Hey guys, i'm new to the idea of smoking (no pun intended ;D ) here so please bear with me as i ask a lot of questions!
Like i said before, i've never smoked anything before. I've looked at the OBS and DBS both of which have their pro's and con's. OBS has basic functions but is about $100 cheaper, DBS has more bells and whistles. I've heard that with the DBS you can set the temp and it will maintain that temperature even when the weather outside is changing, not sure how true that is. I've also read that most people with a DBS just utilize a 3rd party external thermometer so that they know exactly what's going on in the smoker.
Now is that just for the purpose of know what the temp of the meat is internally or to help monitor the temp inside the smoker? I have an external thermometer for oven baking that does both, but not sure if that's what you guys are doing as well. I'm basically trying to find the most user friendly and reliable smoker at a reasonable price. the obs and dbs 4 racks are within my price range. I'm not trying to babysit the smoker every hour if don't have to. Any pro's and cons you guys can provide would greatly be appreciated!!
HI and welcome here, all depend of what you wish to smoke. The OBS is cheaper ($) but has a better temperature reliability less swing about 5 degrees VS 15 degrees with the digital. Me, i personally rather this one (OBS) because of it. The purpose of the thermometer with this unit is for knowing at what temp your cooking at since there is no other way to know. There is no digital display on this one. The other purpose is to know the internal temp of the meat cause that is how we know when the food is ready (cooked). If your thermometer has 2 probes, just drop one on the smoker and the other on the food.
One other option, is to buy a pid controller (Auber pid) they are plug and play. They act a bit like the digital system of the other smoker but more accurate. This option gain in popularity these days. It's up to you. This is not required but if you don't want to babysit your smoker this option assure you that your smoker stay at the temperature you set it to.
Thanks for the reply! i've looked online and found a Maverick ET-73 anywhere from $40-$60 which looks ok http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-RediChek-Remote-Wireless-Thermometer/dp/B0000DIU49
and the Auber looks nice, but more than twice the cost and i'm not sure if i could justify it if the Maverick is doing the job minus a couple of degrees. any thoughts? Another question about the DBS, let's say you set it for 215 and it reaches that temperature.....the weather takes a turn and drops 15-20 degrees.....will the DBS kick it up a notch to maintain the temp? on the flip side, you start off the cooker at night but will be going into the next day and it warms up outside, will the DBS turn off the heater element so as to not to raise the temp inside? thanks again :)
Yes the DBS is supposed to adjust itself. But remember something, if example, you set it to 220, it will climb up to 235-240 and decrease up to 200-205 it won't stay at 220. Unlike the OBS But the OBS without a pid, you constantly have to adjust the slider bar to stay at the temp you set it. Or it will increase when the meat get warmer.
As far as the Maverick goes, most people start with it. It's a good tool to have. But remember, the Maverick monitor the temp and the Auber pid controll the temp. That is not the same thing
Also, may i suggest you to buy a set of 3 Bubba aluminium pucks please? These in my opinion, are required to end your smoking cycle and are not expensive for the help that it bring. Without it, you will wast all the last 2 pucks of each smoke that you are cooking.
wow wow wow lol lots of info! so is the auber pid controller on an OBS almost the same as a DBS on it's own? or is there a big advantage to having the auber pid on the obs
The OBS with an Auber (my setup) will give you tighter temp. control than a DBS and offers an advantage that there is no timeout on long smokes. I bought my setup before the digital's were available and I'd go with an OBS + Auber again today. If you need a 6 rack smoker though then a DBS is your only option.
You understood! :D the only difference is that with the combination of OBS+pid you will get better temperature much even i mean and the OBS is cheaper. With a pid it's easier to set a temperature you just slide the slider bar completely to the right and you set the temperature from your pid. But like i said earlier, the pid is not required. You can easily make it work with the slider bar. I have my smoker for 2 years now and i just bought the pid. At the condition that you don't mind for the little temperature swing. Most food does not require the pid only fish, sausages and a couple of others things does require the pid. Me, if i bought the pid, it's because i did not want to play with the slider bar anymore. On the DBS you don't have any slider bar. You have a kind of pid, rheostat i think but less accurate than the pid. At 1ST i did not have the money to buy the DBS that's why i bought the OBS but i have no regret.
One more thing, With the DBS you can also play with your smoke generator. I mean you can set it for the time that you need it to function then, it will shut off by itself. The OBS does not have this feature. Me i have it on my pid.
