Round one of the low temperature trials. I have stacked the odds against the IQ-120, intentionally to find the limits.
Handicaps:
1. A full bed (72 briquettes) of Kingsford Blue sitting in the Mini-WSM build.
2. A very small smoker, the Mini-WSM
3. Several large chunks of dry Apple wood placed right next to, and under where the hot coals are going to be dumped, this should encourage a nice flare up (with associated temp spike) as they first ignite.
4. The IQ-120 is set to no damping (setting 4), it has to do all the regulation, without a damper on the air intake to the blower limiting flow.
5. Starting the Minion method with an excessive amount of white-hot, chimney started coals. Nine in total dumped in the middle on the apple wood and 72 briquettes.
I have tried to set up the kind of mistakes a newbie would make, to see if the IQ-120 can compensate.
30 minute results:
Disappointingly, it stoked the fire to the 150 degree set temperature with no overshoot at this time.
45 minute results:
I am rewarded with a modest 6 degree overshoot for my efforts. Salmon is loaded on the grill, dropping the temperature to 143.
Five minutes later it has recovered with no overshoot (boring). Salmon has been on a few minutes, internal temperature hovering around 68 degrees.
The Salmon:
A nice filet of about a pound, with a sweet soy glaze, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
55 minute results:
An overshoot of ten degrees is seen (160) Stoker is running zero to five percent flow, to keep the fire alive.
65-85 minute results:
Temperature has stabilized and locked to 150, Looks like all the spikes are past.
Salmon is at 125 internal temp, not long now.
Handicaps:
1. A full bed (72 briquettes) of Kingsford Blue sitting in the Mini-WSM build.
2. A very small smoker, the Mini-WSM
3. Several large chunks of dry Apple wood placed right next to, and under where the hot coals are going to be dumped, this should encourage a nice flare up (with associated temp spike) as they first ignite.
4. The IQ-120 is set to no damping (setting 4), it has to do all the regulation, without a damper on the air intake to the blower limiting flow.
5. Starting the Minion method with an excessive amount of white-hot, chimney started coals. Nine in total dumped in the middle on the apple wood and 72 briquettes.
I have tried to set up the kind of mistakes a newbie would make, to see if the IQ-120 can compensate.
30 minute results:
Disappointingly, it stoked the fire to the 150 degree set temperature with no overshoot at this time.
45 minute results:
I am rewarded with a modest 6 degree overshoot for my efforts. Salmon is loaded on the grill, dropping the temperature to 143.
Five minutes later it has recovered with no overshoot (boring). Salmon has been on a few minutes, internal temperature hovering around 68 degrees.
The Salmon:
A nice filet of about a pound, with a sweet soy glaze, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
55 minute results:
An overshoot of ten degrees is seen (160) Stoker is running zero to five percent flow, to keep the fire alive.
65-85 minute results:
Temperature has stabilized and locked to 150, Looks like all the spikes are past.
Salmon is at 125 internal temp, not long now.
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