Temp

[rharbour]

I will was wondering when I get my smoker do I have to set the temperature dial ,  Like zeroing in a scope

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[UWFSAE]

The temperature settings are marked, but perfect consistency (an unwavering temperature regardless of load or ambient conditions) is unreasonable.  While I definitely recommend buying a dual-probe remote thermometer that will measure both food and chamber temp, your ultimate goal is "low & slow" cooking to the desired temp for the meat.  210-240 is my typically sweet spot, but you may have other goals.  For example, when I cook whole chicken wings I go 250 to get as much rendering of the fat layer and crisping of the skin as possible before I move it to a grill or oven for finishing.

Good luck with your first smoke!

[ultrafirebike]

I'm going into hour 12 of smoking 2 8lb. butts and have noticed that I set the temp dial at 250 from the beginning and the temp has ranged from 210-230 in hour 2 to slowly averaging out to 215-219 until the stall hit 7 hours in. When it gets closer to the end and the temp comes up in the meat, then the temps start running higher. It hit 244 10 hours in and I had to turn it down 1/2 way to 225...right now at the 12 hour mark the oven temp is 234 with the meat at 190...I'm getting ready to unfoil the butts and watch them go to 203 before pulling...

so yeah, you may not be able to set it at 225 and see the temps staying exactly at 225.....but the heating element turns on, heats up and then "cools" down a little before kicking back in again. I guess since it's so well built, the temp goes up and it takes a long time for it to cool down, especially as the meat heats up inside.

I hope this helps....

[rharbour]

thanks for the advice

[DivotMaker]

This is far from an "exact" science.  Set the temp at the desired setting (for example, 225 for a pork butt), and don't stress about it - or fiddle with it.  It's going to average-out just fine (I think the designers might have thought about this a little).  Sometimes we can over-analyze things that aren't as critical as we might imagine.  Internal temp is important, not the minor fluctuations of the cooker temp.  Look at it this way:  Think about someone trying to lose weight.  The ones that weigh themselves multiple times a day usually get discouraged and fail.  Those that think longer-term and weigh themselves no more than once a week, and average the daily fluctuations, tend to succeed. 

I'll probably take some flak on this, but monitoring the minute-by-minute cooker temps is overkill.  Should you do it occasionally to check that your smoker is working properly?...yes.  Should you keep a probe in that you check every five minutes?...absolutely not!  Just set your temp, and trust that Steve built you a good unit!

[rharbour]

Thanks just excited about the smoker , and just received it today.i liked how you put that .

[es1025]

I smoked a butt yesterday with the temperature set at 225.  I had some wild swings up to 270.  Don't be concerned, the other posters are right. 

The air temperature plays a role, yesterday in NJ it was close to 90 with 100% humidity. I lower the smoker to 200 and still did not get below 215.  This smoke is a one of a kind. If you are smoking anything but ribs the internal temperature is more important. 

Make sure you have the maverick ET-732, it provides a meat and barbecue probe.

[smokeasaurus]

A big reason for the temp swings is to extend the life of the heating element.............

[Spresso]

Well, i like to be in total control, (some call me control freak).
I'm not the trusting kind either :-)
Years of health and safety will do that to ya.....
Anyhoo,  i think I have 23 thermometers at home so throwing in a couple into the smoker is no big deal..... :-)
I received my # 3 this afternoon and broke her in.... charted the temps swings and could not be happier.  Mine swings ~10-12 degrees high. (ie if set at 225 it will average out at 237 (max is 260 then)
When set to the max I get as high as 290/   Totally happy about this as this will help me with crispy chicken wings!!!

To each his own but I like to know what I'm doing!!!
Zed

[DivotMaker]

Well, i like to be in total control, (some call me control freak).
I'm not the trusting kind either :-)
Years of health and safety will do that to ya.....
Anyhoo,  i think I have 23 thermometers at home so throwing in a couple into the smoker is no big deal..... :-)
I received my # 3 this afternoon and broke her in.... charted the temps swings and could not be happier.  Mine swings ~10-12 degrees high. (ie if set at 225 it will average out at 237 (max is 260 then)
When set to the max I get as high as 290/   Totally happy about this as this will help me with crispy chicken wings!!!

To each his own but I like to know what I'm doing!!!
Zed

More power to ya', Zed!  That's the cool thing about this hobby (addiction?) - you can be as anal as you want (23 thermometers, lol), or as "trusting" as you want, and still have a great time doing it!!    I've always been a "close enough" cook that does most things by feel and "guestimates," and always seem to have good results (makes my wife furious).  But, I totally understand the folks that like to really analyze what's happening; I have several friends like that.  Bottom line is that you can put as much into seeking perfection, or the bare minimum with a Smokin-It, and yield great results either way!

Be sure to let us know how the first smoke goes, and throw some pics up if you can! 

[rharbour]

Thank you for all your responses and I will for sure put pics up when I do my first smoke

[Rob Babcock]

In the beginning I too obsessed over temperature control.  Ultimately it doesn't make that much difference.  I long since stopped measuring the temp inside the smoker and only watch the temp inside the meat.  All my smokes have come out great!

[smokeasaurus]

What I like about the Smokin-It is, you season your meat........you toss in a wood chunk.......you put in your meat....you close the door........you turn the dial to your desired temp..........you walk away.......you come back later to delicious lo and slo smoked kissed meat........

follow the KISS rule:  Keep it Simple Smokeasaurus.......

[DivotMaker]

What I like about the Smokin-It is, you season your meat........you toss in a wood chunk.......you put in your meat....you close the door........you turn the dial to your desired temp..........you walk away.......you come back later to delicious lo and slo smoked kissed meat........

follow the KISS rule:  Keep it Simple Smokeasaurus.......

In a nutshell, that's the beauty of a Smokin-It!  No over-analyzing, just good Q!  Well-said, Smoke!

[UWFSAE]

Rharbour, I have a slightly divergent opinion from Smoke and Divot, though they're definitely accurate in their praise.  Yes, these things are freakishly consistent as long as you're attentive to your prep, your time, and your internal temp; the real beauty of these smokers is they create such a huge "sweet spot" for the smoking process that you rarely miss.

But the truly neat thing, something I'm still figuring out, is that if you're someone who often makes things more difficult than they actually need to be then these smokers will grow with you; you can use different smoking methods, use some aromatics as part of the smoke session, futz around with wood blends or use different foiling techniques ... like any good hobby you can enjoy it as you march endlessly towards perfection and love it even if you never attain that peak.