Observations from my first real cook

[MidwestSmoker]

Somewhat rambling post! None of this will be new to the pros here (apologies!), but may benefit other newbies like me.

Did my first real cook today with all the FireBoard probes. I did a trial earlier soon after I got the grill without all the probes. In that trial I mentioned here that I was unable to maintain low temperatures on the grill. Some of you suggested that it was because of the outside conditions: it was in direct sunlight and the temperature here was about 90 degrees. Today the temperature was in the 70s and I moved the grill to a shady spot. It maintained 180 degrees without any problems and could have gone lower if I wanted it.

I was doing baby back ribs and decided to follow Matt Pittman's recipe but with a twist. He does it entirely at 275. I did the initial cooking at 180 until the ribs reached 165 and then wrapped them and heated the grill up to 275, until they reached 205. Then applied a glaze and a short cook after. Sort of a combination of the 3-2-1 method and Pittman's.

I was doing 3 wracks and put two probes in each wrack (one on each end): a total of 5 FireBoard probes and the Traeger meat probe. I also placed the FireBoard ambient probe as close as possible to the Traeger one. Well, I must be the only person in the world that lucked out and got good Traeger probes! They closely matched the FireBoard ones at all times. The real advantage of the FireBoard probes was the slim design of the Competition probes. Of course the whole FireBoard system is amazing, following 6 different probes in realtime.

The real temperature difference is between the right and left of the Pro 575. The left side with the chimney is 10-15 degrees hotter than the right. There is a smaller temperature difference between front and back. Fortunately this is manageable and I am not planning a RemE style insulation project!

180 degrees is great for smoking but I think it a little too low. It took over 4 hours for the ribs to reach 165. Conversely, 275 was too high. After wrapping the ribs reached 200 in a little less than 1 hour. Next time I will try a 190/250 combination. The ribs came out just okay, not a failure but also not a huge success. Hope to do better next time.

Overall a very enjoyable experience. I know many of you have had not so good experiences with the grills, but in my view this is fabulous technology. I didn't think a novice like me would have been able to learn to smoke meats this quickly. I will also add that in addition to the hardware, it is all the know-how available on this forum that makes pellet grilling such a great experience.

 

[Slimpicker]

The real temperature difference is between the right and left of the Pro 575. The left side with the chimney is 10-15 degrees hotter than the right. There is a smaller temperature difference between front and back. Fortunately this is manageable and I am not planning a RemE style insulation project!

yes, the degree diff is sometimes more like 20° left to right...

And actually adding a little insulation your 575 is easy, I took a sheet of this and put it under the aluminum lining at the bottom... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZQPX7Q7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also make a baffle for my left side to not get as hot...

 

[Timmy]

Awesome post @MidwestSmoker! Sounds like you went in well informed and well equipped.

It’s GREAT that your 575 ran like it’s supposed to
without much issue.

Now comes the learning, it’s much easier when you know how your grill runs.

I can’t wait to see the foods you are gonna cook on it, but don’t forget the pics, we like pics!!

 

[Murphy's Law]

yes, the degree diff is sometimes more like 20° left to right...

And actually adding a little insulation your 575 is easy, I took a sheet of this and put it under the aluminum lining at the bottom... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZQPX7Q7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also make a baffle for my left side to not get as hot...

Slim, I’m curious, did adding that lining help much? Any pictures of how you did the baffle by chance?

 

[Slimpicker]

Slim, I’m curious, did adding that lining help much? Any pictures of how you did the baffle by chance?

well, adding it was cheap and easy, Without it there, ash and dust and grease can just collect under that whole area (in a 575) This stops that, it also has to add some thermal help to the area around the firepot cuz that's where all your heat comes from obviously.

The baffle is about an 80° bent piece of stainless steel to block some of the fan blow from just hitting the left side of the grill and filters it up


showing the part that sets in the grill

showing it installed

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Awesome post @MidwestSmoker! Sounds like you went in well informed and well equipped.

It’s GREAT that your 575 ran like it’s supposed to
without much issue.

Now comes the learning, it’s much easier when you know how your grill runs.

I can’t wait to see the foods you are gonna cook on it, but don’t forget the pics, we like pics!!

Here is an interesting shot showing all the probes going through the grommet. Also, I lined the hood with lavalock, but the smoke was still escaping around it. The solution was a 10 lb dumbbell which balances perfectly on the handle!

 

[MidwestSmoker]

well, adding it was cheap and easy, Without it there, ash and dust and grease can just collect under that whole area (in a 575) This stops that, it also has to add some thermal help to the area around the firepot cuz that's where all your heat comes from obviously.

The baffle is about an 80° bent piece of stainless steel to block some of the fan blow from just hitting the left side of the grill and filters it up

Its not clear how the piece fits in, but I get the point. It redirects some of airflow from the fan from the left side. Where did you get the stainless steel sheet cut?

 

[John S.]

I got my SS from the scrap bin at a metal supplier…