Do blower fans really make that much of a difference?


 

Mike_S

TVWBB Member
Lately on /r/smoking (Reddit) I have seen a ton of comments about how using a WSM with a blower is a game changer and really allows people to not worry about temp changes. But once I get my temp dialed in without a fan I hardly ever see changes throughout the cook. How do these fans work? Wouldn't they make you go through more fuel?
 
The WSM holds temp really well on it's own. A blower makes it even more set it and forget it. The thing is, you need the vents set up pretty close for the fan to really work right. I have a signals/billows. It's a pain to get out and setup. I mainly use it for cooks that I'm doing REALLY low and slow like sausage and bacon at 150 to 180 degrees. I have had the signals lock up on me so it's not as set it and forget it as people would have you believe. Things break and you are adding way more complexity to the setup. I went for many years without one. It's just another tool. It's far from a "game changer." I can't say it uses more or less fuel.
 
Mike, you should not use any more fuel with an automatic temp controller than without. I have the SmokeX and Billows and honestly never use it. Like you said, once dialed in, temps are stable and need very little attention. Sounds like you have your WSM figured out so you may want to save your money.
 
<disclaimer> I don't have a WSM any longer, and did not use a billows with it.

I use the billows on the BGE for "Temperature Insurance" for overnight smoking.

I attach the billows, use the damper as part of the temp management, but I do not plug in the billows until the pit temp is stable, meat is on and again pit temp is stable.

Since it is already stable, I plug the billows in to the SmokeX4 and set the fan 5 degrees below my current target temp, and then I go to bed. If the temp drops ( It usually doesn't ) then the fan can maintain a good temp. If the temp gets too high ( It usually doesn't ) then the alarm will go off that the temp is out of range.

It isn't necessary to have, but I like it for overnight cooks as a safety net.
 
<disclaimer> I don't have a WSM any longer, and did not use a billows with it.

I use the billows on the BGE for "Temperature Insurance" for overnight smoking.

I attach the billows, use the damper as part of the temp management, but I do not plug in the billows until the pit temp is stable, meat is on and again pit temp is stable.

Since it is already stable, I plug the billows in to the SmokeX4 and set the fan 5 degrees below my current target temp, and then I go to bed. If the temp drops ( It usually doesn't ) then the fan can maintain a good temp. If the temp gets too high ( It usually doesn't ) then the alarm will go off that the temp is out of range.

It isn't necessary to have, but I like it for overnight cooks as a safety net.
What kind of safety net? Prevents the fire from going out?
 
What kind of safety net? Prevents the fire from going out?

exactly. If I'm doing a slow smoke overnight the fan can help keep the heat in the target range if it drops too low. It won't do anything if it overshoots the range but an alarm will go off at some point if it gets too hot or too cold.
 
You could have a massive drop in temperature. I've set my vents wrong and had the temp start rising out of control. Circumstances change. My pits will usually start running completely differently when the sun comes up. Wind could pick up in the middle of the night and blow right into one of your vents. You could have an ash buildup and the ATC can compensate to an extent. I've done overnight cooks just using a remote thermometer with alarms set. I find that works well, but with an ATC you can almost TOTALLY forget about it. I still set alarms. The downside is it can make cooking barbecue completely boring. Without an ATC I can still kind of step out and fine tune the vent settings.
 
I use my Billows so I can sleep during a long overnight cook. Or to be more freed up to run around and do things during the day of a long cook.

The WSM runs quite stable on its own, so you really don't need an ATC. Similarly, you don't really need to have cruise control on your car to go on a long drive. But it is very nice to have when you want to being doing something else with your brain and hands. After having my WSM for a while, the thrill of vent monitoring and fiddling faded significantly.

You can get by with no fan and just a remote thermometer. But having the fan is better. Since the fan greatly reduces (i) the chance of the alarm going off and waking you up or (ii) (more fequent) your anxious brain waking you up for no reason.

For me, it isn't about getting the temp dialed into a small precise range. Since any temp +/- 40 degress of target is basically going to be ok. Although the ATC will keep it within a much smaller range than that.

My guess (guess, not scientifc experiment) is that you use less fuel with an ATC. Since the airflow is more constrained/controlled. But even if that is true, you could buy a lot of charcoal for the cost of an ATC.

If your remote thermometer (gotta have) is fan compatible (like my Smoke X), adding the fan (nice to have) is pretty cheap.
 
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While the newest group of temperature controllers are what is being discussed, the ATC aspect I believe started moons ago. In the bbq competition arena, consistent temperature can be paramount. We're talking about all bbq cooker types, not just WSM. Some basic ATC units were developed just for that market. And from there, we have what you see today.
 
Set and forget for 24+ hrs. here
It's not foolproof and can give poor results if used badly.
The basic WSM works well.
 
Before my time bread used to come unsliced. I’m sure by many the failure to evenly slice a whole loaf was a weakness, but the saying goes something like the best thing since sliced bread, right?
 
Hello Mike. I bought the Fireboard 2 and the 20cm fan that Fireboard sell for it. I feel I have put it through some good testing. Which I have wrote about on this forum. Here is the link fireboard-2-drive-and-drive-blower-20cm-on-22-wsm
As long as you have a handle on her (which it sounds like you do!) then it’s just another modification/toy for our hobby! From my testing, the Fireboard 2 is very stable with temp and reliable when you have other thing to do when you want to smoke at the same time. Regarding fuel consumption. I have seen a difference.
 
I use mine for overnight cooks. Or if I'm at the beach and I actually want to be ON the beach rather than under the car port, it's handy.

Another use for the fan is to simply hold cooked food such as a brisket. Ex) if you want to hold a cooked brisket at 150 for ten hours and your kitchen oven won't go down lower than 175, fan to the rescue.

And it has a lithium battery option which is handy.

I'm happy to have mine even if I don't use it often. :)
 
I used to have a blower. I sold it. I don’t do overnight cooks. (I do High Hot Brisket.) The simple approach makes me happier.
 

 

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