Is it cheating to use BBQ Guru equipment?

Mud Pig · April 2010

I was just wondering what the consensus on the board is about using BBQ Guru equipment. I was looking at some of their setups and it seems as though getting a power draft control, fan and temperature setup takes some of the fun out of cooking. If what they say on the site is true you simply need to set your pit temperature and walk away with no need to monitor the temp in your BGE. You only have to watch the meat thermometer to decide when to pull your meat off.

Now is this something that the more seasoned people recommend that BGE owners get? OR are there two camps on this site where some like to monitor/adjust the fire themselves while others like to be able to just setup up the BBQ guru equipment and let it do its work?

Celtic Wolf · April 2010

Let's see I have 10 eggs, 6 guru's and I sleep well knowing those gurus are keeping all those butts I cook feeding our military cooking..

Love my Guru's

WessB · April 2010

It's like power windows...NO you don't need one...YES they are nice to have....I recommend to all new eggers that they learn to use the egg and the vents to control temps before considering adding a controller....I also, when using my guru, get the egg to within 50° of my desired temp before turning on the fan so as to not create a blast furnace in there..There was a post in the last couple of days about a controller WAY overshooting, it's been my experience if you just throw a starter cube in there and fire up your controller it will overshoot..

Mud Pig · April 2010

Wow, I guess you can't argue with that. What do you reccomend for a simple BBQ Guru setup for an XL BGE?

Mud Pig · April 2010

I'm glad to hear that as well. I'm going a little stir crazy waiting for my XL BGE to come in and the accesories bill is piling up.

Celtic Wolf · April 2010

Seriously follow Wess's advice. Learn to control your temp without the Guru first. As he said if you have a power failure during a cook that is not the time to learn temp control.

The DigiQ II with a 10CFM fan is all you need. CyberQ is nice if you want to control stuff via the internet.

The NanoQ is great if you just need to control the pit temp.

Mud Pig · April 2010

Thanks, I think I might put off the BBQ guru equipment for a Xmas present. The wife always whines about not knowing what to buy me, so I'll just have to drop some hints come December. Until then I will learn how to go at it myself.

WessB · April 2010

Hold off until your comfortable controlling and stabalizing temps, if you don't know how to do that and your controller should fail for some reason you would be SOL...I'm truly a gadget guy, but I was a couple of years after they came out before buying my first Guru...slow down and relax...you'll be fine..

Photo Egg · April 2010

Great point. Even with a control unit it is still important to build and start a good fire and bring your temp up in stages and not blow past your target cooking temp.
Darian

WessB · April 2010

Just for the record, the CyberQ will not control via internet, but a connected PC....unless the guru guys have updated things..and it will control 2 eggs independantly..

Village Idiot · April 2010

Be well informed. Check out the Stoker too. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

I agree with everyone else. Learn to control your temps first. Also, I just use my Stoker for long, low temp cooks. There have been many posts here about someone waking up and their fire went out during the night, or it was burning out of control. The Guru and Stoker will prevent that, so you can get a good night's sleep.

As far as blowing past the desired temp, I will always set a target temp well below the desired temp, then when it reaches that, I'll increase the target. I'm sure either way works.

fishlessman · April 2010

i would hold off for a while, maybe give it a year. a guru is certianly not needed if your only doing a couple overnighters a year and even with one i would still get up atleast once and check on it. i do maybe a dozen or less overnighters a year, if i was doing comps or what celtic wolf does i would have one, but for my own use i really dont think its required. will also state i held off on cellphones until this year, never owned a microwave or dish washer and dont have a computer at home :laugh: :laugh:

Nature Boy · April 2010

I absolutely love to control the fire, and cooking manually is fun. I believe it's valuable to learn to cook by feel, and I enjoy it.

But BBQ Guru equals sleep.
Beers!
Chris

deepsouth · April 2010

i don't think they are cheating, but i don't use one.

every time i get up in the middle of the night to check my temperature, it's rock solid the same as it was the last time i checked it.

one day i'll wake up with burned food, but until that day, i'll take my chances.

my egg is more dependable than my watch.

