u/PugBurger12

This is a follow up to my original post on this device. First run went well. One picture shows where I placed the probe for environment temp. (I put it on the hinged grate; nearly in the middle. This kept it out of the way of my sides.

My cook was

• Start: Two racks of st louis ribs (one with sbr bbq sauce; sauced later) and 4 baked potatoes.
• After 2.5 hours, Added Two half chickens (hung), and replaced potatoes with a bowl of corn and a bowl of baked beans.

I started at 275 degF, but raised it to 325 at some point for the chicken skin and bbq sauce.

The device seems to be pretty intelligent. Is adjusts with a variable speed and it seems to understand the concept of overshooting and it tries to avoid this. Pretty cool.

The app is very easy to work with. The functions are pretty simple.

• Set targets for food, and have it give an early warning by 10, 20, or 30 degrees.
• Set the target temp for the environment and give it a high and low temp to warn you.

The operation is very simple overall, and it worked well. My biggest concern was that it may not be calibrated for a drum. The product page focusses on Kamado style use. The operation exceeded my expectations.

The other thing I liked about this was that it gave me better visibility to what is going on. At some point the temperature dropped to 245. It concerned me but I let it go. The fan slowly ramped up to 100% and it got back on track with minimal overshoot (got to 282 degF).

It also gave me remote visibility. I went to the store (someone else was at home to tend to the PBC if needed) and could see the temperatures and fan operation while I was out.

The wifi connection is really good. I connected to my wifi from outside my garage, which is a dead spot for some of my devices. It never lost connection.

I am very happy so far. Operationally, it's excellent, and the value is amazing. I still question its durability. Seems very light weight for both the device and the probes. The adapters on the other hand are extremely solid. If you have any questions, let me know. I will do a follow up after extended use.

Last week, I posted about my occasional challenges with maintaining temperature stability on my PBC. To be honest, it's only been an issue a few times over the last several years of using my PBC. The worst cases have been that the temperature drops so low that it starts to die out. I get it back on track by taking the lid off for a few minutes and maybe use a blow dryer to get the coals going again. The result would end up with a sooty flavoring on the food. Not fun when its 3 racks of ribs or a whole chicken or turkey (all have happened to me). I know most people have had very good success at keeping their temps stable. I've followed all the recommendations, but occasionally just run into an issue and it's enough for me to want to try this.

I'm going to try this Inkbird controller out in the next couple of weeks (ISC-028-BW). I plan to seal it off with some food grade, high heat sealant. The controller is on sale, and I had a 20% off coupon. There was no tax in my state and free shipping.

So far, I have mixed but mostly positive feelings about it. It seems like good tech with lots of nice features for the price point. I have a few other Inkbird products (sous vides and some wireless temperature probes).

Here are my current thoughts

• Pros:
  • Two adapters (I used the smaller one here). They are both hard stainless, so need tooling if you need to drill holes.
  • Plenty of ports and comes with 1 ambient and 4 food temp probes.
  • The temperature probe cables are long, with plenty of length to reach from the inlet to the food inside with length to spare.
  • The temperature probes are L-shaped, which is convenient for setting inside the PBC where it can get crowded.
  • Comes with a probe holder that should work well with the hinged grate (I usually hand a chicken or a few ribs on one side and cook sides on the hinged grate).
  • Comes with a silicone plug to close off the inlet when done.
  • App and configuration seem very simple. Seems like it has some algorithm specific to smoker temperature adjustment, but will see when it is actually used.
• Cons:
  • Doesn't come with a hose, so it sits at the base where it feels easy to trip over. Also concerned about pets running into it (that could be an issue even if a hose is used). My dogs are crazy.
  • No specific adapter for PBC. So, you need to make something. I took an aluminum muffin tin and used it to make an interface. Could probably find something at thrift store. Aluminum cuts like butter, so easy to work with and non-toxic.
  • Cables and device are not waterproof.
  • Everything feels a bit light duty. The device feels fragile and would break if dropped a short height. Wish it had some rubberized case. Also wish there was another way to mount it besides at the base.
  • Drilling holes into the drum makes me uneasy. Wet charcoal ash and bare steel is a recipe for rapid rust. I doused a firepit once with some water and it rusted right through. It can be sealed, but it adds $10 to cost.

I will share a new review after I cook with it. Fingers crossed.