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Flameboss question
JohnfromKentucky
Posts: 410
I'm looking at the Flameboss 400 and 500. Is the 500 worth the extra $100?
For those that have either one, do you use it a lot? Pros/cons please.
For those that have either one, do you use it a lot? Pros/cons please.
Comments
- @Legume
t
I've owned the Flame Boss 500 for a year or so now and zero issues. I've only used it on my gravity feed smoker but it holds it rock steady.
Minnesota
That would be a con as my power supply is not near where I cook and I don't want to run an extension cord
t
@CGS
when I did a search on here, some of the accusations (for lack of a better word) about the flame boss was that it cycles the fan, so your temps can go down. Is this correct or bad info?
I'm hoping to do more low/slow cooks as (so far) everything I have cooked seems to take 1/2 the time. Temps tend to run a bit hotter or cooler but I rarely get it on point the whole time.
I just watched this video and have realized that I have been controlling my temps the wrong way
And his other video, I have always been lighting my charcoal on top when i want to do slow cooks..
so I'm hoping that with this device, I can start it and then engage this and forget it until I am ready to put the meat on
But the pit temp are not going to "go down"......as soon as it's below the set temp, the fan kicks on and stokes the fire. And to maintain, the learning algorithm will find whatever speed/frequency it needs to maintain the fire. So it may vary a little bit, but remember, the probe is only measuring 1 cubic inch of air under the dome. Like Damien said, it's going to vary at least 20 degree, and I'd say upwards of 50 degrees in a XL or 2XL. Meat temp is what really matters, so as long as you're watching that, you'll be ok.
On the Flame Boss, if you nailed the settings, meaning the lower vent and upper slider are perfectly set to maintain your temperature, the Flame boss would never run, as the egg is doing ok by itself. We know perfect settings are not always the case but with experience we can do a good job of getting close to perfect. The Flame Boss takes our close settings and makes them perfect by running the fan when needed or alerting us that the openings are to open, can’t get down to set temperature.
tWith any electronic controller, for it to work properly you need to slightly starve the egg for air, so the controller kicks in and adds just that little more air to maintain your desired temperature. Again, if you are to open, temps to high, the controller alerts you to shut down some to bring temp down.
On lighting the egg, it’s really simple, be consistent on how you do it starting with simple basics. I see no real reason to change how you light the egg by cook, other than how much you light. Remember new charcoal lights faster and is less impactful than used charcoal.
Grilling - light in multiple spots depending on how much grid above you are cooking on. No reason to fire up the whole xl if only cooking a couple steaks. The more spots you light the faster the egg will come to temp and the lump will burn clean. Plus, more spots should yield a more even burn with more consistent temps over the cooking area (grid).
BBQ, low and slow, light in one spot, I do a little center of forward because my grills (xl) tend to burn back. I light on top and let the fire burn down and settle in, always working the dampers (slider, top vent) down. You will learn with practice on matching settings to cook. The biggest mistake new folks do on bbq cooks is over light the lump, then they can't control temp. It's a process and can take 45 minutes or so to get settled in, ready to smoke low and slow. Watch for patterns on how the charcoal burns. This will help you pick where to light it….like for me, little center of forward on my xl.
On the two long cooks (brisket and butts) use all new charcoal, save the old you take out and use it on a grilling cook. All new charcoal will give you max cook time for amount of charcoal used.
As shown in the video, you have a couple ways to manage airflow, one of the three keys to managing fire and temperature. You can work top vent, bottom vent, or like me, work both vents. If you are new, play some between methods and see what you like. With experience you can do more vent changes.
The other two keys to managing fire are fuel and ignition source. For fuel, more is better than less starting out, till you get comfortable on matching lump usage to specific cooks. For example, I would not use as much to smoke a 3 hour rib cook as I would a 14 hour brisket cook. As mentioned, used lump can be reused, it's just a little harder to light and does not seem to give the same impact as new.
The third key is ignition source. As mentioned, multiple spot grilling, one spot bbq. I use a Bernzomatic 4000 torch with MAP bottle to light my charcoal. I like it because I can pick where (# of spots) and how intense I want to get the charcoal going per spot. To use the torch or EGG eggniter, you need eye protection, as the charcoal can and will spark some.
I guess that's enough rambling. If you need more help, call me at the store, ceramic grill store.
thanks! That is a lot to digest. I'll give you a call sometime, I love learning new stuff.
- @Legume
So, what questions could I ask him to get more information on why it is acting the way it is?
Does the FB require it to be set up?
And, don't worry about small swings in temp. I'll wager that its hard tell a cook that progressed with 20°-50°F swings now and then vs. a cook that went rock steady at a set temp throughout.
We've had that many times here for all controllers......people saying their controller went wild. Yet they post the graph and the second the pit temp went above the set point, the fan was at 0% until an hour later when it came down below the set point (i.e. they had a air leak, vent open too much, pit probe in the wrong spot.) Also a pit probe going bad can mess these things up, but it is easy to diagnose.
Again, you're running a fan based of 1 cubic inch of air it's sensing under a big dome with all kinds of evaporation taking place. Temps are going all over the place under there regardless if you have a controller.
Don't over think this, it's just meant to be cruise control, not an autoclave.
it does work well, also, for getting the egg to temp prior to the cook. sometimes i'll want to do a low slow cook starting in the early morning. i'll start the fire before bed and set it at 250, and i'll be ready to go the next morning.
36" Blackstone - Greensboro!