Pellet smoker with accurate ambient air temps?

[klflowers]

I get that you can adjust to just about anything, but these things are not cheap. You should not buy a product then have the mfr make up bullcrap to explain why it doesn't work. Personally I am not a fan of Traeger products. I have a Scout that won't hold low temps. When I bought it i was told i could do low and slow, but when it wouldn't hold anything below 300 or so i asked and they told me it is just so small that holding low temps is a problem. Pissed me right off, but it was too late to return it (that part is certainly on me).

Anyway I have a Grilla Chimp now, and the first thing I did was compare the probe temp to my XR50 temps. Within a few degrees of each other.

None of this answers your original question. I just wanted to bitch about the Scout. It does a great job on burgers and hot dogs, but so does my $39.95 Smokey Joe...

[realdocBBQ]

I agree with you 1000%. For the prices Traeger charges, you should be able to use it the way it is intended and advertised. However... well, it's Traeger, I guess.

[IdahoJim]

When I've checked the temperature on our Memphis Advantage it has been very accurate. I have other issues with it, but it holds temperature very well and the display is accurate, if a bit optimistic,after making a temperature change.

[TxF]

When I put Fireboard probes inside my Pit Boss it did the same thing as the oven in the house. It cycled between 25 degrees above and 25 degrees below the target. The oven in the house does the exact same thing and manages to cook everything just fine. I think it was also off a set amount which was easy to correct for.

[klflowers]

The Grilla temp swings are one of their modes. They have a second mode that maintains a constant temp. That mode is within a couple degrees of the XR50 also, and it maintains pretty well.

[DaveD]

I've never even tried to trust the built-in temp reading on my Pit Boss vertical pellet rig, I have always measured with a third party probe and set the knob on whatever setting needed to get the temp I want. Sometimes I have to set it one click higher, sometime one lower (they're in 25F increments) depending on external conditions (whether it's cold, or windy, or very hot, what have you). Once it's at the appropriate knob position, it truly is set and forget.

Before I became a full time bureaucrat, I had a career in doing lab science where monitoring temperatures was my bread and butter, so I've long since had the habit of trusting only the measurements made where you need them made...

[DavidNorcross]

I am sure that this is probably not the popular answer. My Silverbac is close and in my view the swings (if they exist) are normal. I would not worry over it but that is just me.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Ideally that should be the common answer. With a good design, the main grate should be close to the set temp and there should be fluctuations the generate the best smoke. It just shouldn't be a major swing and it should be consistent between cooks. I blame a certain brand for the "temp should hold tight" thinking, yet that brand has more people w/pics running 2-3 smoke tubes It's kinda like fall off the bone ribs or breakfast is most important meal... very successful marketing

[klflowers]

Do you run it in pro mode or pid? Pro mode swings, right? I run my Chimp in pro mode exclusively and it swings a good 20-30 degrees.

[DavidNorcross]

I run in pid mode. Just have not had any issues.