What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

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What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby Hoop » Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:47 am

I just picked up an old country pecos yesterday from academy, not the greatest smoker but fit my budget for a newbie that only has experience w an UDS style and wanted something different. I have a maverick 733 setup at grill temp with 4 tuning plates (1/4 T x 4 w x 15 3/4 L) setup on side closest to firebox spaced put close then further the closer to smokestack I get. Temps were within 7 degree of each other when I seasoned last night, now there is a 100 degree average difference with meat on today. Is that even possible when spaced about two feet apart in the same cook chamber, that's a huge difference? I knew uneven grate temps were an issue with this smoker amd is why I had the tuning plates made, but c'mon, this is crazy
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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby GTR » Sat Jun 16, 2018 2:54 pm

Well I'll throw my .02 in. I'd start with the tuning plates. I can't tell from the pic but the plate closest to the fire box I would have againest the inside wall as tight as possible. Your spacing looks like a good starting point yet will need some fine tuning. Might think about 1 or 2 more plates to force the heat a little further into the chamber.
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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby OldUsedParts » Sat Jun 16, 2018 5:08 pm

which meat has the lowest temp :?: :dont:
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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby TX1911 » Sat Jun 16, 2018 5:21 pm

I had a new Braunfels Hondo about that size. Had to get a tuning plate (convection plate, baffle, whatever) from Horizon smokers for it to even out the temps. 1/4" thick and covered 2/3 of the cook chamber. It had holes drilled in it to let smoke and heat through. With that, I had my temps within about 25 degrees from one end to the other if I was running at 250.

Work with your tuning plates, and maybe add a couple more, but you will get there.
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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby Hoop » Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:29 am

Thanks for the help guys and sorry for the late reply, it took me a bit but I got it figured out and dialed in close enough to make some really good Q. Yall were spot on though, I moved the plate closest to the firebox in more and spaced out more gradually and was able to get them about 25-35 degrees apart. I have been eyeing that convection plate by Horizon though and think I am going to go ahead and spring for it. Pics of the BBQ below, thanks again
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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby OldUsedParts » Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:37 am

Back with a Vengence and some Awesome "Q" :tup: :salut: :cheers: :texas:
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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby jim9 » Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:52 am

I bought a used Old Country Smoker. It came with a baffle and I added two tuning plates. I run the plates touching each other and the balance is almost perfect. 1 to 2 degrees normally. I was amazed.
My problem is keeping the temperature up to 300 degrees. I always cook with the door on the firebox wide open. I am going to try keeping the lid on the firebox cracked open to get more air. I have tried using larger logs but this just makes the temp harder to control. The BBQ consistently turns out very good but failure to control the firebox temperature is giving me an ulcer.

Best of luck
Jim
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Re: RE: Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby Hoop » Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:41 am

jim9 wrote:I bought a used Old Country Smoker. It came with a baffle and I added two tuning plates. I run the plates touching each other and the balance is almost perfect. 1 to 2 degrees normally. I was amazed.
My problem is keeping the temperature up to 300 degrees. I always cook with the door on the firebox wide open. I am going to try keeping the lid on the firebox cracked open to get more air. I have tried using larger logs but this just makes the temp harder to control. The BBQ consistently turns out very good but failure to control the firebox temperature is giving me an ulcer.

Best of luck
Jim
Jim, can you send some pics of your setup? I just ordered the Horizon convection plate in an attempt to get closer grate temps, 2 degree difference would be awesome and pics of your setup would help tremendously.
As far as getting up to temp, i did one and a half charcoal chimneys and two splits on the burn in/season. It was at 350 and was able to maintain that heat by adding a split every 30-45 min, running firebox door open and open stack, I hope this helps. How big are your splits?

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Re: What am I doing wrong? Way uneven grill temps

Postby Hoop » Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:51 am

Convection plate from horizon came in and is a complete game changer. Took a little fiddling but not nearly as much as the plates did, within 10 min have the temp 5-10 degrees apart. If anyone is using the pecos and tired of struggling with uneben temps I highly recommed getting one. Customer service at Horizon was top notch and very helpful as well. I ordered this on Wednesday and explained I needed it for this weekend and was on my front porch waiting when I came home from work on Thursday, couldnt ask for better serviceImageImage

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