Temperature Differences On My Lang 48" Patio

[RAmorris]

I noticed that meat was cooking much faster on the upper rack than on the lower racks, and that the end of a slab of ribs closest to the firebox on the bottom racks was overdone. So, I used two ThermoWorks Chef Alarms to measure temperature differences. Here are my results when the smoker's dial thermometer, which is made for Lang by Tel-Tru, was 250 degrees F. All temperatures are degrees F.

Bottom Racks

Firebox End: 332
Middle: 271
Front End: 252

Top Rack

Firebox End: 320
Middle: 320
Front End: 323

Note: End temperatures are 3.5” away from the respective end of the cooking rack (second diamond in)

[Mr. Bones]

Very cool scientific input, many thanks!

Might I ask, what was yer intended target temp range?

Alla yer measurements average out to 303° cooker temp, which seems purty reasonable fer a stickburner...

I try to rotate my foods, to mitigate overcookin near my firebox...approximately hourly, side to side, top to bottom has produced good results fer me...

Another thing I do, an there millions of internet opinions on this, is place a water pan on th lowest grate, over where my fire enters th cookin chamber...it seems to help out.

I don't have any reverse flow stickburners, so jus tryin to learn, here...

[mrteddyprincess]

I find the same thing to be true. Upper rack temps really don't relate to what the Lang thermometer says. In my experience, the longer the cook the more even the temps become. Bottom line is use thermometers where the meat is cooking. And know the cooker.

[RAmorris]

Mr. Bones,
I usually cook at 250 - 275. Ben Lang suggests that I raise the front end about 1/4 inch because heat rises. This should reduce some of the additional heat at the firebox end. I will try this next time I use the Lang.

[Huskee]

Your stats here prove why I always tell people that reverse flow does not mean more even temps, nor does standard flow mean uneven temps. There's lots of variable that affect that. Anyway, my top rack is warmer too, just how it is. Just like with the right vs left sides, you can use the hotter top to your advantage.

[JGo37]

show off...

[Henrik]

Very true.

[jfmorris]

I am not surprised that the upper rack is hotter, but surprised that you have more variation end to end on the main grate than I see in my antique custom offset. I was seeing 50 degrees differential, and made a baffle/deflector out of an old 9x13 pan to deflect heat down coming out of the firebox, and got it to about 10 degrees end to end variation, with 2 hot spots at the corners of the firebox end. I take advantage of those hot spots for searing/browning.

[LeeAvirett]

Fire management can be a job, even in a very expensive cooker. They don't produce the steady even temperatures of a good set and forget pellet grill. With that said, I am looking to buy a stick burner and will drive down from Tallahassee and pay cash for your rig if its in good shape. Give me a shout if you are interested in getting out of it (850) 345-9258.

[Beefchop]

I was surprised at how simple it was to learn how to manage a fire in my Shirley. Maybe it's the pit design. While far from a science, you get a feel for when it's time to add wood and I try to cut my splits so that they are uniform. Got the hang of it by my third try. Just add one or two splits every 30-45 minutes.

[Beefchop]

I have a reverse flow design by Shirley Fabrication, and the temps across the chamber are pretty consistent - I do notice that the bottom rack nearest the firebox gets hotter than the rest of the chamber, but all told the differences across the main chamber aren't significant enough for me to worry much when I'm cooking.