reverse flow or straight flow for a stick burner?

[sparky]

no, I'm not looking for a stick burner.  i thought other ppl besides myself would like to learn a little about them.  i have heard that all the best bbq comes from stick burners.  are RF (lang) better than a standard flow (like a jambo)?  are one easier to control than the other?  does one take less feeding of wood?  i have heard that a RF has very even temps across the grate but wouldn't a standard flow w/ tuning plates also give you even temps across the grate also?  i know that they make smokers w/ 1/4", 3/16", 1/2" steel.  i would assume that the 1/2" would keep heat better.  are insulated fire boxes a good thing?  so am i getting this right?  ever 30 to 60 minutes you have to add a log?  how the h#ll are you cooking briskets and butts all night long?  a lot of coffee I'm thinking.  one more thing.  the upright stick burners also strike my fancy.  i like these one because of the little foot print.  do they cook the same as a regular pipe smoker?  is size also have a lot to do w/ it?  you see a lot of huge rigs and i have seen 36" and 48" smokers.  do different sizes cook differently?  ok, I'm done asking questions.  thank ya'll for the input. 

[Eatin Smoke]

Let me preface this by saying I'm no expert but when I went looking for a stick burner I wanted a reverse flow.  I liked the evenness of cooking and I think the griddle plate offers some advantages of extra flavor when the fat sizzles.  I believe another advantage may be you are less likely to have a grease fire w/ a RF.  It all comes down to personal preference and not one being better than the other.  Jambo Pits claim to have even temps across the grates as well, and tuning plates will help even out temps.  Some prefer a traditional  SB because they want temp variations esp in comp (higher temps for chicken, etc).  As for fuel consumption, I burn 1-2 sticks every 40-50 min.  I find my RF very easy to control and cook in the 275-300 range and she just purrs along.  The key is to burn a small hot/clean fire producing that thin blue smoke.   A insulated FB would definitely help w/ fuel consumption.  My main chamber (24x60) is 3/8 steel as is my firebox.......warming box is 1/4 steel.  I don't do overnighters much but can easily get a brisket or butt done in time for dinner starting 1st thing in the morning since I go H&F.......have noticed no compromise in flavor vs. low & slow.  I've noticed a big difference in flavor with the stick burner vs. charcoal and I enjoy tending to the fire.  I also think burning sticks is cheaper in the long run vs. charcoal.  That being said, I wouldn't trade my Kamado or PBC.......they have their place too!  Hope that answers some of your questions.

[sliding_billy]

I will get to a long answer another time, but for now here is my opinion... 1/4" is plenty thick.  3/16 is too thin even for the cooking chamber.  Insulation (firebox) is more important in some climates than others but always helps.  RF is easier to manage and does hold temp more evenly across the cooking area.  It also uses more fuel because the heat is having to travel twice the distance while also being absorbed by the RF plate.  I enjoy using tuning plates (or the lack thereof) to create different cooking zones throughout the smoker in the same way that you create different temp zones on a grill.  How often you go through a split depends on a ton of factors, how hot you run your fire, the size of your splits, the efficiency of your cooker, the weather conditions, etc.  If you can get 45 minutes to an hour between loading normal 1/4 splits, you are doing OK.  Lastly, to quote Warren Zevon, I'll sleep when I'm dead.

[LostArrow]

A reverse flow or a offset with good tuning plates are pretty equivalent !
The advantage of these cookers are 2.
Most can cook a large amount.
They cook without the meat drippings burning & flavoring the meat!
To some that's an advantage & to some that's an disadvantage .
I've had both, I've liked both, to me it's like choosing between ribeye & a strip , I love both