# Smoke hollow smoke tronix users



## FORDTECH (Nov 20, 2017)

Hello everyone this is my first time posting here I just wanted to find somewhere to talk about my Smoke Hollow electric smoker with others who have used it.  I've had many problems with the smoker from day one I'm trying my hardest to still like it convincing myself almost. Although this is my first smoker i have nothing to compair to besides my friends who have other smokers that they say work great I just thought it would work better than it actually does.I guess I could say I expected more. I will say the packaging and assembly and finished product is great very sturdy units and sharp looking. Was my first thoughts. I then plug it in to find the LCD display not working properly it was missing parts of the display I still wanted to season it though so I turned it on knowing I would call the company in the morning.  275° for three hours or whatever I noticed the meat probe and temp probe we're 25° difference in Temp also I then used my Weber I grill to double check the temperature i used 4 probes all in different spots of the cook box all of these temps were 25° different than the Smoke Hollow temp sensor. I called Smoke Hollow in the morning they were very nice had no problems at all sending me out a new temp sensor and a whole new display  which was also part of the controller assembly I received it in three days and took 45 minutes to install. As soon as I plugged the unit in the display was fixed so that's no problem but I still have a 25° temperature difference compared to my Weber temperature sensor probe's. So I decided to make a pork shoulder about 10 pounds set the cook box for 225° and put the meat probe in the meat and let it run waiting for the meat  Prob to reach 185° it took almost 19 hours I knew something was wrong. Next day I made a 7 pound brisket same thing 225° it took 21 hours obviously something was wrong.  So the next weekend I decided to try a pork shoulder again this time using my weber probes as ambient probes right next to the meet ended up having to put the smoke hollow at 255° before my weber probes read 225° and it took a normal 13 hours to reach a desired 185° now that was the proper time. Now every time I use this unit I have four extra temp probe's just to measure at four different spots so I can average them out just to set the Smoke Hollow gauge to the proper temperature. Otherwise everything cooks 30° cooler so 225 being 195. Also  The water dish is directly over the heating element causing it to boil out very fast I have to add about 60 ounces of water every couple hours or it goes dry so now I started using a tinfoil pan with a 4 inch  lip that fits in the factory pan and that will last the cook time. I fill the smoke box with 2 to 3 handfuls and press the hot smoke button smoke is great after 15 minutes but only last for an hour  and a half , three handfuls of wood chips should last longer so I find myself dumping out the wood chips after an hour because they're black but not smoking anymore and adding new ones every hour I think I will start to add just a half to a full handful every 30 to 45 instead. My latest issue is now it's dripping black water out the back corners on to my wood deck so when I figured that out I wiped it up and I have placed 2 paper plates under both wheels to collect the black water that could stain something good thing my deck is old but not the point. This is only the beginning there's much more but I've rambled on long enough hopefully somebody reads this and can chime and also thanks for listening and reading


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## FORDTECH (Dec 4, 2017)

Hmmm still not 1 person out there using this smoker with any info on smoke hollow smoke tronix. I almost feel this electric smoker forum should just be called MES smoker forum due to the fact that's all anyone ever talks about


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## gmc2003 (Dec 4, 2017)

Sorry nobody is chiming in. I personally have never used or heard of your smoker. The forum does seem to favor the MES. Give it a couple days. I sure someone will speak up. Have you tried the search function?

Chris


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## dr k (Dec 4, 2017)

FORDTECH said:


> Hmmm still not 1 person out there using this smoker with any info on smoke hollow smoke tronix. I almost feel this electric smoker forum should just be called MES smoker forum due to the fact that's all anyone ever talks about


I don't have the Tronix digital smoker so I'm not wise to that one. When it comes to digital smokers I don't know the history on when they came out mfr. to mfr. but I'm sure it impacts how many are out there. If Tronix is new then it'll take time to build a following.  It's a numbers game. Law of probability. I don't know about Smokin it, Cookshack and Smokim Tex or whatever those names are. It seems you get what you pay for as they get more expensive. Sorry I'm no help. 
-Kurt


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## FORDTECH (Dec 4, 2017)

