This morning is the first time using my new auber PID. I reset the controller to P2 I0 D0, as smarter minds then mine on this site have similar settings. My first observation is wow this
masterbuilt 30" smoker has huge temperature differences within the box! while heating up, my ink bird and auber read about 9deg. difference and they are only 2-3" apart, and my meat probe was more above the heating element and it was probably 50deg hotter at times. My smoker stays outside on a covered porch and its cool out (mid to high 30s) and pretty calm. At my current setting my smoker being set at 250deg. climbed to 258 before settling back to 250. Right now looking at the temps my auber reads 250deg. and my inkbird 2-3" away reads 239deg. I guess my question is does that seem right? I bought this auber because the inkbird aways read much cooler than what the
masterbuilt electronics read. As close as I put the probes to each other I really didnt expect a difference in temp yet here we are. Any suggestions?
Hi there and welcome!
Great input from the guys.
When you go to test your temp probes in boiling water put them in a gallon bag and then tip that into the water without touching the bottom of the pot. These probes are not water proof so putting in a gallon ziplock type bag effectively water proofs them for this test hahaha.
Also I too alligator clip my PID probe in the center on the underside of the bottom rack and I always cook on the bottom rack first and move up. Fastest response time is detected in that position AND I have removed all of the crap covering my element so nothing to diffuse the heat, it rises directly up with no interruption.
As you go further up the temp decreases as the air is moving up to get out of the smoker and cooling on the way. Also you will notice that even at a single rack level temps are different. Left, middle, and right track temps will be different based on your heating element shape and where your air vent is.
I flipped my heating element so it is more centered but it still has more element to the left side (facing MES) of the smoker so the left side is hotter. My vent is on top right of my smoker so the right side racks are always cooler then left side, and middle of the rack is well... a temp between the 2 hahah.
Once you know how accurate (or not) your probes are you can tinker more and learn how your smoker behaves at rack levels and across racks. Having a good 4+ probe thermometer helps with this.
Also your smoker WILL behave differently with load in it. A simple way to check with a decent load is to get like a 5 pound whole chicken, brine it, then put on a roasting rack and the rack in a foil pan. Place on the bottom rack in the center of the rack with the PID probe cliped under the center of the bottom rack.
Smoke this bird at 275F (290F if you want to be almost as cool as me haha) and see how your smoker behaves. Initial heatup will overshoot some but thats no big deal. After that see how well it holds temp and also use your inkbird to see what temps are on left side of rack, right side of rack, and in the breast meat of the chicken.
This is a cheap and tasty way to test your smoker and tune things in as chicken is cheap and tastes good! Also you can learn to brine a chicken at the same time so it's like multitasking :)