# Post your Offset Long cook data!



## rbnice1 (Jun 14, 2022)

I would love to see graphs or even just raw data I could graph showing meat and smoker temps over the long cook.  What were the fluctuations like?  What was the cycle timing?  I have a new smoker and I plan on documenting this but I have nothing to compare it too.  Any of you all with controllers or even just meater or other probes that record these things.

Would be awsome to compare a few of these for small to medium sized offsets and see how everyones runs.  I cant be the only geek here!  :P


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 14, 2022)

Never saw a Lang with a fireboard. The temp swings are big in this context.


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## MadMax281 (Jun 14, 2022)

This is from my FB2 doing a Brisket, 2 Racks of SL Ribs and a Pork Butt. I use a LSG 20X36 with restaurant size oak splits. Hope this is what you were looking for.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 14, 2022)

madmax281 said:


> This is from my FB2 doing a Brisket, 2 Racks of SL Ribs and a Pork Butt. I use a LSG 20X36 with restaurant size oak splits. Hope this is what you were looking for.


This is exactly what I am looking for Thank you very very much!.  What is considered restaurant sized splits?  Here is  a cook from my gravity grill which isnt a offset and really has no relevant info. lol  Once I get this offset in place and start using it I will add them to this thread.  I think it will help others including myself.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 14, 2022)

Also looking at your data.  I see fast drops of 30F - 50F  like every 15min.  Then a recovery for the most part to slightly higher then orginal.  IS this from just adding a new split?  or is it from a spritz or mop?  Just curious, because mine falls off a lot after a spritz but then recovers back to what it was.  BTW thats a good looking smoker!


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## MadMax281 (Jun 14, 2022)

rbnice1 said:


> Also looking at your data.  I see fast drops of 30F - 50F  like every 15min.  Then a recovery for the most part to slightly higher then orginal.  IS this from just adding a new split?  or is it from a spritz or mop?  Just curious, because mine falls off a lot after a spritz but then recovers back to what it was.


Spritz every half hour. The LSG gets back to altitude fairly quickly. Adding a split about every 45-60 minutes. The temp drop is slight when adding a split. A restaurant split is just smaller. I have a wood guy that sells all sizes. Wood fired pizza oven size if you will. The graph is also scrunched, when you zoom in on the Fireboard app it shows really how even the LSG cooks. Just remember If you're looking, you're not cooking. Keep the lid closed as much as you can. Looking forward to your voyages.


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## rbnice1 (Jun 14, 2022)

Thanks for all your info.  Again im sure im not the only one who likes to compare.  Those splits actually look kinda big, 4 - 6 inch.  I assumed I would be respliting mine down to 2-3 inch based on you tube clips.  Adding a split every 30-60 minutes with minimal drop/peak on heat would be optimal, but your graph doesnt show that for some reason.  I am trying to understand why it doesn't.  That brisket looks great tho! lol  Im hungry.


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## MadMax281 (Jun 14, 2022)

rbnice1 said:


> Thanks for all your info.  Again im sure im not the only one who likes to compare.  Those splits actually look kinda big, 4 - 6 inch.  I assumed I would be respliting mine down to 2-3 inch based on you tube clips.  Adding a split every 30-60 minutes with minimal drop/peak on heat would be optimal, but your graph doesnt show that for some reason.  I am trying to understand why it doesn't.  That brisket looks great tho! lol  Im hungry.


The splits are a tad long 10-12". I use the fire management basket and 8-10" would be perfect. The steep drops to just above 100° are when I'm wrapping or adding another protein. I don't put everything on all at once. The brisket goes for about 3 hours before the ribs. Turkey on with 3 hours left. The Fireboard 2 is a bit expensive but so worth it. The app is pretty intuitive. Highly recommend.


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## jbruce (Jun 26, 2022)

I built my own controller and record every cook. I use a Bubba Grills custom smoker with an exhaust on the firebox, a raspberry pi, and custom PID control software. My cooks stay within a few degrees of the setpoint... which is usually 250F. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/bubba-grills-smoker-custom-controller.312608/


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## rbnice1 (Jun 26, 2022)

jbruce said:


> I built my own controller and record every cook. I use a Bubba Grills custom smoker with an exhaust on the firebox, a raspberry pi, and custom PID control software. My cooks stay within a few degrees of the setpoint... which is usually 250F. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/bubba-grills-smoker-custom-controller.312608/



That is a crazy steady temp for a [email protected]


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## jbruce (Jun 26, 2022)

Thanks. I have lots of experience with temperature control. I've written open source software for kiln control that's popular with ceramicists, knife makers, glass artists, and scientists. I adapted it to work with a smoker and servo.  The folks at bubba grills were nice and built a smoker to my specs with the crazy exhaust.


