CharGriller with IQ110 questions?

[jason senc]

Hello to everyone.  I have a Chargriller gas grill that I purchased the smoker box for.  I attached the smokerbox without any damper between it and the grill. I have smoked everything from chickens to brisket to shoulders to the turkey at Thanksgiving.  No real issues with the results other than the temp control.  I have to be constantly checking the thermo and opening the damper and/or adding more wood.  I have been using oak to smoke with.  I start the fire with charcoal and work with wood from there out.  The results have been better than expected with my lack of experience.  However, I have recently modified the smoke stacks on the grill extending the left one to the rear corner surface of the grill  and blocking the other off completely.  I also purchased a IQ110 thermo controll.  I had to modify the "manifold" to make a tight fit over the damper.  The grill seams to be burning much hotter than before the mods and the IQ110  I know the thermometers on the grill itself are not accurate so I laid my digital thermometer on the grilling surface to get a more accurate reading and this tells me they are almost 100 degrees different!  Can this be right?  Does anyone else use the IQ110 and are ther any tips to using it that could be handy.  I would really like to be able to light the smoker, put on the meat and walkaway for the bulk of the cooking time as I hear others do or is this a fantasy ?  Looking forward to being a part of the neighborhood!

Jason

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Jason! 

Sorry no experience with an IQ here but I'm sure someone who has an IQ will be able to help you. I re-titled and moved your thread to our Smoking Tools forum so you will get better exposure to your question.

 

[dward51]

Jason,  using a computer controlled "power draft" is not a fantasy.  It works and works well. And yes, you can walk away for most the the cook once you gain confidence in your equipment as a properly adjusted power draft works that well.

I do not have the Pitmaster IQ110, but I use a BBQ Guru digital model.  They work on the same principal (along with any number of the other brands out there).  A temp sensor is monitored by a small computer circuit which regulates the airflow to the fuel in the pit and controlling a electric fan to stoke or choke back the fire as needed to maintain a set temperature. I can pretty much set and forget mine as I've used it enough to have a very good idea how long my fuel will last and when I need to reload on a overnight smoke. You will find smokes run very consistent from smoke to smoke with a power draft (regardless of brand).

For two thermometers to be 100* different is unusual IMO.  I would test them both in boiling water to see which one is around 212*.  It is also possible the Pitmaster analog settings (dial markings) are off slightly.  I would get the pitmaster dialed in using a thermometer you know is fairly accurate regardless of what the settings on the pitmaster dial are.  Use a remote reading thermometer (that you have also confirmed is accurate) to gauge the grate temps and adjust the setting on the pitmaster from there.  The temp at the grate is what matters, not where the pointer on the pitmaster knob is indicating.

Once you get the settings figured out and have a smoke or two under your belt, you will start to gain confidence in the utility of a "power draft" and believe it is not a fantasy you can almost "set it and forget it".