Temp Control for BGE XL

[thaifighter06]

Happy Friday, gentlemen/ladies in smoke!

With Christmas looming, I am considering asking for an auto-temp control for my BGE XL. Any thoughts as to success stories/failures? I looked at the BBQ Guru and a few others, but the Guru seems to stick out as the most popular. Any help would be appreciated!

[Jason TQ]

Happy Friday! I have an XL too and the only temp controller I used on it was the ique 110 and it worked well. I do have a guru for my backwoods and even have the egg adapter, but haven't used it on the egg since I now just run it manually. Though I'm sure it would work quite well. Really most all of the temp control devices seem to work great and also have their share of some bad experiences. So mostly it comes down to does the temp controller you are looking at have the features you will use and in the budget you want to spend. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them :-D.

[thaifighter06]

Much appreciated, sir! Budget is not as much a concern as even though I'm 32, my parents still want to buy anything they can for me, my wife and daughter as often as they can. Thanks for the tips!

[rebelman68]

As long as it's a PID controller any brand should work. I prefer Auber Instruments which I used to build my own custom one, but they have ones preassembled and tuned on their website too. I built mine for about $100

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/supraman187/DSC_1994.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o141/supraman187/photo.jpg

[kds9547]

I have used my Party Q and the DigiQ from BBQ Guru and they both work great.

[ajstrider]

I have both a DigiQ and PartyQ and if I am using an ATC, I prefer the PartyQ. I use rechargeable batteries and put in a fresh set before each cook. I let the cooker come up to temperature naturally so I don't waste batteries. I like it because it is just a single wire going to the cooker and nothing for me to trip over.

[BBQ_MAFIA]

I bought and IQ 110 for my XL BGE. I only used it a few times. It worked as advertised but the fact is the BGE just doesn't need it. For the most part, it holds rock solid temps for a crazy long amount of time.

[pmad]

I wanted one of these, but I think manual control and some very good thermometers work best

[Theboz1419]

If you can Solder.....Build one:wink:

https://github.com/CapnBry/HeaterMeter/wiki/HeaterMeter-4.2-Hardware

Seriously, one of the better controllers that gets overlooked.

[fingerlickin']

I had an IQ 110 for mine and it worked perfectly, probably the best bang for your buck. The party Q would work fine but you need to change the batteries. If money isn't an object ask for a DigiQ or even a CyberQ Wifi.

Heck the egg is so efficient you could probably just hook up a hose and blow in it every hour. Lol.

I may not have needed one but it sure made for a sound nights sleep on an overnight cook. I never used it during the day for ribs and the like.

[grantw]

If you can get the digi q dx do it I love the ramp feature, I don't use the ramp on a regular basis but I'll sometimes put something in the smoker and goto work and come home to fresh pulled pork love it!

[jimstocks53]

I had an IQ 110 for mine and it worked perfectly, probably the best bang for your buck. The party Q would work fine but you need to change the batteries. If money isn't an object ask for a DigiQ or even a CyberQ Wifi.



PartyQ - rechargeable batteries - last 12+ hours on a single charge

[kgrigio]

I use the digiQ on my UDS all the time, in fact today for a turkey and chicken. I love it and would never go back to manual, especially for overnight cooks. It can get a bit quirky at times, but I have learned the quirks. The biggest quirk being that sometimes when I take the lid off my smoker, an alarm sounds and then the blower won't kick on until you power cycle. It's not a big deal, but it is a quirk.

[ajstrider]

I use the digiQ on my UDS all the time, in fact today for a turkey and chicken. I love it and would never go back to manual, especially for overnight cooks. It can get a bit quirky at times, but I have learned the quirks. The biggest quirk being that sometimes when I take the lid off my smoker, an alarm sounds and then the blower won't kick on until you power cycle. It's not a big deal, but it is a quirk.

Sounds like you have a problem with the lid off feature, which you can turn off. Might try doing that.

[SlowSmoked]

Is temp control needed for a BGE? My LBGE holds temps like a champ with no assistance....

[grantw]

Temp controls are not needed for a lot of cookers they are just nice to have.