WTH? AmeriQue Broken after 2 hours of break-in!!??

After 30 minutes off, I connected the smoker back to the power. The control module worked as normal. I have started a new 4 hour seasoning period and will report back.

If everything isn't to your satisfaction, call Cookshack first thing. They'll have it right by Christmas I'm sure.

Thanks for the reply. I'll try tomorrow.

UPDATE:
3 hours into the second seasoning period and all is well.

Hopefully what you smelled is styrofoam beads from the shipping padding that had worked its way into the holes on top of the unit. When I got mine, I noticed this and took a good bit of time to "pick" them out. I hope thats all it was, if not CS WILL make it right.

Tony at CS was quite helpful. They are sending out a new control module today. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

Thanks

I received the replacement control module from Tony at CookShack next day air. Nice way to step it up!

I installed the new control module today for tomorrows feast... but it is worse than the first one.

After plugging in the unit with the probe installed everything starts as normal. I am able to select the cook temperature and change it. But when I select probe I get hieroglyphics again! I cannot even see what I am doing when I select a different probe temperature.

Unfortunately, I assumed the replacement control module would work. I guess I have to roast my ham and turkey this year

If two are bad, I'll bet it's wiring or something else.

That's a HUGE bummer, and that's the tough thing trying to get something new for Christmas.

They'll make it right.

I do not own an Amerique and all I know is what I read on the main site.
It says the probe is optional.
Will the smoker work without the probe using just cook temp?

Thinking about buying one down the road.
Just curious.

TIM

just curious. the probe temp can be set without the probe plugged in; does the probe temp show w/o probe in place? Looks like the smoker may still heat even tho' the probe sensor may be bad; then again the probe part amy work after everything warms up. Just check the meat with a separate temp probe like an instant read therm.

Yes, KAPN, the AmQ works w/o the probe in a timer mode. The probe is an option.

quote:

Originally posted by TN Q:
just curious. the probe temp can be set without the probe plugged in; does the probe temp show w/o probe in place? Looks like the smoker may still heat even tho' the probe sensor may be bad; then again the probe part amy work after everything warms up. Just check the meat with a separate temp probe like an instant read therm.

Yes, KAPN, the AmQ works w/o the probe in a timer mode. The probe is an option.

Good to know.
Thanks,

TIM

quote:

Originally posted by KAPN:
I do not own an Amerique and all I know is what I read on the main site.
It says the probe is optional.
Will the smoker work without the probe using just cook temp?

Thinking about buying one down the road.
Just curious.

TIM

Tim,

I have had my Amerique since October, and out of ~ 30 cooking sessions, I have used my probe once. I prefer to use my remote dual channel thermometers (Maverick ET73).

That was my hope last night. The AQ still had heat. But then the display numbers for the oven temp went crazy (could not read the temp). So, I tested the oven temp with my remote thermometer and still had good/steady temp. I went to bed with the intention on smoking blind with an external thermometer in the morning.... but that was NO GOOD!

When I woke up today, the AQ would turn on, but it refused to go through the electrical solenoid test (the initial clicks), the screen turned green but nothing could bee seen on it. The ONLY button that worked was the on/off button. I swapped out the control module with the old one, but it did the same thing except it clicks once.

The turkey is now in the oven for a slow roast...

Thanks for the response.
M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S S

quote:

Originally posted by lokmeup:
That was my hope last night. The AQ still had heat. But then the display numbers for the oven temp went crazy (could not read the temp). So, I tested the oven temp with my remote thermometer and still had good/steady temp. I went to bed with the intention on smoking blind with an external thermometer in the morning.... but that was NO GOOD!

When I woke up today, the AQ would turn on, but it refused to go through the electrical solenoid test (the initial clicks), the screen turned green but nothing could bee seen on it. The ONLY button that worked was the on/off button. I swapped out the control module with the old one, but it did the same thing except it clicks once.

The turkey is now in the oven for a slow roast...

Thanks for the response.
M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S S

I feel your pain, man. Try not to let it ruin your holiday. CS will make it right; that's my experience wih them. You'll be a smokin' fool in no time, and you'll have a story to tell.

