Hello,
I got my first smoker, the 18" WSM, four or five years ago and have really enjoyed it. I almost immediately began using it without water to make cleanup much easier, and I'm now at the point that I'm considering getting something to supplement the WSM with the goals of that idea to 1). allow me to leave the house but still remotely keep an eye on the cook and adjust the temperature and 2). being able to use the smoker(s) more for quicker cooks, particularly on weeknights. I already have a bluetooth probe thermometer that allows me to monitor the temperature inside the house, and I like it for that, but it doesn't allow for me to monitor the temperature anywhere outside the house or to make any adjustments without walking outside. One of my friends got a Traeger recently, and I do admire the ability for him to throw something on, leave the house and able to adjust the temperature remotely. In terms of the second thing I'm looking for, while something like the whole chicken doesn't take that long to cook via the WSM, but it usually takes a minimum of a half hour to get the charcoal lit in my chimney and the WSM heated up, so it ends up being closer to two hours total. On a weeknight, that's not always practical, so anything that cuts down on that minimum half hour of prep time (other than my Genesis II) would be nice.
For my situation, is there any WSM 18" compatible controllers that allow me to wirelessly connect through my phone and adjust the temperature, or do I need a Traeger (or another similar brand) to do something like that? I've been browsing some of the topics in this forum and came across the ThermoWorks Signals BBQ Alarm Thermometer with Wi-Fi - would that, coupled with a Billows unit work? Obviously, a controller set up would be less expensive than a Traeger in particular, so all things being equal, that's my preference, but I'm not opposed to something like that if a controller won't help my situation whereas the Traeger would. Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
I got my first smoker, the 18" WSM, four or five years ago and have really enjoyed it. I almost immediately began using it without water to make cleanup much easier, and I'm now at the point that I'm considering getting something to supplement the WSM with the goals of that idea to 1). allow me to leave the house but still remotely keep an eye on the cook and adjust the temperature and 2). being able to use the smoker(s) more for quicker cooks, particularly on weeknights. I already have a bluetooth probe thermometer that allows me to monitor the temperature inside the house, and I like it for that, but it doesn't allow for me to monitor the temperature anywhere outside the house or to make any adjustments without walking outside. One of my friends got a Traeger recently, and I do admire the ability for him to throw something on, leave the house and able to adjust the temperature remotely. In terms of the second thing I'm looking for, while something like the whole chicken doesn't take that long to cook via the WSM, but it usually takes a minimum of a half hour to get the charcoal lit in my chimney and the WSM heated up, so it ends up being closer to two hours total. On a weeknight, that's not always practical, so anything that cuts down on that minimum half hour of prep time (other than my Genesis II) would be nice.
For my situation, is there any WSM 18" compatible controllers that allow me to wirelessly connect through my phone and adjust the temperature, or do I need a Traeger (or another similar brand) to do something like that? I've been browsing some of the topics in this forum and came across the ThermoWorks Signals BBQ Alarm Thermometer with Wi-Fi - would that, coupled with a Billows unit work? Obviously, a controller set up would be less expensive than a Traeger in particular, so all things being equal, that's my preference, but I'm not opposed to something like that if a controller won't help my situation whereas the Traeger would. Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