Yes I have only like 2-3 posts come up. It's a shame I wish more on here had one to talk about it with me. I e also done just searchs on Internet and still only 2-3 things ever come up. That's why I decided to post here and see if anyone else has one. I did my  research before buying this one I looked into the master built but after finding so many horrible reviews and problems I decided to get the Smoke Hollow because there was if one or 2% of the bad stuff written on the Internet about it not my issue is  no one's ever heard of it just like you and I'm sure some kind of modifications to it would make the unit better I'm just not sure where to start hoped someone else was having same issues as me


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## old sarge (Dec 4, 2017)

FORDTECH - I would try smoking without the waterpan.  If the smoker is tight and as you say the water boils, it is going to condense inside the smoker and run out somewhere, generally following gravity.  As for long cook times, I don't see yours being out of line with what I experience with my Smokin-it or with the Cookshack I used in the past. As the moisture condenses from vapor to water droplets, there is going to be a cooling effect. Regarding your temp probes, it may be that all that moisture from your water pan affected the accuracy of the probes both meat and chamber.  It has been known to happen.  In fact, most instructions say to not get them wet; that would also apply to steam. Your Weber probes may not have been exposed to the moisture your Smoke Hollow produced. Also, if you have not done so, check your probes in boiling water (tip only) and ice water. You should get a proper reading of boiling and freezing temp.  Do this for the SmokeTronix meat probe as well as your Weber.

Try a smoke without the water pan filled with water/leave it out if the instructions say it is ok to do so.  Also, you could try a PM to one of the others that have a SmokeTronix and see how they are fairing.  The search function will get a couple of postings on the SmokeTronix.  But as you said, this forum is heavy on the Masterbuilt. So I can understand your frustration.

http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?search/174377/&q=smoke+tronix&o=relevance


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## babcockwi (Dec 6, 2017)

I am patiently waiting for my new Smoke Tronix. It was suppose to be here yesterday, but apparently UPS is swamped. I will be sure to give some input after it is up and running.


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## old sarge (Dec 6, 2017)

Wrong time of the season to order anything if you want it fast.


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## FORDTECH (Dec 7, 2017)

Babcockwi yes please post back here when you have some experiance with the smoker or if you have any questions.  Ive used it 8x now so maybe have some info for you aswell if you need it.


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## babcockwi (Dec 8, 2017)

The Smoke Tronix finally arrived today. The smoker came pretty well packaged and in one piece. I spent about a half hour or so assembling the unit. My first impression is very positive, the unit seems very well built. I fired it up and started the seasoning process about an hour ago. So far so good, no problems! I installed my Thermoworks Smoke and so far it's actually pretty close to the smoke tronix internal thermometer, within 5-10 degrees or so. It seems to be holding pretty close to the set temp of 275, drops to 270 and the heat kicks on and heats it back to 276 and kicks off. The Bluetooth doesn't seem to work the greatest as many of the reviews have said. I am only about 30' away inside my house and the connection goes in and out. The app seems pretty handy if it stays connected. Im going dig something out of the freezer and give her a go on Sunday. I will be sure to report back.


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## old sarge (Dec 9, 2017)

Looking forward to reading your review.


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## dr k (Dec 9, 2017)

The Tronix sure looks nice! Hell, you can read the display from 30 ft away. 
-Kurt


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## babcockwi (Dec 10, 2017)

Alright so today is the maiden voyage with my new Smoke Tronix. I'm going to smoke a 4lb brisket I had in the freezer. Fired the smoker up while laying in bed this morning, the app is pretty handy when it stays connected. It took about 30 minutes to get up to 225 and it is holding the temp pretty good. Today the smoker therm and the Thermoworks where only about 3 degrees different. I am going to be using Kingsford hickory chips, and try both soaked and dry.


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## babcockwi (Dec 10, 2017)

Loaded up the chip tray with some soaked hickory chips. Pushed the hot smoke button and within 5 minutes I had some nice smoke going. I have noticed that the meat therm on the smoker is reading about 20 degrees higher than my Thermoworks therm and I have them very close together.


