I'm new! Setting up a larger smoker and have some questions.


 
J

Jon H.

New member
Hey everyone. I'm ecstatic that I've found such an awesome project and community to try and learn from. I'll dive right in so this isn't a novel.

This fall, my family wants to sell the highest quality BBQ that we can at our main business. We've already picked out a smoker and started building the kitchen facilities we'll need to upgrade from our somewhat lackluster concession stand we've had up to this point. Our plan is pulled pork, brisket, possibly chicken, and sides.

The smoker is big enough to do about 35 butts or so at a time, so I need to bump up the blower size. The smoker has a firebox we intend to pack full of wood and possibly charcoal (we're still working on a method that's as close to competition/top quality as possible and still be able to do quantity). My goal is to cut as absolutely few corners as possible so we can end up with the best possible end product.

I've been through this forum quite a bit in the past couple of weeks, and I'm sure I'll have a bunch more questions, but as of now I really only have 2 before I move forward;

1. I need to increase the size of the blower. The smoker builder recommended I spec at least 20CFM. I've found some decent fans on Digikey that will push that much air, but my half assed self taught electronics expertise is unsure as to whether this will be possible to run off of the Heatermeter board without issue. I'd prefer if nothing melted due to pulling more wattage. Here's 2 of the ones that are currently on my list; http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ODB600PT-12MB/1053-1293-ND/2621198 , http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/BG0903-B044-000-00/P12908-ND/740265

2. Since the racks will be rotating the entire time, meat probes are going to be a problem. I read through the entire github and a bunch of posts but I can't seem to find anyone that has successfully used a wireless probe of some type for this purpose (other than the weather probes for ambient temp). It's not the end of the world if I can't monitor the meat temp in progress, but it would be nice. I was trying to find a rotisserie style probe but came up short finding one that could be fully inside the cooker while it's in operation.

Thanks for reading my novella. I really appreciate any input and look forward to contributing when we start test cooks in a month or so.

Jon
 
The first one pulls 0.47A and the second pulls 1.03A. When you purchase your power supply you need to make sure that it is large enough. A 2.0A power supply will work fine for either of them.

You can build a wireless probe, one of the purposes was to use it for a rotisserie. Essentially this is what you have. Now it isn't as straightforward to build one as the HM, but the information is there.

dave
 
Yeah you may need to experiment with different blowers to see which works best, but I'd be leaning toward the lower current version. It's quieter and pulls less power but can't push as much static pressure, which might be an issue depending on how well sealed your pit is going to be.

I don't think you'll find anything that can be a wireless probe from inside the pit. Even "extended industrial" temperature electronics are only rated to 105C and most the HeaterMeter parts are rated for only 80C. The remote design was to go on the external portion of the rotisserie. If you have some pictures of your pit maybe I can help you come up with something.
 
It looks like you pretty much got all the answers you need, you'll be fine running a blower that size on the Heater Meter, 20CFM really isn't that big... I've experimented with a bigger one just for pizza cooks on my Kamado... but it whistled like hell 'cause it was overkill so I backed down, it did work though...

On the food probe issue, I have to guess after you've done a few cooks you will be able to tell when they're done by time and a few pokes with a skewer and how the bone is sitting in the meat. That's the way I see most guys cooking when they visit BBQ pits on shows like Diners & Dives etc, I don't think you should need probes for every cook. I would just get a good digital instant read meat thermometer and use that to spot check until you know from experience when they're done. With the Heater Meter your pit temp will probably be more stable than an oven, someone actually did a test with one probe in the pit and another in the oven and the pit was way more stable. So once you've got it down it should be pretty easy to repeat.

I wish you luck on your venture....
 
Thanks so much for the replies. I'm looking forward to getting it all together. Will be ordering the parts today I think so they get here in time for me to solder them together before we pick up the cooker. I need to look into the servo for louver control possibly like John mentioned.

Can't wait to try it out. I'll get some pictures of the smoker and post them when I can.

My plan is to be able to monitor the cooker from my phone and maybe figure out a way to get an alert if the temperature drops out of range. The smoker has propane backup in case something goes wrong, but the goal is to have the wood/charcoal go for at least 6 hours before we have to refill it.

As for the probe issue, it looks like we'll just be relying on pit temperature and spot checks to judge when they're done. Shouldn't be too big of a deal.

Thanks again for the replies!
 
I was thinking with such a big smoker you may not need a servo damper cause there is so much volume to fill with heat. That said, I'm the guy that designed the Roto Damper, though the roto damper is gonna be much too small for such a big smoker, I would be glad to design something special for you if you are interested...
 
RalphTrimble said:
I was thinking with such a big smoker you may not need a servo damper cause there is so much volume to fill with heat. That said, I'm the guy that designed the Roto Damper, though the roto damper is gonna be much too small for such a big smoker, I would be glad to design something special for you if you are interested...
Click to expand...

That's an awesome offer. I'm not 100% familiar with how it would connect to the meter. I'll definitely PM you when I get it somewhat functional. Thanks a bunch!
 
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