New PID on the Market- Plug and Play

[bushman]

The high end of the temp set point is 220 F with the Ranco is that high enough to smoke all types or is it a little low

[West Coast Sausage Maker]

 I have smoked over 20 thousand pounds of meat and sausage, (over 1000 lbs in the bradley digital smoker) I have yet to see a profesional recipe that calls for over 220 deg F. internal temp.

Someone may enlighten me yet ;D ???

[bushman]

Here is a link to yet another PID available on ebay.  this one says it is ideal for cold smoking.   Temps can be set from -30F - 220F.  This one runs $99.99 plus shipping. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ranco-ETC-PreWired-Bradley-Smoker-Temperature-Control_W0QQitemZ280225761730QQihZ018QQcategoryZ20723QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

These temp. controllers can also be bought at air conditioning and heating suppliers  probably for alot less. I have just order one of the premade one`s from Auberins as I want to have the ability to go above 220 . I will post my results when I receive it

[NePaSmoKer]

T B S

Do you have a butcher shop or deli.

I would love to do all the smoking your doing.   Nice setup you have.

nepas

[gscheig]

They can be found on Ebay for around $45 plus shipping - search for Ranco ETC
http://cgi.ebay.com/ETC-111000-Ranco-Digital-Temp-Control-120-208-240V_W0QQitemZ370018117279QQihZ024QQcategoryZ50926QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here is a question - why is being an "on-off" type controller so bad - seems like it would still be better than manual iterations with an OBS???

[Gizmo]

The on/off is basically what you get with the digital bradley.  THe issue people have with that is the temperature fluctuations that exist when you control temp with a heating element only have the 2 states.  That fluctuation can be 10 to 20 degrees.  By using a device that has better control, you can get a temperature stability that is more like 1 or 2 degrees from your set point.

[West Coast Sausage Maker]

T B S Do you have a butcher shop or deli. I would love to do all the smoking your doing.   Nice setup you have.

nepas

Thanks for that Nepas... Yes I have a Butcher shop with deli, in Vancouver BC.
I used to buy all my deli items from suppliers and later learned how to make them myself.. I started with a Bradley smoker then two then I had three BDS going at one time.  There were weeks on end where I had the bradleys going 24 /7 just to fill orders for my growing business. I'm not Bull s-ing when I said I have smoked over 5 thousand lbs with the Bradley smoker.

I built a 25 rack Bradley Smoker with conventional and convection heat,  Its also setup with a two stage Ranco (mentioned above) I can set a ham to smoke to 130 deg at which point the ranco second stage turns on the steam generator to bring the hams to 152 deg and then shut the machine off.

[Mr Walleye]

Very Nice setup TBS

It's also great to have you as a member here to share your experiences, especially with the volume of product you put through.

Great to have you aboard!  8)

Mike

[Toker]

One question to clear my mine are the ranco mentionned above good or should i pass by to choose an other since i like low temp?

[West Coast Sausage Maker]

Sorry If I've confused anyone..... I use the ranco as a probe inside the meat as well as smoker temp control.

[Toker]

How do you do? Does it come with 2 probes? and as a temp controller is it good? Is it accurate +-1 degree like it says? And what about diferancial how did you set it up? thx

[Xtrema312]

HI all!  I am new, fist post.  I have been lurking several years.  Just wanted to fist say thanks for the info.  I have learns a thing or three.

I have been smoking on a Masterbuilt digital 2 yr and get some real good jerky, sausage, salmon, and some smoked birds, pheasant and chicken.  However, the lack of a vent and the total burn on the wood have been obstacles to get top quality, but I have managed for the most part.  The digital control is hit an miss on the temp settings so I had to use a Maverick to gauge it, but higher temp errors stop the process too often for long unattended smokes.  I have really wanted to upgrade to the Bradley for the cleaner smoke for the longer smoke time items and the bigger overnight projects that I have wanted to try.  I waited on the digital and have been watching the forum on those, but it has not sounded like they have it set up quite right so I keep waiting to see.

I finally pulled the trigger on an OBS and it is on the way with wood.  I just ordered Bubba Pucks.  I have my bricks ready.  Next is temp control. I live in MI and smoke all year around in my smoking shed and don't care to set on the smoker to adjust it.  I have been looking at temp control and the ones discussed here are what I am interested in.  I could and would build one, but I have a hundred things on my to do list for this summer and no time to add one more.  I mostly want to get it set for the long runs and forget it so I am thinking about the Ranco or the Auber.  I do like gadgets so the programmable Auber is tempting, but I am also on a tight family budget so after buying the new smoker and accessories the Ranco looks good also. 

Can someone please elaborate on the differences between the Auber PID and the Ranco.  It was said one is a PID and one is an on off, but I guess I don't quite get the difference.  Does the PID adjust the power to the heater where the Ranco just does heat on heat off?  I have seen the comment that the Ranco is just like the DBS and the DBS doesn't sound like it work all that well so I don't want to go there.  I just want good consistent accurate box temps for the most part so can I get that with the Ranco?  Also someone mentioned something about kinking the capillary tube; is that a real concern with the Auber and if I kink it is the whole thing shot or do I just need a part?

Thanks!

[Lefty_Smoker]

Can someone please elaborate on the differences between the Auber PID and the Ranco.  It was said one is a PID and one is an on off, but I guess I don't quite get the difference.  Does the PID adjust the power to the heater where the Ranco just does heat on heat off?  I have seen the comment that the Ranco is just like the DBS and the DBS doesn't sound like it work all that well so I don't want to go there. 

In a nutshell, the Ranco controller operates just like the Digital Bradley Smoker in that it is simply a thermistat ON/OF controller.   It simply turns ON/OFF the heating elements whenever it hits the preset temp.  Because it is a thermistat, it tends to under/over shoot the programmed temps.  It will keep your temps within a certain range, say 10-15 degrees within your set temp, but does vary somewhat.

The PID operates essentially the same way except that it can turn ON/OFF several times a second, which will allow it to maintain a much more steady temp, usually within 1 degree or so of your programmed temp, with little to no variation. 

The Ranco will essentially keep the heating element FULL ON, until it hits the programmed temp, then shuts the heating element FULL OFF.  This usually will result in the bradly box reaching temps above what you set, temporarily at first, then when the temps drop back below your set temp, the heating element will be turned back FULL ON, but we all know that because you are essentially cooking with a 500w light bulb, there is a bit of lag, so temps will fluctuate with this type of setup.  The PID on the other hand, will start to turn your heating element on/off more/less as the box gets closer to your programmed temp.  This allows the PID to pretty much stay right on your programmed temp, and doesn't over/under shoot when getting there.   

[Smokin Soon]

Ok, my first mission is to bypass the DBS 9:40 limit, I know the Auber will do that and they claim a plug and play install.
Which one of these thingies can monitor cabinet temp and also meat temp to shut down the thing when meat reaches temp?
I understand that they will all keep cabinet temp better than Bradley can, but the more reading I do, the more confused I get!
Digiq/Raptor says I need a fan, but nothing directed to a bradley install.

[Toker]

with a guru no need for fan power raptor does it instead of a fan.