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## babcockwi (Dec 10, 2017)

Ok so I'm just about 3 hours in. The meat probe is starting to get closer to my Thermoworks probe, only off by 6 degrees now. The smoker temp is starting to be quite a bit different, it is reading 260 and the Thermoworks is about 220. I do have the probe directly in the center just above the meat and the smoker probe is in the top back left corner. First tray of chips is still going. Pretty nice to get 2+ hours out of a single fill.


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## old sarge (Dec 10, 2017)

I would not worry too much about the difference between probes. If you throw a 3rd, and a 4th probe into the mix you might get additional differences, maybe major, maybe minor.  I use an instant read when my smoker tells me that the internal temp has been reached.  I probe in two or three different locations and the readings are a few degrees off from each other.  I just assume it is muscle and fat variances causing the differences.  

Monitoring the smoker temp?  Try to place your remote as close to the built in probe as you can.  Enjoy!


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## FORDTECH (Dec 10, 2017)

Ok so now you are experiencing the problems I had and heading for disaster. Can I ask what the smoke tronix temp is set at for you to have 260 degrees?id assume 260? And if your other temp probe reading only 220 that's an issue. So if you had no aftermarket probe and you set smoker for 225 or so then your aftermarket probe would say 189-190 and that's way to low. If you had proved at top middle and bottom you would see huge differences in them even compaired to the smoke tronix probe. The top of smoker is at 260 the middle of smoker is at 220. This would make it hard to cook on more then 1 rack as temps are not even close from rack to rack. Also if like to add you first state meat probe is 20 degrees off from tronix but now after 3 hours it's closer. The difference of 5-10 degrees in your finished meat is the difference on how it will turn out 10 degrees over what your target temp is will be way over cooked 10 less will not be done. So which probe do you go off of ? Your guess is as good as mine


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## FORDTECH (Dec 10, 2017)

My point is the cook box is no were near even temp inside from top to bottom. I'm starting to think its the placement of the smoke tronix temp probe being that it is in the upper left corner almost at top of box. If you notice most other smokers have probe in center back of box. Like the MES does . After you and few more chime in I may try to modify mine by moving probe to center of box from top corner


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## FORDTECH (Dec 10, 2017)

Another thing that bother me about this smoker is if you put meat probe next to temp probe and heat up smoker there is 10-20 degrees difference in them alone. Don't you think smoke box temp and meat probe in no meat in the same location should read the same ? Hmmmm another thought could the meat probe be reading 20 degrees more then your thermo works because it's mounted in he back of box and touches the metal back of inside box which is just above heater element that is mounted to same metal panel and the heat is transferring up the metal panel itself causing temp probe to read heat off the back panel. Just a thought


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## FORDTECH (Dec 10, 2017)

Notice in your graph in last pic you sent the probes are not same meat probe stays below temp probe. Then meat probe goes way down I assume that's when you placed it into your meat.


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## gmc2003 (Dec 10, 2017)

Fordtech, I'm trying to understand what your saying. If I'm correct, then don't go by the therm that came with the Smoke Hollow. If your Weber Igrill is accurate then go by that. All smokers have hot spots. I believe Bear mentioned that the gen 2 MES has a hot spot on the right side where the heating element is as well as the stack. My WSM also has hot spots. The Smoke hollow therm can be used as a guide if the temp readings are repeatable smoke to smoke. Dial in smoking on the top shelve then on the other shelves and see what the temp/time differences are. Heat rises. Find your comfort zone and don't give up on the smoker. Once you know your smoker then you can fill it with meat and adjust your times. If this isn't your problem then please feel free to disregard my post.

Chris


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## babcockwi (Dec 10, 2017)

Fordtech I understand your frustrations, but after owning 2 MES 30's over the years my expectations of the therms are not that high. That's why I have invested in the Thermoworks Smoke and also have a maverick 732 & 733. A smoker at this price point will not have the best of everything. 

I put my Thermoworks therm next to the smokers therm for the last hour and it is only 2 degrees different even though it is up in the corner and should be In the middle. In the middle of the smoker it is running about 15-20 degrees cooler than what it's set at. This is not any different than any MES I've owned. The meat therm is currently only about 3 degrees lower than Thermoworks. All in all not to bad.


