Alohapiggy Posted June 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 I had some wood chunks mixed throughout the charcoal. Next cook I won’t leave those big chunks at the top. Thanks for the tip Dennis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgrant3406 Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Alohapiggy said: I heard a rumor that Thermoworks is coming out with a fan operated temperature controller soon. I’ll probably wait and see if it’s to see if it’s true. You probably saw the same email I did 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 Oh...now THAT's interesting. Thermoworks with a four channel controller? Might as well start selling all of my other therms and controllers now...except my MEATER. Keeping my MEATER... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRaz Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 22 hours ago, Alohapiggy said: I’m debating if I should get a Cyber Q. I sold my Flame boss 200 with my egg. I wasn’t planning on getting any type of fan assisted unit. I’m gonna keep trying low and slow cooks till I get use to my new grill. Well I am a big ThermoWorks fan also but no matter which one you pick the probe jacks need to be straight that is the great thing about the Flame Boss 500 the probe jacks go through that hole perfectly good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 ...or just use the ThermoWorks straight probes which easily pass through the hole. Which is what I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRaz Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 I did not realize ThermoWorks had straight probes which product has those probes ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 Not a big deal to slightly bend your angle probes to go through the port. Many of us have done it successfully. Just take it nice a slow and bend gradually. @Alohapiggy - consider building yourself a smoker pot out of a cast iron dutch oven. Works great and no worries about "bad smoke." A couple of key tips - holes in the bottom of the DO, not the lid, and second - only takes 3 small (1/16" - 3/32") holes. Some folks drilled way too many or too large holes and it doesn't work as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, tony b said: Not a big deal to slightly bend your angle probes to go through the port. Many of us have done it successfully. Just take it nice a slow and bend gradually. @Alohapiggy - consider building yourself a smoker pot out of a cast iron dutch oven. Works great and no worries about "bad smoke." A couple of key tips - holes in the bottom of the DO, not the lid, and second - only takes 3 small (1/16" - 3/32") holes. Some folks drilled way too many or too large holes and it doesn't work as well. ...and note that the title of that thread should be "Syzygies' Smoking Pot", not "Syzygies Smoking Pot"...which means something else entirely, but could explain that little ditty he just posted to the tune of "American Pie". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgrant3406 Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 13 minutes ago, TomRaz said: I did not realize ThermoWorks had straight probes which product has those probes ? You can buy them standalone (~$18, but watch for sales which gets them down around $12 (I think)). I know they come with the DOT, not sure about other products. I bought a couple on the last sale and use them with Chef Alarm. Once I see the pricing on the fan, I might upgrade from my old BBQGuru Competitor (yep, that old). When that day comes I might call and ask if they can swap out the probes, if not, I have a couple of the straight probes I can use, or try the bending trick like TonyB mentions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 12 hours ago, Alohapiggy said: I heard a rumor that Thermoworks is coming out with a fan operated temperature controller soon. I’ll probably wait and see if it’s to see if it’s true. If they do I hope they build it to use their K-type probes. Definitely better than their other probes and way more probe options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 10 hours ago, bgrant3406 said: You probably saw the same email I did I'm a little bummed they're adding that to their Signals product. I really wish they would do that for their higher end products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alohapiggy Posted June 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 (edited) I may have found the culprit for my fire dying. Before each cook I shake all the ash into the bottom of the grill. I then use my vacuum remove all the ash. I always just dump what ever is in the charcoal bag and light. I think this bag had to many crumbs and smalls pieces. I wish the people who received/ ship/sell the charcoal took better care of the product. This bag in particular looks like someone did the Mexican hat dance on it. Edited June 8, 2019 by Alohapiggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 47 minutes ago, Alohapiggy said: I may have found the culprit for my fire dying. Before each cook I shake all the ash into the bottom of the grill. I then use my vacuum remove all the ash. I always just dump what ever is in the charcoal bag and light. I think this bag had to many crumbs and smalls pieces. I wish the people who received/ ship/sell the charcoal to better care of the product. This bag in particular looks like someone did the Mexican hat dance on it. So the question remains - what type of lump? The basic statement remains - buy better lump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Pescador Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 12 hours ago, Pequod said: Some folks drilled way too many or too large holes and it doesn't work as well. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrus Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 At least it has a nice geometric pattern. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 8 minutes ago, Tyrus said: At least it has a nice geometric pattern. True! Extra points for symmetry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 Some brands are worse than others about large amounts of chips & fines in the bag/box that you're paying for but can't use. Check out the Naked Whiz's charcoal database for recommendations, as one of his rating criteria is % of the bag that's unusable. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm The smalls and fines will clog everything up quickly and block your airflow. Now, ckreef claims he just dumps his bags of Royal Oak straight into the basket with no problems, but I'm not that cavalier. I actually built a strainer (1/2" wire mesh on a 1" x 1" wooden frame) and dump my bags onto that and sift out the smalls and fines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alohapiggy Posted June 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 Its not so much the brands of lump. It’s the store workers they just throw the bags around causing them to get damaged. My last few bags of Rockwood was crumbs and fine dust. My Kamado joe lump has been fine because the pieces are so huge even if the bags get thrown around they end up being medium in size pieces of lump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 19 minutes ago, Alohapiggy said: Its not so much the brands of lump. It’s the store workers they just throw the bags around causing them to get damaged. My last few bags of Rockwood was crumbs and fine dust. My Kamado joe lump has been fine because the pieces are so huge even if the bags get thrown around they end up being medium in size pieces of lump. I think I’m done with Rockwood. I had three bags shipped to me directly from the manufacturer, and all were full of smalls and fines. Then I bought three more from the Dizzy Pig Store nearby, and it was the same; loaded with smalls and fines. I’m back to Fogo until my KK Koffee Lump arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 I recently burned through 2 bags of RO I had left in the shed. Both bags were mostly chips 1/2 dollar in size or smaller. The second bag was so bad I threw the second half of the bag in the trash. Won't buy RO ever again. I also recently bought a bag of Rockwood. Lots of smalls. I didn't manage to get in on the coffee lump so I'll just stick to lump from Fogo. Good hard South American lump and reasonably consistent pieces. Plus free shipping delivered to the porch makes it hard to pass up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...