Leaderboard

I felt I needed a fan and controller in the beginning of my KK journey. I needed the comfort that I could sleep all night and not worry about the KK or meat. However, the cords, electronics, etc. seemed to cause more stress. In the beginning, I also had issues with consistent burning lump in long cooks. I started filling my charcoal basket with lump as well as a chimney. I let the chimney coals get ripping hot and then poured them over the charcoal basket. I've NEVER had any issues since. I now do this method to assure I have a solid coal base to keep the KK going for a long time. I now sleep like a baby during overnight cooks. In fact, the last one I did I almost forgot I had something on the KK when I woke up. Lol. One other drawback of a fan was that it blew ash all over inside the KK.

I'm unsure what size grill you have, but if it has wheels.. It's always easier to roll them.

I'm almost there, but I like to sleep through overnight cooks. One can nail 225 F manually "most of the time" and sleep through the night, but "most of the time" doesn't cut it when 50 people are depending on the result, or the brisket cost $120. I like to measure my pit temp by sticking my probe through the TelTru dome thermometer hole. This is contrary to most advice, but it doesn't matter as long as one is consistent and understands one's cooks. The dome runs hotter till the KK stabilizes, so this yields a more gentle approach to cruising altitude. And I can set 450 F for bread without heat damage to the probe wire. So yes, my lesson has been to not overreach, just use a feedback loop without embarrassment to set my pit temp.

I've tried the Fireboard Pulse as well as the Thermoworks RFX. Both had issues and didn't come close to the "specs" listed on their site. I ended up sending both units back. Fireboard Pulse - I liked these the best paired with my Fireboard 2 Pro. The App and Controller work flawlessly. Of my two units, one died. They replaced it without issues. The replacement unit didn't work so I ended up sending them both back. The "ambient" sensor was certainly off compared to the true ambient temp in the pit. The only other downside to the Pulse was the weight of the ambient sensor. It had to be placed strategically in the protein due to the depth of the sensor. This could cause issues in some situations. Thermoworks RFX - I bought the two pack of the RFX units. The small size of these probes was awesome. Fit in any piece of protein without issue. However, one of my units wouldn't hold a charge. I was shocked at this next revelation. I setup the RFX through the Thermoworks app using the "Anonymous" login. When I spoke to the Thermoworks customer service guy and provided my unit ID he could see my name, location, and all the other details. This was NOT COOL in my opinion. I struggled with these RFX units holding a charge for the length of time stated by Thermoworks. I changed all of the settings Thermoworks suggested with no beneficial results. I ended up deleting the app and sending the RFX back for a refund. One additional consideration, these do not work through tinfoil. I could get them to connect to the RFX unit through my KK and 3/8" offset but not through tinfoil. In the end, I decided to sell my Fireboard 2 Pro, Pit Viper Fan, and all of there electronic cooking equipment. I'm done. I bought my KK to not deal with controllers, extension cords, etc. I wanted something simplistic and reliable. Adding these electronics just creates more headaches. It's so much better not having all the "stuff" when I relax and smoke some meat over the weekends.

I'll go see if i can find my notes but I did this one for my first day of retirement 4 years ago. It was great, I bought it without the head. I tried one with the head still attached and it was really creepy lol I will say this, I think if i do it again I will finish on the upper rack with skin side up for a few hours for a crispier skin.