controller recomendations

[rlgiv]

I have owned my traeger heartland now for a few weeks. I really dont mind the 30 degree temp swings but the other day while smoking a pork loin i had a flame out. I want to avoid this in the future and would like to get a controller that can reignite my fire pot if it goes out but i also want something that will be able to provide good smoke. I dont care if it my temps are super tight. price is a concern. cant see myself spending 150 dollars on a new controller. biggest features needed are good smoke and dont flame out.

 

[airmec]

Savannah Stoker made me love my Traeger again really like the ability to set a smoke, then cook to temp and hold cycle then walk away. One thing you will notice is a lower consumption of pellets over the stock controller and being able to hold lower temps really adds to the smoke flavor of your meat, auto relight and a cold smoke setting (fan only with a tube) are also built in. When time comes for a new igniter look at RecTec's ceramic igniter/ firepot it is a direct replacement and built for thousands of cycles.

 

[philh]

I'll have to second the Savannah Stoker controller. I have it in a Pit Boss 820D and it made my pit act like one of the big boys. Just half the cost.. lol

It is a great controller.

 

[illini40]

I'm new to pellet grills and no experience with aftermarket components for a Traeger. Can someone give some insight on this Savannah Stoker? Pros over my stock Pro 34?

 

[philh]

You might want to follow this link: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pit-boss-820.264398/page-2#post-1805106

I talked about the Savannah Stoker & a few posts down I posted some pictures of the unit. I hope this can help you.

 

[philh]

Here is some info from their website:

• Plug and Cook easy installation on most Traeger Pellet Grills. You’ll be cooking in 10 minutes when using the existing temperature senor “RTD” and 30 minutes when replacing it.
• 1° Temperature Setting Range from 150°- 500°F. Note: Your Grill may not be able to reach 500° without modifications.
• 5-10°F Typical Temperature Swings when cooking above 250°F and 10-15°F when smoking below 225°F. Temp swings are not guarantee.
• Cold Smoke Program. Run just the fan for cold smoking of food like fish or cheese using a Tube Type smoke generator. Add the 6" tube smoker to your order below.
• Auto-relight. The controller will attempt to relight the fire if the grill temperature drops too low below the set temperature. For added safety if it does not relight; the cool down cycle automatically starts.
• 3 Phase Cooking Program: Smoke, Cook, Hold. Set the time and temperature for each phase in the cooking process.
• Food Probe: For use with the cooking program or standalone to monitor the food temperature.
• GO GRILL! Press a button and the auger runs 100% for high temperature grilling.
• Cool-down cycle. Fan runs until the grill temperature drops below 120°.
• Temperature Calibration: User can set recalibrate values for both the grill sensor and food probe.
• 220 Volt Compatible.
• Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature display.

 

[illini40]

Thanks for the responses. I'm not seeing much info out there on Savannah Stokers.

It would help a Traeger maintain a steady temp, correct?

Other benefits?

I'm new to the pellet smokers so curious what I'm missing or if there is that much benefit for the price.

 

[airmec]

I feel mine made a big difference, I was close to rolling it to the curb and let someone else deal with it, Now I love the way it cooks and it did not cost me 2K for a new one. Follow the web site to facebook and you will find the site full of owners and their experiences.

 

[bregent]

Thanks for the responses. I'm not seeing much info out there on Savannah Stokers.

It would help a Traeger maintain a steady temp, correct?

Other benefits?

I'm new to the pellet smokers so curious what I'm missing or if there is that much benefit for the price.

The Savannah Stoker will definitely help if your Traeger is experiencing large temp swings. It also has a lot of bells and whistles and is generally well liked by everyone that uses it. However, if you're looking for a less expensive solution, the Ortech controller is a drop in replacement for Traeger and other grills. It's not PID but most folks report much better results with it than the stock controller. It's $68 today at AMZ.

 

[rlgiv]

I thought that I would give traeger customer service a try before getting the savanna stoker. After two different sessions where they had me changing my start up procedure I was still having wild temperature swings and flame outs on my heartland. They sent me the pro digital controller to replace my stock controller.
After set up and an I initial testing I can see an improvement. Set at 225 I saw much improved temp swings. After 3 cycles I saw a high temp of 236 and a low of 218. Cranked it up to high and broke my units previous record of 419 and hit 426 on a day that is 15 degrees cooler than my previous high was obtained on.

Cooking beef short ribs this afternoon. Gonna be a great test for the new controller. Feeling optimistic about its performance.

 

[philh]

It looks like you are heading in the right direction. Good luck with the new controller.

 

[crcucb69]

Will this work in Traegers pro 575 and are you still able to use an app to monitor/control it?