Hello everyone, I'm not new to smoking meat, (with my old school fire box "side by side") but still consider myself an OBS rookie ;D I have had a few successful smokes with the OBS so far, mainly due to the vast amount of knowledge found on this forum!!! You guys rock!
I have a couple of questions regarding my new chamber thermometer and foil wrapped bricks.
#1 - I'm getting the feeling the dial thermometer on the door is a tad miss leading. ??? So I went and got a digital thermometer. Where is the best place to put the temp probe in the the smoke chamber to optimize the most accurate temperature readings?
#2 - Do the foil wrapped bricks actually help with temp recovery and temp stabilization? What I mean is....enough to notice and are they worth a try?
thanks in advance for all your help everyone!
Hiya again Batman, the probe for reading the temp of cabinet should be close to the meat you are smoking.
The bricks help. someone made a post and say he replaced his small bowl of water with a lrg disposiable roasting pan and started off with hot water...hope this helps. CRG
Right on CRG thanks for the input! Close to the meat I'm smoking makes sense ;D I have also switched up to the larger drip pan and hot water, I found that it helped some.
Hi batman. I have seen a pic of one member that put's a couple of paper clips on his second rack hanging underneath and then hangs his thermo probe on that. And yes the bricks help a lot. I put 2 in my smoker this weekend and the speed with which it recovered was very noticable.
My brother is ordering some castable refractory cement to cast new fire bricks for his wood fired furnace. I'm thinking that, if he has any left over, I might cast some custom bricks for my OBS!
~Nick
Quote from: Quarlow on October 06, 2009, 07:34:15 PM
Hi batman. I have seen a pic of one member that put's a couple of paper clips on his second rack hanging underneath and then hangs his thermo probe on that. And yes the bricks help a lot. I put 2 in my smoker this weekend and the speed with which it recovered was very noticable.
Here's what I do with mine Q!
(http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv290/HawkeyeSmokes/P1010016.jpg)
(http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv290/HawkeyeSmokes/CanadianBacon002-3.jpg)
If you have the Maverick ET73, it comes with a hanger for the cabinet probe.
Quote from: nickld on October 06, 2009, 07:40:34 PM
My brother is ordering some castable refractory cement to cast new fire bricks for his wood fired furnace. I'm thinking that, if he has any left over, I might cast some custom bricks for my OBS!
~Nick
If you could cast the bricks to where you leave an oval for your water bowl that would be awesome. CRG
I use two foil wrapped bricks - have to keep 'em clean. :) And, yes I do find they help to stabilize the temp, quite a bit.
I've used my wired probe dropped into the vent at about the same height as the door probe in the OBS. I typically don't trust the spring-type thermometers. I was really quite surprised to see they were within a few degrees.
Quote from: HawkeyeSmokes on October 06, 2009, 07:44:30 PM
Here's what I do with mine Q!
(http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv290/HawkeyeSmokes/P1010016.jpg)
If you have the Maverick ET73, it comes with a hanger for the cabinet probe.
Hey Batman. I second what every one said regarding the heat recovery advantage of the foil wrapped brick. It sure helps. I do have a question for HS though. In my ET 73 manual, it says that the probe you have illustrated in this picture is the meat probe and the other shorter one is the tower probe. Since I am not sure I have the manual any more, did I read that wrong and have been using the probes for the wrong temps?
HR
Quote from: Hopefull Romantic on October 06, 2009, 10:59:14 PM
Quote from: HawkeyeSmokes on October 06, 2009, 07:44:30 PM
Here's what I do with mine Q!
If you have the Maverick ET73, it comes with a hanger for the cabinet probe.
Hey Batman. I second what every one said regarding the heat recovery advantage of the foil wrapped brick. It sure helps. I do have a question for HS though. In my ET 73 manual, it says that the probe you have illustrated in this picture is the meat probe and the other shorter one is the tower probe. Since I am not sure I have the manual any more, did I read that wrong and have been using the probes for the wrong temps?
HR
HR, you are using yours the correct way, the shorter one is the tower probe with the Maverik ET-73. I don't have that model so I have been using a regular meat probe with a Polder thermometer. instead.
I use bricks most of the time. If I can keep my kids from unwrapping them...
