BARDSLJR Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Okay, here's the story of an epic fail. I think I have figured it out. But let me tell you what happened, in chronological order, first. First, I prepared a beautiful brisket last night, trimmed it and treated with Maldon salt and coarse ground pepper (photo).. The plan was: put the brisket on the KK around midnight, cook it a little low (245) till 8AM, then get up, check the internal temp, spritz it, turn the heat up to 265 or so, get through the stall, wrap, raise the heat to 285, and finish around 2-3PM or so. That was the plan.... So I had used the BBQ Guru the day before to cook some near-perfect ribs, and everything worked fine. I was controlling the Guru from my Iphone. I took the brisket out 3 hours early to get it closer to room temperature, put it on at 12, went to bed. Woke up at 4AM and checked on the Guru on my phone, still showing 244*. Got up at 8, ambled on downstairs and went out with my Thermapen and spritzer bottle while the Jura espresso maker did its thing. Got out to the KK and it's thermometer is showing 350*....URK! I look at my phone: 244*. What's going on? I open the KK and see this (photo): brisket crisp. Pretty clearly, at some point in the night, the Guru elevated things to 350*, even though my phone app is still showing 244*. Pretty clearly, the app on my phone was frozen, the damage had been done and could not be undone. I uninstalled and reinstalled the app. Phone app would not connect to Guru despite being right next to it. So I went and got my Ipad, and opened the app on it, and it was showing the true temp- around 350*. So here's my diagnosis: when I booted up the Ipad last night to read before turning out the night, the Ipad took over the Guru, and it was left on it's last setting, probably 350*. So from now on I am taking the app off my phone and controlling the Guru just from my Ipad. I am sorry, Mrs. Cow, that your brisket was all for naught. Maybe I can salvage enough to make brisket hash, but dinner for our combined family of seven for tonight is off. Lessons learned.... 2 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Very sad bards.I hate it when you start trusting technology and it then let’s you down.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrus Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Well there's two ways of looking at this, it's either burnt to a crisp or it's the best bark you've ever seen. If I have company and a brisket is on the menu I start early and run a temp of 260-275 depending on the size of brisket. That one really wasn't your fault, as Basher referenced, it was a technological glitz that did your poor brisket in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 I’m not sure I’m in complete agreement with your guru theory. I control mine from both phone and pad, and I’ve never had one take over from another. Was your pad showing a set temperature of 350°, or simply actual grill temp? When I make a change on my phone, it shows the change on the pad. If the guru loses a connection, it will continue at the current setting, it won’t look for a device wanting instructions. If you have a newer guru, I think it defaults to 250°, so it shouldn’t have gone to 350° from that. It does sound like you have a phone/app issue, but it shouldn’t affect your cook. If you already know this, forgive me, but when using a guru, your top vent must be almost completely closed, forcing the fan to run in order to maintain temperature, or the temperature will simply climb on its own to whatever temperature airflow will allow. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Being IT challenged here, I won't comment on your theory about dueling devices (I have a very similar story to tell* on a different set of gear yesterday!); but, I will wholeheartedly second Robert's advice on setting the top vent almost closed and forcing the Guru fan to do all the work. Plus, set the fan outlet damper to at least half closed. I've had windy days mess up a Guru controlled cook before; because once the grill temp goes above the Guru setpoint, you're screwed! The Guru basically shuts down as a controller at that point and the KK is on its own after that. * I was trying to synch up a new piece of brewing equipment with its controller app on my phone (android). The brewing device has its own WiFi to connect to the cloud, but only works on 2.4 GHz connections. My home WiFi has both 2.4 and 5 GHz connections. So, the brewing equipment was getting stymied by the 5 Gig signal. So, I finally figured out how to disable the 5 Gig signal, let the brewing equipment synch up to the 2.4 Gig signal, then re-establish the 5 Gig network in my house. This was done over a very frustrating 2 day period! So, I know exactly how frustrating this stuff can get. Fortunately, I didn't lose a batch of beer because of it, unlike you losing that gorgeous brisket. Hopefully you can salvage something out of it?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 I forgot about one and left it an extra 8 hours.. my wife loved the beef jerky bark and the inside we mixed with chopped jalapeños and Best Foods mayo to make brisket dip.. Was awesome with fresh corn chips.. The fam wants me to do it again! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARDSLJR Posted December 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 First, Dennis, that is a most creative use of crispy brisket! I think miine is going to end up as brisket hash. Robert, you may be right about the dueling apps or not, but I know my Guru does not like my Iphone app. I uninstalled it and reinstalled it on the Iphone and couldn't get the app to recognize the Guru. So my solution is to simplify things and delete the app from my phone and only use the Ipad. Speaking of which, I have ribs to go tend to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARDSLJR Posted December 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Also Robert, yes, I know about the top vent thing. It was somewhere between 1/8th and 1/4 turn open. Worked GREAT for Friday's cook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 1 hour ago, BARDSLJR said: It was somewhere between 1/8th and 1/4 turn open. Believe it or not, that's too much! Just barely off the seat. I sit there and wiggle it until I can just barely see some smoke coming out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVPAUL Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Hey Tony B, just curious, a