Maiden voyage with a Smobot

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

@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.

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.

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

189F IT