Asking for tips and tricks. Big Joe I: I bought the ChefTemp ProTemp S1 and Breezo fan. Normally I would start my pit fire with a few starters and keep the vent door open and chimney open till it reached 200deg. Then meter the chimney vent and vent door to one thumb width and bring it up to smoking temperature. Now that I have a powered fan should I keep the chimney open and let the fan and digital thermometer control the bringing it up or get it stabilized and then use the fan for even consistency?
by randalg23
3 Comments
I normally get mine up to around 50-60c then depending on target temp, close the top vent to around 2-3mm and let the fan take over.
close up top how you normally would for whatever cook you’re doing. Keep bottom door securely closed as much as possible around the fan shroud.
I typically just leave it open until my coals are pretty well started then close it up and let the fan take it up to temp, with the shroud on the fan choked pretty closed and the fan speed limited to 50% max.
Once it’s at temp i open the choke a little bit but keep fan speed limited, otherwise the fan overshoots the target temp by 10-15 degrees. and it takes forever to come back down.
A fan controller can only bring temps up, not keep them down. Once you have a fire started, keep the top vent tighter than you normally would so that the fan has something to blow against. Way too open and the temp will keep rising, but even just slightly too open will make the fan never blow and your fire will snuff itself out.