Maiden voyage with a Smobot

baychilla

Has anyone actually compared/contrasted a Smobot to a BBQ Guru or the like?  Im curious as to whether or not theres a difference between forced induction (Guru) or overall airflow control (Smobot).

YukonRon

baychilla said:

Has anyone actually compared/contrasted a Smobot to a BBQ Guru or the like?  Im curious as to whether or not theres a difference between forced induction (Guru) or overall airflow control (Smobot).

I am not aware of any. I did buy a DigiQ when I first bought my BGE, it did a good job, but, It could not regulate 100% of the temp. Twice, the temp got too high, and it shut down, causing all the oxygen to be used. Then as it cooled down, the induction fan started back up, but to no existing fire.
This, I think, has advantages, but I had to try it first before offering an opinion. We will see what happens.

GoooDawgs

I've been meaning to try that injection @YukonRon - just haven't been able to find those at my local grocery store.   I'll check out Amazon. 

I couldn't remember,  do you inject again towards the end of the cook as well?   (I just got a new Spitjack injector that's making me inject everything... )

Lastly, when you foil the thin flat, is that all around or just on top? 

Looking forward to seeing your results! 

YukonRon

GoooDawgs said:

I've been meaning to try that injection @YukonRon - just haven't been able to find those at my local grocery store.   I'll check out Amazon. 

I couldn't remember,  do you inject again towards the end of the cook as well?   (I just got a new Spitjack injector that's making me inject everything... )

Lastly, when you foil the thin flat, is that all around or just on top? 

Looking forward to seeing your results! 

I get mine in the grocery stores like Meier's or Kroger. They are typically found in the spice section.

I inject at the beginning, during the stall, and just after the stall. I have read about people injecting every 3 hours, but I am too lazy to do that. About every 5 or 6 hours.

The thin area of the flat, I wrap all the way around, twice with aluminum foil.

Will be glad to forward the results, and I will post them on here, of both the Smobot, and the brisket.

YukonRon

Working out rather well, hit the stall. I have to say the Smobot is a lot like James Brown, the hardest working man in show buisness, just electrical and smaller, and its performance, thus far, makes me want to stomp and holler. I really am impressed.
It has adjusted the top vent all night long and has kept the temp within just a few degrees the entire cook.

Jupiter Jim

Ron you know it's going to be awesome!

YukonRon

Jupiter Jim said:

Ron you know it's going to be awesome!

@Jupiter Jim
That is the plan, but I have done a few of these, that 100% went into some awesome chili. It is a brisket, and as everyone knows, it could go either way, my friend.
Thanks for checking in. Appreciate the confidence.

bgebrent

Standing by Ron. 

GoooDawgs

@YukonRon I like the idea of injecting 3 different times.   I assume it gets harder to inject with the grain as the meteorite forms? 

I think injecting after the stall would scare me in that the extra holes would let the juices escape,  but I guess you're replacing the lost juice with your own concoction. 

I'll definitely give this a go next time. 

YukonRon

reinhart36 said:

One tip for success it to make sure you don't have any big leaks in the lid seal, and also make sure the smobot damper is fastened all the way down flush against the cast iron cap.

The alarms have been developed, and we've been testing them the last few days.  A big firmware update release is right around the corner now.  I need to exercise the controller a little more to make sure I didn't break anything first..

I want a Smobot sticker for my YAK. This product is worthy.

DoubleEgger

YukonRon said:

reinhart36 said:

One tip for success it to make sure you don't have any big leaks in the lid seal, and also make sure the smobot damper is fastened all the way down flush against the cast iron cap.

The alarms have been developed, and we've been testing them the last few days.  A big firmware update release is right around the corner now.  I need to exercise the controller a little more to make sure I didn't break anything first..

I want a Smobot sticker for my YAK. This product is worthy.

Glad it’s working well. Seems like a good product. It sounds like it would be perfect for those of us that have multiple eggs. I had to buy different sized fans, adapter plates etc for each egg...

YukonRon

GoooDawgs said:

@YukonRon I like the idea of injecting 3 different times.   I assume it gets harder to inject with the grain as the meteorite forms? 

I think injecting after the stall would scare me in that the extra holes would let the juices escape,  but I guess you're replacing the lost juice with your own concoction. 

I'll definitely give this a go next time. 

Yeah I know, I specifically asked that question for that very same concern of during the stall.
I do not know if the response I received was pure BS or not, but the puncturing during the rendering process rendering process, is not an issue, as it aids in tendering the meat with the natural acids and sugars found in both the garlic and onion juices. I don' know. Seems to work pretty well, thus far.

The key, I think, is to inject for flavor and moisture, I don't want it to be like a pot roast, as I was warned it could be if I injected too much during the cook.

As far as difficulty, it actually gets a bit easier, I have found, as the brisket cooks. One of the tests for being done in the lack of resistance using a tooth pick. A needle is a lot easier, by far.

Hoe this helps. I made a lot of chili doing briskets, so be prepared with a plan B, should the cook of a brisket, not go as planned....
Just saying.

lousubcap

The graph is just a tease before the banquet.  Lookin good.  Bring it home and enjoy.

