Temperature Controllers and the Summit Charcoal Kamado

[John_NJ]

A little background- I am new to the charcoal grilling game but am committed to giving it a go, all in.

So far, it’s been a learning curve just getting the hang of temperature regulation and quantity of briquettes- very basic level stuff, but it’s going well.

I am anticipating moving on from direct/ indirect cooking to low and slow sometime this fall/ winter.

I have read through many of the threads in the “Automatic Temperature Control Systems” forum- the first few pages of threads at least, in addition to other…cough cough…bbq forums, and am still not sure which direction to go.

For the record, I am not asking for opinions on whether I need one or not, since I have already decided I will purchase some type of controller and WiFi based alarm to alert me if the temperature gets too high or low.

And I have read many accounts of how “rock steady” the Summit Charcoal is at maintaining temperature, but I am somewhat of a gear head and figure I need some help until I am more “seasoned”.

What type of system should someone with no grilling experience think about getting, in your opinion.

@DanHoo has posted about the Billows ATC, and I am considering purchasing that with a Signals thermometer- or perhaps the X4.


TL;DR:

Any ATC better suited to the Summit Charcoal? It’s the only charcoal grill I plan on owning so that is a consideration for me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mason Shaar]

I've used the HeaterMeter for years and I've been very pleased. You can read about it on these forums here: https://tvwbb.com/forums/heatermeter-diy-bbq-controller.85/
At the moment it appears that Bryan isn't selling them pre-assembled, but check the forum and I'm sure you can find one. Get an Adapt-A-Damper to go with it.

 

[Ed P]

+10 for the HeaterMeter, but DIY isn't everyone's cup of tea. I use mine on our BGE, and I've adapted it to our kettles using a SS dog dish with a through-bolt through one of the existing bottom vent slots to adapt the blower. I'm not familiar with the E/S6 but without boring a hole, the blower mount will be something you want to look at. I have to remove the ash catcher to mount the blower on a kettle with my setup...maybe something better is out there...

 

[John_NJ]

I've used the HeaterMeter for years and I've been very pleased. You can read about it on these forums here: https://tvwbb.com/forums/heatermeter-diy-bbq-controller.85/
At the moment it appears that Bryan isn't selling them pre-assembled, but check the forum and I'm sure you can find one. Get an Adapt-A-Damper to go with it.

+10 for the HeaterMeter, but DIY isn't everyone's cup of tea. I use mine on our BGE, and I've adapted it to our kettles using a SS dog dish with a through-bolt through one of the existing bottom vent slots to adapt the blower. I'm not familiar with the E/S6 but without boring a hole, the blower mount will be something you want to look at. I have to remove the ash catcher to mount the blower on a kettle with my setup...maybe something better is out there...

I tried to get through the heatermeter forum but the first page was a bit of a red flag to me.

I will read through it more in depth to
see if it’s feasible for me to go that route.

The Summit Charcoal/ Kamado has a port already from the factory so that should make it easier?

Thanks guys.

 

[TimA]

Get the Thermoworks and never look back. I’ve got the Smoke X4 with Billows and use it on my Summit, and it’s awesome. Extremely high quality and just works.

 

[JKalchik]

I tried to get through the heatermeter forum but the first page was a bit of a red flag to me.

I will read through it more in depth to
see if it’s feasible for me to go that route.

<raises hand>Another HeaterMeter user here.</raises hand>

There's a couple of ways to get into an HM, you can find one fully assembled (I think there are still a couple of people doing this,) or source the parts yourself (you'll need to be comfortable with a soldering iron.) In the interests of full disclosure, even if you've used a fine pitch soldering iron, I would recommend ordering the PCB with the surface mount components already installed. Regretfully, as has been noted, some of the components are in short supply, so building your own has more obstacles.

Bryan has done a pretty good job making the firmware images available. The subforum here is pretty responsive with questions about configuration & use.

Having said all that...... I love my HM. I'm also an unabashed nerd (maintaining enterprise Unix & Linux systems is my day job,) tinkering an HM together a few years ago was a fun project.

Tl;dr: love my HM. May be rather difficult to put one together right now.

 

[Ed P]

Admittedly, I know nothing about any other controllers, but I will always choose DIY because you can dial it in to the nth degree to your specific needs, and if you have any issues you have knowledgeable people that have likely worked through those problems already. I am dialing in the controller for our pellet grill as we speak (a PiFire). I'm not taking anything away from ThermoWorks...they make a good, reliable product, too, just more fun for me to have infinite control over a product.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Get the Thermoworks and never look back. I’ve got the Smoke X4 with Billows and use it on my Summit, and it’s awesome. Extremely high quality and just works.