Hang in there and keep the faith.

SmokinMAINEiac

Another AmQ not working....opened my Christmas present today, read the owner's manual, fired up the smoker to break it in, and after 90 minutes, the screen went blank and the control panel was completely unresponsive except for the on/off button. Anyone have suggestions? If not, guess I'll call CS monday to inquire....

Sorry to hear about the problems with your Christmas present.I'm sure it's disappointing! You've got the right idea about calling CS Monday morning. The good thing is you'll get to talk with some fine folks that speak English and will make it right with you. NO one has better customer service then them, they care as if you are family, which you are now.

Hozer, received my AQ thur afternoon. set up to season and started. after 35 min, same thing as you happened. I checked the breaker, the outlet and all were fine. unscrewed the controler off and as soon as I moved the controler it started its startup clicking. seems the yellow plug did not stay in good contact when i was moving AQ. Pushed firmly in and has worked fine thru seasoning and smoking a ham for christmas dinner. maybe yours is the same problem.

Mine was fogging up and then did the same thing. They replaced the controler once and the second time they asked me to send the smoker back for replacement. I upgraded to a FEC 100 instead. Was your controler fogging up? Funny, but the new cover they sent me with the AQ was not water proof. I would take the controler off and blow all the moisture out of it with a reverse vac and it worked sometimes that way. Anyway, AQ is gone, FEC100 is here, loving life.

Equipment malfunction don’t hold any prejudges, unfortunately they hit every product. Here is a quote from a post on another forum I follow. I have not heard of this happing with a CS smoker. Customer service is a huge part of the product. IMHO .


Quote “ As I sit here on """HOLD""" for Masterbuilt for now 30 min for the 3rd time today, I am really second guessing this POS. Customer service rivals a call to China directly and equipment quality that is on par with the building blocks for 2 year olds.

Boy Chef, you've got that right! CS has the best Customor support i've seen. I bought a Masterbuilt at Sams and Went thru four controlers. Sams replaced the unit once but after that I was on my own. Wiring brunt up and nearly burnt down the house. Called them and they offered to sell me another (improved model) at a discount. Even if I had to put a hotplate in the bottom of the cookshack to get heat, I'd still use it. I saw the new fancy masterbuilts at a sporting good's store. Nice and shiny, but oh, the headache. Never would come up to full time. Took nine 7-9 hours to do a full load of ribs, with the meat hanging in the danger zone far too long! I love my cookshack and really love my FE100. The thing weights over 400 pounds! Must be some quality in there somewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by Hozer:
Another AmQ not working....opened my Christmas present today, read the owner's manual, fired up the smoker to break it in, and after 90 minutes, the screen went blank and the control panel was completely unresponsive except for the on/off button. Anyone have suggestions? If not, guess I'll call CS monday to inquire....

So did you call CS, has it been resolved?

I seems like they got a bad batch of controllers. I called Tony regarding the second one and sent them both back in. They are going to contact the circuit board maker and see whats going on. No smoking for now

Like everyone says... Good Customer Service.

I got an AmQ for Xmas and had the same thing happen with the display during my break in period as well. When i called CS on Monday they shipped me a new display out and while I was installing i noticed a gasket around the perimeter of the display where it attaches to the smoker, which the first one did not have. After installing it, I fired up for another break in and all was well. I am attempting the first meat in the grill tonight, so i can let you know if this display can withstand the full 10-12 hour smoke.

I also had problems with my Sm25 and not coming up to temp. The control panel was faulty. It took a week to get sorted out with the thanksgiving holiday and them sending me a temp probe first, then the control panel after that failed. CS customer service was the main reason I bought from them over other similar less costing/quality smokers. I have used this countless times and absolutely love it.

UPDATE:

I ended up sending both control modules back to CookShack for testing. One came up bad, but the other tested fine. They mailed back the one that tested fine +a new wire harness to try out.

The control module and wire harness were replaced, but still no dice. Similar problem as before.

