Stoker acting strange on ceramic

[LarryR]

So I did my fist low and slow Stoker cook on my ceramic and I've got to tell you I'm less than impressed. I did a high(er) heat cook two weeks ago using my Stoker and it worked flawlessly or as it should.

The cook: two butts 10 and 8 lbs. ECC for fuel, target grate temp 225, bumped to 230 later in the cook. The graph below says it all. Top damper closed to the point of where you could barely feel heat coming out of it. Later in the cook I thought maybe I didn't have the damper open enough so I opened it 1/4 of a turn and this did nothing. As you can see the majority of the cook was very unstable (the very stable period you see starting around 1:30 a.m. was when I lost my wireless connection so it doesn't report) with very large temp swings, 20 degrees at some points. So extreme that Stoker thought the fire had gone out Unacceptable in my opinion, I can do better manually.

I had similar issues to this when I first started using my Stoker with my WSM, however this went away when I added a heat sink (clay saucer) to my setup.

Any help, suggestions, ideas etc would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: It appears that based on other's pictures the erratic Stoker performance also affected my fuel economy (based on others reports/pictures) I expected to have more fuel left over. Cook only went 21 hours. You can see pictures of the entire cook HERE

EDIT II: I was looking at the post cook pictures and I'm wondering if the amount of wood and how I had it setup attributed to the erratic cook? In my previous cooks I did not use as much wood.

Higher resolution picture HERE

[Greg_R]

Here's how I use my Stoker on a low and slow cook:

1) Completely fill the large basket with charcoal. It looks like you've got a small basket on some ceramic stone? It's hard to see in the pictures. I assume the stoker port has a clear shot to the fire (no spreaders blocking the path of air, etc.).

2) Add _small_ wood chunks if wanted. Remove 7-8 pieces of coal and get them completely lit (charcoal chimney, gas torch, etc.). Dump these onto the top center of your unlit charcoal pile. This procedure is also known as the Minnion method.

3) Open your top vent so it's 1/4 turn open. Open your bottom (twist) vent so ~1/8" cracks are visible. This will slowly bring the KK up to temp.

4) When you are within a 5-10 degrees of your temp, turn on the Stoker and close the bottom vent. You are now under stoker control . I've found if I just light the bottom of the pile (or entire pile) and have the stoker bring the KK up to temp then I end up having a blast furnace (there is no way to have that amount of coal burning and keep the temps under 300 degrees).

5) If you need to open the lid (saucing ribs, etc.), turn off the stoker, wait for 3-4 minutes after you've shut the lid on the KK and then turn it back on (the cold air hitting the probe will cause the fan to go full blast until the interior temp is back up to 225). Too much fan will cause a lot of coal to get lit and make it hard to maintain those ultra low temps.

I have not yet used ECC but perhaps there is an issue with your coal stacking method (coals not touching enough or too much?). It also looks like you need a lot more coal (even though you burn just a little bit of coal you still want a large pile so the fire can spread easily).

[tkline01]

I have a Stoker and have been able to use it successfully several times. I did start using StokerLog to control it. A guy on the WSM Forum wrote this software and it is really great. You can read all about it and download his latest version at: Virtual Weber Bullet

[LarryR]

Update on my Stoker Experience

Just thought I'd update everyone on my Stoker use on my ceramic. I've got her dialed in, see pic. below. The amount of wood I was using was the issue, I've been using smaller (and fewer total volume) with great results, just like when I use her with my WSM. Along with Amir's Stokerlog the Stoker is such a great product. There's nothing like being able to monitor or control my smoke while at the driving range from my Smart Phone or from the comfort of my recliner on my laptop (like I'm doing now). I know ceramics hold temps very well without a Automatic Temp. Control (ATC) but an ATC can make this hobby even more enjoyable, if you're a "gadgets" person. If anyone ever has question re: Stoker or Stokerlog don't hesitate to reach out to me.