Just got the BBQ Guru NanoQ on wednesday and I'm planning on using it tomorrow so I decided to get it all set up today. While I fully expect it to function as advertised there were several shortcomings involved with the installation of the draft inducer and deflector plate that I would like to discuss.
The very first thing I noticed was that they were very skimpy on the aluminum tape. The kit included about 3.25" of tape that is supposed to cover the other 3, roughly 7/8" holes, on the damper being used. Granted this is the kit that covers the Weber kettles and the smokey mountain smoker; I think some models only have 3 vent holes. But my 22.5" WSM has 4 vent holes for each damper. So adding a little more tape might be something that they need to look at. But I was able to make it work. Not a big deal really.
3 pieces just big enough to cover up the other holes....
The next thing that seemed a little odd was the fact that the instructions tell you to tighten the screw on the deflector plate hand tight. Hand tightening it didn't even come close to sealing it up on the inside. The deflector plate is a stamped piece of metal that is flat around the edges and the bottom of the WSM is curved of course. I had seen videos online that stated that they needed to use more tape to seal it up but I was able to get it tight enough to seal it up pretty good, which is good considering the fact that I didn't have any tape left. I just hope that I didn't over tighten it....but it should never need to be moved so that shouldn't be an issue either.
Here's what it looks like from the inside.....
Overall it was pretty simple to get things set up. A couple of curve balls along the way but nothing that couldn't be overcome. Tomorrow I'm taking it on it's maiden voyage with 3 racks of ribs and an 8 lb boston butt....The butt should be a great test of the Guru's ability over the long haul. I'll let you guys and gals know how it turns out.....
The very first thing I noticed was that they were very skimpy on the aluminum tape. The kit included about 3.25" of tape that is supposed to cover the other 3, roughly 7/8" holes, on the damper being used. Granted this is the kit that covers the Weber kettles and the smokey mountain smoker; I think some models only have 3 vent holes. But my 22.5" WSM has 4 vent holes for each damper. So adding a little more tape might be something that they need to look at. But I was able to make it work. Not a big deal really.
3 pieces just big enough to cover up the other holes....
The next thing that seemed a little odd was the fact that the instructions tell you to tighten the screw on the deflector plate hand tight. Hand tightening it didn't even come close to sealing it up on the inside. The deflector plate is a stamped piece of metal that is flat around the edges and the bottom of the WSM is curved of course. I had seen videos online that stated that they needed to use more tape to seal it up but I was able to get it tight enough to seal it up pretty good, which is good considering the fact that I didn't have any tape left. I just hope that I didn't over tighten it....but it should never need to be moved so that shouldn't be an issue either.
Here's what it looks like from the inside.....
Overall it was pretty simple to get things set up. A couple of curve balls along the way but nothing that couldn't be overcome. Tomorrow I'm taking it on it's maiden voyage with 3 racks of ribs and an 8 lb boston butt....The butt should be a great test of the Guru's ability over the long haul. I'll let you guys and gals know how it turns out.....
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