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## FORDTECH (Dec 10, 2017)

Gmc and bab you are right and I totally understand this is the Input I was looking for. I have already figured out to ditch the factory and go with the I grill. This being my first smoker ever just didn't have the experience to know it was right or wrong  but enough commen sense to do that. Now I know I'm not the only one out there doing this tho :)


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## old sarge (Dec 10, 2017)

Check probe placement in your oven be it gas or electric.  You generally find them up and away from the heating element, for stability as well as keeping the oven on long enough to heat up the entire chamber.  I agree that on many electric smokers the probe is low, down by the heating element.  I am assuming/guessing that this was done so that the analog controller could cycle off and on as the probe read the temperature BETWEEN the element and the load of meat above the element.  SI, after much research, testing and trial and error by one of their forum members as in mounting the probe in various locations chose the top of the smoker for it's digital models, letting the PID work it's magic in regulating the temp.  It turned out that the temp was more stable at the top. And it does this fairly well.  

I am no engineer but if there is a circuit board in the controller, then I would think there is some sort of built in program or algorithm that averages out the temp of the smoker based upon the volume of the box, regardless of what the temp coming off the heating element is.  Just a guess mind you. Best advice is to call Smoke Hollow and discuss with them.  Could be a problem easily fixed under warranty.  And as I said earlier, I use an instant read when the meat is done, theoretically done.  I have done it this way in the past with my Cookshack and continue with the SI. And I adjust accordingly.  I son't use multiple probes anymore.  Just too maddening.


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## FORDTECH (Dec 10, 2017)

So how did the brisket come out bab? How much water did you go threw ? And I'm still having issues with water from condensation running out back corners. Maybe I use to much water and I'm supposta let the water pan run out dry? Did you notice this smoker due to its design using more water then the other smokers you have used ? Thanks for all your input and help guys


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## babcockwi (Dec 10, 2017)

The brisket turned out good, not my best but it was good. I didn't use any water in the pan. I actually can't remember the last time I used water in any of my smokers.


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## babcockwi (Dec 10, 2017)

After my first run of the Smoke Tronix, I am pretty pleased. It held the temp pretty good, and heated up fairly quickly, considering It was 20 degrees here today. The unsoaked chips worked better than wet ones. The wet chips would go out after the element under the chip tray went off, and also took longer to get going. It averaged about 1.5hrs of smoke on a pan of chips. Personally thought that was pretty good. In the future I will try the AMNPS it might just fit in the slot for the chip tray and would get good airflow to keep it going. Will also use my smoke pistol should be able to mount it on the side by the trap door. I really liked the Bluetooth feature even though it has its limitations, maybe WiFi would be better for this but probably more expensive. The app works well and logged the cook even when it would be disconnected. If anybody has found a cover for the Smoke Tronix please let me know. I emailed the company about a cover and extra racks, when I hear from them I will post back.


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 21, 2017)

Wow..  !
2 different frame of minds on the first impressions of this smoker.

I'm not sure I would use that water pan for all my smokes. Most people don't use those things. I see the water condensation in there causes black liquid to run into cracks..  might be an RTV seal modification down the road.. 
I have a question about that bottom drip shelf and water pan area.. Does it look like there would be a way to put in wood chunks somewhere down there where they could smoke ? I know there is an outter and center element there under all that bottom tray area.  I would try to find a way to 86 the water pan in favor of a place to burn chunks if I wanted..  looks real nice. Hope you guys get good smoked meals from that smoker..


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## babcockwi (Dec 21, 2017)

Here are a couple photos I just took. If you take the water pan out you can see the chip tray above the middle element. It has a cover over it and I would think if you remove the covers you could use chunks.


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 21, 2017)

babcockwi said:


> Here are a couple photos I just took. If you take the water pan out you can see the chip tray above the middle element. It has a cover over it and I would think if you remove the covers you could use ....



How about cutting a place in the center where the water pan area is, to set a cast iron pan in for chunks to sit in? Lol I know if I had that smoker I would be tempted.
Then to use water, You just put a foil pan over the hole you cut and just use the chip thing..


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 21, 2017)

That chip tray is really long though I see. No room for a cast iron pan ...

They made that like how a new cars engine compartment is made.. shoehorned into it. Lol


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## babcockwi (Dec 21, 2017)

If you took the metal rails that the chip tray slides on out, there might be room for a pan. It is about a 12"x12" area and the pan would sit on the middle element on the bottom.


