Jim
    LBGE/Weber Kettle/Blackstone 36" Griddle/Turkey Fryer/Induction Burner/Royal Gourmet 24" Griddle/Cuisinart Twin Oaks/Pit Boss Tabletop pellet smoker/Instant Pot

     BBQ from the State of Connecticut!

       Jim
  • yljkt
    yljkt Posts: 799
    Seems to me BGE ER's were cooking Brisket and Pork Butt LONG before the internet existed. I'm sure there were disasters as well as I'm sure there were some great cooks. If you want one, get one. If not, don't. I have my eye on a FB 200. Not sure yet.  
  • RedSkip
    RedSkip Posts: 1,400
    My egg struggles around 225, but lines out around 250.  I found the controller helps the egg maintain fire without me moving the vents all around.  Not much food is ruined between 225 & 250 settings, but perhaps it's in my head?!  

    Yes it's a luxarily, but then again so is the egg.

    We all drive cars and not horse and buggies. Both do the job, why not do it in style?  


    Large BGE - McDonald, PA
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
    edited August 2016
    Okay, so in all seriousness, manual over nights are no problem for eggs. If the temp strays 30-40 degrees either way who cares? A common occurrence for me is I'll be maintaining around 250-275 dome, and in the morning it'll be rocking around 300. Just adjust after you wake up if you feel the need. I agree with @CtTOPGUN on enjoying the fire tending part. Lots of guys will say that using an egg already takes a lot less skill as compared to maintaining temps in a offset
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,427
    I'm in the same boat, don't have a controller yet but "might" get one (I've had successful, and unsuccessful, overnight cooks manually).  And I love gadgets too.
    Find a "collector's wristwatch" forum, spend a week or so there, and a Digi-Maxi-Super-Pooper-turbo-Mega-64 bit-96MHz-gold-plated-OLED temp controller won't seem so bad.   =)  This would probably also work on forums for firearms, Porsches, Japanese woodworking tools, cameras, purses, already-postmarked stamps, coins that no one accepts, tropical fish, orchids, hell I could go all night; you get the idea.  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    I've read quite a few occurrences over the years where folks doing an overnight in their Egg or other cooker woke to find the fire had gone out or had dropped too low or whatever. Sure it is rare but it happens.

    I think spending a couple hundred bucks on a gizmo that might prevent having to throw out a few hundred dollars of meat has a pretty good ROI.

    Are they necessary? No? Are they useful? Hells yeah. Are they fun? It is nice to be able to graph your temps during long and/or overnight cooks and to be able to monitor them while at the office or wherever.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • Dobie
    Dobie Posts: 3,354
    Turn in your gadget guy card stat  :|
    Jacksonville FL
  • JacksDad
    JacksDad Posts: 538
    Hans61 said:
    I prefer the blower to manual whenever my ding dongler is concerned  =)


    Large BGE -- New Jersey

  • HeavyG said:
    I've read quite a few occurrences over the years where folks doing an overnight in their Egg or other cooker woke to find the fire had gone out or had dropped too low or whatever. Sure it is rare but it happens.

    I think spending a couple hundred bucks on a gizmo that might prevent having to throw out a few hundred dollars of meat has a pretty good ROI.

    Are they necessary? No? Are they useful? Hells yeah. Are they fun? It is nice to be able to graph your temps during long and/or overnight cooks and to be able to monitor them while at the office or wherever.
    There are actually as many or more posts about having trouble with a powered draft unit

    losing connections, running away, etc 

    trading one problem for another. Those things aren't bandaids


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • I am 3 cooks in with a DigiQ.   I agree that it is not necessarily needed.   That being said, I love it and totally recommend it.   I build the fire, set the temp I want, and walk away.   Come back and it is humming right where I want and will stay there until I run out of fuel.    I cooked the best butts of my life last weekend at 225.   I didn't think it mattered either.   I was wrong.        I  can't say enough about how this has chcanged things for me.      
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited August 2016
    hogfan412 said:
    I Come back and it is humming right where I want and will stay there until I run out of fuel.       
    Not trying to troll here. Just stating what used to be accepted fact. The BGE does this too, without assistance

    i routinely light the fire, immediately shut the dome, set the daisy to whatever temp i want, and go inside to prep. 

