Bradley sent me a new heating element and I began smoking a pork butt today. Now granted given that this one works correctly I expect to see some differences for previous smokes as far as temps go, but this is a surprise to me. I turned on the oven and set it to 250 to warm up. It got very warm very quickly according to Maverick, YEAH!!!
I opened the door to cool it down and add water and put the meat in. I couldn't get it to drop below 270! I reduced the set point to 190 and after 1 hr, cold meat being put in, me opening the door liberally, finally it went down to 225. Then it seemed to bounce back and forth between 225-245. Very different behavior than the last heating element. Now remember it is set for 190 and it is about 50 outside. Go figure.
where are yo reading your temps from, the maverick or the bradley?
Also what is controlling the temp, Bradley or PID? You will see big swings with the stock controls.
I am reading from the maverick. My husband ordered me a digiQ before Xmas but still hasn't shown up. So no pid.... Yet. I think the maverick is off. It read 195 so I pulled it out and no where near ready :-(. Now I am trying to finish in the oven
You can check the maverick in boiling water for a constant temp just don't get it to far in the water.
Quote from: al_sfbay on January 03, 2014, 06:46:08 PM
I am reading from the maverick. My husband ordered me a digiQ before Xmas but still hasn't shown up. So no pid.... Yet. I think the maverick is off. It read 195 so I pulled it out and no where near ready :-(. Now I am trying to finish in the oven
The probe tip may have been in a fat pocket. If there's any doubt about the IT reading of a piece of food move the probe to a new location and see if the temp varies significantly.
Also, a new element won't have any effect on the temp swings in a stock bradley. You need a PID controller if you want tighter temp control. If you put your Maverick in your kitchen oven you'll probably notice wide temp swings on it, too.