YukonRon

DoubleEgger said:

YukonRon said:

reinhart36 said:

One tip for success it to make sure you don't have any big leaks in the lid seal, and also make sure the smobot damper is fastened all the way down flush against the cast iron cap.

The alarms have been developed, and we've been testing them the last few days.  A big firmware update release is right around the corner now.  I need to exercise the controller a little more to make sure I didn't break anything first..

I want a Smobot sticker for my YAK. This product is worthy.

Glad it’s working well. Seems like a good product. It sounds like it would be perfect for those of us that have multiple eggs. I had to buy different sized fans, adapter plates etc for each egg...

@DoubleEgger
No fans, just a retro fit on the Daisy wheel. It is so simple to do. Not all BGE upper vents are different sizes. I think the small and the MM are the same size, and there may be others that share sizes.
So far, it has been pretty impressive. I really enjoy and find value to on line monitoring over Bluetooth. I can be working several miles away and still have control of the cook.

YukonRon

lousubcap said:

The graph is just a tease before the banquet.  Lookin good.  Bring it home and enjoy.

You can see on the graph the few gusts of wind we had this morning and over night.
Something really cool about the live graph, just touching it anywhere on the data ine will give you temp measurements. This product is pretty cool.
Can't wait to get the final results. It is a bit more fun cooking with this gadget.
This is a prime frome Costco, I will compare and contrast patterns against similar in SRF black and SRF Gold just to see the difference in the qualities.
Might be something to learn?
Thanks @lousubcap.

RajunCajun

YukonRon said:

lousubcap said:

The graph is just a tease before the banquet.  Lookin good.  Bring it home and enjoy.

You can see on the graph the few gusts of wind we had this morning and over night.
Something really cool about the live graph, just touching it anywhere on the data ine will give you temp measurements. This product is pretty cool.
Can't wait to get the final results. It is a bit more fun cooking with this gadget.
This is a prime frome Costco, I will compare and contrast patterns against similar in SRF black and SRF Gold just to see the difference in the qualities.
Might be something to learn?
Thanks @lousubcap.

Glad to hear you like it.  The UI is pretty cool.  Can't wait for the alarms and it would be nice if they added a damper percentage to the UI.  When we were kids we dreamed of robots....here ya go, the Smobot robot!  Enjoy!

YukonRon

It does have a damper percentage monitor, just not on the graph. That would be a kind of cool thing to add, but that graph would show extremely frequent changes for the duration.

RajunCajun

Yes, I meant on the graph.

YukonRon

Stalled at 180F

lousubcap

@YukonRon - Recently I had a 10+ lb (post-trim) Costco prime brisket go from fridge to 180*F internal in 4 hours.  I was thinking WTF... Took an additional 5+ to cross the finish-line.  Running around 270*F on the dome.  
Sounds like you are enjoying your new toy-great eats ahead.  

GoooDawgs

@YukonRon are you running 225 grate temp or are connecting the probe to the dome thermo?

YukonRon

@lousubcap
I have had similar experences as you, I had one finish in 9 hours at 225F.

You are absolutely correct when you say the cow drives the cook.

Craziest one for me though was my first SRF Black, trimmed to just over 9.5 lbs. It was like yours, fridge to 190F in less than 6 hours, so initially I thought that is why everyone buys these briskets from Snake River....did the toothpick, as you taught me to do, and it had all kinds of resistance. 

Ended up almost a 13 hour cook, although I think I could have pulled it maybe an hour earlier. Then the flavor and texture showed me why everyone buys a SRF. Delicious. It don't matter how you get there, just get there.

Thanks for checking in, Frank, I learn from you always.

StillH2OEgger

YukonRon said:

Working out rather well, hit the stall. I have to say the Smobot is a lot like James Brown, the hardest working man in show buisness, just electrical and smaller, and its performance, thus far, makes me want to stomp and holler. I really am impressed.
It has adjusted the top vent all night long and has kept the temp within just a few degrees the entire cook.

I had a very similar positive reaction right out of the box. It seemed counterintuitive that something so simple could work so well and keep such consistent temps.

YukonRon

GoooDawgs said:

@YukonRon are you running 225 grate temp or are connecting the probe to the dome thermo?

@GoooDawgs

I am running this at grate temp, indirect. Felt level.

YukonRon

StillH2OEgger said:

YukonRon said:

Working out rather well, hit the stall. I have to say the Smobot is a lot like James Brown, the hardest working man in show buisness, just electrical and smaller, and its performance, thus far, makes me want to stomp and holler. I really am impressed.
It has adjusted the top vent all night long and has kept the temp within just a few degrees the entire cook.

I had a very similar positive reaction right out of the box. It seemed counterintuitive that something so simple could work so well and keep such consistent temps.

Having the lower vent open halfway, and with a gentle 9-10 mph breeze going, this thing has worked it's backside off. It has done an incredible job considering.

The_Stache

Watchin!!

RajunCajun

A man could drink a lot of beer standing there watching the Smobot do its thing.

YukonRon

Or be out picking up groceries, prepping other meals, shoveling snow and ice, too.
I like the freedom this thing brings.

RajunCajun

I prefer the beer option!

YukonRon

189F IT