I run ThermoWorks products and love each one of them. Signals was/is on sale at its lowest price of the year per yesterday OTA Friday when @Chris Allingham posted the sale link.

I don’t have a blower and see zero need for it on the WSK. I won’t go down that rabbit hole per your OP.

What’s nice about Signals is you can cook, leave the house and still monitor your cook via the internet. Or broadcast live here for the geeks (like us) who want to watch/see meat cook over time. And you get an online record of your cooks so you can learn from each one. This tool has been incredibly helpful to me.

 

[John K BBQ]

To me - ATC is only needed when you are going to are not going to attend your smoker at all.... the WSK will hold temps without it. I own both, and have never put the billows on my WSK. I have used it on my WSK a handful of times but if I'm not leaving the house for more than a couple of hours the WSM will also hold temps like a rock as long as it's not too windy outside.

That being said, T-Works billows is a good system, and they have really good product support. You may want to take a look at BBQ guru products if you haven't already. I know their stuff works, but I think it's higher priced vs Tworks Billows and I don't think their customer support is nearly as good.

 

[TimA]

I use Billows on my Summit because the hole is there from factory and I don’t have the heart to drill a hole in my kettles.

Yeah, could certainly run it on the kettles and close up the other two holes but never have.

 

[Bradley Mack]

To me - ATC is only needed when you are going to are not going to attend your smoker at all.... the WSK will hold temps without it. I own both, and have never put the billows on my WSK. I have used it on my WSK a handful of times but if I'm not leaving the house for more than a couple of hours the WSM will also hold temps like a rock as long as it's not too windy outside.

That being said, T-Works billows is a good system, and they have really good product support. You may want to take a look at BBQ guru products if you haven't already. I know their stuff works, but I think it's higher priced vs Tworks Billows and I don't think their customer support is nearly as good.

100% this.

 

[DanHoo]

I have billows and smoke X4 and I use it for temp insurance for an overnight cook.

I've used it more on the large BGE than the summit. It works wellout of the box.

I chose the smoke X4 because I wanted a dedicated remote more than the app but that's personal preference.

I don't use it to control the temp. I get the temp stable before I plug in the fan. This let's the fan be the insurance so I can sleep.

If you get a billows, get the three dollar adjustable damper. It's needed to limit inlet air to keep a low temp

 

[Ed P]

Seems like this might have the OP's name on it.

30% off Signals

Signals™ BBQ Alarm Thermometer with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® Wireless Technology

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

And 30% off Billows

Billows® BBQ Temperature Control Fan Kit

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

 

[John_NJ]

I

Seems like this might have the OP's name on it.

30% off Signals

View attachment 61929

Signals™ BBQ Alarm Thermometer with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® Wireless Technology

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

And 30% off Billows

View attachment 61930

Billows® BBQ Temperature Control Fan Kit

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.

www.thermoworks.com

I saw that, actually was going to buy the combo…then you heatermeater boys showed up.

Since it’s a definite “want” and not a “need”- I already have the Thermopro tp20, I am going to read up and possibly build myself a heatermeater.

I already have a rudimentary 3d printer, and a really good electronics supply in my area.

But getting through the heatermeater forum is going to take time- I have very little electronics background.

I always wanted to learn, and it fits better with my <political comment deleted> philosophy.

I am going to let this tread take its own course until I get deeper into the subject.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

 

[NickMV]

I use a Fireboard 2 w/ a 10cfm Pit Viper guru fan. My experience is generally positive, but I will say -- the lid always seems to be 1 open away from the thing deciding to try to run away on you, and I don't have a solution for it so far. I typically have 1 runaway per 8+ hr cook, and I have to close down vents temporarily.

How to resolve that with a fan controller already in place, I'm not sure. Maybe close the top vents more and make it blow the fan more often in the first place?

 

[John K BBQ]

I use a Fireboard 2 w/ a 10cfm Pit Viper guru fan. My experience is generally positive, but I will say -- the lid always seems to be 1 open away from the thing deciding to try to run away on you, and I don't have a solution for it so far. I typically have 1 runaway per 8+ hr cook, and I have to close down vents temporarily.

