Wife got me a temp controller but...

bhedges1987 · March 2016

So I put the bug in my wifes ear a while back for a temp controller and I thought she might be getting one for our anniversary.

She ended up going with the DigiQ 2. I know I know it's not the flame boss 200 which I would have preferred. But I'm not going to make her upset and return it.

It should come in the mail tomorrow. Looking for advice on starting a fire now, if anything at all changes? Typically I put one starter cube in, let it go for a few min and cover the top with a few pieces of lump. Let it go for another 5-10. Put plate setter in, let the temp come up to about 175 and then shut down the vents.

Will I be putting the fan on before or after all of that? Will it make my egg come to temp faster?

Thanks

blind99 · March 2016

You'll need to find your top vent setting that just prevents the egg from getting to your desired temp, with the fan in place and not running. That way the controller can feed a little oxygen as required.

Then, as far as starting, it depends on your desired temp and how fast you want to get there. ive started a small fire with a cube, put everything in place, and let the controller do its thing. It works well for a low and slow. But if you're aiming for a higher temp like 350 you may overshoot this way. You can always set for a lower temp then ramp up.

Once you you play with it a few times you'll get the hang of it. They add complexity but it really frees me up to do other stuff - I like having the controller.

bhedges1987 · March 2016

okay thanks. So sounds like your starting your fire with the fan already in place? Let it go for a few min and then put plate setter in? I'll typically be doing 250, I'll place the probe on my thermometer on the dome.

caliking · March 2016

if its not what you want, then return it. Its not cheap, so spend your money once on the controller you want. Explain it to your wife and I'm sure she'll understand.

bhedges1987 · March 2016

caliking said:

if its not what you want, then return it. Its not cheap, so spend your money once on the controller you want. Explain it to your wife and I'm sure she'll understand.

I'm sure it will do just fine. I really like the wifi on the FB but I don't think I want to explain that to her for an extra $100. Plus I always told her I wanted a digiQ before I knew much about the FB. No biggie. I'm sure it will get plenty of use.

GATraveller · March 2016

I love my DigiQ. I use an electric starter. Once the lump is lit I put everything in, daisy wheel on and get the fan going. DigiQ does the rest. I connect the pit probe to the grate - not dome FWIW. Only issue I have with it is I can't hear the alarm inside. I solved this problem by using an old baby monitor. Enjoy!!

bhedges1987 · March 2016

GATraveller said:

I love my DigiQ. I use an electric starter. Once the lump is lit I put everything in, daisy wheel on and get the fan going. DigiQ does the rest. I connect the pit probe to the grate - not dome FWIW. Only issue I have with it is I can't hear the alarm inside. I solved this problem by using an old baby monitor. Enjoy!!

Thanks. Can't wait to try it.

caliking · March 2016

bhedges1987 said:

caliking said:

if its not what you want, then return it. Its not cheap, so spend your money once on the controller you want. Explain it to your wife and I'm sure she'll understand.

I'm sure it will do just fine. I really like the wifi on the FB but I don't think I want to explain that to her for an extra $100. Plus I always told her I wanted a digiQ before I knew much about the FB. No biggie. I'm sure it will get plenty of use.

In that case, carry on. And get a weedburner from Harbor Freight.

THEBuckeye · March 2016

Is Flame Boss 200 the Forum favorite?

tgs2401 · March 2016

bhedges1987 said:

caliking said:

if its not what you want, then return it. Its not cheap, so spend your money once on the controller you want. Explain it to your wife and I'm sure she'll understand.

I'm sure it will do just fine. I really like the wifi on the FB but I don't think I want to explain that to her for an extra $100. Plus I always told her I wanted a digiQ before I knew much about the FB. No biggie. I'm sure it will get plenty of use.

I have the DigiQ and it does everything I want it to do. I had a Maverick wireless thermometer before getting the DigiQ and I use them together. The Maverick sits in the house and lets me know what's going on. Nice to have the flexibility of using them together or separately as I only use the DigiQ for long low and slow cooks where I'll use the Maverick much more often.

bhedges1987 · March 2016

THEBuckeye said:

Is Flame Boss 200 the Forum favorite?

I believe so

GalanteNate_OneEa · March 2016

Ive used a few different controllers and one thing I have learned, start you fire like normal, get up to temp, then just trust in the DigiQ to hold the temp.

GoooDawgs · March 2016

I still would take the Cyberq to get the extra probes and allow for internet connectivity & control when you're outside of your home wifi.

Plus the Cyberq has a nice app with it.

blind99 · March 2016

bhedges1987 said:

okay thanks. So sounds like your starting your fire with the fan already in place? Let it go for a few min and then put plate setter in? I'll typically be doing 250, I'll place the probe on my thermometer on the dome.

