So I just ordered the Perfect Draft temperature controller and fan blower for my large stick burner. $239 for up to 124 CFM...a beastly looking thing! Other than YouTube videos, I saw no reviews. I looked at the other controller blower sets but it appeared I'd be drilling two holes for two fans and so on. I'll still have to modify my pit somewhat...it has a fire door handle running across the inlet air damper (re-position) and, as large as the blower is, I may still have to partly seal excess damper inlet area (9 inch diameter). My pit has a top loading fire box, so the blower, set on the damper, does not interfere. Now I just hope it will be reliable...I saw no reviews in that respect.
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Congrats and good luck. -
And oh yeah, for Christmas I ordered my wife a complete Sous Vide setup. Now I realize I'll need a full size prime rib roast cut in two...one half and the bones from the other half for my smoker and the other half done sous vide (maybe even trimmed apart and reconstructed with that MooGlue.Comment
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Please keep us posted on your controller once you get it and start using it. As I also have a stick burner.
Other than it looking like it could be used as a leaf blower. 😂. This could be a very nice addition to free up your day tending your pit.
I will be following this thread.
Thanks for sharing.Comment
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I'll try to keep all informed.
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Congratulations.Comment
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This thing is amazing! A few minor mods and this critter is in control of all air. You must use the included tube that gives the blower several inches removed from the fire box...this baby will shut down the fan so little air can get through, and the fire box heat will feed back toward the blower (you'll see YouTube vids where they hang the blower directly on the firebox). I love the simplicity of it...one heat sensor where you're cooking controlling the blower...set it at say 250F...the blower does its best to hold that temp. Meanwhile I had my other temp monitors placed, one in a pork loin rib roast, and one set next to the blower's sensor. I was getting five degrees +/- relative to the blower setting. Wow! (That is after the fire got settled, about an hour in) Meanwhile, the blower is turning my coals and wood to ash, totally consumed, with much less than expected fuel use! I'll post videos as soon as I figure out how.Comment
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Videos on phone upstairs, later. What I meant to say above, is that, for a pretty large stick burner, this thing is "set it and forget it." Go play six holes on the golf simulator, drink a couple more. The only thing to remember is fuel supply...but, if you have the other monitor on WIFI, you're looking at both smoker and meat temp...and the smoker temp, if falling below target, calls for more wood. I'm not yet convinced I could go hang at the bar for two hours. Tomorrow I'll give it the prime rib roast test.Comment
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Oh yeah...I got delivery of a propane pear burner today...I expect to put a serious sear on this roast.Comment
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Oh yeah...the wife will be opening boxes of sous vide stuff in the morning. Merry Christmas! I hope those rib roasts get real cheap on Wednesday.
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Well, it has been about six months since I got the blower. I have a solution to control:I set my pit temp probe near the fire box in the entry of the first smoke box. 275 setting. That gets me 275 in the first smoke box and about 225 in the second box. Works great once the fire is settled (just some flaming oak and coals) and needs only an occasional fueling. The blower fan runs faster as needed to fan the flames and coals. It will maintain the temperature until you run nearly all out of fuel...get beyond that point and you're making another batch of coals. I start my fire with about a tablespoon of starter, the blower takes the fire all through the fuel in a short while. Your fire will not get starved of oxygen and the smoke is clean.
Con: As always, the initial big fire will over run the temperatures until it gets settled into coals and flaming oak sticks. Meanwhile, you're ready to cook. Not really a problem for me as I don't think a few minutes of high temps can hurt fresh meats. The blower mod disabled my manual inlet vent control and the blower itself has no manual vent control...if the fan is shut down, but your fire is too hot, there's no additional air shutdown control. (I think I could use self stick saran wrap to partially shut the inlet flow until the fire settles.Comment
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