I just dangle the probe where ever the lowest meat is.
The bricks do seem to work. Finding ones small enough to fit in the cabinet without giving up a rack is a challenge. Right now I have a brick in the bottom of the cabinet and one in the top rack. I cannot fit both on the floor of the cabinet. I have also started making sure the water in the bowl is steaming hot as that seems to help as well.
I use a square cast iron Lodge skillet w/ a foil pan inside. I can go about 6 hours between water refills.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/SmzOulr009I/AAAAAAAA5AY/0sklTLzZ3yg/s720/0726091525-01.jpg)
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/Smz4mhO60MI/AAAAAAAA5BQ/oitT6tIKASM/s720/0726091750-00.jpg)
I am going to have to find me one of these puppies or something very similar here in the great white north.
I am sure all of these things have been put away but maybe an outdoors place like Bass Pro or LeBaron will have something hanging around.
Always available on line
There's plenty of cast iron at Amazon. Free shipping if you buy enough.
I too am technically using a "meat probe" for getting the chamber temp. Do you see a problem with that?
Quote from: Batman of BBQ on October 07, 2009, 01:50:02 PM
I too am technically using a "meat probe" for getting the chamber temp. Do you see a problem with that?
The only problem I see is that the other probe is shorter, you can't get it deep into the product you are smoking.
It should be easy enough to reverse them.
Quote from: Batman of BBQ on October 07, 2009, 01:50:02 PM
I too am technically using a "meat probe" for getting the chamber temp. Do you see a problem with that?
I wouldn't think it would be a problem. I had an earlier post on this thread comparing my hanging meat probe to the door thermometer and they were very close.
But as FLBR said, you may need the length for inserting the probe into the meat.
Quote from: oakville smoker on October 07, 2009, 09:51:27 AM
I am going to have to find me one of these puppies or something very similar here in the great white north.
I am sure all of these things have been put away but maybe an outdoors place like Bass Pro or LeBaron will have something hanging around.
Canadian Tire has LODGE brand cast iron stuff
Quote from: monty on October 07, 2009, 05:20:35 PM
Canadian Tire has LODGE brand cast iron stuff
Please forgive my ignorance, but that sounds a bit strange. What? Buy 4 tires, get a free front end alignment and a cast iron pot?
Seriously, All of my cast iron ware is made by Lodge and I swear by them. My wife wanted to make chicken glop tonight - boneless, skinless chicken breasts with cream of mushroom soup. I threw in some grapes (kind of interesting) and frozen peas toward the end. In the oven at 350, (browning the breasts first), for about one hour total. Of course, I also added chipotle powder, garlic and onion. Cleanup with some hot water, scrub with a bit of coarse salt, dry and re-oil. Good to go, and no poisonous chemicals in there.
I'll use SS pots if I have to boil something, but other than that, it's cast iron all the way.
Quote from: ArnieM on October 07, 2009, 05:37:01 PM
Quote from: monty on October 07, 2009, 05:20:35 PM
Canadian Tire has LODGE brand cast iron stuff
Please forgive my ignorance, but that sounds a bit strange. What? Buy 4 tires, get a free front end alignment and a cast iron pot?
http://www.canadiantire.ca/home.jsp?site=WebStore
Quote from: ArnieM on October 07, 2009, 05:37:01 PM
Quote from: monty on October 07, 2009, 05:20:35 PM
Canadian Tire has LODGE brand cast iron stuff
Please forgive my ignorance, but that sounds a bit strange. What? Buy 4 tires, get a free front end alignment and a cast iron pot?
Hey Arnie! Canadian Tire is a huge retailer here which sells auto parts/accessories, hunting & fishing gear, sporting goods, housewares, and more. And yes, you could get an alignment and pickup your cast iron pan - they have a garage/repair shop (though I would never take my Jag there ;))
I enjoy learning new things and seeing new places. But, you people are a bad influence. I went here http://www.canadiantire.ca/home.jsp?site=WebStore
and almost bought the 50% off slow cooker. It's not unusual to find a place selling a wide variety of stuff on the web. However, when their URL includes "tire", who'd think of all the other stuff they sell. I'm not going to tell my wife about them.