FEC 100 temperature control

No, of course it's not normal, with the design of the cooker it will work great. Sometimes new units just need to be looked it closely, not a normal thing, but it does happen.

If anything you read in this forum will tell you is that CS Customer Service is exceptional.

Just call CS customer service in the morning and they'll walk you through the steps to check out it.

We could help in the forum, but it's easiest there in case they have to help.

Could be as simple as the auger not working correctly, the temp probe or even just a fan not working. Call Tech Support and they'll take care of you immediately.

Sent them an email last noc. Will get in touch today. Thanx for the info

Call them, not sure how quick they get to email, and they'll want to talk with you direct. Hard to do the Q&A type investigation via forum and email.

They'll take care of you, but let us know what they tell you.

Talked to Bill at Cookshack CS. When I ran the cooker I had taken everything out (too lazy to want to wash everything down if I don't get the benefit of "Q" along with it). Thinks that maybe the lack of anything to diffuse the heat meant it was going straight out the flue. Also recommended adding a vertical flue to the opening. Will try these things and get back to you.

WEith baffles and shelves in place smoker kept temp as advertised. Wings and ribs cooked to perfection. Signed on for my first cook-off in April. Should have no trouble with the FEC100 leading the pack.

Yep,always nice to see what one phone call to service ,as we all suggest,can get a lifetime of great cooking started.

Sounds like you have cooked some,so you know a little glitch is just that.

Another recommendation is read all the FEC forums,as they are as close as it gets to the comprehensive manual,produced by all the fine cooks that have great success.It won't take long,and a lot of comp tips are covered.

Along those same lines, how tight should temps stay to the set temps?
Last night I set the fec to 230 and had one brisket and one butt on. I had temps as low as 117 and as high as 270. (Cool evening here in Des Moines but no high winds)The brisket, packer, was at 200 degrees in 8 hours.
It seems to have a very tuff time recovering (or leveling out) after having the door open.

The first full day of cooking/breaking in our new IQ4 s we all had lots of spikes.

The fuller the load,the less swings.We try not to hold doors open a long time,but do allow for a little recovery time-especially with cold ambient temps and winds.

The blacker the walls-like all cookers-the better.

At comps,we usually run the cooker awhile,to heat thru and be sure winds aren't blowing into the exhaust port.

When we load big meats,we let it stabilize about 1/2 hr and then it typically stays +/- 4º.

Instructions recommend not allowing build up in the cooker due to fire hazard. Is this just for the electric cookers or is it just being over cautious?

I think this would apply to any smoker, not just Cookshack electric smokers or FECs. It's not only a fire hazard it's just nasty. I am speaking as a woman here, not as a representative of Cookshack, LOL!

Our graph from last night. I understand the swings after the door is open but there are several hours with it left close and we still have big swings.

A quick note here for the forum,is we don't always know what your reference is.

This is not the "direct voice of the corp",so correct answers may not await all questions.

There is no 24 hr "google" hanging around .

We are a bunch of cooks, around a few continents,sharing where/when we can.

Maybe, every several days.

We all try to help ,or steer folks to someone that can.Think of a local beer joint.It could be awhile before the cook with the "specific" info drops by.

Please be aware of what you ask,because the answer will reflect that.

Example could be: BUILDUP of most anything ash,grease,firepot,that could happen.Anyway,you get the idea that we are just like a guy you meet at the 7-11,except we have some of the same interests you do.

The more specific the question,the better chance that some cook will drift by with a thought-in a day,or two.

So would you all think these temp swings are excessive?

quote:

Originally posted by Smokers Purgatory:
So would you all think these temp swings are excessive?

When my door is closed and nothing changes, I don't have temp fluctuations like that, but the real thing is do YOU think they're excessive.

Easiest way to put your mind at ease, call Tony at CS (Service) and talk to him about it.

The new IQ4 s do seem to have a little "personality" of their own,and Tony is great about figuring the little tweaks that may follow a few narrow patterns.

How many cooks has it done,and what size loads is it running?

They can be tighter on swings,which if you aren't a technician may mean nothing.

There may be some firepot airflow adjustments, that fall into a group ,and might fall into wider swings-if you are a technician.

Many cooks don't expect either,so if the average produces good product, give it no thought.

Coming from more of a stickburner background,and trying to keep an average "actual verified cooking temp at the rack",I'm not enough of a technician to figure all the rest out.

Kinda looks like the average line-if the ACTUAL temp at the cooking spot is correct,is running pretty good.

How did the product turn out?

There are lots of variables go into this. If you'd like to call me you can reach me at 866-425-2874. You had 1/2 hr in there of rock solid temp. I bet the variables have something to do with it.

Beautiful graph. Is there something about my FEC 100 that I don't know about? I didn't know that I could get info like this out of my cooker or did you rig up something to get this info?

quote:

Originally posted by Nekked Pig BBQ:
Beautiful graph. Is there something about my FEC 100 that I don't know about? I didn't know that I could get info like this out of my cooker or did you rig up something to get this info?

Its a graph using a stoker and stoker log.

thanx. A little too high tech for this country boy.

quote:

Originally posted by Nekked Pig BBQ:
thanx. A little too high tech for this country boy.

Country boy cooking on an FEC and chatting about it on the computer ... I think you could hadle it. :-)

Can you forward me a web address or site to find out more about this stoker and stoker log?

Not sure they want it advertised here but if a guy was to google Rocks BBQ and Stokerlog he might find information.
But unless you have a stick burner I doubt the $250 would be worth it just for graphs. I use mine on my other smoker.

I realize that I am more than "technology challenged" and a mite lazy, and spend more time cooking product,than wondering if I can out think Fast Eddy's couple decades of designing these cookers-but I keep wondering if all the time spent charting the cooker,and trying to change Eddy's techniques,is producing a consistently finer product.

If it does,I guess I'll quit the KISS approach and start buying me some new toys to change my FEC s.

I can always tell the bride they are her holiday gifts?

Any firm improvements are welcome,as her Easter present is coming up.

Just using the tools I have to be sure my $3,000 purchase is working properly.

I use a Stoker as my main controller. I got rid of the Traeger controller and I hold + or - 1*.

Tom, You have a far more understanding wife than I. If I even thought of giving her a gift that centered on food prep or the kitchen I'd have to put a pillow and blanket in my Cooker and figure out how to be comfortable out there. She's a tremendous cook, Italian and Sicilian with too many "Uncles" whose middle name starts with the word "The". I agree though, with the few times I've used my FEC100 so far, I'm more than pleased with the results. Couple more practices planned before my first big shot into competition cooking in April. Judged a great cook-off today with some excellent SC que and ribs. Several competitiors had bullets withthe Stoker system installed. Looked like something the Russians put into orbit back in the 60's but they swear by it.