I called up Tony and he scheduled a truck to pickup and return the smoker. Once the smoker was picked up, I received a e-mail confirming a replacement was on the way.

NEW SMOKER:

The new smoker arrived after an extended layover in Texas due to weather. I setup the smoker and set out to start the break-in procedure using a fatty pork shoulder. Temp set to 225* and probe to 190*. The smoker heated up to 224-225 and stayed steady. The next morning the smoker was still going. Operating as it should.

Today I thought I would see how a timed smoke worked out. I marinated some wings, set the temp to 225* and the time to 1:30. This time the temp was never really at 225*. Unfortunately I was not watching the whole time, but one hour into the smoke the temp was only 204-205. 1:15 it was 213-214. 5 minutes before the time was up it reached 229-230, dropping back to 225* at the very last minute.

QUESTION:

What is the deal with this? Am I wrong to expect the smoker to reach it set temp fairly quickly and stay steady on it?


This may be blasphemes in the CookShack forum... but that $200 automatic electric smoker down at Lowes is starting to not look too bad for the price.... Especially considering how much the Amerique costs and all of the problems I have had.... Yes, I know cook shack has great customer service.... But honestly, I would rather have a 100% reliable product with crap customer service than a lemon with a friendly helpful voice on the end of the phone... I did not pay for the conversations. I paid for some precision smoking!

You know, given the 100's of successful smokers and posts here, it happens that someone can get the opposite.

No, you're not wrong. If you think the Electric masterbuilt will do better, call CS and ask for your money back. That's one thing masterbuilt and most other smokers don't have is a money back guarantee.

It works, as advertised. Turn it on, set it for 12 hours and monitor the temp each hour. What is it?

You said you didn't monitor it, was it on the low side of a cycle. did it never reach temp? There certainly could be other issues, but I'd certainly call CS and explain your displeasure.

here in the forum is venting, CS direct is where you need some action, whatever you prefer, get help or a refund.

lokmeup , I don’t think you’re being blasphemous. I have not had a lick of problems with my AmeriQue in the year I have had it, nor did I ever have an issue with my Smokette in the 7 years I had it.

I understand your frustration. You spent a lot of money for your AmeriQue as did many of us. I came from the other direction. I bought many a $200-$400 smoker before I bought my first Cookshack and I can tell you I would be money ahead if I would have just bought a Cookshack when I first thought about it.

You’re being naive if you think the $200 smokers are or can be trouble free, but don't take my word for it read their reviews on other forums. From what I am reading Masterbuilt customer service has improved 100% in the last year, but it still can’t hold a candle to Cookshack. And there are many modifications the customer needs to make their smokers right out of the box. Is that really what you want?

As Smokin said Cookshack comes with a money back guarantee. I am unaware of any other smoker on the market who has that guarantee. Why do you think that is? Let Tony know how frustrated you are with your smoker. I would be willing to bet he’d would refund your money or extend the money back guarantee until you are happy.

My advice, if you are open to it, would be to hang in there it will be worth it in the long run. Feel free to PM me. I’d be glad to discuss my personal experiences with you.

Thanks for allowing the semi-narcissistic venting

I plan on smoking a few more things and see how it turns out... I'll keep you posted.

Thanks Again

quote:

Originally posted by lokmeup:
...the semi-narcissistic venting

Venting is okay, we're here to help when/if we can.

I looked through the posts real quick, so this may have been asked. Are you using a long extension cord?

So far so good... I have smoked a few items and they turned out pretty good. Will report back with new results.

Unfortunately you’ve had a long road getting the bugs worked out of your AmeriQue. Now that you’re up and running with it I hope you feel it was worth the extra effort. I hope you invested your time reading the 101s and other great threads while visions of fine Q danced in your head. Now, before you go much further measure your waistline for future reference and get your camera ready so you can post a few pictures of your journey through your new addiction.

lokmeup.

Wow, you've had a long road. And sorry you have to share the bad experience, but it's good to hear the bad with the good here in the forum.

Let us know how the new unit is going and we want to get you to cooking lots of great que.

Russ