How to resolve that with a fan controller already in place, I'm not sure. Maybe close the top vents more and make it blow the fan more often in the first place?

Nick - I believe some newer/other controllers have built in logic to "detect" when someone lifts the lid on a smoker. If you think about it... "normal" operation on a smoker would not include sudden dips in pit temperature. Fires just don't die out that fast. Assuming your temp probe is on the top grate, near the lid.... when the lid opens, there is a sudden drop in pit temperature. Some systems are pre-programmed not to respond to that sudden drop by ramping up the fan speed right away. (I have witnessed this with my Billows on the WSM)

I am not sure what the pre-programmed delay period is, or should be, or how a fireboard works, or if that's a setting one can change in the fireboard. One way you might get around this is to turn off the fireboard before you lift the lid... and of course get the lid back on as soon as you can, and then turn the fireboard back on... I have no idea if that's feasible with the fire board as it could mess with the program's PID loop/control logic but maybe it's worth a shot?

 

[Dave-HI]

Got great products out there, but I decided on SpiderGrills Venom. I know it may not be feature rich as some others and generally a single grill use, but it works for me on my Summit E6 for the price. I generally only smoke on the Summit and grill/rotisserie on the kettle. This gave me all the basic features and mounting setup I was looking for. It's a PID controller, WiFi monitoring/control and what closed the deal for me was the almost wireless setup. I routed both pit and meat probes toward the rear of the body where it enters the cooker through the hinge. Got just enough cable length for now, but will get extension for greater ease. It is also battery capable. I think there is a BF special with a free battery pack valued at $50. Hope you find the solution that fits your needs.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Got great products out there, but I decided on SpiderGrills Venom. I know it may not be feature rich as some others and generally a single grill use, but it works for me on my Summit E6 for the price. I generally only smoke on the Summit and grill/rotisserie on the kettle. This gave me all the basic features and mounting setup I was looking for. It's a PID controller, WiFi monitoring/control and what closed the deal for me was the almost wireless setup. I routed both pit and meat probes toward the rear of the body where it enters the cooker through the hinge. Got just enough cable length for now, but will get extension for greater ease. It is also battery capable. I think there is a BF special with a free battery pack valued at $50. Hope you find the solution that fits your needs.

Welcome to the WSK Owners Club. There’s a few of us here. You can search tags for WSK and you’ll see WSK related topics, cooks, pics and info. Welcome aboard!

 

[John K BBQ]

Got great products out there, but I decided on SpiderGrills Venom. I know it may not be feature rich as some others and generally a single grill use, but it works for me on my Summit E6 for the price. I generally only smoke on the Summit and grill/rotisserie on the kettle. This gave me all the basic features and mounting setup I was looking for. It's a PID controller, WiFi monitoring/control and what closed the deal for me was the almost wireless setup. I routed both pit and meat probes toward the rear of the body where it enters the cooker through the hinge. Got just enough cable length for now, but will get extension for greater ease. It is also battery capable. I think there is a BF special with a free battery pack valued at $50. Hope you find the solution that fits your needs.

Dave - I was wondering if the Spider would fit on the WSK.. I never researched it, but the venom on the WSK is a neat idea. I'm looking forward to some photos & comments on that set up.

 

[Dave-HI]

Dave - I was wondering if the Spider would fit on the WSK.. I never researched it, but the venom on the WSK is a neat idea. I'm looking forward to some photos & comments on that set up

I got some setup pics. Installation of the Venom was not as easy as indicated by the company. Much force was needed, so I don't think I'll remove it unless I had to. A few customers indicated they too had to apply much force. I'm glad the bowl is not fixed, so I rotated the bowl left enough to see the display clearly and it helped to shorten the cable run. Routed both probe cables along the base of the Venom using the existing wired tabs used to secure the Venom's gasket. Routed the cables up the rear of the bowl through the hinge making sure it clears from any pinching. It got enough cable for the pit probe, but the meat probe could be longer. I plan to replace those two cables with extension cables which will be fixed, then I can attach both probes near the hinge for ease of connecting and disconnecting.

I did this setup to help minimize the wired cables that would get in my way. Now I have I all the area I need without the worry of any cables.

As for the battery, you can use any USB battery pack that supplies the necessary output power the Venom needs. Someone used the Costco USB car jumper battery, but I probably will be opting for the Venom battery which will attach directly under the venom controller via magnets for a very clean setup. Then I'll be able to move my WSK anywhere in my backyard freely without the need of an extension cable.