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## jbruce (Jun 30, 2022)

This weekend I'll do my first cook where my smoker sends me a slack message when a split needs to be added. If the temp goes N degrees below the set point, it sends a message. I'll also have a nice set of graphs to post.. similar to this, but for my smoker instead of a kiln...


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## Hockeydudde (Jul 1, 2022)

This is from last weekend. Ok Joe's highland. Really struggled with temp control. It has rained for 3 days, my wood is not covered and high humidity (I live in NM, so this is very unusual for me). I was trying to run around 250. I did manage to get clean nothing fire, but the only way I could get it to burn clean was to leave fire box lid open till it was roaring fire, which led to huge temp spikes. Around 10:30 I switched to smaller split which helped. Then around 11:30 I intentionally bumped the temp because I wrapped at that point.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 3, 2022)

Yea im having similar issues with my new offset.  its not as bad as that one.  The rain might have helped me even out some.  Sun on the smoker then add a bit of fire and it takers off. lol


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## rbnice1 (Jul 3, 2022)

This was my first cook and I wasnt very happy with the temp control but the ribs and pulled pork that came off were fantastic!  You can see this is only a 2 hour clip at the begininning but it starter smothing out at the end of this and was better later in the cook.  I started using bigger splits and less of them instead of smaller resplits.


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## jbruce (Jul 4, 2022)

Here's the graph from my 5 hour cook yesterday... pork ribs. I cooked 4 slabs and they came out good. The control software worked fine. I had it sending me messages when a split needed to be added. I still need to work on that. The big drops are the doors being opened to move ribs around. The average error was 7.8F over the entire cook including a big drop when I added the meat and opening the doors. If I exclude that stuff, the average error was 2.3F.

Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy your cooks!


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## rbnice1 (Jul 4, 2022)

That looks like a fantastic cook!
I am trying to not use a controller and leave all the air open like you would on a big offsite, and control the temps with the fire.  Its much more challenging.  

So far i have had some success.   Tho at this point I figure 50F off of what i want is success.  I am hoping to near that down some over time.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 4, 2022)

somehow I screwed up and my last cook didnt record.  But it was very good temps wise.


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## jbruce (Jul 4, 2022)

Gotcha. It's a challenge to get steady temps. Some smokers are easier than others to manually maintain [usually more expensive with thicker steel]. It's good to use consistent splits, timing, a water bath [acts like a big heat sink], and carefully control the oxygen available to the fire.

That's a good looking hunk of pork.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 5, 2022)

believe it or not it was labeled beef sirloin tip.  looked like a chuck to me but didnt have the marbling so im cooking it like a sirloin tip.  And im trying to use this smoker with no controller.   I want lots of air flow through it and to control it with the fire itself.  If I want control I will just my gravity grill.  But I still want to see how smooth the temps can be with me tending the fire.


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## jbruce (Jul 7, 2022)

I guess I should've said... good looking hunk of meat.

Yep, I understand you are not interested in using a controller. Most folks running stick burners want nothing to do with controllers... it's like replacing a car that came with a stick shift with an automatic transmission.

My controller differs because it does not choke out the fire... it does not limit your ability to manage the fire at all. It simply redirects heat away from the smoking chamber as needed.


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## rbnice1 (Jul 7, 2022)

jbruce said:


> I guess I should've said... good looking hunk of meat.
> 
> Yep, I understand you are not interested in using a controller. Most folks running stick burners want nothing to do with controllers... it's like replacing a car that came with a stick shift with an automatic transmission.
> 
> My controller differs because it does not choke out the fire... it does not limit your ability to manage the fire at all. It simply redirects heat away from the smoking chamber as needed.


I am not one of those type of stick burners....  I am not anti controller.  I want to see how this smoker functions before I decide I want to get one.(I am hoping to not get one, simply because I want this pit to be more hands on.)  Also I went and looked at your thread.  Your custom controller is very very interesting and I cant imagine how much time you have put into it!  I love user inovation and experimentation!


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