My old Maverick thermometer is wearing out, so it is getting time to upgrade. I have been looking at the FireBoard, and it seems like people like it. The real debate is whether to add the Drive connector and a fan for ATC. The idea of being able to sleep through the night sounds good, but when you add it all to the shopping cart I get a bit of sticker shock. Anybody out there using the Fireworks unit on a WSM with or with out the fan? Would you recommend it? Does a temperature controller make that much of a difference on the WSM?
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I use the wsm with the fan connected to my fireboard. It helps a lot.....aaaaa lllooot. Once ya fine tune it, the only thing ya might have to do is add water after about 8 hours. But by then, most of the meat is cooked and ready.
I pack the meat in (4 butts, 2 briskets and a tray of beans). But I cheat. I have an extension ring and also mod a couple more grates in. Usually takes 9 to 10 hours to cook and I don’t crutch.
with the atc and fireboard, it gives me the time to rest if needed to prep other things like the sides
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Moderator
- Nov 2014
- 13625
- Land of Tonka
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John "J R"
Instagram: JRBowlsby
Smokin' Hound Que
Minnesota/ United States of America
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Grills/Smokers/Fryers
Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1
Karubeque C-60
Kamado Joe Jr. (Black)
Lodge L410 Hibachi
Pit Barrel Cooker
Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer
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Thermoworks MK4 (Orange)
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Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS4000 Torch X 2
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2
Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
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Digi Q DX2 (Medium Pit Viper Fan)
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Eggspander Kit X2
Field Skillet No. 8,10,12
Finex Cat Iron Line
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Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron
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FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal
Kingsford Blue and White
B&B Charcoal
Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60
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Cutlery
Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife
Dexter 12" Brisket Sword
Global
Shun
Wusthof
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Next Major Purchase
Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
I have never used the FireBoard system on a WSM, but I use one on my Eggs and it is great. I get really solid and even temps on cooks that last a few hours to cooks that last 24 hours+. Now you probably won't get that long of cooks on your WSM because they are really not designed for that but it will work just fine for the time you need.
The FireBoard set up is pretty fool proof, and you can monitor and change the cook temp from anywhere, including your bed.
For me, it is more than worth it. For instance, I have a pork butt cook going right now at my house, and I am not even home. I am cooking for another event at another location. The pork butts are for tomorrow, but I set it up early today, and I am cooking remotely. I can monitor, change temps and even set up programs to make the BGE hold the meat at a low temp if case it gets done early, before I am home. When I get home tonight, all I have to do to is package the meat and reheat tomorrow. What a stress reliever and it lets you be at two places at once.
You really don't need the "Extreme BBQ" package, IMHO. Just start with the base model and Drive system. If you need to add some probes, do it at a later date. I have 6 probes for each of my FireBaords and I rarely use all six at a time. That is only for huge cooks, which are few and far between.
Below is a snap shot of a cook I did the other day. You can see how evenly the FireBoard kept the cook. That top blue line is the "set temp" and the yellow line, just behind it, is the actual pit temp. There are a few spikes and valleys but those are minor fluctuations of about 10 F-20 F and they are from when I opened the lid to the BGE. The system also has "lid detection", It senses when you open the lid. This is helpful so you are not having the fan blowing full speed when the lid is open. In the past, this was a problem because the internal temp of the cooker would drop when the lid was open, then the fan systems of the past would think that you are losing temp and the fan would blow on the fire to kick the false temp back up.This would cause massive overruns when you closed the lid once again. "Lid detection" prevents this. The green lines are the fan kicking on and off. Mind you I did this cook overnight at -11 F ambient temps (Minnesota winter, gotta love it) and it still preformed beautifully. The orange lines are the meat temps throughout the cook.
Let us know if you have any other questions.
BTW, Welcome to The Pitmaster Club. Please take a second to introduce yourself. We love hearing from new members. .
