Just hit 500 hours on my old stick burner and the fire management finally clicked

I was cleaning it out yesterday and checked the log book I keep. I've put 500 hours on that thing since I bought it used three years ago. The last cook was a 14 pound brisket, and I held 250 degrees for 10 hours straight without even looking at the thermometer after the first two. It just felt right, like I could hear what the fire needed. Has anyone else had that moment where the hours just add up and everything suddenly gets easier?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarahsullivan1mo ago

Wait, you actually keep a log book for your grill? That's next level. I just light the thing and hope the food doesn't burn.

sam53013d ago

@sarahsullivan I was exactly like you until about 200 hours in. Used to just dump a bag of charcoal in my old kettle and call it good. Then I bought this used stick burner and realized I was wasting good meat. Started keeping a log just to figure out what I kept doing wrong. Now I write down the wood type, outside temp, wind direction, and how long each split burns. It sounds overkill but my wife swears my brisket got 10x better once I started tracking details. You don't need a log book to get good results but it sure helped me figure out my worst habits.

faith_lopez481mo ago

That feeling when it just clicks... I get it. You stop fighting the fire and start working with it. My old offset was the same way, took me forever to stop overcorrecting. Now I can tell by the sound of the wood splitting if I need to add a split or just let it ride. It's a good feeling.