HungryMan · April 2010

I'm using mine now. I only use it once in a while. It is a great tool. If you have the extra cash, it's well worth it.

Frank from Houma · April 2010

Have an XL and went native the first year on several overnighters. Like others said, its good to go native and bond with your Egg.

Use the Digi Q now but just for butts, briskets, and wibs.

I also have an indoor plumbing and stopped using Big Chief tablets and 1" diameter pencils.

deepsouth · April 2010

Frank from Houma wrote:

Have an XL and went native the first year on several overnighters. Like others said, its good to go native and bond with your Egg.

Use the Digi Q now but just for butts, briskets, and wibs.

I also have an indoor plumbing and stopped using Big Chief tablets and 1" diameter pencils.

i can't kick those phat pencils.

reelgem · April 2010

I personally think it's a must have for overnight cooks. It lets you get a good nights sleep and not worry about anything. When I first starting egging I had trouble getting temps and I used it all the time but now just for the low and slow.

boston_stoker · April 2010

Power draft controls only eliminate one of the variables--temperature. There is still the mix of your rub, the wood type and amount of it, the sauce, the selecting your meat, etc. It may not be as traditional, but it makes it easier and more accessible to people in my opinion. And I think that is a good thing because it can help drive interest.

In my opinion, you better be making your own rub (e.g. not using Dizzy Pig) and making your own sauce, if you are going to even begin to argue that a power draft control is "cheating"--and you can go trade your car in for a horse and buggy too.

Car Wash Mike · April 2010

No way is it cheating. Though, I haven't used my Stoker for a long time.

Mike

Carolina Q · April 2010

Interesting thread. I don't have one of these gizmos, which is not to say that I never will of course. But what I don't get is the need for an overnight cook. I just get up early and throw the beast on as soon as I get the temp stabilized. That way, I can monitor the temp throughout the day and not have to worry about it. Not that I have to do much monitoring - temp pretty much stays where I set it without electronic interference. Yes, it sometimes means a relatively late meal, but better that than Q for breakfast!

WessB · April 2010

Your times wont work for a 20+ hours butt cook, and yes I have had them go that long...Which is what overnight is based on...start time 9 or 10 pm, finished and pulled around 5pm the next day, hot fresh pulled pork...others are playing with higher temp cooks lately which would change my numbers...

WessB · April 2010

Your reply reads as tho you thought Mud pig was asking about cheating at a competition..I could be wrong...but I really don't think that was the way the question was intended...and there aint one single thing wrong with Dizzy Pig rubs..

Carolina Q · April 2010

Hmm, something to look forward to - a midnight dinner!

I have yet to have a butt take longer than 14 hours - and that was when I was using my 220* (max) Alton Brown flower pot!! Wess, have you calibrated your thermo?

WessB · April 2010

There have always been posts from time to time that talk about a "turbo" butt which finishes faster than intended...documented on my website is a 20# shoulder cook that went 15 1/2 hours at a controlled 235° grid temp...I have had numerous pulled pork cooks run over 20 hours..and yes my therm is calibrated...and at 14 hours you would be eating very late...7am start, 9 pm done..1 to 2 hour rest, and then pull...unless you're getting up and startin em at 3 am...

Carolina Q · April 2010

ALL of mine are turbo butts, I guess.

More like 5-6AM start, 30 min rest. Eat at 8:30 latest. I usually eat late anyway. Tonight, for instance, it's 6:45 and I just lit the lump.

I was joking about the calibration, Wess. With some, it would not have been a joke. With you, well, I know you know.

WessB · April 2010

It's all good, I've always considered dinner time around 5...but we all have different schedules..

Carolina Q · April 2010

I'm lucky if I leave work by 5!!

boston_stoker · April 2010

You're going to have to wait to play your games with Tweev. I won't bite at you trying to twist my words.

thirdeye · April 2010

I still have both kinds of Big Chiefs... Heheeee.

rosros · April 2010

I think you are cheating by not using a Guru. You are cheating yourself of needless worrying, cheating yousef of quality time with the family, cheating yourself of leisure activities....I think the Guru/BGE combo like a crock pot; just set and forget it. Come later to a cooked meal

Is it cheating to use BBQ Guru equipment?

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