    When i come out with the food, the thing is where i want it to be

    this is the very reason many of us bought a BGE before the digital controllers were even available. Because you could peg it to a temp and walk away (or to bed)


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    Spend your money how you want. Me:

    1. Light and set temp where I want
    2. Allow plenty of time to stabalize
    3. Add protein
    4. Sleep like a baby. (Major misnomer, but still)
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    I have never had an issue with my cyberq and I have the old one. It's not really easy to use its a weird combination of buttons to get it to go from pit to pit but once it's set it works great. I used my igrill after I got it and set a high and low of 10 degrees and in the middle of the night it went off. Won't make that mistake again the guru is worth it's weight in gold if you do many over nighters and like to sleep. I would probably get a stoker if I did it again a buddy of mine has a stoker with cameras set up out back so he can see and control his egg from anywhere. 
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited August 2016
    One or two butts, manual for sure.
    Now 6, an ATC is a nice insurance policy, and sleep promoter.  They're not for everybody.

    All of my overnight fire issues have been on the egg. 

    The 22 WSM and FB is a killer combo for butts.

    Also enjoy the work involved burning sticks on the KBQ, for the shorter daysmoke seshs.

    I'm all about using the right tool, for any job.  
    And when it comes to traditional Q, there are much better options than the egg.

    Convenience is nice, when necessary.

    Have learned all this the hard way, being a cheap a$$.

    I too, used to laugh at the $600 LBGEs and Gurus in the BBQ store as I strolled by...until I used them. 


    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    edited August 2016
    I've been eggin for bout 10yrs, several overnight cooks. Most successful and a few fails.  Most everything now is cooked during daylight hours. Turbo/high heat cooking lets me sleep easy with no need for controllers, not that it was a necessity before.  

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    HeavyG said:
    I've read quite a few occurrences over the years where folks doing an overnight in their Egg or other cooker woke to find the fire had gone out or had dropped too low or whatever. Sure it is rare but it happens.

    I think spending a couple hundred bucks on a gizmo that might prevent having to throw out a few hundred dollars of meat has a pretty good ROI.

    Are they necessary? No? Are they useful? Hells yeah. Are they fun? It is nice to be able to graph your temps during long and/or overnight cooks and to be able to monitor them while at the office or wherever.
    There are actually as many or more posts about having trouble with a powered draft unit

    losing connections, running away, etc 

    trading one problem for another. Those things aren't bandaids


    True. They may well fail. Such is life.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • MJG
    MJG Posts: 598
    I like that the Egg is analog. I find the whole process relaxing. The only accessories I have purchased are. Thermopop and multi level rack. Simple is better for me. 
    Large Big Green Egg in a nest. North Shore of Boston.
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    I have a digiQ. I have used it several (40 plus in the last year, I am guessing, maybe more?) times for my overnight cooks. Just recently, I have enjoyed the value, finally trusting it to do the job, and sleeping soundly. For me, worth every penny. I would buy it again. I like sleeping.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    This sh*t is brought up 1-3 times a quarter, great,you don't want a stoker. I do, I set the egg up and go to sleep. 

    I'll do me, you do you.
  • flyerdoc
    flyerdoc Posts: 141
    BYS1981 said:
    This sh*t is brought up 1-3 times a quarter, great,you don't want a stoker. I do, I set the egg up and go to sleep. 

    I'll do me, you do you.
    @BYS1981 this is not about what you SHOULD do but an exchange of ideas so that an individual may decide what he or she MIGHT do. Lighten up, if you don't wish to view the topic and/or contribute some meaningful dialog. Don't.

    Can't we all just get along?! LOL, you have to love Jack Nicholson...
  • SmokingPiney
    SmokingPiney Posts: 2,282
    Flame Boss user here - and I like it. I only use it for long low and slows, and the peace of mind is worth every penny to me.
    South Jersey Pine Barrens. XL BGE , Assassin 24, Weber Kettle, CharBroil gasser, AMNPS