Auto tuning symultaneously with Cooking Pork Butt

[Gary]

I want to cook a pork butt and I have the Auber programed as follows: the Box Probe for 225 and the Meat Probe at 190.

I put the meat, wood, water etc in the smoker and I am ready to go. Plug smoker into PID and turn and turn PID on.

Do I then initiate the auto tuning process SET, LCK 166 etc.?

Will it just run and not impact on the Program that is allready running smoking the pork butt?

When auto tune is complete will the controller keep following the program to complete the cooking of the pork butt?

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[SuperDave]

In my experience, the auto tune does not follow specific program entries.  I don't recommend trying to do it while cooking. 

[DivotMaker]

In my experience, the auto tune does not follow specific program entries.  I don't recommend trying to do it while cooking.

+1.  Don't risk ruining meat during the autotune.  It can hold a low temp for a long time (as much as 2 hours) while it calibrates itself.  Best to do with "simulated" meat!

[Gary]

Thank you. What would you advise as the best thing to use as simulated meat?

[DivotMaker]

Gary, there is a instruction section for the Aubers; you might want to check it out.  Go to this post and download the .pdf instructions:

How to Autotune the Auber

Let us know how else we can help!

[elkins20]

Gary you can use either cold bricks or a loaf box of sand and add ice water. Not sure if necessary but I would think you want the bricks or sand to be around 41 degrees. As that is the temp. the meat would come out of the fridge.

[DivotMaker]

Not sure if necessary but I would think you want the bricks or sand to be around 41 degrees. As that is the temp. the meat would come out of the fridge.

I'm sure it wouldn't hurt, at all, but I've never done an autotune with cold bricks.  The idea, I believe, is to have the sensor detect how fast the temp rises, and the power output it takes to slow it down to achieve the "set" temp.  I bet cold bricks might get it a little closer, but +/- 1° has been close enough for me.    Keep it simple...

[elkins20]

Hey Tony was thinking cold bricks would be better than bricks that have been out in the sun at 90 degree weather? I really like the idea I read in another post of using sand with ice water. I think that the meat that comes from the fridge is around 41 degrees. (Update) I washed two brick and have them in the house where they are getting cool.

[DivotMaker]

Like I said, Bill, give it a try!  I don't leave the bricks in 90° heat before tuning, but keep them in the shade.  They're basically the same temp as the smoker, and I get +/- 1°.  Sometimes, I think we overthink the technical aspect of some of this.

[elkins20]

If I get my conversions done tomorrow will be doing the auto tune on both smokers. Just finished doing the work on the smokers. I am going to put off doing the AT's until tomorrow.