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LarryD, that's good too! Whatever works for our use. Seems like Thermoworks makes good products.

I should add for anyone who runs across this post that the Auber app can be nice if you're ready to spend some time figuring it out. You can do things like slowly ramp up temp for bacon smoke, start out at low temp for more smoke from a smoke tray and then have it raise the temp automatically after a couple hours, have the smoker temp lower to "warming temp" after reaching a certain internal temp, watch the progress and have notifications on your phone even if you're not on site, etc. The graph to track how long the smoke goes, and how the internal temp moves along can be a bonus for the next smoke, too.
It takes some slogging through, and the manual is not great, but there can be some benefits.
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Introductions / Re: Hello from Minnesota
« Last post by old sarge on April 29, 2024, 11:07:45 PM »
Sounds like a rousing success.  I have used a small pan with liquid on occasion but saw no benefit other than added humidity in the smoker.  I prefer meat on the rack and no pan with juice or water.  Butts and brisket are fatty and plenty moist when finished without any added anything.  I have injected briskets in the past with beef stock.  I cannot say one way or the other that it helped.  I have also used a jaccard tool to tenderize briskets but cannot tell if it improved the meat or not. These cuts are in the smoker for such a long time on low heat they just come out tender and juicy all on their own. Anything that comes out dry can be addressed with sauce or whatever after the cook.
I do the large cuts around midnight, maybe a little earlier and check in the morning when I get up. They are usually in the stall, or headed for the stall so plenty of time before lunch to do chores.
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Introductions / Re: Hello from Minnesota
« Last post by Reinhold on April 28, 2024, 09:53:17 PM »
First Smoke on the 3D has been completed and the resulting Pork Butt appearance, Bark, and Taste were fantastic.   Based on the first run I made a few notes / recommendations for the next time and have a couple questions for the group.
 - Two Butt's may be better than one:    My adult children ate a lot and one took some left-overs.   Seems that the delta in quantity of work for 2-Butt's vs 1 is minimal and I will have a few more left-overs.
-  The first smoke was done after Brining, and the only issue is that a 8.84# Butt took over 17 hours at 225F to reach 195F which was a little more than I expected.   Next time I will try un-brined and see what happens.
-  Less fluid needed in moisture pan:   I had no idea how much would evaporate so I filled the pan 3/4 full of Apple Juice and there was a lot left over.   Next time I am planning on ~ 3 Cups and later will experiment with Water vs Juice.
-  The Smoke finished Saturday evening for Sunday brunch.   I pulled the meat after the 2 hour rest and then re-heated the next day.   The moisture level was fine but next time I will try keeping it double wrapped, then re-heat while wrapped and pull when it is time to serve.   ( Note I smoked it a day early as I was unsure on smoking time and didn't want to wait for the meat or undercut the time wrapped in foil before pulling.   Glad I did as the time was longer than expected)

Questions:
1:  How much fluid do you add to the bread pan for moisture?
2:  Have you noticed a difference in the stall duration between a brined and un-brined Butt?    I was thinking that the extra moisture in a brined Butt may extend the stall time?
3:  With unpredictable smoke durations, what have you found as the best method to store and re-heat if you plan to serve the next day.

Thank you
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Introductions / Re: Hello from Minnesota
« Last post by old sarge on April 26, 2024, 12:50:57 AM »
Good luck Richard.  A butt is a great no worry smoke.
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Introductions / Re: Hello from Minnesota
« Last post by Reinhold on April 23, 2024, 09:46:12 PM »
Took the plunge and have a 3D on order with expected delivery tomorrow.   After seasoning it on Thursday, the plan is to christen it with a Pork Butt this weekend.

Wish me luck!

Richard
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Auber Instructions / Re: Smoker/meat temp and step end notifications on phone?
« Last post by LarryD on April 19, 2024, 12:56:22 AM »
Yeah, there's no way I'm investing $40 and taking the risk of breaking/losing the controller to upgrade from one crappy app to another.  :)

I have a very nice Thermoworks Signals 4 probe meter that I use.  I just program the controller to operate like an analog smoker...  I set a temp and tell it to keep it that way for 16 hours.  :)  The less the auber does, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

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Pork / Re: Time
« Last post by old sarge on April 18, 2024, 08:26:26 PM »
I like your thinking Larry!
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Auber Instructions / Re: Smoker/meat temp and step end notifications on phone?
« Last post by valleskm on April 18, 2024, 07:33:44 PM »
Hi LarryD
I'm with you. The whole wifi setup and use is confusing. I got a used #2 wifi recently, and the wifi connection, plus the not-so-clear wifi manual are what took the longest to get through. I spent the first hour trying to connect a Gen2 controller to the Gen1 app, without knowing there were two different apps  :). So I had to dig around some to try to figure it all out. That's the only reason I understand some of this now. Here's what I can tell you:
-There have been two Smokin It controllers and two apps since 2021, Gen1 and Gen2. The Gen2s are after 9/18/2021, the Gen2 controller should say Gen2 on it, and the Gen2 app is the one with the red icon in the Google Play store, not the black one (the Smokin-It WiFi app you mentioned is really just the same as the Gen2 app) (see the attached pictures for the Gen2 controller and app).
-You can't use the Gen2 app with Gen1 controller. However, you can get your Gen1 controller updated to Gen2 by Auber. The only thing is that it's a hardware update, so you have to physically detach your controller and send it in to them. If I remember right, they charged something like $40, plus you have to pay for shipping. I had Auber upgrade mine to Gen2, and it works fine.
-Is it worth it? I'm not sure. It sounds like the Gen2 is faster, maybe has better wifi connectivity, and with the new update to the app I like the fact that you get a push notification on your phone when the controller moves on to a new step or ends the program. Can be useful. Seems like the new update also improved some things for the plotting which I don't totally understand. These are the official new updates to the Gen2 app:
What's new
* Fixed a bug in sending notifications to the app.
* Added new features to the data plot: Y-axis scale adjustment, data plot line selection, and quick note.
* Updated alarm notification icon.
So if you're already using Gen2 controller and app, I'd say updating the app is definitely worth it. If you're on Gen1, you'll have to weigh whether you want to send in your controller and pay for the hardware update to be able to use the Gen2 app. I thought it was worth it for me because I got the whole smoker for a pretty good price, so wanted to have the latest controller/app too.

Overall, Smokin It customer service was good, but not too helpful on the wifi part. Auber seems to put out some confusing products, but in general I thought their customer service was pretty responsive and helpful.

Anyway, hope that can help some. Good luck!

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Auber Instructions / Re: Smoker/meat temp and step end notifications on phone?
« Last post by LarryD on April 18, 2024, 02:02:15 AM »
>So Auber will be releasing a new Smokin It app version (v2.4.1_build2175) in the next few days that should resolve this.

In reality, Auber released a totally new application named Smokin-It WiFi and not an update to the Smokin-It app.  As auber has a long history of not having any idea how to write or manage software, this isn't surprising.

Anyway, that explains why I didn't see an update for the app on my phone.  Is the new app compatible with the older 3DW or only new models?  If the old app is working for me, is there any reason to install and use the new one?
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Auber Instructions / Re: Smoker/meat temp and step end notifications on phone?
« Last post by LarryD on April 18, 2024, 01:54:36 AM »
Yes, I think if I understand LarryD right he's saying he's not seeing that app update on his phone

Correct...  I don't have my apps set to auto-update, so if I'm on the latest version I'm not sure how/why.  I'm on version 2.1.12...  what is the latest?
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