Box Temp Problem

[dfreetly]

Hi all,

I'm struggling to get my box temp to reach the desired temperature with my #1.  Today (35 degrees) I am smoking chicken wings so I went with a 250 temp and after 3 hours the highest it got was 225.  The other posts that I've read about smoking wings said that they should only take a couple hours.  Is there a stall with something like chicken wings?  I use an Auber-WS and I just did an auto-tune yesterday to try to fix this issue but it didn't change anything.

Anybody have any ideas on what to try next?  I was hoping to smoke a turkey for thanksgiving but i'm not convinced that I can get the box temp high enough to keep it out of the danger zone of too low of heat.

 

[SuperDave]

Is your Auber standalone or part of a D model smoker?  If you didn't do a complete wiring bypass on a standalone, the analog controller conflicts with the Auber.  If both the analog controller is turned to 250 and the Auber is set at 250, you should be able to get there.  Another issue could be if you have the wings covering the entire grate it blocks airflow and you have trouble reaching temp.

 

[old sarge]

Welcome to the forum Dave from SE Arizona.  Regarding your temp issue.  I see you had success with pheasant and chicken a while back.  Any box temp issues at that time?  Have you checked the Auber site for your specific  WS model?  There are usually some supplemental instructions that you can link to.  And Super Dave is correct about the conflict.  Also, when you did the auto tune, did you have a simulated load in the smoker such as a tray of damp sand or a couple of small bricks?  More information can be found with the search feature; type in auto tune.

 

[SconnieQ]

He's got a #1, so no "D" model. His Auber is standalone. As the owner of a #1, I would just skip the Auber control completely in the case of poultry, and just crank your analog dial to 250. An Auber is not needed with wings, chicken, turkey, etc. Does the Auber allow you to go higher than 250 in a #1? Is that the advantage? I don't know. I wouldn't go any higher than 250 with poultry anyway. I don't bother to monitor my box temp anymore, I just measure the meat temp. But if your #1 is fairly new, I can see how you might want to see what the box temp is running, until you are comfortable with it. In analog mode, your box temp will vary by + or - 30 degrees on either side. None of which is detrimental to smoking poultry. Smoke your Thanksgiving turkey with the analog dial set at 250, it's simpler, and you will have more peace of mind. You can figure the Auber thing out later, and why it wouldn't get past 225 today, maybe a programming issue. I live in Wisconsin, and I have smoked in below zero temps in the winter, and I have easily gotten the box to temp. I do not have an Auber, just the analog dial.

 

[JustChillin]

I also have quit measuring box temp when smoking pretty much everything but fish. Then I use my Auber. Otherwise, I use a meat probe, just trust the analog setting and let it go.

 

[dfreetly]

Thanks for the ideas everyone.  I have the standalone Auber WS-1200GPH and I've bypassed the stock analog controller and put in the permanent probe about 2 inches from the top of the box.  I used a pan of sand as my heat sink and did the autotune with the firebox and bottom tin foiled like the other posts talk about.  I've read a bunch of the other posts on this forum and I'm thinking that I might have a bad heating element.  I think I'll be calling the Smoking It help line in the morning.

 

[dfreetly]

Welcome to the forum Dave from SE Arizona.  Regarding your temp issue.  I see you had success with pheasant and chicken a while back.  Any box temp issues at that time?  Have you checked the Auber site for your specific  WS model?  There are usually some supplemental instructions that you can link to.  And Super Dave is correct about the conflict.  Also, when you did the auto tune, did you have a simulated load in the smoker such as a tray of damp sand or a couple of small bricks?  More information can be found with the search feature; type in auto tune.

Thank you Sarge.  I've probably got a dozen smokes under my belt and maybe only 5 since I bypassed the analog controller and started using the Auber controller.  When I did my pheasant and chicken breasts a few weeks ago I used the amber's meat thermometer so I just let it go until the internal meat temp got to where I wanted it.  It did seem to take longer than what others posts were mentioning so I'm thinking I might have a faulty heating element.

 

[old sarge]

I have always been a fan of inspecting carload heating elements in the dark before opening up an appliance. Turn your smoker on its highest setting in the dark and look at the heating element.  It should be of a uniform color (or very close to uniform) in its entirety.  For more information, see the links.  Testing will require opening the smoker.  Good luck!

http://www.appliance411.com/faq/test-element.shtml
https://fredsappliance.com/general-appliance-repair/diagnose-faulty-heating-elements-oven/