I know it makes a lot for the 1ST time for you to learn but you will learn with the time if you buy one smoker. I really hope you do. :D
You say you don't want to babysit your smoker so then regardless of what you are going to smoke your best bet is to go with an OBS and the money you save on the OBS is well put to the purchase of a PID. Then you will have the best set up for not having to watch it constantly. With the PID you can set temp ramps which means you could set a temp of say 120f for 2 hrs and then have it ramp up to 140f for say 3hrs and then have it ramp up to another temp which is how you want it if you are smoking sausage or salmon. This ramping is not an option with the DBS which will require your to have to keep an eye on it and make the temp ramps by manually changing the settings. Also the DBS will only program for I think 9hrs 40mins or something like that where as the PID is infinite.
Now even with a DBS or an OBS with a PID you will still want at least one probe style thermometer like the ET-7 but preferably a 2 probe thermo like the ET-73. The ET-73 gives you one of the probes temps wirelessly so you can keep the receiver in your pocket which is very handy. I am not sure if the ET-7 is wireless but I would personally like to have 2 wireless single probe thermos so I could watch the IT and the cabinet temp without having to go out to the smoker. It is really nice to monitor both temps to clearly know what is happening at all times.
Sorry, why to have 2 wireless single probe and not 1 dual like ET-73 Quarlow? Personally i have both the ET-7 and ET-73.
BTW, yes the ET-7 is wireless.
thanks for the awesome detailed replies!!! it's sounding like the obs combined with the auber pid is the way to go for me, unless someone can produce a great reason to go with the dbs!
so for the auber pid this would be the correct one? http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=72
and for the bubba pucks, what do you think of these? http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=111
you could Wait a few weeks for the dual probe pid to come back in stock me i GREATLY advise it to you. Should be back on stock in April. This way, you will be able to monitor both the food and the smoker.
Also you should think buying a Maverick available from the same site to for the reason we discussed earlier in the earlier post.
Quote from: toker on March 14, 2010, 12:42:53 AM
Sorry, why to have 2 wireless single probe and not 1 dual like ET-73 Quarlow? Personally i have both the ET-7 and ET-73.
BTW, yes the ET-7 is wireless.
Well my understanding is that the ET-73 only transmits the temp of one of the probes so you would have to walk out to it to see the other temp, where I would like to have the temp of IT and cabinet temp. So if I had 2 single probe remotes I would have full pockets but both temps remotely. Unless I am wrong and the 73 does transmit both temps.
Sorry i don't understand, my Maverick display and remote both, the smoker and the food temp. Not your? ???
Must be my mistake. I don't have a maverick but I beleived you only got one temp on the remote and both temps on the base. I am going to have to get one then. I was reluctant to buy one cause I wanted both temps on the remote so if that is the case I will get one for sure. Thanks for setting me straight.
plasure! ;)
Quote from: toker on March 14, 2010, 03:24:25 PM
you could Wait a few weeks for the dual probe pid to come back in stock me i GREATLY advise it to you. Should be back on stock in April. This way, you will be able to monitor both the food and the smoker.
Also you should think buying a Maverick available from the same site to for the reason we discussed earlier in the earlier post.
Sorry if i'm not on the same wave length as you! If i wait for the dual probe pid (which does the food and smoker) why would i need the Maverick system?
Because the maverick is a remote wireless thermometer that you keep in your pocket to see what the temps are in the meat and the cabinet. It doesn't control the temps. The PID controlls the temps. I think it displays the temps too, but you have to go out to the smoker and look at the PID to see the temps.
Quote from: Quarlow on March 14, 2010, 08:50:42 PM
Because the maverick is a remote wireless thermometer that you keep in your pocket to see what the temps are in the meat and the cabinet. It doesn't control the temps. The PID controlls the temps. I think it displays the temps too, but you have to go out to the smoker and look at the PID to see the temps.
so then i wouldn't need the dual pid, correct? I just need the single probe auber pid and i can just get the maverick and call it good
Quarlow understood everything.
i'm still not understanding why i would need a dual probe pid if i would be using a Maverick that would tell me the temp of the meat and the smoker. sorry if i'm being confused lol
Well this is just personally, but I will get the single probe PID and a dual probe Maverick. I like to know what the temps of the meat IT and the cabinet temp. The PID will keep track of the meat temp and do the temp ramps accordingly.
Thanks Quarlow, that makes sense to me and it saves money not having to buy the dual probe if you're already getting a dual probe maverick. thanks for the quick response!!
No problem. You can do without the dual probe PID and I am not the guy who gets the top of the line when I can get by for less $. But if it was to make my life better I would get it. I just think I can do just fine with a single probe PID no matter what I am going to advance to later on.
wow wow wow......it took me a year, but i finally have ordered an OBS and should be here sometime this week!! :o i have also ordered some hickory, mesquite and apple pucks to start off with. i've also ordered 3 of the aluminum pucks so that i don't have to waste any pucks. lastly, i've picked up a Maverick ET732.
the main things that i'll be cooking is brisket, chicken, ribs, and pork butt. Since i'll never do any sausage, i won't need a pid, the ET732 will suffice, correct? i look forward to throwing down this summer, it should be a lot of fun!!
talk to ya soon guys and gals :)
Richard
Quote from: lunatik on June 12, 2011, 09:45:02 PMSince i'll never do any sausage, i won't need a pid, the ET732 will suffice, correct?
