BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Discussion of the physical aspects
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illuminatibrewers
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BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by illuminatibrewers »

anyone had any success using the BCS for controlling a smoker? As i build out my brewery control, i thought i would try to simulate something like Rocks BBQ Stoker.

Specifically has anyone found the correct thermistor and wires that can stand up to the heat.
JonW
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Re: BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by JonW »

I have a Bradley smoker that I'm going to (eventually) hook up to my BCS. I was just planning on using one of the SS temp probes entering the back or side of the cabinet. Max temp is about 320.
fubar
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Re: BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by fubar »

I use the BCS with my http://www.homedepot.com/buy/outdoors/o ... r-7217.htm with temp probes from http://www.brewershardware.com/ No issues with the temp probes or the BCS. Works great at keeping the temps where I want them.
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Re: BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by illuminatibrewers »

I was trying to avoid having to drill a thermowell....and a light bulp just went off. I can run a long copper thermowell through one of my vents on the top of the smoker (weber smokey mountain). I just love this device.
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bbrally
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Re: BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by bbrally »

I've used a 12" brewers Hardware stainless probe to control my coffee roaster. I've had no problems.

Back when I was building my brewery I forgot a temp probe resting on the burner while it was fired. The probe looks fine on the outside, but is obviously damaged on the inside. Just give it a bit of room from direct flames.
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Re: BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by clearwaterbrewer »

I just put one of my thermistors (I used a .25" x 2.5" stainless one) in through the vent hole of my cookshack CS50 last week and set it on the rack, and another bead type thermistor I cleaned and then shoved into the beef roast by first sticking a larger thermometer probe in then carefully pushing the thermistor in with the probe from a smaller discrete thermometer I normally use..

Mine has a mechanical thermostat, and no puck-feeding thing like the Bradley, so it is as simple as plugging it into an outlet on my control panel.. I used a relay outlet that is normally for a pump, since that is all I have that is 120V (one hot and a neutral), but the mechanical cycled only ever half hour, so not worried about overworking the relay)


From this I have 2 things on my to-do list:

1 - Find small piercing probes that either have a thermistor in them, or that are really cheap(thinking of disecting some cheapo analog dial pocket thermometers) and then get some really small bead thermistors that will fit in the probes.

2 - Put 5 probes in the smoker(one on each rack) just for a couple smoking sessions to really get an idea of the temperature dispersion of both the wide swing mechanical thermostat and with tighter control of the BCS...
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Re: BCS to control BBQ Smoker

Post by JonW »

Update here about controlling my Bradley Smoker.....

The last time I used my Bradley Smoker, I was having issues with it controlling the puck feeding. The Friday before Memorial day I pulled it out to see what was going on. By reports on the web, my continuous feeding issue should be solved pretty easily. Turns out that mechanically, my unit was working fine, but there was some type of short in the control box that kept feeding pucks continuously. I had been meaning to get this set up with the BCS anyways, so I just cut all the wires inside and removed the control box. In it's place, I wired a few SSR's inside the box and put a CAT-5 data jack on the back of it. There is also a BCS temp probe going from the smoker cabinet to the control box (wired into the data jack). When smoking, I just run a CAT-5 cable out of the garage to the smoker to plug it in. From the Bradley control box, you can still do master power on/off and puck feeding (that's an input to the BCS). From the BCS, I now set my cooking temp's & times and puck feeding schedule. I've smoked twice with it under BCS control and it's working very well and has much better control than when it was stand alone. Another win for BCS!
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