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 21, 2017)

babcockwi said:


> If you took the metal rails that the chip tray slides on out, there might be room for a pan. It is about a 12"x12" area and the pan would sit on the middle element on the bottom.



Or replace that water pan with a big heavy duty piece of flat foil that you can cut to fit on the same rails that water pan is resting on.. You could cut the groves in the foil sheet like the water pan has around it's edges. But the new pan will be flat and the chunks can stick up out of the chip tray without its cover.. They sell big aluminum foil pans you can cut to be same length and width of the water pan in there.. 
Should give a couple extra inches for chunk bulk. Lol
Then your water pan can go back in whenever you want.


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## FORDTECH (Dec 23, 2017)

Babcockwi did you ever get a responce from smoke hollow about the cover for this thing ?


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## babcockwi (Dec 23, 2017)

Yes. They told me the Smoke Hollow SC38 will fit. I have found online for $30-$40. For new racks and brackets we will need to contact Smoke Hollow directly. They are around $15 a piece.


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## babcockwi (Dec 24, 2017)

Yesterday I got to smoke with the new smoker for the third time. I did a double smoked ham and it turned out AWESOME! I followed bearcarver's instructions and used some hickory chips. Didn't get much Q-vue but I did get the finished product. The smoker worked great, no issues so far. I played around with the temp probe positions and the smoker temp was consistently off by 20 degrees or so and the meat probe was dead on. I had to reload the chip tray one time and got about 5hrs of smoke from the two trays.


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## babcockwi (Dec 24, 2017)

Today I will be smoking a couple pork butts for pulled pork on Christmas day. I rubbed them down yesterday morning and wrapped them and put in the fridge. Fired up the Smoke Tronix at 545am and put the butts on at 6am. Filled the chip tray up with apple chips and hit the fast smoke button, had decent smoke around 620am. Going to smoke them at 220 until IT is 160-165 then wrap in foil pan until finished. So far this morning the smoker temp is about 30 degrees different from my Thermoworks and the meat probe is almost identical to the Thermoworks.


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## old sarge (Dec 24, 2017)

I’d like plate full of that. Looks real tasty!


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## tbrtt1 (Dec 24, 2017)

Hi FORDTECH,

I'm a little late to this party, but what the heck. It looks like you are getting things somewhat worked out. Full disclosure statement: I don't have a Smoke Hollow. I have a Smokin-It #2 (electric Cookshack clone) and have extensive experience with it.

I have a few key thoughts and recommendations that have already been mentioned but I will echo because I am just sitting here drinking cup of coffee #2 and what the hell:

1- Forget the probes and temp readings on the Smoke Hollow. It could be the probes, the sensor or both that are off.  If you have a good dual probe (sounds like you do) and you checked it in boiling water, this is your gospel temp reading. Put that probe somewhere around the meat and go with that. If you have to set the Smoke Hollow to 500* to get 250* at your probe, so be it.

2- Forget he water pan. Insulated box smokers retain a ton of moisture and the water pan is just causing unnecessary excess moisture. It will affect bark formation and possibly make it harder to get temps higher. High end electric smokers don't even have water pans. You may be able to put some wood chunks in the water pan, wrapped in foil to prevent them from possibly catching fire inside your smoker, and see if they smolder. Then you could maybe use chunks and not have to add chips every hour. 

3-The black liquid is likely nothing to worry about, but if you can identify exactly where in the cook chamber it is coming from you can seal that with high temp RTV silicone, as I think someone else mentioned already. However, it may be difficult to pinpoint where it is coming from since it could be condensation and may actually be from the top of the cook chamber leaking down the inside walls and out the bottom, though probably not. 

You can make some really nice Q in that smoker. Like any smoker it will be a learning curve. They all have a learning curve.


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## tbrtt1 (Dec 24, 2017)

One more thing, consider an Amazen pellet smoker maze or tube. Not sure if anyone has used it in a smoke hollow, but lots of MES and other electric smoker owners, my myself included, use them. You will likely have to shield it from dripping meat juices and leave the water pan door and chip tray door open for extra oxygen, but they produce a great flavor profile and can go for hours, meaning you can put those briskets on before you go to bed and smoke while you sleep.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 24, 2017)

That's Great, Babcock!!---Like.
Glad you like that Ham!! Just can't beat a Cheap Double Smoked Ham!!:)

And Bet your Pulled Pork will be Awesome too!!