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This is a great post by Spinaker . But as to the probes, I have "evolved" my process to the point that I now use a minimum of 3 probes per cook: 1 for the grate temp, 1 for the ambient outdoor air temp, and at least 1 for the meat. While I don't think I have maxed out yet, I could easily see it happening, especially after I get my rack system installed and start using a second rack.
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I hear ya. I really only do the same for each cook. I have put three in two cookers, like this week end. That makes it rally handy. @Dewesq55
Hahahaha, I had sat down and jsut started typing. Then I got carried away. LOL. So, yes, you can use the FireBoard with the WSM. Troutman
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Club Member
- Apr 2016
- 18052
- Near Richmond VA
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Weber Performer Deluxe
SNS
Pizza insert
Rotisserie
Cookshack Smokette Elite
2 Thermapens
Chefalarm
Dot
lots of probes.
Fireboard
Welcome to The Pit.
If you don't want to spend that much $$ at once, get the Fireboard and add a fan later. You will really like the fan once you get it figured out.
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Club Member
- Sep 2015
- 5049
- Tennessee
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22" Weber Kettle w/SNS, 18" WSM, Bronco, Grilla Chimp, Traeger Tailgater, UDS, Camp Chef Tahoe Stove.
I don’t have a fire board yet, but I do have a party q fan from bbq guru that I use with my wsm. It works great. I am pretty sure you can use bbq guru’s pit viper fan with the fire board.
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Moderator
- Nov 2014
- 13625
- Land of Tonka
-
John "J R"
Instagram: JRBowlsby
Smokin' Hound Que
Minnesota/ United States of America
********************************************
Grills/Smokers/Fryers
Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1
Karubeque C-60
Kamado Joe Jr. (Black)
Lodge L410 Hibachi
Pit Barrel Cooker
Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer
*******************************************.
Thermometers
FireBoard (Base Package)
Thermoworks ThermaPen (Red)
Thermoworks MK4 (Orange)
*********************************
Accessories
Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS4000 Torch X 2
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2
Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
Bayou Classic 35K BTU Burner
Digi Q DX2 (Medium Pit Viper Fan)
Dragon VT 2-23 C Torch
Eggspander Kit X2
Field Skillet No. 8,10,12
Finex Cat Iron Line
FireBoard Drive
Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron
Grill Grates
Joule Water Circulator
KBQ Fire Grate
Kick Ash Basket (KAB) X4
Lots of Lodge Cast Iron
Husky 6 Drawer BBQ Equipment Cabinet
Large Vortex
Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum
Marquette Castings No. 13 (First Run)
Smithey No. 12
Smokeware Chimney Cap X 3
Stargazer No.10, 12
Tool Wizard BBQ Tongs
Univex Duro 10" Meat Slicer
********************************
Fuel
FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal
Kingsford Blue and White
B&B Charcoal
Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60
*************************************************
Cutlery
Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife
Dexter 12" Brisket Sword
Global
Shun
Wusthof
**********
Next Major Purchase
Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
Originally posted by CBM87 View PostI have the fireboard + pit viper. It's great for over-night cooks. I found I had to shut the top damper to 50% when using a full load of coals in warmer weather. The fireboard is a great thermometer hub as standalone too. I don't really need the fan for ribs or tri-tips.
Thanks for jumping in. First hand experience with a particular cooker is key!
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Club Member
- Aug 2018
- 1094
- Heart of Dixie
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Kamado Joe Big Joe III, Recteq 1250, PKGO, Jumbo Joe and PBC. Weber kettle @ the hunting camp.
Trying to figure out the best way to mount an ATC fan to the WSM. I’ve seen the SS dog bowl trick, tape over vent holes and running fan through the open hole. I’m curious about those who own/use WSM and ATC’s. What do you recommend? Pics would be nice. 🙂
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I use this fan, http://bbqguru.com/storenav/Index?ca...&productId=403 and this adapter. https://bbqguru.com/storenav/Index?c...=&&productId=6 Works great, and installation was all of 10 minutes. Most of that was finding my roll of foil tape. I'm using a Fireboard with the drive cable to control it all.
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