WiFi Stoker Kit Automatic Temperature Control System


 
Bill,

There is an awesome feeling when your loved ones can't stop "yum'n" when they're eating the BBQ you made!! Smoke On...

Tim
 
When you are doing the minion method and after you have dumped several hot coals on the unlit coals and turn your stoker on I assume the two remaining bottom vents are closed and the lid vent is 3/4 closed?
Bill
 
You got it Bill!! That's how I do it......eventhough I'm no pro. Another thing I like about the Stoker is that it doesn't matter if it's a windy day or not since all the vents on the bottom are closed. It just makes life so much easier!

Tim
 
Hi everyone. I am looking for some guidance on using the Stoker. I got it as a 'late Christmas present' and have used it 2 times. First time I used it, I didn't look at all of the videos on Rock's site so I was totally off on how to use it but for my second use (Mother's Day pulled pork). I had the bottom 2 vents closed and top vent was at 1/4 open. Had Stoker set to 225 but I would see temp swings from 252 on the high side and would swing down to 210 on the low side before the fan would kick in. Would these temp swings be normal? I guess if you averaged them out over time, it would be at 225 but I was hoping the Stoker would be able to keep my pit temp at 225 religiously. Do I just need more smokes to have it 'learn' to keep the temp constant? If so, would anyone know how many? Planning another smoke for Memorial Day and wanting to see what may be causing the temp swings before then.

Thanks,
Dave
 
Forgot to add details of my setup...WSM 18.5", KBB. Stoker is using the 5mm fan that was recommended from Rock's site. Used MM method with a full ring (still getting used to how briquettes to add since I got the smoker back in Nov 2013). Have water pan foiled with a foiled ceramic saucer in it...no water.
 
That is normal if you get an overshoot of that size. I talked to Rock's as I thought my Stoker was broken when the fan wouldn't come on as temp decreased to set temp from a big spike. It is in the programming for the fan to stay off until temp dropped to below set temp about half the spike or something like that. The solution (at least for me) is if I got a big spike on startup is to turn Stoker off then back on when temp returns to set temp. That resets it and it will happily maintain set temp for rest of cook, it will not let temp drop below set temp by half of spike as it no longer knows there was a spike. Dan
 
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Just as a follow up, the oscillations are supposed to dampen out but sometimes it takes hours depending on your fire. Watching the temp and cycling Stoker off and on when it drops to your set temp should level things out and keep your temp within a couple degrees from then on. At least that has been my experience. Dan
 
Dan,
Thanks for the info. Based on that, it would seem that I could do one of the following things:
1) Wait for pit to get to my target temp before turning on the Stoker, this way it won't know about the spike
2) During the initial fire up, close the other vents sooner so the Stoker will have a chance to work by itself to get the pit up to temp (as someone mentioned, they close the other vents around ~50 degrees below target temp)
3) After the initial temp spike, once the temp 'calms' down, power cycle the Stoker to clear any temp spike it may have learned and try to get it to hold the target temp

Any other thoughts to help it keep the temp close to the target temp? Also, if I turn the blower off while I 'open' the smoker, does that keep the temp spike from 'registering' on the Stoker since the blower was off?

Dave
 
I use the stoker from the start with bottom vents closed. As temp is rising I put food on at about 175 deg. If you have right amount of lit on your minion the stoker will take it to your set temp and level off with no spike. I would just use the cycle off/on if for some reason I got a spike. Above is my method only, for what it's worth. Dan
 
Dan,

Thanks for telling us your method. I too have the oscillation issue but never really cared that much since it was at worst plus or minus 25 degrees. I don't consider that to much of a temp difference that would alarm me. I will try your advice about putting the meat on as the temp is rising. I usually wait until the temp is where i want it then throw on the meat. Thanks again!

Tim
 
Here is the response I got from Stoker when I emailed them asking for some tips:
------
Here are a few tips to get started with the WSM:
Make sure you start your fire small and let the stoker bring it up to temp. Often when too much fuel is lit it is difficult to reverse the upswing even when the blower only comes on for a very short time.
You can also bring the cooker up to temp before starting the Stoker just make sure you keep your fuel bed as small as possible.
It will take some time for the Stoker to get control of the cooker. After starting the cooker it will usually take about 30 minutes to balance out the swings and hold the temp. (then add the food)
If the Stoker is dropping that far below the target temp it means that there was a big overshoot. You can reset the Stoker and it will start learning the cook from scratch again.
When it overshoots it is a good idea to check fuel levels as well.
------


Guess the next question is what do you call a small fire? I don't use a full chimney, only about 25-30 briquettes...could that be too much to dump in my ring...also I use a full ring of briquettes but at the end, I have about half left for the next smoke.

Dave
 
Dave,

I was always told to light about 10-15 pieces of charcoal. It will take some time to get the temp to the level you want by using so few light pieces but it will help to stabilize the temp.

Tim
 
Tim,
Thanks, that is the piece of advice I was looking for, exactly how many pieces of charcoal to light in the chimney...I will cut back with the number of briquettes to see how it handles the temp.

Dave
 
so any updates on this...I'm in the market for an auto control, and I really like the ability to control two WSMs with one stoker
 
Here is an update, not certain where my previous update reply went to. I did a test run, the Stoker held 225 constantly for about 3.5 hours before temp spikes started. First they started as minor ones, 4-5 degrees and then after the 4-5 degree temp drop under my target temp, the Stoker spiked even higher. At one point it was heating the pit up to 263 degrees. Even with letting the pit cool down and power cycling the Stoker, it still kept spiking.

I am wondering if my firmware may be off and the 'learning' algorithm may be having issues trying to learn my pit. I did get some BBQ gasket to help seal the around the door and top. After my current smoke of BB ribs is done, I will be cleaning my pit so I can install the gasket and will try it out next weekend. Thinking of either chicken or port butt for Father's Day.

Dave
 
I'm somewhat happy with my Stoker, I really like the tech aspect. Today's July4th cook is not going too great. I always start with about 10 pieces in a tightly packed WSM with 3-4 large chunks. I pile the lit charcoal in the center and put the still cold meat on right away. Today's temps were a bit stupid at the start. Once it dropped down under 225 the fan kicked on and that spiked it up like crazy. Maybe my WSM door is not tight enough, I noticed a tiny gap.
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I was asleep, but the alarm went off and I added water to the coals. But stuff like this always happens with the Stoker. If I had just left the vents wide open and manually closed them down to 1/4 all around it would have locked in 225-250 for 12 hours.
 
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