Bear


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## babcockwi (Dec 24, 2017)

I just added some more chips to the smoker. The first tray lasted almost 3hrs, not to bad. While I had the tray out I grabbed my AMNPS to see if it will fit. It will slide right in the existing opening for the chip tray and sit on top of the middle element, and should get decent airflow. I will try it out sometime and report back.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 24, 2017)

babcockwi said:


> I just added some more chips to the smoker. The first tray lasted almost 3hrs, not to bad. While I had the tray out I grabbed my AMNPS to see if it will fit. *It will slide right in the existing opening for the chip tray and sit on top of the middle element*, and should get decent airflow. I will try it out sometime and report back.




That's good for Cold Smokes, but can you get it far enough from the heating element to be able to use it with warm & Hot Smokes without causing row jumping and complete burn-outs?

Bear


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## babcockwi (Dec 24, 2017)

I will have to watch the center element. I think it only comes on for 20min when I hit the fast smoke button, to get the chip tray burning. The rest of the time the larger element is doing heating and that would be far enough away. I will jeep an eye on it.


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## FORDTECH (Dec 24, 2017)

As far as center element it does cycle on maybe 1 or 2x an hour to keep chips smoldering. So most likely would cause complete burn out of amnps.  Good thing tho is smoke hollow has a cold smoke feature already built in. Allows you to smoke at a beleive 70degrees to 120

Btw bab your ham looks great


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## FORDTECH (Dec 24, 2017)

Tbrtt1 thanks for the input. Yes you are right there is a learning curve. And I am finally getting things worked out thanks to all of you guys input . As far as your post 1 yes that's what I have been doing using Webber probe next to meat and setting smoke hollow to whatever I need to to get my set temp right. 2 my next smoke I will try with no water in pan maybe just throw some onion garlic and half an orange or something in there for some aroma. As far as wood chunks I'm not really having a problem with smoke production I like how easy it is to refill and get usually 3-5 hours out a full tray. But maybe I will mess with it and or an amnps. 3  I do know where the black liquid is coming from the back panel comes off and that happens to be where the smoke vent is on the back of the unit not on the top so there is no seal between the box in the back panel and as the smoke and condensation runs out the back it goes in between the panel and the box runs down the back inside panel out the bottom.I can seal all this with our Rtv except for as many times as I have had to take that panel off already if I rtv it in the future will be a problem. Maybe just not using water in pan will fix this issue. Seems others who don't use water not having this problem so I will post back next time I try with results.


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 24, 2017)

Looks good there..
Sounds like you know your smoker.
That moisture runs down in places to cause the drips in a couple places.. I think you will be able to find those cracks where you can seal with RTV high temp.. Yep.  That's why I don't use a water pan in mine .. steam is running all down the lid of my smoker when I do.. plus I don't need moisture usually.


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## babcockwi (Dec 25, 2017)

So everything went great yesterday on my first long smoke with the Smoke Tronix. The butts took about 13.5hrs and the smoker never missed a beat. The finished product is really good! Only problem no Q-vue. It was getting late and I totally forgot to take some pics. I only had to fill the chip tray twice and that lasted about 8hrs until I wrapped.

 After using the Smoke Tronix a few times now I really like it and would recommend it to anyone. It is very easy to use and so far seems pretty reliable. I will be trying a few things out over the next few weeks and I will be sure to keep everyone posted.

