First Smoke with the Party-Q by BBQ Guru

[Q*bert]

The only thing better than eating your BBQ is babysitting the pit right? Right?? Ha!! Well, with a little help from my tax refund I finally bought something I've wanted for a long, long time. A pit temperature controller. I went with the Party-Q by BBQ Guru.
The unit arrived well packaged and included the Party-Q, a 6' long probe, batteries, & instructions. The output thread on the Party-Q is 3/8" and there are adapters for sale for all the various mountings & smoker types on the market. They have adapters for 2" & 1 1/2" ball valves, but I have an UDS with a 1" ball valve so I just made my own.
I got my pit started, & as it got close to temp, I turned on the Party-Q and set my desired temp. The fan kicked on and got to work. I had my trusty Maverick in the pit as a backup & so I could monitor it from inside the house. The probe is equipped with a clip at the end so you can clip it to your grate.
I kept an eye on things pretty closely all day, & I must say it was the most hassle free smoke I've done. The Party-Q kept the temp within +-10 the whole time, and according to the instructions it "learns" your pit so maybe, as time goes by, it'll dial it in even more. I've never done a brisket but always wanted to. I'm confident that I could do an overnight cook, & even get a little sleep with the Party-Q standing guard.
Overall I'm very happy with the Party-Q & look forward to many happy times together.:wink:

 

[oifmarine2003]

Very interesting....

 

[PaPaQ]

Congrats on the Guru, Ribs look good!

 

[bigabyte]

Yep, looks great!:hungry:

 

[Hcs]

I've got the partyq for the webber kettle

 

[NotoriusPIG]

Just got the PartyQ today for my WSM22, can't wait to give it a try.

Your ribs look darn tasty!!

 

[cheapbeer]

I had wondered how the small fan would work out on a drum.....
You shouldnt need to worry about a brisket on the uds even without a controller, the drum should run steady enough to run mostly unsupervised, I usually start a brisket around 3, drink a few beers, check it one last time and go to sleep on the couch untill the gorgeous red head wakes me up to ask what the hell am I doing sleeping on the couch. Then i check it and take a nap until I smell coffee. My system, free of charge to you my friend..........

 

[Kave Dweller]

I had wondered how the small fan would work out on a drum.....
You shouldnt need to worry about a brisket on the uds even without a controller, the drum should run steady enough to run mostly unsupervised, I usually start a brisket around 3, drink a few beers, check it one last time and go to sleep on the couch untill the gorgeous red head wakes me up to ask what the hell am I doing sleeping on the couch. Then i check it and take a nap until I smell coffee. My system, free of charge to you my friend..........

Your timing method is priceless and very similar to mine.

 

[kds9547]

I love my DigiQ for overnight cooks. Ribs look good!