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Post by jerkylips on Jul 31, 2009 8:41:51 GMT -5
One question about the digital remote thermometer on the grate. When i do that, the lead from the probe to the sending unit goes between the lid and body of the kettle, causing a small opening as is if the lid was warped. Doesn't this let in more air and raise temps too much ? Greetings from Oz, you should be able to run the leads up through the vent in the lid rather than under the lid.. |
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Post by bigsteve on Jul 31, 2009 22:25:06 GMT -5
One question about the digital remote thermometer on the grate. When i do that, the lead from the probe to the sending unit goes between the lid and body of the kettle, causing a small opening as is if the lid was warped. Doesn't this let in more air and raise temps too much ? Greetings from Oz, I have found that it does effect temperature control but not to an extreme. I asked the same thing in a different thread, and several folks recommended running the leads out the top vent, or bottom vent. I will try that this weekend. In the meantime, if you crease the wire so that it fits over the kettle tight, and put the lid down carefully, you should be okay. The biggest problem is when you forget about the wire, and don't notice you didn't put the lid down correctly.  |
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Post by fdesorme on Aug 3, 2009 5:16:14 GMT -5
I run the probe wire out of one of the vents so that it doesn't break the lid seal. It also puts less pressure on the probe wire. These probes really have to be babied, there are a lot of reports of failures.
I have at least 50 degrees between dome and grill as well. I ruined a few racks of baby backs this weekend as well. They weren't tender and they were covered in creosote.
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Post by baygrove on Jan 10, 2010 15:40:44 GMT -5
I received my Smokenator this Christmas. I'm learning and appreciate all the tips available here. I suspect I have a bigger difference from dome to grate too. I have to cook my ribs over 7 hrs before they're done, but don't have the "bark"? I'll check my grate temp next. Flavor is awesome and tenderness is great! I'm sticking with pork ribs til I get'm right...Then I'll move on to beef.
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Post by jerkylips on Jan 11, 2010 11:31:34 GMT -5
I received my Smokenator this Christmas. I'm learning and appreciate all the tips available here. I suspect I have a bigger difference from dome to grate too. I have to cook my ribs over 7 hrs before they're done, but don't have the "bark"? I'll check my grate temp next. Flavor is awesome and tenderness is great! I'm sticking with pork ribs til I get'm right...Then I'll move on to beef. chances are, your grate temp is not as hot as you think it is. After several attempts last summer, I gave up on monitoring the temp at the dome. I had a probe thermometer, so it was an easy change. You can get a digital probe thermo for around $25. I stabbed the probe through a potato & left that on the grate. It was much more accurate. To your other point about no bark. The water pan helps tremendously for temp control & moisture, but it doesn't help in getting a crunchy bark. The last 30-60 minutes, I remove the water pan & get the temp up to about 300. That helps... |
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Post by route66 on May 1, 2010 11:33:27 GMT -5
I just cook my baby backs for about 3-4 hours (more time when it's cold n' windy less when it's hot). I don't do the foiling on the grill. Instead I heat my oven to 375-400 degrees and slather on whatever barbecue sauce I fancy on the topside of the ribs and stick 'em topside up in the oven for half an hour. The ribs I've been getting are extremely meaty -- not thin like the ribs you get in some of the restaurants. When I slice 'em into riblets, they're like little smoked pork choplets with at least a half inch of smoke ring and good meaty flavor topped off by the candied sauce glaze. mmmmmm!  I make sure I keep the water in the pan during the smoking process and sometimes I mop, sometimes not. I do let them sit at room temperature, before putting them on the grill. I've been using the book "Smoke and Spice" as a starting off point. I've had good results with an overnight marinade followed by a rub while the ribs are sitting out in the morning. I try to keep track of the temperatures, but I'm not that big on "the meat has to fall off the bone" as I am on the whole smoking process. To my taste, the finished product is always tender and juicy and full of smokey goodness.  I like the Smokenator system, it's fairly foolproof. The main reason I got one was that I wanted to smoke but as I live by myself, I couldn't justify the sheer volume of meat that the average smoker (like the Weber Bullet) can produce!!! I do a couple of racks of ribs and I'm eating on them for a week! The other thing I like is that the more I use it, the more I want to use it. I was at the store yesterday and the babybacks were calling. They're now sitting out with their coating of rub waiting for me to clean the ash out of the grill and fire it up ....  |
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Post by bigmo7 on May 2, 2011 20:37:24 GMT -5
I'm trying to find a way to insert my water/jack daniels reservoir in my weber that has a grill with lifting sides so one can add more charcoal. Problem is the opening on the grill is not big enough to allow the reservoir to drop in. Any ideas? Bigmo&
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Post by ribenater on Nov 4, 2012 12:20:10 GMT -5
To solve the problem of having to remove the temp probe from a top vent every time I needed to add water/briquets, I drilled a hole at the lip of the kettle (not the lid) just large enough for my Maveric probe to fit through. This allowed the temp probe to remain clipped to the food grate without interfering with lifting the lid. The hole can be sealed with wood stove gasket sealer.
I apologize if this type of fix has been previously posted
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sheepdad
Junior Member
Vegetarian is an Native American word meaning "Bad Hunter"
Posts: 16
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Post by sheepdad on Nov 4, 2012 18:46:17 GMT -5
One question about the digital remote thermometer on the grate. When i do that, the lead from the probe to the sending unit goes between the lid and body of the kettle, causing a small opening as is if the lid was warped. Doesn't this let in more air and raise temps too much ? Greetings from Oz, Yes it does to an extent..you just need to choke the bottom air a little more. This is what I did. Drilled 2 probe holes...inserted 2 hi-temp grommets I got from Maverick, and I was done  All the advice above is right on. Grate temp is key and the difference between my grate and dome temp is 50 degs. |
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Post by flbuckeye on Jul 8, 2013 17:00:15 GMT -5
One question about the digital remote thermometer on the grate. When i do that, the lead from the probe to the sending unit goes between the lid and body of the kettle, causing a small opening as is if the lid was warped. Doesn't this let in more air and raise temps too much ? Greetings from Oz, I use the BBQ Guru. It has a wire that goes up through the bottom of the kettle and clips onto the grate 1" from the food. Maintains temp at 225 no problem. I also use a loaf pan with water so I don't have to check the water every hour. I usually knock the ash off after 3 hours and load more charcoal if needed. The Maverick product is also excellent |
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Post by djl777 on Jul 13, 2013 20:30:10 GMT -5
Just a quick note on thermometers: I have a Weber Performer grill and bought a Taylor as recommended. I found that the one my grill came with was in about 5 degrees of the Taylor that was stuck through the vent. I'm sure this may not always be the case though.
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Post by flbuckeye on Jul 26, 2013 16:33:03 GMT -5
One question about the digital remote thermometer on the grate. When i do that, the lead from the probe to the sending unit goes between the lid and body of the kettle, causing a small opening as is if the lid was warped. Doesn't this let in more air and raise temps too much ? Greetings from Oz, You can drill some holes in the kettle. There are some threads about doing just that. I use the Party Q by BBQ Guru and run the cable through the bottom vents. |
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