Merry Christmas! 
babcockwi


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## Birdguy (Jan 5, 2018)

Hey folks.  Really pleased to find this thread on the Smoke Tronix.  Mine just arrived a few days ago.  Made my first go of it yesterday:  6 racks of back ribs.  Here's a few observations:

1. Love the design.  It's a great looker and does what is says it will do.  Materials are very robust.  Nothing flimsy about it.  Not sure about the actual workmanship in assembly though (see leaking issue below).
2. When full, wood chips lasted me 2 1/2 hours.  I was using very fine chips, so larger more standard sized chips should last longer.  Significantly more smoke than my old MES.  I could taste the difference!  It was amazing to be able to control the smoke with the fast smoke feature. I've learned the wood chip concept is totally different than the MES, though.  This one is designed so you fill the wood chip box, the burner comes on for 20 min. and lights them, then the chips burn on their own till done.  Works great, but this is why soaking the chips doesn't work.  
3. Compared the meat thermometer to a digital one I've used for years.  Within 2 degrees.  
4. Compared the smoker temp, and temp displayed by Smoke tronix was about 10 degrees higher than my probe.  Held steady within 5 degrees the entire smoke.
5. Cooking time seemed right for ribs.  Used my standard timing (3 hours, wrap for 1:45, unwrap add sauce, then 20 minutes).  I raised the set temp to 240 instead of my standard 235 to adjust for the temp difference.  5 of the 6 ribs were perfect.  One rib was a bit overdone, with the meat falling off the bone more than I like.  Seems to indicate a hot spot. Not sure where yet.
6. I had some leaking near the front rt. corner.  Tightened the door latch and it seemed to fix it. I had a small bit of smoke leaking through the viewing window.  I'm going to tighten the screws around the window today, and seal if I have to .
7. Didn't use the water pan.  Seemed like plenty of moisture and condensation in the box and on the window.
8. Bluetooth was surprisingly good for me.  Expected it to not work.  A little trouble connecting at first, but I could go all over my house with my ipad and never lose the connection.  LOVE the app itself.

At this point I'd say I'm overall pretty darn pleased.  The Smoke Tronix isn't perfect, and I've got some bugs to work through.  For me, the positives far outweigh the negatives.


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## babcockwi (Jan 6, 2018)

Great to hear you like your new smoker. The ribs look great! I've had mine for a little while now and am still loving it. I have noticed if you use a mix of fine and regular chips it does seem to work better. Last smoke I almost got 4hrs out of a tray of chips.


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## Birdguy (Jan 6, 2018)

babcockwi said:


> Great to hear you like your new smoker. The ribs look great! I've had mine for a little while now and am still loving it. I have noticed if you use a mix of fine and regular chips it does seem to work better. Last smoke I almost got 4hrs out of a tray of chips.



Thanks for the input.  Love the idea of a mixture of chips!  I think I'll give that a try the next go around. I'm thinking about doing a brisket on Sunday, but I kinda hoped to locate the hotspot first if there really is one.  Have you noticed any hot or cold areas on yours?


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## babcockwi (Jan 7, 2018)

I havent noticed any hot spots yet. I will be smoking 10 lbs of jerky this morning, i should find out then.


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## Eric6711 (Aug 7, 2018)

babcockwi said:


> After my first run of the Smoke Tronix, I am pretty pleased. It held the temp pretty good, and heated up fairly quickly, considering It was 20 degrees here today. The unsoaked chips worked better than wet ones. The wet chips would go out after the element under the chip tray went off, and also took longer to get going. It averaged about 1.5hrs of smoke on a pan of chips. Personally thought that was pretty good. In the future I will try the AMNPS it might just fit in the slot for the chip tray and would get good airflow to keep it going. Will also use my smoke pistol should be able to mount it on the side by the trap door. I really liked the Bluetooth feature even though it has its limitations, maybe WiFi would be better for this but probably more expensive. The app works well and logged the cook even when it would be disconnected. If anybody has found a cover for the Smoke Tronix please let me know. I emailed the company about a cover and extra racks, when I hear from them I will post back.


I’m glad to see someone saying good things about the smoke tronix. I joined this forum hoping for some info on the Smoke Tronix. I am sick of the masterbuilts I’ve owned they last about a year and something always goes wrong with them.


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## old sarge (Aug 7, 2018)

Sometimes you just have to take a chance and go with what few reviews there are.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 7, 2018)

Eric6711 said:


> I’m glad to see someone saying good things about the smoke tronix. I joined this forum hoping for some info on the Smoke Tronix. I am sick of the masterbuilts I’ve owned they last about a year and something always goes wrong with them.


