Non-WSM Stoker Question (sorry)

First let me apologize for posting this non-WSM question on this board. The Kamado board is very slow and doesn't get much "action." My Kamado is being delivered on the 30th and I was curious how one works with Stoker probes on a Kamado (or other ceramic grills). From what I can gather people are running their probes under the lid of their Kamado. My concern is the lid is very heavy, I'd say at least 100 lbs. Is this going crush my probe wires? Any input is greatly appreciated and again my apologizes for posting on WSM board.

I drilled a ~1/4" diameter ( enough room for the pit probe and the wire diameter: I don't remember the exact size) hole in the back on the lower section (not lid). I feed the probes in 1 at a time. Then plug the hole with some foil. I would like to make a bushing with a high temp silicone sleeve but I haven't had time.

Roger

Larry,

Yeah, it's slow over there, and not really as much help as here.

For the pit temperature probe, I use the existing thermometer hole, less than 1/4", and it works well. For the meat temperature probes, I just put them under the lid as you say. Remember, there is a semi-flexable gasket on the rim. I wouldn't let the lid slam down on the probe wites, though.

Good luck,

BOB

I run mine in between the lid and base. I also wrap them (from the end of the probe out) in foil to protect them from heat just in case.
Dunno about the drilling thing. Someone on another board drilled a ceramic (he had an old busted lid) and the thing chipped and cracked. But who knows.

Enjoy the Stoker and get Amir's program.

I have a ceramic smoker and the lid probably weighs just as much. No problem with running the wires under the lid. Mine has a felt gasket though. If yours has the same, then you should be good to go.

Another ceramic user here - the gasket seems to cushion the cables nicely.

The ceramic's temperature stability when you leave the lid closed on a low-n-slow is amazing. On my last pork shoulder cook I saw variation over a 2 degree range for 12 hours.

For the ceramic users here, any tips in getting things stable. I tend to have poor stablility (cycles +/- 5 degress most of the time).
Do you light the fire and let the stoker bring things up to temp?
How do you set your top vents?

Thanks,
Steve

I suspect the answer varies with each smoker. For mine, the key is to leave the top vent open only 1/4 of an inch.

The other thing is which blower you got. Mine is only 4 CFM. But this works well for low temp smoking because the stoker starts and stops the fan, instead of varying its speed. With a larger blower, you are liable to get larger swings since there is a bigger difference between on and off.

I also get more oscilations when I am running out of fuel.

The other consideration is to make sure you have an even fire. When you light it, make sure to light it in multiple places. And be sure to clean/vaccum the unit before starting to make sure there is good airflow.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steve B:
For the ceramic users here, any tips in getting things stable. I tend to have poor stablility (cycles +/- 5 degress most of the time).
Do you light the fire and let the stoker bring things up to temp?
How do you set your top vents?

Thanks,
Steve </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve, are you using any sort of splitters on your cables or do you have the fan, pit probe and any meat probes plugged directly into the Stoker unit? When I was using some splitters to plug the fan and pit probe in then running a long cable back to the Stoker (so only 1 port on the Stoker was being used), I used to run into this same problem.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steve Story:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steve B:
For the ceramic users here, any tips in getting things stable. I tend to have poor stablility (cycles +/- 5 degress most of the time).
Do you light the fire and let the stoker bring things up to temp?
How do you set your top vents?

Thanks,
Steve </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve, are you using any sort of splitters on your cables or do you have the fan, pit probe and any meat probes plugged directly into the Stoker unit? When I was using some splitters to plug the fan and pit probe in then running a long cable back to the Stoker (so only 1 port on the Stoker was being used), I used to run into this same problem. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No. They are plugged directly into the stoker. I think it has more to do with how I build the fire, set the top vents, and how the air is flowing thru the cooker. Sometimes it is very stable, other times it runs a nice sine wave of +-5 degress.

Steve

Bob in Fla, are you the BobinFla on the Kamado site? If so would you mind emailing me (my email address is in my profile) as I've got a couple questions regarding my Kamado that's being delivered Sat. I requested a login on the Kamado site a couple weeks ago but haven't heard anything from anyone whether I've been "approved". Thanks in advance.