As long as you don't let the fire get away from you you can put the fan in any time. If the fire is too big the controller can't help.

I'm not suggesting you need wifi. But if you want it you are welcome to use us as an excuse to upgrade now. Make sure you get a wifi signal near your egg first.

stlcharcoal · March 2016

GoooDawgs said:

I still would take the Cyberq to get the extra probes and allow for internet connectivity & control when you're outside of your home wifi.

Plus the Cyberq has a nice app with it.

You can connect to your Flameboss from anywhere with internet access. It's not a local connection. I can give you my username and password and you can log into it my right now if you want to check it out.

It's the EXACT opposite though, you do not have local access to the FB200--it MUST have internet access via WiFi. It sends all it's data to a server somewhere, then it puts it into the graph for you. If it doesn't have internet access, then you can only control and monitor it from the control head.

Toxarch · March 2016

I have a Stoker. I open the bottom vent, break the starter cube into 3 smaller pieces and then light in 3 places. Let that go for a little while and then install the fan and probes.

YukonRon · March 2016

I install everything from the start. Light it set it wait until smoke clears, add the protein to the grill and let the DigiQ do its thing. Used it on almost every low and slow with perfect results. It is a great tool.

dstearn · March 2016

Light the starter cube and let it go for 5 minutes. Then close the lid, set your top vent on the daisy wheel for low and slow, attach fan and let the Digiq ramp up the temp. Set your grate probe on the side, not directly above the starter cube. Make sure your vent setting on your fan is at the min setting if you want a low and slow temp. Once you reach the desired temp add your wood and the platesetter and bring it up to temp prior to adding your meat.

I have been able to maintain 225 grate temps for 16 hrs using this method. When I first started using the DigiQ I would let the starter cube go for 10-15 minutes and I would overshoot my desired temp.

Ozzie_Isaac · March 2016

Congrats on the controller! She did great. The DigiQ is a good controller! Use it and enjoy it.

This forum will make you question all your stuff. We have so many good options for equipment it is a fun time to be an egghead.

blind99 · March 2016

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Congrats on the controller! She did great. The DigiQ is a good controller! Use it and enjoy it.

This forum will make you question all your stuff. We have so many good options for equipment it is a fun time to be an egghead.

@ozzie_isaac you need a meme for that... damn it feels good to be a egghead

johnmitchell · March 2016

@Ozzie_Isaac.. Glad to see you didn't go completely off the grid for the week

Jeepster47 · March 2016

johnmitchell said:

@Ozzie_Isaac.. Glad to see you didn't go completely off the grid for the week

@johnmitchell ... today's a sub-perfect day in paradise ... he's probably escaping the whining via the forum. Have to laugh 'cuz the surveillance camera showed a beautiful sunrise back in Illinois.

dougcrann · March 2016

I am somewhat lazy. I start a small fire using a weed burner. Put the plate setter and grate in. Install the controller. For 225* I keep the DW shut. Close the dome and walk away....

bhedges1987 · March 2016

so sounds like there are multiple ways to go about this. To let it come to temp or not before you turn on the fan and throw in the plate setter.

Thanks for all of the help. I'll give it a go this weekend and see what happens!

Jeepster47 · March 2016

I'll second what many have said ... the DigiQ 2 is a great controller. If I wasn't such a sucker for graph porn, it would still be my main controller.

The main thing to remember this weekend is that the DigiQ can't make the temperature go down ... only up. So, your daisy wheel/Smokeware cap setting will end up being much more closed than your normal setting. My Smokeware cap setting is from very slightly open on one egg to very slightly closed on the second egg. The top vent's task is to keep the temp below target which will keep flare-ups from getting away from you. And, the DigiQ's task is to blow in enough air to overcome the "tight" top vent settings and keep the lump burning enough to achieve target temp.

Ladeback69 · March 2016

@bhedges1987, you have a mighty fine wife there to get the DigiQ 2 for your anniversary, I hope you did the same for her. We usually don't do much for gifts for or anniversary, but this will be our 10th so I will have to check with SWMBO to see what she wants to do. Since the items for the EGG can be expensive I usually parlay a big gift to cover Fathers Day and Birthday, that's how I got my XL and a bonus from work helped as well.

I have not found that I need a temp pit controller as of yet, I don't really have a lot of trouble controlling the temp over a long cook, but maybe some day I will get one from @stlcharcoal. Jonathan seems to have the best prices on most the brands. I am thinking of getting a AR/Woo2 combo first.

Happy Anniversary and enjoy the cooking @bhedges1987.

Wife got me a temp controller but...

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