Temp problem on new smoker?

[MikeInFla]

 

[Abe Froman]

I had a Kamado and traded it for the 1150. Was frustrated with 75-100 degree swings from right to left side. Experimented with plugging the exhaust and no difference. Customer service said the fan pushes all the heat to the right and out which is why it swings. I removed the sheet metal diffuser plate that goes over the fire box and that has certainly helped. Now just trying to identify the temperature tendencies but concerned with smoke. Not much. Will continue trying but may go back to a Kamado as the flavor was better. Each grill seems to have its issues and I thought this grill would be a good compromise but still looking for the success story. Any suggestions to increase smoke would be helpful.

I bought a cheap smoke tube on Amazon and it has help a lot with the smoke but the keeping temp on the 1150 is a lost cause I think. I'm returning mine this weekend band either getting an 850 or KC combo.

 

[blackhawk556]

My local Lowe’s dropped these in price again to $7.49 yesterday. 75% off. Check your store people if you’re in the market for this.

 

[blackhawk556]

Just thought I update this thread with info on getting a new controller sent by pit boss for the KC combo.
I have issues with the controller not working with wifi at all. I started a ticket online and nothing. I started messaging pit boss on Instagram and got quick results! They reply within a few hours and ordered me a new controller. Anyone having issues try this. Instagram support was much more helpful than calling in.

 

[MOB916]

No foil inside the grill and I have wiped down the probe thinking that may be an issue but nothing has changed. It just doesn’t make since how long it takes to reach the internal temperature for the meats. Something that should have took around 3-4 hrs is taking 6-8 hours on the grill. I got upset the other day and went back to my smaller pit boss and it cooked like a smoker should. I have a claim in with Pit Boss but have heard nothing yet.

Curious...

I cooked for the third time last night and it didn't go as planned. I put in a pork shoulder at 9am @250 and 4 hours laters the internal temp was at 113. About 4 hours after this, internal was up to 127 degrees. At this point, I was frustrated at all the videos I see on YouTube show people getting up to 160 degrees internal about 5-6 after starting. I increased the temperature to 275 and 1 our later I was up to 133 internal. I got tired and wrapped it at this point and increased the temp to 300.

By the end of the night, temp was up to 350 and I finally reached 195 internal (11 hours cooking). How do people get up to 160 internal cooking at 250????


Today I went and bought an over thermometer and placed it all around the chamber and noticed temps 30-50 degrees lower than the "Set" temperature. The right side of the chamber was way colder than I'm guessing because of the smoke stack area. I'll post a picture of what I mean in the morning.

Two weeks ago I cooked ribs and I noticed the internal temp was taking a long time as well. The Smoke IT app won't connect to wifi like many others on here have noticed and PB told me I could have a bad controller. Could a bad controller cause the temp to be lower in the cooking area compared to the "set" temp?

The "set" temp stays put but the chamber cooking area reads much lower.

Curious, how many lbs was the pork shoulder you were cooking?

 

[blackhawk556]

Curious...

Curious, how many lbs was the pork shoulder you were cooking?

I think 6-8 I can’t remember honestly.
Is this normal for that size?

 

[MOB916]

I think 6-8 I can’t remember honestly.
Is this normal for that size?

Rule of thumb for pork..."approx" 1.5hrs cook time per pound depending on your set temp. I smoked a 5.5lb butt on Sunday, 7.5hrs. I wrapped it tight in foil at about 160-ish deg (common temp stall around 150-165 on butts/shoulders) & then let it run up to 193 before taking it off to rest for about 30mins. I think I was smoking at 250deg.

 

[MOB916]

I think 6-8 I can’t remember honestly.
Is this normal for that size?

https://blog.thermoworks.com/pork/pulled-pork-time-temperature-matters/

Everyone has their own methods to the smoking madness, but this is pretty good guiding info for butts/shoulders. Part of the fun is experimenting. I also spritzed (spray bottle) the meat hourly with a mixture of mostly apple juice with a splash of apple cider vinegar & water...once the bark started to show a couple hours in. Hope it's helpful...don't give up hope, maybe just adjust expectations on time of cook. Low & slow, does mean slow.

 

[blackhawk556]

Rule of thumb for pork..."approx" 1.5hrs cook time per pound depending on your set temp. I smoked a 5.5lb butt on Sunday, 7.5hrs. I wrapped it tight in foil at about 160-ish deg (common temp stall around 150-165 on butts/shoulders) & then let it run up to 193 before taking it off to rest for about 30mins. I think I was smoking at 250deg.

Mine stalled around 120 degrees after 4-5 hours. Now I’ve realized the right side on my smoker runs 10-50 degrees cooler than the left side. Next time I cook a shoulder I’m putting it in the left side where it’s hotter. My set temp was not what the shoulder was cooking at in the right side. That’s why it was taking for ever to cook. I wish there was a way to make the temp more even in both sides.

 

[MOB916]

Mine stalled around 120 degrees after 4-5 hours. Now I’ve realized the right side on my smoker runs 10-50 degrees cooler than the left side. Next time I cook a shoulder I’m putting it in the left side where it’s hotter. My set temp was not what the shoulder was cooking at in the right side. That’s why it was taking for ever to cook. I wish there was a way to make the temp more even in both sides.

I could see that happening..it's a huge grill. So far I've only cooked on the right-center grate. Haven't done a temp check side to side but these posts are my nudge to find the sweet spots across the primary grilling surface....and check accuracy of the included PB probes, so thanks for posting your experience/question!

 

[blackhawk556]

I could see that happening..it's a huge grill. So far I've only cooked on the right-center grate. Haven't done a temp check side to side but these posts are my nudge to find the sweet spots across the primary grilling surface....and check accuracy of the included PB probes, so thanks for posting your experience/question!

Actually my grill is very small. The KC combo as a small smoking chamber compared to the xl 1000. I think the plates being slanted in the bottom towards the right is what’s causing the right to be cooler.

 

[MOB916]

Actually my grill is very small. The KC combo as a small smoking chamber compared to the xl 1000. I think the plates being slanted in the bottom towards the right is what’s causing the right to be cooler.

Oh gotcha...thought you had an XL1000 or 1150PS. I'm running the 1150PS....which also has a noticeably slanted heatshield for grease runoff into the pail.

 

[blackhawk556]

Pit boss replied back online about the right side of my chamber being cooler. Here it is:


Hi there,

With the design of the unit, there will be some fluctuation in temperature in the unit. Airflow can heavily contribute to this so I recommend making sure the combustion fan is cleaned well so it is able to function properly. Please let us know if you need any further assistance, thank you!

 

[blackhawk556]

Just wanted to post an update. My KC combo is having wifi issues where it wouldn’t connect to wifi at all. Called Smoke It support and they dropped the ball as nobody called me back.
I started messaging pit boss on their Instagram account the they replied back trying to fix my issue. They always replied back. They escalated my ticket and ordered me a new controller right away! I received it today will be installing on Monday.
Pit boss also sent me 7 samples of their original pulled pork seasoning and original chop house steak seasoning. Awesome! Are these ribs good? I’ll be buying another pork shoulder and cooking it this week using this rub once I have the new controller installed.
So far I’m happy with how they responded to my issue. Hopefully this controller connects to wifi right away.

 

[Archham]

Forgive me for jumping in here, I have a 440 and have used it about 4 times. It has a mechanical temp gauge on the hood along with the electronic one. There is often a 100 degree difference between the two. I think it is keeping the set temperature (at least it thinks it is as the electronic temp and the set temp are close), but the mechanical one is about 100 less. Should I go by the mechanical one?