A long rambling post about getting comfortable with my new FEC.
Bottom line it looks like I will have to cook at higher temperatures on this unit than I had to on my old log burner. Whereas I used to cook at 220-230, it looks like the temp in the FEC, at the bottom of the unit will predictibly stay at about 250-255 - based on the measurements I made and attach in the table below.
I am more comfortable cooking at slightly lower temperatures - 220-230 and would like to do so, though I'm sure in time I'll learn to cook well if I need to at higher temps.
I have two questions:
1.) has anyone figured a way to run the smoker at 220-230 range? Thoughts I had were using cooler burning pellets (I use Traeger apple and hickory) or fabricating a chimney that would draw hot air more quickly out of the cooker. Any suggestion of wood types that burn cooler??
2.) Could you please post for each category your time and temp setting technique- eg:
Chicken - 50 minutes at 325
Ribs - 2 hours at the 230 setting
Butt - 2 hours on smoke then 8 hours on 230
Brisket - 2 hours on smoke then 8 hours on 230
I tallked thru this with Andy (?) at Cookshack and his view was that I just need to get used to cooking on a new pit ... that I will make great product but need to change my view of temp a bit. And I must say I tried his chicken technique and it was fantastic. The "sample" suggested cooking times and temps are his from what I remember.
Table below shows the readings I am getting from 3 thermometers at the "230" setting - the one between 180 and 275. The "FEC" column, the first shows the reading on the FEC thermometer. The second one shows the readiing of a reliable thermometer on the top shelf. The third shows a thermometer reading on the bottom shelf. The final column shows the temp difference between top and bottom of the unit which I generally measure at about 25 degrees.
FEC Up Down UP-Down
235 271 244 27
265 294 267 27
250 281 255 26
245 278 251 27
250 279 259 20
195 216 203 13
220 259 223 36
250 288 267 21
245 277 261 16
Average: 239 271 248 24
Median: 245 278 255 26
Original Post
