requires you to do nothing but sit in the backyard and stoke the fire is a bit hyperbolic. I run a charcoal smoker now (Weber), and would like to get a stick burner. I maybe check the temp during a cook once every few hours, and my thermometer syncs with my phone, so I can and do leave. It's requires a bit more effort than a traeger, but not much. And the only reason it requires more is because you have to start the coals. I may be playing hard the opposite way from your post, but I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle.