Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 1 - The Little Guy!! => Topic started by: EarlT on November 11, 2017, 12:44:49 AM
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Outside temperature is around 30 degrees and my temperature inside the box is only reaching 165. The light is on showing the element is still on and I have the control nob at 250. Any advice?
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Good morning EarlT
How long has your smoke been going at this point as I'm posting 4 hours after you asked?
Probably your meat reached the stall stage at 165 and after an hour or two will climb on up. There are references within the forum which point out stalls around 165 and not to turn it up past 225 just to get past the stall. At 165 stall and 225 cook everything should be happy soon.
Or...Maybe move it to a corner area more protected from wind might help.
I'm really thinking stall EarlT and patience will win in the end.
Best ...John
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Hey John, I was smoking a boston butt. The temperature of the smoker never got higher than 165. The butt reached 160 in six hours. I took it out and wrapped it and finished it in the oven. This is the third one I have cooked and the box would reach 220/250 in a steady climb. The time it took the meat to reach 160 did vary but no issues with the box. Does the box never reach the temperature you set the thermostat to when it begins to stall?
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Earl... I'm with John on this one... you simply entered the 'hurry up and wait' stage. After the stall the temp will begin to rise again. I've had it sit in stall for a couple hours, but I just let it go and it always finished up and is excellent. The stall is actually where the magic happens, so you especially don't want to mess with it during the stall.
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By the way, I just looked up the post about my first butt (http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=5847.msg54350#msg54350) and it reminds me that it took 11 hours.
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Here is a good article on the stall... http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/stallbbq.html
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Hope it turned out well EarlT
I'm not an expert here as I'm a newbie but I read and study what others have accomplished so that's how I roll. Really think you hit a stall stage and due to cold start and all it might have just taken more time to get through the stall. Oven finishing is fine as I've done it many times before with stick burns and briskets and such due to circumstances. Doing a BB this am myself and mine has stalled at 163 degrees for an hour so far and I expect it'll pull on through soon.
Have a great Saturday!
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TYVM LarryD for posting the great stall article...well worth the read and now I understand why it is what it is...lol
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The temperature of the smoker never got higher than 165.
I may be mistaken but I believe that EarlT said that the internal temp of his SI1 never got higher than 165. I don't think he was referring to the temperature of the meat. That being said, I'm not an electrician so can't offer any practical advice.
The butt wasn't in a pan was it? Large pans in small electric smokers can act as heat shields.
Jim
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Getting here late. Like Jim, I think EarlT was referring to the smoker temp. Might want to check the box probe and make sure it is clean and not caked up with residue. There is another possibility and that is the connection to the heating element could be loose. This would be rare on these smokers but one never knows. You would need to pull the back off and check the wiring and connections. If all is good, you might have to replace the controller.
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Like the previous two posts, I believe that Earl T was talking about the internal box temp, not the meat temp. So the stall is irrelevant. It would be helpful to know what model smoker Earl T has. Is it an analog model, or a "D" model? How was Earl measuring the box temp. With what sort of thermometer. A Maverick or similar? Or if in the case of a "D" model, the on-board temp probe? Is it accurate? A note to everyone, it is very helpful to those of us who are trying to help you, to create a signature line in your profile with the Model of SI you are using. Our responses are dependent upon whether you have a D model or an analog model. There are numerous potential responses to this issue, the last of which anyone would hope would be to take off the back of your smoker and look at the wires! It's possible, but less likely than many other issues, including confusing internal smoker box temp with meat temp!
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Something is not right with the original information. If the smoker box really only reached 165, it would never have reached a meat temp of 160 ever let alone in 6 hours.
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Thanks for all response. I have a SI1 no probe just a thermostat knob that reads 0 to 250 and a indicator light. The box only reached 165/168. The butt did reach 160 after six hours. I wrapped the butt and moved it in to the oven. I use a thermoworks smoke two channel thermometer. When I used it in the oven it read the oven temperature correctly at 230 and I believe the meat probe read correctly when set to 195 after three hours in the oven. Would it be okay if I cycle the smoker empty setting the thermostat to 230 to see if it will reach temperature with out any meat in the smoker? Thanks again for all the response.
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Running it empty will do no harm. With the exception of not using wood, no different than when you seasoned it. Good luck!
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Yeah, I agree with SuperDave here. If the box temp only reached 165, the meat would not have reached 160. Maybe the probe used for the box temp was resting on the meat? Or sitting in the water pan? Seems like it had to be a false reading somehow.
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Well after trying it again old sarge is right the box temp probe was against the side of the smoker. Had lost the clip and tried to just place it in the box. Made a clip and everything is back to normal. Smoked a turkey I brined and turned out well. The breast were almost dry but good flavor throughout. Thanks for helping a rookie happy holidays!
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Good to know you are up and running.
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By the way, I just looked up the post about my first butt (http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=5847.msg54350#msg54350) and it reminds me that it took 11 hours.
thanks you very much !