Box temps low

SmokinScott · April 07, 2007, 07:28:33 AM

I had a question on the box temps of the DBS. According to the display it says that my box temp. is floating around 200 to 220 i have it set on 210. But my thermometer says that it is staying around 190 or so i know that the thermometer is correct bc i checked it in boiling water. I guess is this normal, should i just turn the temp of the smoker up to compensate, or is something wrong with the temp sensor in the back of my smoker? I always wipe the black stuff off of the sensor before i start a smoke so it is clean. What should i do thanks.

Tiny Tim · April 07, 2007, 07:56:59 AM

Where is the temp sensor for the machine in relation to where you're taking your reading? The further you are from the heating element, the cooler it will be. I don't know how much, but would think it would be noticeable on thermometers.

SmokinScott · April 07, 2007, 08:03:47 AM

I have my sensor just below the sensor for the bradley so my sensor is closer than that of the smoker.

Tiny Tim · April 07, 2007, 08:12:55 AM

Okay, then it's over my head...sorry. :D ;D

LilSmoker · April 07, 2007, 11:08:54 AM

When using my Maverick thermometer, i've found that placing the probe in the centre of the cabinet to be the best for a reliable reading ;)

West Coast Kansan · April 07, 2007, 11:59:35 AM

It is normal for DBS. My approach is what you are thinking. As your meat load begins to come up to temperature the fluctuations (over under seen on the DBS display) will reduce some.

You will notice the bottom and back of the tower is a higher temp than the middle which creates the need for rack rotations on long smokes.

Gizmo · April 07, 2007, 11:35:52 PM

Smokin,
I have a 6 Rack Digital and see a huge difference in box temps between the digital readout on the BS and a probe sensor that is near the meat. The difference is great (I have seen 20 to 30 degrees) at the beginning of the smoke. As the internal meat temperature comes up, the delta between the two gets smaller to the point where there may only be a couple degrees of difference. I go by the remote probe since it is the temperature the meat is seeing and not the area next to the heating element. When smoking several racks, I use multiple remote probes as there is also a difference from top to bottom, front to back as WCK pointed out. The deltas can be minimize with some alterations (stir fan) if you find the variation to be bothersome.

SmokinScott · April 08, 2007, 05:35:15 AM

thanks for the help i will just kick the temp of the box up a little to compensate