Recent content by fencesitter

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  1. fencesitter

    AMNS/AMNPS in Cookshack Q

    Good point. I've got mine on wire rack shelving, so there should be no restrictions on the inlet. I'm wondering if putting a little stovepipe chimney on the top of the exhaust will also create enough of a draft to keep the AMNS lit. And I guess I don't need the pellet version. Woo hoo! The dust...
  2. fencesitter

    AMNS/AMNPS in Cookshack Q

    Yes, Todd, this question is for you:) I'd like to get an AMNPS for my Cookshack, but I'm worried about keeping it lit. The FAQ on the A-Maze-N site suggests opening the vents on smokers for adequate airflow, but my Cookshack has no adjustable vents, and they certainly don't seem all that big...
  3. fencesitter

    Added PID controller to my SmokinTex 1400

    Don't worry about the insulation nor the reaction time of the heater (both in turning on and off), the PID controller should take that all into account, so long as you tune it under similar conditions (with a thermal mass in the smoker). Overheat protection: Me, I don't really have that...
  4. fencesitter

    Added PID controller to my SmokinTex 1400

    PS- How thick is the stainless panel of your smoker? I've wanted to put a switch like you did in step 1, but I've had problems drilling through stainless in the past, so I don't want to burn through a few bits to make a sloppy hole.
  5. fencesitter

    Added PID controller to my SmokinTex 1400

    Ahhh... I finally have the chance to post from a computer with a real browser. This site doesn't seem to like my phone's browser. I'm sure your PID controller could be tuned better- even a 10 degree temperature swing seems way too much. Mine is only +/-1 degree and that's with rough numbers...
  6. fencesitter

    I will do science to it! Smoke + Sous Vide

    I can certainly understand wanting both a sous vide cooker and a smoker. I still need to make another PID setup just for sous vide. Regarding botulism- it looks like the usual food safety precautions advocated here on this board also apply to SV preparation- get the food up past 140F in four...
  7. fencesitter

    I will do science to it! Smoke + Sous Vide

    I looked at the linked article- immersion heaters and a water pump- looks like he's trying to copy the commercial units. I'm not sure about the plastic tub though- how about a styrofoam cooler? Maybe that came up later- I didn't take the time to read all the comments. Others have just used a...
  8. fencesitter

    P.I.D. controller ?

    Wow, I just wandered in here after a while away and what do I find? Somewhere around here I posted how I did my setup. I used two controllers- one with an external trigger controlling the smoker temp and a plain one checking the meat temp. When the meat comes to temp, the plain one hits the...
  9. fencesitter

    My take on stall

    Let me expound on my theory of stall here since this would have been a bit off topic for a different post I made. I'm sure someone here can correct me if I'm completely wrong. Me, I like to think of a stall as a culinary phase change- add heat to ice from a deep freeze and it'll stall at 32F as...
  10. fencesitter

    simple question, where to put temp probe in butt

    I don't want to hijack the food safety thread here, but back to the original question- where to place the probe? I can understand how you probably want to place the probe in the thickest part of the meat, but is that absolutely necessary? I mean, with the low and slow method of cooking that...
  11. fencesitter

    'net thermometer?

    A Stoker seems a bit overkill since I've got a controller already, but maybe I'll have to research it more... I'm thinking that going the DIY route with a thermstor driver would allow you to use the meat probe from any digital thermometer. Yeah, there's only 3 degree C accuracy for the cheaper...
  12. fencesitter

    'net thermometer?

    So, is there any one-stop-shopping way to have a thermometer tweet its temperature? I'm sure there are ways to DIY with an Arduino or something- and I'd certainly be willing to look at that- but I'd like something that has a 0-5v or 0-10v transducer and can tweet or send data to a host computer...
  13. fencesitter

    My mods for unattended smoking

    Hmm... let's itemize it: (note: prices rounded up but that still doesn't cover shipping or tax, where applicable) Auber SYL-1512A 1/32 DIN temp controller: $36 RTD: $16 SSR: $15 Heat sink for the SSR: $10 K-thermocouple connector: $5 RTD connector: $4 Low-cost oven cooking probe-...
  14. fencesitter

    My mods for unattended smoking

    Okay, I was going to elaborate on this but then the kids started fighting so I had to finish the post up pretty quickly. They're asleep now so here goes: I initially got an RTD for the smoker temp since it is supposed to be more accurate (better than tenths of a degree) and I also wanted to use...
  15. fencesitter

    My mods for unattended smoking

    Okay, here goes... So, I figured that a controller with a relay has to be driving the relay somehow- say something like 5-10 volts. SSRs use something similar, so all I have to do is pull the relay out and have that relay drive voltage wired directly to the output terminals on the controller...
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