Big Swole
is one Smokin' Farker
I think I read that yes, the ball valve needs to be set at 1/3 or similar. Hopefully others will chime in that know for sure.
Lone Star Grillz Vertical Insulated Cabinet Smoker-For the new Owner
- Thread starter mikes1212
- Start date
I think I read that yes, the ball valve needs to be set at 1/3 or similar. Hopefully others will chime in that know for sure.
TexasRT
Full Fledged Farker
That could be the issue, I had the guru at 1/3 but the ball valve was open fully. Probably drafting thru the fan.
cheez59
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I run the ball valve as well as the chimney wide open. I control the draft with the Guru damper. This works perfectly. Start out with everything wide open. When temps get within 20 degrees of target I slide the Guru damper to 1/2 open. When temp gets to target I slide it to 1/4 open. Temps stay rock steady no matter how long the cook takes.
TexasRT
Full Fledged Farker
Thanks. I'll give that try next. What temp do you run at?
cheez59
Quintessential Chatty Farker
The vast majority of my cooks are done 275-285. Occasionally I have tried 225-250 but it made zero difference in anything but time which is considerably more. Now on brisket I cook the first 2 hours at 225 with one gallon of water in a shallow drip pan under the meat. It makes a tremendously pretty smoke ring. After about 2 hours I crank the heat up to 275-285 to get it done in a timely manor.
harleykids
Knows what a fatty is.
I run my BV, my fan damper, and top vent all at 1/3 open. I cook 225 all the time, runs perfectly. No issues, hold rock steady. But I also start a very small fire, about 3 briquettes only, and let the DigiQ do the work getting the pit up to temp.
Running it like this I don't have to wait until 50 degrees below target temp, then shut down the valve, fan damper, etc. Too much fiddling with stuff for me.
I just set everything at 1/3 open, light 3 single briquettes in the bottom left corner of my maze with my hand held propane torch, set the DigiQ pit temp probe for 225 (or whatever temp u want), and walk away. DigiQ does the rest.
An hour and a half later the pit is up to exact temp and I put my meat on, insert DigiQ food probe, set food probe temp alarm to 195 (or whatever u want) and walk away for the next 10-12 hours. Or sleep. Or whatever. Pit always holds temp dead on.
Running it like this I don't have to wait until 50 degrees below target temp, then shut down the valve, fan damper, etc. Too much fiddling with stuff for me.
I just set everything at 1/3 open, light 3 single briquettes in the bottom left corner of my maze with my hand held propane torch, set the DigiQ pit temp probe for 225 (or whatever temp u want), and walk away. DigiQ does the rest.
An hour and a half later the pit is up to exact temp and I put my meat on, insert DigiQ food probe, set food probe temp alarm to 195 (or whatever u want) and walk away for the next 10-12 hours. Or sleep. Or whatever. Pit always holds temp dead on.
Kaptain Kadian
is Blowin Smoke!
I once e read that the guru "learns" as it is heating up your pit. So, if it runs for an hour straight to warm up your pit it thinks it needs to continue to run, even after it reaches its target temperature. That is why you see people set the guru for 20 or 30 degrees less than your goal temperature and let it gradually heat up from there. You can also unplug the guru for 30 seconds and it will forget what it learned of how hard it had to work to get to your target temperature.
harleykids
Knows what a fatty is.
Kaptain, mine never does that, and I unplug it after every cook and throw it in a ziplock bag in the pit. Mine never overshoots temp, and always brings the pit up to temp fast, accurately, and spot on. An hour and a half from dead cold and I'm at 225.
TexasRT
Full Fledged Farker
Thanks for responding.That's exactly the info I was looking for, mainly the BV setting. That will be my procedure next time.
Southstar
Well-known member
CyberQ vs DigiQ
I have the CyberQ and love it for the LSG. The three probes is just a great option to have. As far as being able to check temps for miles away I don't think you can do that. Think you need to be within a 1000 feet of your smoker, but I could be wrong.
I have the CyberQ and love it for the LSG. The three probes is just a great option to have. As far as being able to check temps for miles away I don't think you can do that. Think you need to be within a 1000 feet of your smoker, but I could be wrong.
jwbwx1
Well-known member
I check mine from across town with ease. Just have to get in and set up your router. The link previously posted will assist if it is something you are interested in.
lavinjj
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
I picked up my LSG IVC a little over a month ago and all I can say is it is a work of art. Not only is it easy to maintain temps by hand, it is way efficient when it comes to fuel. I normally cook hot & fast, 325 - 350, and I've done at least six 8 hour cooks on it and only used a half of a bag of lump charcoal per cook. I used to use a bag and a half per cooker when I was competing with my UDS smokers. I can't wait to see how she performs during my next competition.
