I'm thinking of smoking a few racks of ribs or whole chickens next time.
I did learn a few things about my 3D during my first brisket smoke...........
1. I need to read and learn more about the Auber. I read the directions that came with the 3D and also read a manual on Auber's website for the WSD-1500GPH (that looks similar) and thought I had it programmed correctly, but I'm curious what model number is actually installed and if there is a list of display indications or codes.
The RH window was displaying random numbers. It was set to hold a steady internal temp. I first thought it was counting down time as the numbers were in the teens and going down and then went negative and back to positive. It went back and forth for about a minute and I finally just turned the unit off.
2. I had purchased a Maverick 733 dual probe thermometer. I used only 1 probe in the brisket to compare the temps between it and the internal temp probe with the Auber. The Auber indicated a temperature that was consistently 6 degrees higher than the Maverick. The probes were adjacent to one another about one inch apart in the same plane so that they weren't touching one another, but in the thickest cut of the meat. I have not made any adjustments to the 3D controller, so curious if anyone has suggestions on how to get them to read closer together?
3. This thing cooked much faster than I anticipated. My program was 150 for .6 hrs to get a slow smoke going, then ramp up to 235 until internal temp of 195 and then ramp down and hold internal temp of 150. I put my 11 lb brisket on and powered up at 12:10 am expecting this to go until at least 10 am or later. I checked it just before 8 am and it was already holding the internal temp of 150. That was a quick smoke in my opinion.
4. My wood did not burn completely. I had 3 pieces spaced evenly across the fire box. The one at the rear was only ash. The middle one mostly ash, but a small piece of solid wood remained. The front piece where I expected the element to be the hottest was the largest piece remaining. I will position the pieces the same next time to see if this repeats.
5. The racks in the 3D are large and will not fit in my 4 year old dishwasher. If someone is getting these in a dishwasher, I'd like to know how. So it looks like I will be coating the racks with non-stick spray before my next use just to make the clean up a little easier.