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temp control system

BullyC
BullyC Posts: 142
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hi to all
Haven;t been on forum for a while and had 2 questions?
1 what and where can I get a very good temp control
for my egg when I do overnite cooks that is priced reasonable? 2 I did a pork butt other nite and injected with bob gibsons recipe. turned out well,
but as usual I hit the plateau about 168, I got frustrated cause would not move so I just finished in oven covered with foil to help from drying out and
took off at 190 and wrapped and rested in a cooler for 2 hrs. OMG so tender and juicy, especially under fat cap I had on the butt. A shame that fat cap is really not good for the arteries, LOL a little bit with some pork on it is sooooo tasty.
So what do most of you do when you hit the plateau?
Is patience the answer, or foil it to keep the heat in?
please let me know what you think. Have a great summer of egginn take care BullyC
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Comments

  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    The temp controls systems are included with the egg. It has a vent on the bottom and a vent on top to control the temperature perfectly for low and slow cooks all the way up to nuclear levels. :blush:
  • Kailas
    Kailas Posts: 146
    Patience is the key.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    I never monitor the temp of the butt. Why bother? The plateau is part of the cook and happens whether in the egg or your oven. I just plan a rough total time, and check the butt at the end

    No need for a temp control system, but i can honestly say i have never heard a complaint fromanyone that bought one. I'll let others recommend a specific brand, i'm just here to say temp control has no influence on the plateau

    Easiest way to avoid the frustration of seeing the temp flatline during the plateau is to not bothering taking the butt's internal temp anyway, at least not until near the very end of the cook
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    put your butt in around 11 at night, wake up at 4am, check egg, use wiggle stick, make cofee, wake everyone up, load cooler with food and beverage, go fishing, watch sunrise, catch fish, enjoy life, come back around 1 to see butt just finishing up, maybe raise temps if not done, some hammock time, eat. i dont use a controller. with all of that theres no time to worry about a plateau, i just stick with the routine :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • BullyC
    BullyC Posts: 142
    Hi Philsgrill

    Yes I know the egg has a very good temp system
    in the vents, but i was looking for perfect control.
    for simple reason I can set my egg at 250, watch it for a hour, go to bed, and when I wake up 5 or 6 hrs later,
    it wont be at 250, might be 220 or might be 275,
    I stack the big chunks so there is good airflow,
    but maybe your right as long as does not get too low or too high whats the big deal. anyway thanks for your answer Bullyc
  • Vanzo
    Vanzo Posts: 125
    Bully, seems noone wants to answer your question about the temp control. Please note, I don't own one and have never used one, but whenever I see someone on here talking about one it seems that the BBQ GURU is the most popular. I also saw someone mention the Stoker???? But I think the GURU is the most popular among eggers. I have no idea what they cost but a quick google should give you that.

    Good luck.

    Vanzo
    Alabama
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Well whatever you do don't worry about an electronic failure causing the fan to run continuously and burn up your food or a failure and have it not turn on and the fire go out. :whistle:B)
  • SheepDog
    SheepDog Posts: 176
    Bully while I truly enjoy sitting around the grill with a beer in hand, doing long cooks like Butts just won't be practical without some sort of temp control system. After much research on the different models I decided on Stoker. The biggest selling point to go with Stoker for me was the fact I can log into the system at work to see what's going on. If needed I can ring up the wife or son for some actual hands on help.
  • BullyC
    BullyC Posts: 142
    thanks Vanzo appreciate that, have a great weekend
    Bullyc
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Bullyc, so far I've tried every major brand of temperature controller except for the Pitmaster IQue 110. (Guess what's on tap for this weekend, though, tee hee!) I have published reviews on all of them on my webpage. They are all reliable and they all do a good job. You need to look at all of them and see what features they have and how that matches up with what you want. Do you want a numeric display? Do you want to monitor the meat termperature too, or just the cooker? Do you want to connect and control via the internet? Etc. etc. etc. Here's a link. Get a six pack, sit back and start reading. Once you have checked them out, we can certainly help with questions. Good luck!

