Pitmaster iQ110

Edit: The Pitmaster worked as advertised but I've now sold it because I do this as a hobby as a weekend warrior and prefer to adjust my own vents.

Dwain, my experience with the pitmaster has been positive as well. I am into about 20 cooks also and it has always performed great. My set up is a little different though, I close my bottom vent as much as the toggle bolt will allow and have the lid vent 50% open. What I like best about the pitmaster is the variable speed fan and simplicity of use, if it were to break today I would get another.

As I write this, I'm doing my first smoke with the iQ110. I have the 18.5" WSM and it seems to be doing OK. I am smoking 2 7-lb. pork butts that take up most of the top grate, so I have the sensor clipped to a skewer that raises it up about 6 inches or so off of the grate (approx 2" above the butts). I'm noticing that when I set to 225, the lid thermometer says it's about 210 or so. I'm also noticing that the temp drops down to 190 sometimes and it takes a while for the unit to recover. I had a small rainstorm and had to unplug the unit once...I know that's a no-no. Took a while for it to figure itself out and get the temp back up over 200 on the gauge.

I put the 2 butts on around 7am. It's almost 5:30 now and my temp reading for the slightly smaller butt that I have the meat probe in is 165.

I purchased a Pitmaster I QUE a few months ago. I had to tweak the bottom vent to about 1/4 closed to keep my temperature from going too high. I love mine, and I think the price is right. I agree with the top vent. I recently had my top vent almost closed and did notice a little bit of bitterness.

Hey, Guys: I have the 110 on my 2014 wish list. I'm a newbie, and a friend of a friend, who happens to be a pitmaster with a few wins under his belt, recommended the 110.

If/when I install it on my WSM, I'm figuring that I close completely two of the three lower vents, leave the top vent open, and that I'll leave as is the vent where I attach the unit. You guys seem to be adjusting the vent where you attach the unit. I guess I'll have to experiment when I get one, if I get one.

Also, I've been reading that there may be problems with any ATC and a WSM, given that there might be air leaks. BUT, I've also read that any air leaks with the WSM are minute and would not affect the operation of the ATC.

So, I guess my question is, or my questions are -- did any of you encounter problems with your smokers, or are they seasoned enough so as not to show any air leakage problems? My smoker is fairly new, used only three times for cooks, and maybe two or three times for test runs without a cook. I haven't done any cooks that run longer than 8 hours; so, right now I'm not at the stage where I "need" an ATC. But, I'm anticipating that in 2014 I'll be doing longer cooks as I gain experience.

As always, thanks for your input.

Eugene, I have had my IQ now for 2 1/2 years with no regrets it has never let me down. I highly recommend it. I use it on my 18"and 22" WSM and air leaks have never been an issue, but they were well seasoned before I got the IQ.

As for the vents it did take a little trial and error at first to get it dialed in. As I stated above I close the vent that hold the attachment as much as possible. It works best for me that way plus I don't have to worry about to much air from the fan blowing ash everywhere. I also use a waterless pan and start with a hand full of lit coals. Can easily get 18+ hours out of a full ring of coals on both WSM's.

You will really appreciate ATC when you start your long cooks. It is nice to cook all night and sleep with no worries.

I've found that usings briquettes and putting some tape over half of the intake fan really is useful in getting a long, steady clean burn.

I love my IQ110. My only advice for this and thermometers is to buy extra probes. They can only take so many heat cycles before they fail. And they will fail! And they will fail at the worst possible moment. 15 bucks is a cheap insurance policy.