hello and good morning

[kuzzy]

Ive been reading through the forum for a few days and have to say there is a ton of knowledge here.

That said im not completly new to smoking but pretty close ;) my current "smoker" is a true north aluminum box
That I pretty much use for flavor not cooking.
Ive decided to get a Bradley not sure which one yet though I was thinking a digital but i see alot about pids and
Now im not sure.

Is there something I can get thats more accurate then the stock thermostat?
I dont mind keeping an eye on it if I can save the 200 $ a pid is going to cost.


Mike
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

[ragweed]

Welcome to the forum from Nebraska.  I don't have experience with the digitals.  So can't comment.  I have a Black Bradley smoker (BTIS1) and a single probe plug & play Auber PID.  Does everything I need it to do.  So if I had to replace, I'd get a New Original Bradley smoker (BS611) and hook my PID to it.  But that's just me.  Good luck with your new addiction! 

[tailfeathers]

I have a modified six rack digital and the ONLY advantage it has over the OBS is the 2 extra racks. I just posted a reply in another topic on the mods I have done to it. Unless you really need the extra room in the smoker I would go with the original and put the saved $$$ toward mods.


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[beefmann]

welcome aboard,

I have the original 4 rack with a  custom Pid controller, a few things to take into consideration first, how  much meat am I  gonna be  doing, types of  meat?  cuts of  meat... etc,, such as Tip tip compared to a beef roast to a   pork  loin to a  pork  roast , whole chickens to turkeys, sausages laying on the racks vs hanging in the smoker.. and many others.

the 4 rack can easily handle 20 to 30 lbs of  pork  and beef roasts, and I personally had just under 45 lbs of tri tip in it at  once,,, also have had 12 lbs of pork loins per rack in mine...through it was  quite full and i was  pushing it.

now as for  going to the digital or  getting a PID,,, Go with the PID it gives you a  tighter temperature control .. less of  drastic temp swings, there are a  few variations out there, all through auber inst. a  plug and play  model that you just  plug in and use .. or  build your own which you  can  install onto your  smoke generator and program it,,, if you  are  gonna  do sausages ,, may want to  look at one that has the  ramp and soak features.


 

[kuzzy]

Hi im probably just going with a 4 rack.
After some more looking I saw someone mention a maverick thermometer with 2 probes would that work untill I got a pid?

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[UncleAl]

welcome from Michigan. The PID will keep the smoker within a tight tolerance of the temperature that you set like (5 degrees or so). The dual temperature Maverick has a probe for the cabinet temperature and one for the meat temperature. I have the BS111 and the dual probe Arber and really love the setup. I would definitely recommend it to any one.

[Saber 4]

Welcome from Texas, I have the 4 rack digital and I love it even though I don't have a PID or any mods. I use a probe thermometer for the meat IT and another one to keep an eye on the cabinet temp, I use a cake pan with boiling water for heat recovery and love it for everything I like to smoke. As I get into sausage I may have to get a PID  for the tighter temp control. Just my 2 cents worth

[kuzzy]

Thanks for the replies I get the benefits of the pid its just the money 200+ for it seems abit much for now I think ill do like saber and consider a pid in the future.

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[NorthShoreMN]

Get something like the maverick , you will continue to use that even if you add a PID later when you have
More than one piece of meat to monitor.

[Smoker John]

I also have  a 4 rack digital with no mods & a couple different thermometers including a Maverick, it does everything I need it to do including my first batch of sausage. I think doing a PID mod is a little more involved with the digital vs black original or "new" original. Good luck with your smoker search.

[smoke em if you got em]

Welcome from Texas!

[TNRockyraccoon]

Welcome from Tennessee.

I'll also add a plug for the Maverick 732 or 733.

While it doesn't do anything to help regulate your cabinet temperatures......It does a lot in allowing you to monitor the temps of your meat and the bbq cabinet, without having to open the door, and from a distance of 300 feet. In my case it saves me a trip to the bottom deck from the living room. I can also micro manage the temperature control knob (until my PID arrives) with the help of the Maverick. I do a lot of overnight smoking to feed clients the following day, and the alarm function on the Maverick will alert me in the night if the power goes off.