Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 4D - The Big Daddy! => Topic started by: Jsamet on March 11, 2019, 11:03:16 AM
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Hey everyone,
I'm happy to say I finally pulled the trigger. I'm going to be running a BBQ truck but doing the cooking in a church kitchen I am renting (can't cook commercial food at home). There's plenty of room under the hood for the smoker, so I'm feeling like things are really coming together! If anyone has any tips or advice on a setup like this, feel free to help a brother out! I'm also thinking of putting a #2 in the truck to do things like chicken wings that cook faster, and also to keep the food warm. I want the smoke to attract customers. Anyone do something like this? Wish me luck!
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Congratulations on the #4 Jeff and good luck in your endeavors.
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Hey all. I need some help. I’m having a hard time getting the 4 up to temp when it’s loaded. It’s in a commercial kitchen under a hood, but I have the same trouble with the hood on or off. Plus, I need the hood to vent the smoke. I’m currently smoking 40 pounds of wings and set it for 275° but it’s been a struggle to break 200°in a little over 3 hours! Anyone have any help to offer? I spoke with Steve but he just said to move it away from the hood. I have a feeling there’s another issue. Thanks!
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I’ve read other suggestions about doing an auto tune for something like this, but not during a cook.
You could also call Steve and talk with him.
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Hey all. I need some help. I’m having a hard time getting the 4 up to temp when it’s loaded. It’s in a commercial kitchen under a hood, but I have the same trouble with the hood on or off. Plus, I need the hood to vent the smoke. I’m currently smoking 40 pounds of wings and set it for 275° but it’s been a struggle to break 200°in a little over 3 hours! Anyone have any help to offer? I spoke with Steve but he just said to move it away from the hood. I have a feeling there’s another issue. Thanks!
Jeff - Some questions that you have likely already run through and dismissed but I have to ask:
Is this a commercial kitchen in a fixed building or in your vehicle mounted kitchen? The reason I ask is that a fixed kitchen may have a lot of air flow, not just under the hood, and it could be sucking the heat out of the smoker before it can reach temp although I doubt that is the problem. That is probably why Steve suggested moving the smoker. When your hood is off, is the make-up air running or is it off as well?
If this is in your mobile set-up, do you have sufficient power for the smoker?
On your other smokes, have you had any problems? Keep in mind that if the wings are fairly close together/tightly packed and you have several shelves loaded, there may not be much free space between each wing for the heated air to rise and reach the box probe which is high up. In other words, the air and heat is being blocked.
Lastly, check you PID settings. Below are the factory settings for the 4.
4D Factory Settings
P=45
I=875
D=220
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Thanks all for the help. The smoker is in a fixed building. There’s not really a lot of air flow without the hood. There are actually 2 vent fans. One is above and the other is right along the back of the smoker and the other equipment. That one draws a lot of air and I don’t use it. The answer me by that I had 6 racks loaded edge to edge with wings and I guess i need to find a way to leave room for the heat to get through. Same thing happened with 12 racks of St. Louis ribs, but there was space in between them. I can say that when the smoker is empty it will reach temp within an hour regardless of the hood being on or off.
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Pretty much sounds like it was overcrowded and heat flow was blocked. Also make sure meat does not contact the box probe.