The Thermoworks Signals and Billows, is this cheating?

I recently purchased a Thermoworks Signals and Billows for my Weber 22" Smokey Mountain Cooker. My primary use will likely be my WSM, but I do have several Weber kettles that will see some usage also. The Signals is replacing my Maverick ET-733. The Maverick has been solid for about 6 years. Other than the temp alarm no longer functioning the unit still works well.

The main driver behind this purchase was overnight cooks. This is typically pork shoulders/butts and briskets. I have not historically had great luck with overnight cooks. I'll wake up a time or two overnight to check on the smoker, but I often wake up to the smoker well below 200º. This extends an already long cook.

I love the WSM cooker. It's affordable and easy to use. For 6hr - 8hr cooks, it's usually rock solid. Beef and pork ribs always come off the cooker near perfect. These are usually monitored in real-time while home doing work around the house. As an IT guy, I'm looking for some "BBQ Automation"! Give me some analytics too.

More to come. I'll document the first cook and my initial thoughts soon. Thanks!

 

 

Posted in BBQ