Flameboss question

JohnfromKentucky

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.

alaskanassasin

I really like the smobot fwiw. Never had a flame boss but the smobot has nailed every time I used it.

lkapigian

I have the 500, no regrets , the ability to work without internet , making adjustments on the unit would be worth it to me, I don’t use it on my egg, but really excels on the gravity feed 

CGS

skip the 400, it's limited to 1 meat, 1 pit, EGG Genius for couple buck more gives you multi-meat capability with Y Cables. 500 does not need Y cables to run 3 meats, direct connect. 500 also gives you grill side control without having your phone, very nice upgrade. 

t

stlcharcoal

500.  I like having the screen.  I don't know my way around routers and wifi anymore.  So just in the case where I can't get the network going or my sketchy rural internet is down, I just set it on the display and walk away like the old days.  I also like the ability to monitor multiple meat probes, especially for poultry.  

WeberWho

I've owned a couple Guru's, Party Q, Auber Instruments PID controller, and a couple Stokers. The Flame Boss 500 has been the best Wifi controller I've owned. The Auber Instruments is super basic but I've never had an issue with it. Years later I gave to my brother-in-law and now he uses it. You can't kill it. 

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. 

JohnfromKentucky

Is the flame boss not battery powered?
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

lkapigian

JohnfromKentucky said:

Is the flame boss not battery powered?
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

Is not battery power, but you can get the battery supply as an accessory , it comes standard with the 12 Volt Adaptor , I have the battery supply as well and it works perfect 

stlcharcoal

JohnfromKentucky said:

Is the flame boss not battery powered?
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

It's 12V, so you can attach it to any 12V power supply.  I use a CCTV plug, then attach to jump start pack or an old lawn mower battery.  

CGS

For battery, I like the car jump battery packs with the indicator that displays how much power remains available. they last many cooks but with the indicator, you can check power vs run time. It's almost easier running off a pack than plugging it in at times. 

t 

JohnfromKentucky

alaskanassasin said:

I really like the smobot fwiw. Never had a flame boss but the smobot has nailed every time I used it.

I did a search on here for that. Very interesting and wow...it opens a whole new set of questions. 

JohnfromKentucky

@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
https://youtu.be/KyVuEL_4hc4


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

Canugghead

^^^ wow, at around 9:50 mark '...simply close the top vent, close the bottom vent, give it about 10, 15 minutes or so, your coal should be completely out' 

Photo Egg

JohnfromKentucky said:

@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
https://youtu.be/KyVuEL_4hc4


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

The Flame Boss uses a variable speed fan that spins faster or slower as needed. Will it stop at times? Yes, it certainly could. But the Egg is insulated so well that temp fluctuations are so minor compared to your home oven that probably swings at least 20 degrees and more.

stlcharcoal

Photo Egg said:

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?

The Flame Boss uses a variable speed fan that spins faster or slower as needed. Will it stop at times? Yes, it certainly could. But the Egg is insulated so well that temp fluctuations are so minor compared to your home oven that probably swings at least 20 degrees and more.

This is correct.  They're the only ones that use a variable speed fan, so it's usually running a a very low speed.....but if the pit temp goes too high, then the fan will shut off.  That's why it's good to have the chimney cap closed a little further than than it normally would be for the same temp--so it chokes the fire.  Then you use the fan to push the air through the cap.

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.

CGS

JohnfromKentucky said:

@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
https://youtu.be/KyVuEL_4hc4


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

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.

With 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. 

t

6baluts

Do not want to stir anything up but FireBoards newer fan is variable speed. The original fan that FireBoard used made by Auber Instruments was not variable speed.

GoldenQ

I have the 300 and agree with stichcharcoal on liking to just use the screen

JohnfromKentucky

@CGS
thanks! That is a lot to digest. I'll give you a call sometime, I love learning new stuff.

Photo Egg

JohnfromKentucky said:

@CGS
thanks! That is a lot to digest. I'll give you a call sometime, I love learning new stuff.

Tom, at Ceramic Grill Store, is a wealth of information and a long time Egghead. If you’re ever in the Dallas Texas area stop by his place for a visit.

alaskanassasin

JohnfromKentucky said:

alaskanassasin said:

I really like the smobot fwiw. Never had a flame boss but the smobot has nailed every time I used it.

I did a search on here for that. Very interesting and wow...it opens a whole new set of questions. 

Works like the egg normally works, set the bottom vent where you normally would to achieve a temp throw it on top and it meters the top like you would. Just makes sense to me.  I know the other ones do this too but it’s awesome to be able to adjust your pit temp from anywhere.

JohnfromKentucky

so a local guy says that he's not too happy with his FB. He says that it has been quirky and not very accurate. Though admittedly he hasn't used it much, just a couple of times.

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?

caliking

JohnfromKentucky said:

so a local guy says that he's not too happy with his FB. He says that it has been quirky and not very accurate. Though admittedly he hasn't used it much, just a couple of times.

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?

Make an offer, and take it off his hands. You'll be happy with it. 

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. 

stlcharcoal

JohnfromKentucky said:

so a local guy says that he's not too happy with his FB. He says that it has been quirky and not very accurate. Though admittedly he hasn't used it much, just a couple of times.

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?

They are as quirky as their owner.  

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.

blind99

i'm still rocking a FB 200; I don't use it often, only when I've got a lot going on and doing a long cook.  These things work really well.  Here's a plot of a middle of winter brisket cook: https://www.myflameboss.com/en/cooks/9992

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.

wps456

Love my 500. After reading CGS's post, I'm glad I've been doing it right. That's pretty much the same way I do my cooks too. The only thing I don't like about the FB (I'm guessing it's the same with other temp controllers too) is that there is usually a big difference in grid temp probe with the dome temp...sometimes about a 50 degree difference at first. It balances out over the cook but I never know which one to trust in the beginning of the cook.

Yno

I still have my FB 300 but bought a 500 when it came out. I do know how to control temps with the vents, but I like the insurance of a controller. Any problems I have ever had with cooks have always been traced to user error. Some things I always do. Light the lump and let it get well started before closing everything down. Let it get to about 50 or so degrees below target before starting the FB. And I clip the FB pit probe to the dome thermo. Most recipes use dome temp, so I don't care about the grid temp. The dome and FB temp are not always perfectly in sync but very close.

JohnfromKentucky

Thanks all. I have asked him if he's willing to part with it. 

MaskedMarvel

I will say I had used the hell out of my fb500 when I suddenly had Bizzaro fan issues, and FB evaluated and exchanged both my fan and controller. I was down for a few weeks - but that CS means something. And the replacements have been spot on. 

Big BIG supporter of the FB500, here. Probably 100+ cooks in

Mr1egg

The only problem with the flameboss is once u use it once you will never cook without it. 

Canugghead

Mr1egg said:

The only problem with the flameboss is once u use it once you will never cook without it. 

was thinking of you when I saw a liquidation place here selling a FB500 Universal kit for $150 recently