    Product Reviews of BBQ Guru, Auber Instruments and Stoker Temperature Controllers
    The Naked Whiz
  • SheepDog
    SheepDog Posts: 176
    Beat me to it TNW! A lot of GREAT information there Bully. Helped out tremendously in making my decision.
  • BullyC
    BullyC Posts: 142
    thanks sheepdog, I appreciate that. I am not a expert
    but i think better results with consistent accurate cook temps. I'd rather do a over niter cause really dont feel like watching egg for 10 hrs, LOL
    thanks BullyC
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    I'd be willing to bet cash money (is there any other kind? :laugh: ) that a thousand cooks fail due to the fire going out for every cook that fails due to a temperature controller going crazy.
    The Naked Whiz
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Thanks, Sheepdog. Like I say, the plans are for this weekend to start on the Pitmaster IQue 110. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to set it up for a photo shoot with that big hose sticking out the bottom, lol. I may need to drill a hole in my dining room table.
    The Naked Whiz
  • SheepDog
    SheepDog Posts: 176
    Bully mine will be here tomorrow and hope to cook a butt within a few days. If I am able to I'll let you know how it goes.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    did you ever try this one :) i dont know why guru stopped making them, maybe patent infringement, profit margins, people needed to see numbers flash on a display?

    014-8.jpg
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Great, I'd welcome any user experience to augment what I come across during the testing.
    The Naked Whiz
  • SheepDog
    SheepDog Posts: 176
    Looking forward to hearing how the Pitmaster works out TNW. I would like to see Stoker come out with some higher temperature probes.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    though there are plenty of temp-controlled cooks that have gone out, too.

    not a perfect system.
    i still prefer the whizeroo draft control fuzzy-logic system, which comes free with every egg :laugh:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    They had a 1000 degree probe when they first came out. You might call them and ask them if they would be willing to make you one. I assume nobody bought them and they just dropped them.
    The Naked Whiz
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    too simple for some folks, i guess. :ermm:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Well, yes. That IS the best system, endorsed by Al Gore, George Bush AND Vladimir Putin!
    The Naked Whiz
  • BullyC
    BullyC Posts: 142
    thanks naked whiz
    yes that pitmaster comes to mind, I was talking to a competitor other day who is going to be invited to the american royal this year. he also mentioned the pitmaster, i just forgot. he said a lot of good things about it. I just wanna control pit temp, I have a thermo works meat probe that I can watch temp with.
    also love your Lump site, invaluable to newbees
    thanks BullyC
  • Kailas
    Kailas Posts: 146
    The Naked Whiz wrote:
    Well, yes. That IS the best system, endorsed by Al Gore, George Bush AND Vladimir Putin!

    If it's not endorsed by Sarah Palin and the Tea Party, it should be considered "unAmerican"
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    here's the rare version with optional "hands-full" remote control

    temp_control.jpg
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    at the camp i rely on my 80 year old wind up linden alarm clock to get up in the morning, wind the clock, set the time and alarm, wind the ringer, gets me up every morning :) my plug in clock goes out with the power regularly and that new fangled cell clock i have loses the cell connection all the time
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • SheepDog
    SheepDog Posts: 176
    Stike if that was my foot I wouldn't be posting pictures of it! :whistle: :laugh:

    TNW what position do you put the top vent in while using the Stoker?
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    is there a problem of being double parked, "hands-full", with bottled sam adams lager without a fancy label to tell you if they are cold enough. how would one know if they are cold just holding them like that, oh wait, you have a thermapen :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Cruezn
    Cruezn Posts: 317
    If you are looking for a cheap temp control system that works, get the BBQ Guru Nano. It's not fancy, but it's effective. I've been considering upgrading to a fancier model. Contact me offline if interested in a Nano.
  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
    I did a lot of research, mainly using the Naked Whiz's reviews and posts on this forum and ended up going with the DigiQ DX:

    http://www.thebbqguru.com/products/DigiQ-DX--(Build-your-package).html

    Love it for overnighters and even lower temp Beef Jerky making.
    Packerland, Wisconsin