Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Fireboard and Pit Viper first flight tomorrow!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Fireboard and Pit Viper first flight tomorrow!

    I've been using my Fireboard since acquisition last April, and I just freakin' love it. It works great for Q of course, and it's a superior brewing thermometer for those of us who brew all-grain beers, really helps control that mash temp better than the dial face thermometers, plus you can access it anywhere, anytime.

    But, the holidays are over now, and my loved ones bought a Pit Viper, two Weber adapters, and a cable for me. And they're here! Tomorrow is Rib Day, (oughta be national) and in about 30 degrees F ambient, I'm cooking a couple racks on my Kettle/Smokenator combo. I'm very, very happy. The other adapter is installed on my WSM 22, named big f'in Weber.

    Thanks to all who've posted your experience, I think I can do this without a hiccup!

    I'll post pics.

    #2
    It will go great I bet! You are gonna love it. My Brutus Ten controls my mash, but my FireBoard controls dang near every cook!

    Comment


      #3
      About three hours in, roughly 30 degrees ambient. The water pan seems to kerp me from reaching the setpoint, and about when it does, it needs more charcoal. To be fair, I’m using off brand charcoal and it seems a bit damp. Otherwise, things looking good mid cook. You’ll see a bit if a problem getting the fan going early, solved by a reboot. Pix are current graph and pre-cook setup.
      Attached Files

      Comment


        #4
        One thing I learned is that it is much easier, on the WSM, to bring the cooker up above my set point, then put my fan in place, close down the vents and let it manage the temp as it falls back to the set point. I can’t speak for a weber kettle, since I don’t have one.

        Comment


        • jgreen
          jgreen commented
          Editing a comment
          Dang buddy, you need a kettle.

        • ecowper
          ecowper commented
          Editing a comment
          jgreen I keep thinking that, but I’ve got a Hasty-Bake and a WSM :-)

        #5
        You’re gonna wonder how you ever cooked without that setup. Game changer !!

        Comment


          #6
          Nice!!! It is a great set up.

          Comment


            #7
            Practice makes perfect. Or so I'm told. Enjoy that new gear and keep us without informed.

            Comment


              #8
              If you love the fireboard as a thermometer only, just wait until you use it as a thermometer AND thermostat.

              Comment


                #9
                I want this set up so bad. I'm planning on it as I weber'd up last year.

                Comment


                  #10
                  Okay here’s the results. Not ideal by any means, but in the end the ribs really taste good. The graph shows my difficulties keeping temp. Variables include off-brand charcoal, low ambient temps and the water pan for the Smokenator. Once the water boiled off, the temps stayed pretty much at the setpoint. The charcoal consumption was high and temporally inconvenient to achieving a constant pit temp. I also didn’t control the vents on the kettle well, it got better when I opened the baffle on the pit viper all the way. I’m really looking forward to mynext cook, either in more moderate ambient temperatures, or with my WSM and a larger charcoal load. I love the setup! And after all the trouble, darn fine ribs.
                  Attached Files

                  Comment


                    #11
                    Say, is that a Hot Scotchy in that cup?? You will get the hang of it in no time. Yea, leave the baffle in the fan wide open. The FireBoard controls the % fan speed, whereas the Guru system is either wide open on, or completely off. That was the reason for the baffle. Let the FireBoard breath and do all the work.

                    Looks great brother!!

                    Comment


                      #12
                      Was the last pic of the graph while everything was still running? I ask because there's no set point setting and mode is off.

                      Comment


                        #13
                        Rod: yeah, i’d just shut it off.
                        Lonnie: thanks for the tip, and thanks for the good words.
                        Like most of us know, not all cooks go smooth, but in the end its barbecue, and that means it’s gonna be okay at worst.

                        Comment


                          #14
                          GuyG I learn way more from the cooks that are challenging than the ones that go smooth. I’ve had these kinds of cooks and I learned a ton about fire control, every time.

                          PS those ribs look great!

                          Comment

                          Announcement

                          Collapse
                          No announcement yet.
                          Working...
                          X
                          false
                          0
                          Guest
                          Guest
                          500
                          ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
                          false
                          false
                          {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
                          Yes
                          ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
                          /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here