Sheldon Koehler
TVWBB Super Fan
I asked a while ago if anyone had one of these and got no response. I only found one comment on the BBQ guru website and it was only marginally useful. So due to the price of the unit, I decided to get it. After 3 smokes using it, I am glad I purchased it.
It came in a plain box and had some generic install instructions. The unit itself is very simple and I am pleased with the temperature range: 32°F to 475°F. Why you would need to go as low as 32°F I have no idea! But it was nice to be able to set it to 335°F for cooking a turkey. Setting the tempurature is easy with the digital LCD display. You simply use the up and down buttons to set the temperature. Plug in the probe, push the unit into the mount and turn it on.
It is well built and has a nice long temperature probe for the pit. Installation on my WSM was very easy, taping off the extra holes on the vent I installed the PartyQ on. I left the other 2 bottom vents closed 9someone suggested I purchase extra tape from thehardware store and tape off the other vents for a better seal. I may do this.). Top vent open full the entire cook, Minion Method. Below is a pic of my install:
It works pretty much as advertised, but as I had read from someone else, it tends to blow ashes around. I solved that problem very easily by aiming the inside diffuser to the side. This blows the air around instead of up or down. Down is what the instructions said and that was what caused the ashes to blow. Up I felt would be pretty useless as it would be away from the coals.
My first smoke was pork butt. And this is where I found my first complaint, battery life! I live in the Northwest and it is rather cold outside to be smoking this time of year. The fan runs a lot. After about 6 or 7 hours i noticed the temperature was dropping. Then I noticed the light was coming on but not the fan. I quickly pulled the unit off and installed new batteries. The temp came back up fairly quickly, but I lost some valuable time in cooking. My second cook was better as I changed batteries after 6 hours. I now wish there was a jack for an optional AC adapter.
For my third (and 4th, same day) cook I did our Thanksgiving turkey. Usually I cook 2 at a time in my 18.5" WSM, one for my family and one for the crew that has to work on Thanksgiving (my bribe for the day off...). This year my family wanted to eat at 4pm instead of 1pm. So I cooked a small turkey and 4 extra legs in the morning. This was so easy with the PartyQ! When the first batch was done, I added more charcoal and started the second and larger (20lb) bird at 11:30. I also changed the batteries.
For someone wanting an ATC for their pit but are on a budget, I recommend the PartyQ. I had been looking at the NanoQ, but it does not have a digital display and costs more. I hate counting blinking lights! I already own the Maverick ET-732 and did not need the food probe.
In short, my only complaint is battery life and the lack of a jack for an optional AC adapter. I may install one on my own (and probably void any warranty in the process...). I hope you find this useful.
p.s. Sorry for being AWOL on this site all summer, but life got in the way and pretty much all online forums took a back seat. Not sure if I will be as active as I had in the past, but I am still around and cooking! Thanks for reading and happy smoking.
It came in a plain box and had some generic install instructions. The unit itself is very simple and I am pleased with the temperature range: 32°F to 475°F. Why you would need to go as low as 32°F I have no idea! But it was nice to be able to set it to 335°F for cooking a turkey. Setting the tempurature is easy with the digital LCD display. You simply use the up and down buttons to set the temperature. Plug in the probe, push the unit into the mount and turn it on.
It is well built and has a nice long temperature probe for the pit. Installation on my WSM was very easy, taping off the extra holes on the vent I installed the PartyQ on. I left the other 2 bottom vents closed 9someone suggested I purchase extra tape from thehardware store and tape off the other vents for a better seal. I may do this.). Top vent open full the entire cook, Minion Method. Below is a pic of my install:
It works pretty much as advertised, but as I had read from someone else, it tends to blow ashes around. I solved that problem very easily by aiming the inside diffuser to the side. This blows the air around instead of up or down. Down is what the instructions said and that was what caused the ashes to blow. Up I felt would be pretty useless as it would be away from the coals.
My first smoke was pork butt. And this is where I found my first complaint, battery life! I live in the Northwest and it is rather cold outside to be smoking this time of year. The fan runs a lot. After about 6 or 7 hours i noticed the temperature was dropping. Then I noticed the light was coming on but not the fan. I quickly pulled the unit off and installed new batteries. The temp came back up fairly quickly, but I lost some valuable time in cooking. My second cook was better as I changed batteries after 6 hours. I now wish there was a jack for an optional AC adapter.
For my third (and 4th, same day) cook I did our Thanksgiving turkey. Usually I cook 2 at a time in my 18.5" WSM, one for my family and one for the crew that has to work on Thanksgiving (my bribe for the day off...). This year my family wanted to eat at 4pm instead of 1pm. So I cooked a small turkey and 4 extra legs in the morning. This was so easy with the PartyQ! When the first batch was done, I added more charcoal and started the second and larger (20lb) bird at 11:30. I also changed the batteries.
For someone wanting an ATC for their pit but are on a budget, I recommend the PartyQ. I had been looking at the NanoQ, but it does not have a digital display and costs more. I hate counting blinking lights! I already own the Maverick ET-732 and did not need the food probe.
In short, my only complaint is battery life and the lack of a jack for an optional AC adapter. I may install one on my own (and probably void any warranty in the process...). I hope you find this useful.
p.s. Sorry for being AWOL on this site all summer, but life got in the way and pretty much all online forums took a back seat. Not sure if I will be as active as I had in the past, but I am still around and cooking! Thanks for reading and happy smoking.
