Is a Pitmaster Worthwhile?

Mass. Wine Guy · Sep 2, 2011

I'm impressed by the size, simplicity and price of the Pitmaster temperature regulation device:

http://pitmasteriq.com/

It would be really great to be able to leave my BGE alone knowing the right temp will be maintained. Does anyone use this or a similar product?

Thanks.

bigsapper · Sep 2, 2011

Lots of people speak very highly of it. Alton Brown used it on a show recently.

Here's a link to a review of the popular temp controllers...
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productreviews/pitmasteriq110/ique110-1.htm

Question, are you having a problem regulating low & slow temps with your BGE?

altomari8868 · Sep 2, 2011

I have one.. Does a great job for me. No issues at all this summer. I run it off my Duracell power pack...

Jason TQ · Sep 2, 2011

For the price I do like mine. Sometimes it seems to overshoot the chosen temp so I set mine a little lower than the actual temp. The did have very good customer service too.

nrok2118 · Sep 2, 2011

Yeah its definately worth it, go for it!:thumb:

Mass. Wine Guy · Sep 2, 2011

The power pack idea sounds good, but then the whole thing would cost me an extra $150 or so.

cgarrit · Sep 2, 2011

I love mine.

big brother smoke · Sep 2, 2011

I love mine and I like my Aubers as well. All in the same price range. If I had to choose one, it would be the Auber. I love that you can actually see what is the ambient cooker temp. YMMV!

Drew · Sep 2, 2011

I have one and besides from my WSM it is the best piece of kit I have purchased :thumb:

BBQBot · Sep 2, 2011

Is this thing water proof? I can't find the info on site...

Mass. Wine Guy · Sep 2, 2011

The Pitmaster seems to be much simpler to use than the others. Fewer cables, etc.

Fat Freddy · Sep 3, 2011

Honestly, there are a few issues some people including myself have/had. Seems for the good majority it works without a problem but there is a few glitches, they started including a washer to put in the tube to decrease airflow the reason for this is the company does acknowledge that for some cookers the fan is still to powerful. You have to search a few other forums(is that blasphemy?) and this one but you can find the postings about their issues. Mine specifically was on the Big Steel Keg.

smokeyw · Sep 4, 2011

I suppose the fan could be too powerful bit I think the main issue is that the smoker will sometimes just draw the air through the iQue without the fan even running. I had this issue with my UDS but it didn't take me long to figure out that all I had to do was restrict either the inlet slightly or the exhaust. I understand this issue has been mostly with vertical type smokers. This makes sense due to the draft design. All in all, I am very pleased with my iQue. I find that it does as advertised if you follow the directions which say to close the exhaust somewhat. I set mine all the time and go to bed. It allows me to smoke some great meat and to get some sleep :thumb: Other people may have had a different experience.

Fat Freddy said:
Honestly, there are a few issues some people including myself have/had. Seems for the good majority it works without a problem but there is a few glitches, they started including a washer to put in the tube to decrease airflow the reason for this is the company does acknowledge that for some cookers the fan is still to powerful. You have to search a few other forums(is that blasphemy?) and this one but you can find the postings about their issues. Mine specifically was on the Big Steel Keg.

boogiesnap · Sep 4, 2011

how long have you been cooking on the egg?

for me, i got a stoker for my WSM, a temp control unit was a great learning tool. it took one variable out of my cooking process(fire mngmt), while i focused on times and temps, rubs and sauces, etc, for my BBQ.

but, honestly, once i had results i was satisfied with, i.e ribs @ 275 for 3 hours, i abandoned the unit for cooking manually. i grew tired of power cords, running probes, worrying about rain, etc. etc.

i've probably done 50 cooks with it this season without being stoked, the first maybe 10 were working on managing the fire, and now i keep temps almost as steady as with it.

YMMV, but either way, it is a great tool and i can't imagine you'd be unhappy with the purchase. especially at the pricepoint of the pitmaster.

bigsapper · Sep 4, 2011

I asked something similar and the OP didn't respond.

I have a micro adjuster from thirdeyeBBQ. It works very well for me. If it's very hot outside I had a pan of water to my egg to act as a heat sink. Once I get the initial temp dialed in (can take up to an hour), it's rock solid.

I've baby sat it a few times and an satisfied that I could sleep thru the night using it.

I'm a geek and like toys as much as the next guy, but for me, now, I don't need an electric temp controller.

Is a Pitmaster Worthwhile?

Mass. Wine Guy

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Jason TQ

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big brother smoke

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