High temp bake toasted my Guru fan's blade

[DennisLinkletter]

I forgot to close my Guru fan's sliding door when I baked pizzas last week.. today when I plugged it in it made a new sound.. upon closer examination I could see where I melted some of the fan's fins.. I filed them down a bit and it's good as new.. Live and learn..

[Conodo12]

That sucks... Glad to hear you've got it working now though!

My KK is outside and not covered by a roof from the elements. Got JohnnyBoy's KK cover on there to keep it protected from the elements when not in use. Consequently, I assemble and disassemble the Guru parts every time I use it. This has also forced me to learn the KK's draft controls. See, sometimes I am lazy and don't feel like getting the Guru out. On these days, I dial in the TruTemp to read exactly the temp it would read if I had dialed in the desired cook temp using the Guru (heat soaked of course!). Now I only use the Guru for overnight cooks or if I am going to be away from the cooker for long periods of time while doing ribs or other long day cooks. Now I typically consider the guru as an insurance policy!

[JeffB]

Now I only use the Guru for overnight cooks or if I am going to be away from the cooker for long periods of time while doing ribs or other long day cooks. Now I typically consider the guru as an insurance policy!

I love high tech toys as much as anyone but I have decided against any draft control device (for now). I would rather get to know my cooker first (the old do math by hand versus use a calculator argument) before I start geeking out the process too much. Besides, given the quality and performance of the KK it really isn't that difficult to do things the manual way -- I still have lots to learn but the KK is very forgiving. I did buy a Maverick ET-73 remote thermometer so I don't have to constantly go outside to look at the temperature and I can also get alarms when the cooker goes above or below a certain temperature, but that is as high-tech as I will get for now. We will see how long that holds me over

[Firemonkey]

I completely agree. I cook several times per week, and dont have any kind of draft controller. My KK is 100% reliable, consistent, and easy to control once you figure out how much air a given temp requires. So was my POSK for that matter, if it didnt develop new air leaks

I also apply Conodo's laziness theory to my Maverick...I am still on my first one, since I only use it for things like overnight cooks. I dont use it for the everyday cooks, because the results are also consistent and reproducible each time.

While a guru may be handy every now and again, or a stoker for the logging and networking, I woudl likely seldom use it because I wouldnt want to have to hook it up, run an extension cord, etc. every time i wanted to use it.

I always advise any new owner to give the manual controls a shot before feeling like they need a guru, because they will likely find that they dont.

I use the old school technique of twisting the tru-tel so that my desired dome temp is at the top-center position. That way, I can see at a glance if I look out the windo if my temp is a little high or low.

[mguerra]

Guru or Stoker EVERY time

I always use a Stoker or Guru on every long cook. The reason is I want to go do something else, golf, sleep, work, visit family etc. It's so quick to do a Minion method start with a torch, put on the meat, crack the top vent, plug in the temp controller; and leave. If I was going to hang around the house, then I might do a manual temp set. My guess is that would take about an hour of temp checks and vent twiddles. When the weather gets too bad to go golf, or fish, or fly, or it's not a workday, I might just do that! But if you have a busy life, these temp controllers free up your time. I have one hour for lunch. I can come home, prep and rub some ribs, throw them on the fire, set the Stoker or Guru, grab a PB and J and haul ass back to work, knowing the ribs will be perfect after work.

[JeffB]

Re: Guru or Stoker EVERY time

I have one hour for lunch. I can come home' date=' prep and rub some ribs, throw them on the fire, set the Stoker or Guru, grab a PB and J and haul ass back to work, knowing the ribs will be perfect after work.[/quote']

Don't get me wrong, draft control devices certainly have their place and this type of scenario is certainly one of them. Of course, if you told your local fire marshal you were doing this type of thing he would probably hit you upside the head pretty hard. The enclosed nature of the KK is pretty safe but you still probably don't want to be too far away when it is doing it's thing.

[mguerra]

risk

I've left for twelve hours at a time and never thought twice about it. Unless there is an earthquake or a direct lightning strike on the KK, nothing inside of that beast is getting out!

[JeffB]

Re: risk

I've left for twelve hours at a time and never thought twice about it. Unless there is an earthquake or a direct lightning strike on the KK' date=' nothing inside of that beast is getting out![/quote']

While any scenario that would result in problems is extremely remote, I do not think it is something that should be totally ignored. Of course it depends on lots of environmental conditions and a laundry list of other factors. No doubt a KK is safer than a WSM but you are still dealing with live fire either way. Actually, your biggest worry should be your neighbor coming over and helping himself to some food while you are away

[primeats]

I'm with you Doc. I've left my unit for 12/16 hours at a time overnight at my shop,5 blocks away.The only thing I would even be remotely worried about would be a car running off the road and ramming it! I've found it helpful to use a bicycle cable lock to secure the lid down during the night. The local police station is just down the street, they're very attentive to the neighborhood, but it wouldn't surprise me if one of the fine officers got curious and didn't quite lock the lid back down. This has happened during the daytime with curious passers by.Thank heavens there have been no stray dogs wandering down the street.

[Firemonkey]

I can see the point you guys make for the guru or stoker, but really, all you are buying yourself is a little piece of mind. Anyone who has ever filed an insurance claim knows just how far that goes when the rubber meets the road. What will you do when you are off at work and your stoker fan sticks in the on position? Or it rains and shorts your power supply? If you have a guru you wouldn't even know until you came home to either burnt brisket or raw ribs.

Jest aside, I can set my kk for any temperature and be within 10 degrees on the first shot on any given day, and spot on after one adjustment. It's not that hard once you learn the characteristics of your grill in various conditions. Once I load a long cook I have no qualms leaving the house, and I have one less thing to go wrong if I do. And if I am at home the only notice I pay is to stop and enjoy the smells - it's definitely not babysitting or tending the cook. That's not a slam on you guys who like to use the devices, it's a testament to how stable and reliable the grill is.