Temperature Control System

Cluke

Thanks for all the feedback! Just to confirm.. the Smobot has an app where I can wirelessly control the temp? If that’s the case then I’m really torn between the Smobot and FB

Genesis

Smobot does have an app to remotely adjust parameters for your cook. I lit my egg the other evening, set it for 250, then took my kid to softball practice. Before we left the ball field to come home I used the app to bring the egg up to 350. Ready to cook when I got home. It’s great!

blairz212

From my understanding both the Smobot and FB400/500 have apps to monitor your cooks. Both are well reviewed and have great customer service. I don’t think you can make a bad choice here.

I recently purchased a FB400 but have yet to use it. I went with the FB for two reasons. First it was slightly less expensive than the smobot. Second I live in Michigan and we often will get unexpected rain storms at night. I know the smobot can get wet but I didn’t want to chance rain coming into the egg through the top and getting my meat wet. With the FB I can use my smokeware top to eliminate any rain potentially getting into the egg. Just my 2 cents.

stlcharcoal

As I understand it, the Smo can only monitor two meats. FB400 monitors one meat, and FB500 can monitor three meats.

6baluts

Correct Smobot can monitor two meats.

I have a few controllers around. One thing each of my controllers have that on occaision gets lost in all these discussions is the LCD readout at the cooker. Me personally (me is operative word) I would not want a controller that did not have this readout. Even utilizing wifi I wander about while cooking and at times its sans phone.

Not bashing FB. I have the FB200 but 2 out of 3 of their newer controllers does not have this readout. Not sure that would work well for me.

JRWhitee

Flame Boss 200 here, working great.

g37

I second the the flame boss recommendation. Flame boss warranty is the best. If u own a flame and are having or have had problems email them. Just FYI if u have the new reggulator top and want to go with the smobot you’ll need the old daisy wheel top for it to work.

mEGG_My_Day

Smobot has a cap you ca can buy, so no daisy wheel needed - it will cost you $40 though.

https://shop.smobot.com/products/smobot-cap-for-big-green-egg

Cluke

@blairz212 great point. I like the technology of the SmoBot better than FB, but I live in NE Ohio so you’re comment might have just pushed me to choosing the FB.

Yno

Nothing against the Smobot, as I have never used it, but to my mind the Flame Boss can do everything it can do and in addition has a fan to resurrect a dying flame in the lump. I have never noticed a bad taste from supposedly choked embers.

HeavyG

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2428958#Comment_2428958

I think fears of rain getting inside our kamados are a bit overblown. A couple years ago a fast moving pretty intense storm ran thru my area and dumped about 2 inches of rain in a couple of hours. After it passed I went outside to start some charcoal and saw that I had left a clean drip pan on the top grate. The daisy wheel was set so the little holes were fully open (as is my normal practice when they are not in use to allow airflow and lessen mold growth). The drip pan contained a whopping tablespoon or two of water. I found that rather surprising as I had always thought that a lot more rain would get thru the holes in a good rain event.

When using the Smobot for a low 'n slow the opening of the damper is normally pretty small. The surface area of the Smobot damper opening likely isn't much different thatn the area of the little holes of the daisy wheel.

If that is still a concern there is a simple and cheap solution:

A $10 roof vent cap. Sorry for the crappy pix - I took that at 0300 a couple years ago to post in a different forum to explain to someone how I modded the cap to work with a Smobot. This is on my KJ Jr. I was using it that evening because of a freezing rain event and I wanted to avoid any chance of the damper/servo icing up. That fear was probably unfounded as I'm sure there is enough heat coming off the kamado to prevent that from happening.

Older versions of the Smobot damper did have a very slight chance of rain getting into the servo thru the screw in the servo arm but they have addressed that by now including a rubber rain cover in all new units:

In any case, they all have pros and cons and what seems to be missing from the conversation is that, while rare, these controller gizmos do occasionally fail (electronics and/or fan) so it's not as if they are a 100% guarantee that a long overnight cook will go smoothly.

I have a few controllers and I really don't use them all that often. What I do use often is my Fireboard as I do like to just monitor/graph what's happening during a long cook. The Fireboard can also be used as a pit controller with the addition of their Drive Cable and a fan. So it is an excellent 6 probe WiFi thermometer and a pit controller when/if you want that ability.