I have had my Smoke Tronix for a couple of months now. Have used it once a week since then with no problems with the smoker or bt connection/app.  For the price point, the Smoke Tronix is a pretty solid smoker. I have no complaints.


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## Eric6711 (Aug 8, 2018)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> I have had my Smoke Tronix for a couple of months now. Have used it once a week since then with no problems with the smoker or bt connection/app.  For the price point, the Smoke Tronix is a pretty solid smoker. I have no complaints.


Thanks Second Hand good to hear. I’m going to get me one. I use one quite a bit myself.


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## Bearcarver (Aug 8, 2018)

Eric6711 said:


> I’m glad to see someone saying good things about the smoke tronix. I joined this forum hoping for some info on the Smoke Tronix.* I am sick of the masterbuilts I’ve owned they last about a year and something always goes wrong with them.*




LOL---Tell that to my 5 year old & my 8 year old MES 40s.

Bear


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 8, 2018)

Eric6711 said:


> Thanks Second Hand good to hear. I’m going to get me one. I use one quite a bit myself.


Have you decided which model you want?


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## Eric6711 (Aug 8, 2018)

Bearcarver said:


> LOL---Tell that to my 5 year old & my 8 year old MES 40s.
> 
> Bear


I have had the 30in Mes burners went out controllers went out. The last one I had somehow grease got down on the wiring underneath the unit we’re the heating element is wired in and it caught fire. And I clean it regularly. I use mine all the time. I would love to have one that would last. Are the 40s built any better? I’m sure they are you can pull up YouTube videos of a Mes 40 catching fire no thanks.


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## Eric6711 (Aug 8, 2018)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> Have you decided which model you want?


I am looking at the Ds4015ss The stainless steel one.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Aug 8, 2018)

Eric6711 said:


> I am looking at the Ds4015ss The stainless steel one.


That is the model I have. The DS4015SS does not come with a stand with wheels and from I understand after reading some online reviews, you cannot add a stand later.  This was not a deal breaker for me since the smoker is plenty tall.  
I actually ordered online from HomeDepot since they have the best price and free delivery.  Plus, if the smoker was DOA, then I could just take it back to the store 30 minutes away.

I think you will really like your Smoke Tronix.


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## bushrod (Oct 20, 2018)

I unfortunately too have a Smoke Tronix. I also have a BGE,  2 MasterBuilt Electric Smokers and a Traeger.
I bought the Smoke Tronix about a year ago and still can't figure it out enough to trust it.
The first cook was Ribs (3-2-1 method) after 4 hours the ribs were definitely not as done as they should have been so I gave them another hour. I finally gave up and tried to finish them in the oven.
I called Smoke Hollow and they sent me all new Heating Elements, which I replaced. 
The next week I had to cook 9 Pork Butts for a large group of people. I put 4 in my Masterbuilt, 3 in my Traeger and 2 in the Smoke Tronix. After 5 hours into the cook it was obvious that the Tronix was not keeping up. Once again I tried to salvage them in the oven. I have put 3 Oven Thermometers into the Tronx and they all read within 3 degrees of the setting on the dial.
Although it appears to be working as it should, it takes about twice as long to cook anything that I put in it.


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## babcockwi (Oct 20, 2018)

Sorry to hear that Bushrod, you must of got a lemon. I've had mine for almost a year and haven't had one problem, and couldn't be happier. Maybe they need to send out a whole new unit.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Oct 20, 2018)

I, too, am sorry to hear that you are having problems.  I am going to assume that you have used a separate probe to verify the actual temperature inside the Smoke Tronix versus the controller's setpoint.  Oops.. I just saw where you stated that you have used oven thermometers to verify temps.  I have not had any problems with mine either, so it is possible you have one a bad one.  Are you using an extension cord?


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## SecondHandSmoker (Oct 20, 2018)

Another question, are you running the back vent wide open or do you close it down by 50%?


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## old sarge (Oct 20, 2018)

If the smoker is reaching temp, and you verified it, I doubt the smoker is the issue UNLESS the element cycles off and takes an extraordinarily long time to cycle back on.  As an aside, I have had similar smokes with same cut of meat and similar weights vary by a couple of hours from one smoke to another.  Just no explaining it. Just living with it.


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