Typical temp swings on #3....

[boog1455]

Hey guys, great to be here and love reading all the post.  Just got my Model 3 a week or so ago and wasted no time burning in followed by a couple racks of bbr followed the next day by a couple of fatties..... And OMG.  2 things I noticed very quickly different from my previous smoking days.
1. When you guys say spare the wood, you mean it.  Dropped probably 7-8 ounces in the tray for the ribs and although they turned out ok I was really worried I had ruined them when I saw how dark the bark was.....totally my error and it won't happen again.

2.  Of more concern is the wide swing in temp I noticed while cooking fatties. Santa brought me a Maverick which I put to use on the second cooking and I noticed with smoker set on 235 or so my temp variation would be from 220-270.... Which I though was a bit extreme.  Thoughts?

 

[NDKoze]

Yeah, 7-8 ounces is way overkill. Typically for ribs, you will only want to use 2-3 ounces and for longer smokes like butts/briskets you'll use 5-6. Really 6 ounces is probably the most you are ever going to use for any smoke.

Here is a thread that includes a guide on Cooking Times, Temps, and Woods:
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2151.0

Regarding the temp swings, for a smoke with a relatively small piece of meat in the #3, the swings that you experienced are totally normal and won't affect the results.

If this really bothers you, you can get an Auber and that will hold your swings between 1-2 degrees typically. I haven't bothered with an Auber as I don't care about the swings at all. I will put my results up against an Auber smoked product, and doubt you would be able to tell the difference.

That being said, the Auber does offer some cool features such as programmability. You can program specific steps such as smoke at 150 for the first hour, bump up to 225, smoke until the internal temp of the meat hits 195, and then put the smoker in warming mode at 150. This is just an example of what you can do with the Auber.

I have pretty much bought all of the options except for the Auber, so I'll probably get one at some point. But it is definitely not needed.

 

[swthorpe]

I have not purchased the Auber, either.  I am OK with the temp swings, but I do monitor in the beginning just to be sure that the swings average out to my desired setting.  I have also noticed that the swings vary from smoke to smoke, which I assume has something to do with how much meat I have in the smoker.

 

[jcboxlot]

Gregg.

That chart should be included when the new smoker package arrives!  A must have reference for the SI.

FYI to everyone. 

 

[boog1455]

Thanks guys for the imput.... I, too, had looked at the auber but it's way too early for me to think about that.  I'm kinda digging the learning process im going through now.  Just wanted to make sure my temp swings were within range.  Up to now, on my gas weber, I just adjusted the flame to the temp and it basically never budged.... But then again I was running out there about ever 20" to make sure it was maintaining. Now with the maverick I just glance at it while chilling in the house ..

 

[DivotMaker]

Don't sweat the swings, Boog.  Sounds like you're off and running!

 

[swthorpe]

But then again I was running out there about ever 20" to make sure it was maintaining. Now with the maverick I just glance at it while chilling in the house ..

Congratulations...you are embracing the beauty of "lazy Q"!  ;D

 

[es1025]

Boog thats normal temp swings.

I might suggest a scale for measuring your wood. In this machine, less is more.