what kind of new brewing hardware do you have? Earlier this year I decided to buy an “All In One” Anvil Electric brewing system. I still have my 3 kettle 10 gallon hybrid system but decided that after over 25 years of brewing I wanted to try a smaller (5 gallon drinkable) system. It doesn’t have wifi or Bluetooth but I really didn’t feel like I needed this or wanted this for this new system. So far I’ve brewed 4 different beers on this system, learning curve for sure but all and all I’m pretty happy with it. Just got done brewing a Schwartzbier a few hours ago and hit my target gravity! All the best, Paul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 15 hours ago, PVPAUL said: Hey Tony B, just curious, a what kind of new brewing hardware do you have? Earlier this year I decided to buy an “All In One” Anvil Electric brewing system. I still have my 3 kettle 10 gallon hybrid system but decided that after over 25 years of brewing I wanted to try a smaller (5 gallon drinkable) system. It doesn’t have wifi or Bluetooth but I really didn’t feel like I needed this or wanted this for this new system. So far I’ve brewed 4 different beers on this system, learning curve for sure but all and all I’m pretty happy with it. Just got done brewing a Schwartzbier a few hours ago and hit my target gravity! All the best, Paul It's a riff off of the PICO Brew idea. I backed it as a Kickstarter. It's called BeerMkr. Very small batches - just over a gallon. Check out their website: BEERMKR - Automated Countertop Craft Beer Brewing Believe it or not, this is my very 1st all-grain brew, after being a homebrewer for over 25 years! I originally got into it thinking it would make a good pilot system for trying new recipes without having to commit to a full 5 gallon batch. Then COVID hit and all the beer events where we share homebrew all dried up (literally!), so I stopped brewing 5 gallon batches because I was having a hard time drinking this much by myself without overdoing it before I burned out on it (I prefer variety.) Plus, I wanted to do more take out from the local breweries to help them survive. So, the idea of single gallon batches took on new importance for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARDSLJR Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 While we are talking about the top vent and airtightness, does anybody else see significant smoke come out at the seal between the lid and the bottom half, when they tamp down the top vent? I am wondering if I need to replace the seal or if there is any kind of other adjustment possible? I wonder if this is the air leak I have been looking for, because it is not either of the firebox level vents at the bottom of the unit. Comments and suggestions welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 If you’re seeing smoke between the lid and the body, there’s an issue. First, make sure the latch is completely closed, on newer grills especially, you need to push hard on the latch, you can’t damage it with your hand. If it’s fully closed, grab the handle and see if there’s any wiggle room..if there is, there is some adjustment in the part of the latch where it’s attached to the body. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 If the latch adjustment, mentioned by Robert, doesn't do the trick, then do the "paper test." Take a sheet of printer paper and place it on the bottom ledge where you've seen the smoke exiting. Close the lid and latch to the 2nd position. Now pull on the sheet of paper. It should NOT move. If you can pull out the paper, then you need to build up your bottom gasket in that area with some Permatex. It's a good idea if you have a low spot that leaks, to check all around the interface between the lid and bottom. If you're going to be doing a gasket build up, you want to find every spot and fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARDSLJR Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Yes, the latch was the first thing I checked. By leaning down on the upper lid handle I could seal it completely and stop the smoke leakage, so I guess the next step is to do the adjustment from the back- anybody got any tips on how to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 There’s no adjustment in the back. The lower part of the latch, attached to the body is adjustable, you can probably fix your problem there. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARDSLJR Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Aha, I will take another look. I am also about to go out with a brush and scrub out all the accumulated particulate that has gotten in the grooves of the seal, which could contribute to the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARDSLJR Posted December 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 So thank you, "5698K", that was a good tip. Today I did two things that I think fixed the leakage problem. One, I took a large flathead screwdriver and went all the way around the gasket, in the parted section in the middle, and dug out a TON of charcoal-y particulate, and then swept it out with a stiff brush. This greatly improved the pliability of the gasket, and I would recommend we all do this annually. I have had my 32"KK for maybe two years, and the accumulation of particulate, which impedes the gasket from performing, was considerable. This will be at least an annual exercise for me from now on. Second, yes, the lower part of the latch does have some small (1/8th"? 1/16"?) room for adjustment, and so does the upper latch. I adjusted both of them, and came up with tight seal. I need to lean a bit on the top hatch handle to get the latch in place to lock in, which is great. I am pretty/very sure this is airtight, now. And thanks, Tony B, for the tip about the outlet fan damper- I had totally forgotten that it was there, and rediscovered it- very good tip to reduce chance of spurious air leakage into the firebox area. Great point and an easy one to overlook. I may try another brisket next weekend.... 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 That’s good to hear! Dennis must have changed the latch a bit because my upper latch is welded in place. Regardless, I definitely think you fixed your problem, particularly when you mentioned that you could stop the leak by pressing down on the lid. Happy cooking!Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 Good news for sure! Glad it was the easier fix (latch adjustment). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