As far as temperature control, I use a HeaterMeter, and so far I've only taken it out to monitor temps during the cook, I haven't needed to hook up the fan to control temps. I wanted to make sure I could run her without automation just in case we run into issues during a competition. But if it runs anyway near how it does manually, I would have to agree the fan will probably only run long enough to get to my set temperature and then coast during the rest of the cook.
As far as temperature control, I use a HeaterMeter, and so far I've only taken it out to monitor temps during the cook, I haven't needed to hook up the fan to control temps. I wanted to make sure I could run her without automation just in case we run into issues during a competition. But if it runs anyway near how it does manually, I would have to agree the fan will probably only run long enough to get to my set temperature and then coast during the rest of the cook.
Big Swole
is one Smokin' Farker
Quick maintenance question for everyone. This past weekend I got caught in the rain while trying to cook for some family for Sunday. It's been consistently raining ever since and I have not had a chance to cover it back up with my tarp ( not yet ordered a cover for it. ).
So what steps do I need to take to keep any of the outside of this thing from rusting? So far the only rust I've seen is inside the Waterfill opening at the top of the smoker. I guess they did not get much paint in there which is a little disappointing.
What type of oil or lubricant are you guys using in the hinge system for the doors?
So what steps do I need to take to keep any of the outside of this thing from rusting? So far the only rust I've seen is inside the Waterfill opening at the top of the smoker. I guess they did not get much paint in there which is a little disappointing.
What type of oil or lubricant are you guys using in the hinge system for the doors?
Rik Rok
Well-known member
There are food grade lubricants available for use where food may come in contact with metal surfaces.
The cabinet can be wiped or dried off and then a SS cleaner used on the door
The cabinet can be wiped or dried off and then a SS cleaner used on the door
cheez59
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I use canola oil on my hinges and on the inside. No rust anywhere and no squeaky hinges.
Big Swole
is one Smokin' Farker
I guess I will just wipe the whole thing down with canola and use it on the hinges and other places when it dries off.
Pstores
is Blowin Smoke!
Since there seems to be a few pages here. Have a question for you Lone Star guys. I am looking at a mini. Also looking at thier competitor. What are the pros and cons to the Lone Star Grillz. I like good smoke profile, crisp and clean like a stick burner. How does thier insulated cabinet compare to a Yoder in flavor? What do you wish you had ordered when ordering?
Big Swole
is one Smokin' Farker
So far I like the food off my LSG IVC better than my stick burner!
I got the regular vs the mini. Kinda glad I did for the extra size.
I see no down side yet. Quality and function is perfect.
I like the cart option plus the folding table. Nice to have both.
Get the extra 3 rack rails wlded in, even if you don't get extra grates on your original order. I have 5 total.
Inthewoods
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Swole,
Once the outside of the LSG got hot during the seasoning process, I rubbed a fine layer of canola on the outside...mines not covered...well it's got some ice on it at the moment, which will be rectified in the morning. Also that waterfill, I placed a soup cup over it. One of those oversized coffee mugs...
@Pstores,
No cons whatsoever.
I got the extra rails and racks and even though I haven't yet used all the racks it's easy to stack them up and out of the way on the top rack and just use the ones I want.
The cart makes this cooker a lot more stable for me as I don't currently have it on a slab or a deck. I also had my cart flipped to protect the ball valves from snow.
I have a couple cheap stickburners which will become herb gardens next spring...they're pretty old and due for retirement anyways.
Food off the LSG is awesome. I've baked bread, pies and even a lasagna.
-D
Once the outside of the LSG got hot during the seasoning process, I rubbed a fine layer of canola on the outside...mines not covered...well it's got some ice on it at the moment, which will be rectified in the morning. Also that waterfill, I placed a soup cup over it. One of those oversized coffee mugs...
@Pstores,
No cons whatsoever.
I got the extra rails and racks and even though I haven't yet used all the racks it's easy to stack them up and out of the way on the top rack and just use the ones I want.
The cart makes this cooker a lot more stable for me as I don't currently have it on a slab or a deck. I also had my cart flipped to protect the ball valves from snow.
I have a couple cheap stickburners which will become herb gardens next spring...they're pretty old and due for retirement anyways.
Food off the LSG is awesome. I've baked bread, pies and even a lasagna.
-D
Pstores
is Blowin Smoke!
Flipped the cart to protect the ball valves from the snow..... Might not be a bad idea.