The Maverick won't control the temp in the cooking chamber.
I have an OBS and an ET-732. I added a DIY PID controller in the smoker generator box to provide a more stable temp control. With the PID the temp stays within 3-4 degrees no matter what the weather is doing (wind, hot, cold). I only smoke butts and occasionally baby back ribs.
Thanks Ted for the reply. Do you think it's as crucial to maintain the temp range when doing a brisket etc? I'm not sure what the temp swing is without one, but looking for the right internal temp of the meat would let one know? Sorry, I'm new to this :(
I've never done a brisket but I think the closer the smoker can maintain your desired cooking temp the better the result will be. I've heard reports from some owners who say theirs vary as much as 20 degrees during cooking.
I was just tired of trying to guess where I should set the slider temp control on mine to get it to stabilize at 225 degrees or whatever I wanted and it seemed like it was always changing because of the wind, sunlight or other outside factors. The PID controller solved all of the frustration for me. :)
How much a good plug n play cost?
185$ + shipping http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=151&zenid=f1490e811b2edc381aa2388b1bb3e398
But it say out of stock until june 23th
Yikes! That will def have to wait for that kinda money lol. Thanks toker for the link :)
Quote from: lunatik on June 13, 2011, 10:27:53 AM
Yikes! That will def have to wait for that kinda money lol. Thanks toker for the link :)
Start saving. A dual probe PID is the best money you will ever spend as an accessory for the Bradley. After your first couple of smokes you will want one. You can set up cycles. So for instance you can preheat for an hour at whatever temp you want, then the next cycle can smoke for the time you want at the temp you want, then you can have the smoke turn off and cook your meat until it reaches the temp that you want to finish at AND then you can have it cycle down to a warming temp just in case you aren't back in time. You can set up to 6 heat cycles and 2 smoke cycles to make it do whatever you want.
I smoked a 9lb turkey breast today. After cycle 1 preheat I hung the turkey breast and went to the swimming pool for 4 hours. Without the PID I would have been in the house and constantly Monitoring my Maverick and adjusting the Bradley to keep it at the right temp. If its sunny and the Bradley is at 225 and all of a sudden clouds roll in I would have to go back out and adjust it. Wind picks up? Readjust :) PID is amazing!
Two things I do want:
1. Smoke stack with a rain hat type of deal so if it rains and I am away the water doesn't get inside the cabinet. Still trying to work out a detachable deal so I can still use the Bradley cover. I currently use a big metal serving tray to cover the vent if it rains. I keep the PID in the grill cabinet next to the Bradley so it won't get wet. The PID goes in the house after smoking. I don't leave it in the grill cabinet because of humidity and whatnot.
2. A grommet type deal in the top of the Bradley to hang my probes from. I run 4 probes with the Auber and Maverick and I currently run them through the top vent with a bit of duck tape to keep them in the right position but if I wanted to fully close the vent I couldn't.
why would you want to close the vent? Mine has been wide open since the day i bought it 2 yrs ago. If fact I think it is probably "stuck" oprn. Now people differ and have it at various degrees of open, but don't know of anytime you would want to keep it totally close. Capture too much moisture in the cabinet.
Quote from: GusRobin on June 26, 2011, 09:25:43 AM
why would you want to close the vent? Mine has been wide open since the day i bought it 2 yrs ago. If fact I think it is probably "stuck" oprn. Now people differ and have it at various degrees of open, but don't know of anytime you would want to keep it totally close. Capture too much moisture in the cabinet.
I close mine on certain meats after the smoke cycle specifically for the moisture. It's not actually fully closed since I have 4 probes through the vent. To each his own I suppose.
Yeah, everyone has there own way. Just have to be careful --if there is too much moisture you'll end up with "black rain" on what you are smoking.
Quote from: GusRobin on June 27, 2011, 10:31:38 AM
Yeah, everyone has there own way. Just have to be careful --if there is too much moisture you'll end up with "black rain" on what you are smoking.
Yeah I leave it fully open most of the time but on some cycles in the winter it's tough. I am used to a canister style. This is my first season with the Bradley though so we will see what winter brings. I plan on a second element for winter smokes so I may be able to leave the vent fully open with smoke gen off. If not I will upgrade to the bigger element. I would love to keep the vent open fully in the winter. With charcoal/wood it's tough to maintain temps in a can and the vent makes a big difference BUT the cans are domed and the drip runs down the sides. I can see where the bradley would rain down from the middle. Not good either way.