Stick burner fuel

[Beefchop]

I think it depends on your cooker - my Shirley is a bit too big to fuel realistically with lump or briquettes. You can, but it burns through the fuel. Whereas once I get the fire started and the smoker up to temperature (usually 2-4 good sized sticks), I can keep it running with a pop can sized log (16-18") every 30-40 minutes.

[Joetee]

Here is a cheap way to check your wood

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you. I think I'll order it.

[ComfortablyNumb]

You are most welcome. I use it to check my firewood. How to test and what to look for can be found here:

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-02/documents/moisture_meter_v1_01-04-2017final.pdf

[Steve R.]

You will probably also want a Kindling Cracker if you don't already have one. Great for getting nice uniformly sized splits. Northern Tool sells them on their site, and also on Amazon. Just another hidden cost of owning a stick burner.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I'll second that recommendation. Indispensable when it comes to making kindling. Yes one can do it the old fashioned way with a hand axe, but this is so much easier and finger friendly. It will pay for itself in bandage savings alone!

[Merberto]

I'm having a real hard time trying to find good wood for a Lone Star side burner.

Has anyone used lump charcoal and added wood chunks for the smoke?

Does it burn well and long?

Amy help would be appreciated.

Depending on how much time you want to put into processing wood, Emerald Ash Borer has decimated Ash trees across northern states. If you reached out to an arborist, park district, or golf course, you'd have plenty of Ash wood available that you could likely get free if you wanted to haul logs or chunks, cut it up and split it. I guarantee if you called a golf course superintendent and said you'd trade him some barbecue for his staff for access to wood, they'd likely ask you how long of splits you wanted and load it into a trailer. Perhaps you could sweet talk them into dropping a pile of wood at your house in their dump truck. If that superintendent doesn't have wood on property, ask if he knows of anyone in the area doing tree removals on a different golf course. I'm sure there is someone nearby. Check in with them when there is snow on the ground and have more time to chat.

Let any green wood set outside for a year after splitting to dry out or "season" unless the tree was dead at the time of removal. That would be the nice part of Ash trees, if they are still standing without leaves, they've been drying out for a while on their own.

I'm not sure I have the pallet to know what wood was being used during a cook, but I hope someday I've consumed enough meat to know the difference. That, of course, hoping my arteries are up to the task.

[Merberto]

Depending on how much time you want to put into processing wood, Emerald Ash Borer has decimated Ash trees across northern states. If you reached out to an arborist, park district, or golf course, you'd have plenty of Ash wood available that you could likely get free if you wanted to haul logs or chunks, cut it up and split it. I guarantee if you called a golf course superintendent and said you'd trade him some barbecue for his staff for access to wood, they'd likely ask you how long of splits you wanted and load it into a trailer. Perhaps you could sweet talk them into dropping a pile of wood at your house in their dump truck. If that superintendent doesn't have wood on property, ask if he knows of anyone in the area doing tree removals on a different golf course. I'm sure there is someone nearby. Check in with them when there is snow on the ground and have more time to chat.

Let any green wood set outside for a year after splitting to dry out or "season" unless the tree was dead at the time of removal. That would be the nice part of Ash trees, if they are still standing without leaves, they've been drying out for a while on their own.

I'm not sure I have the pallet to know what wood was being used during a cook, but I hope someday I've consumed enough meat to know the difference. That, of course, hoping my arteries are up to the task.

As mentioned above, wood becomes a nuisance for superintendents. Many do not have the space to store wood and are constantly looking for ways to get rid of it. Took this photo today at a nearby course.