The BBQ Guru

August 2008

Who is "The BBQ Guru"? Or you might ask... What is "The BBQ Guru"? This handy little device basically controls the temperature in your smoker and

monitors your meat temperature at the same time. It consists of the DigiQ II digital controller and a blower fan called the Pit Viper. Ya'll all know that I tell you every chance I get that the #1 reason people cook bad barbecue is because they do not measure their cooking chamber temperature "at the grate" where the meat is. Too many people go by the thermometer in their lid - and that us usually up to 100 deg F off either way. Well, The BBQ Guru and tools like the Maverick ET-73 Dual Probe remote thermometer are two tools that will help you cook better barbecue. In my opinion, accurate temperature readings are absolutely essential to cooking competition quality barbecue. Unlike the Maverick ET-73, the BBQ Guru interfaces with a blower fan and maintains the selected cooking chamber temperature... no more fiddling with vents on your firebox. The digitally controlled blower fan takes care of all that for you.

I installed one of these on my little CharBroil Silver and I must say that it worked pretty good. If your fire is too low, it will bring the cooking chamber temperature up a bit for a short while, but it will not compensate for not enough heat. i.e. It will not keep the proper temperature if your fire is not hot enough. If your fire is too hot, it will quickly close off the air supply and bring the temperature down. So, from my experience, a hotter fire is better than not enough fire and the BBQ Guru will keep your cooking chamber temperature at the exact level you specify. If your fire gets too hot, just squirt a little water on it.

Here are some of the BBQ Guru's other features...

Exclusive low and slow ramp down feature (cook and hold) ramps down your pit temperature on rising meat temperature so your meat never overcooks.
Degrees in F or C.
32 to 475 deg F range.
New adaptive control algorithm learns your pit to control better stability & accuracy.
Open lid detect function senses when the pit's lid is open to minimize the temperature disturbance and recover quickly to the set point.
Dual probe - one for meat and one for cooking chamber.

So... if you want better control of your smoker, get a BBQ Guru at www.thebbqguru.com or for precise pit and meat temperature monitoring, get yourself a Maverick ET-73 in our store at www.bbq-book.biz

Good luck with your Q!
Bill Anderson

[Home] [Terms of Use] [Privacy Policy] [Site Map]

Barbecue Recipes - Competition BBQ Secrets book. Learn how to slow smoke meats right... mouth watering ribs, chicken, butts, and brisket.
Barbecue Food - Everything you ever wanted to know about barbecuing.
Barbecue Restaurant - All about barbecue restaurants and why the barbecue you cook yourself in your own back yard may be better than your local barbecue restaurant.
BBQ Recipes - Why slow smoked BBQ is better than grilled BBQ and how you can easily switch.
Barbeque Recipes - What ingredients go into great barbeque recipes. You would be surprised!
BBQ Smoker - What kind of BBQ smoker is best suited to your needs and budget?
Barbeque Smoker - Learn all about the Lang Model 60 traditional offset barbeque smoker.
Cooking Barbecue - Cooking chart for slow smoked meats.
Barbeque Grill - All about the Traeger Lil' Tex pellet smoker.
BBQ Grill - How to set up your Weber kettle BBQ grill for slow smoked success.
Char-Broil Silver - Review of the Char-Broil Silver BBQ smoker for $159 at Home Depot.
BBQ Sauce - a description of all the Regional BBQ Sauce Variations.
Barbecue Sauces - Different types of barbecue sauces and the top 3 winners in each category in NBBQA BBQ sauce contest.
Barbecue Ribs - The 3-1-1 method to slow smoke barbecue ribs.
BBQ Rib Types - What is the difference between spareribs, baby back ribs, loin ribs, and St Louis Style ribs?
Smoked Barbeque - How does altitude affect barbeque cooking temperatures?
Barbecue Forum - Should you use barbecue forums to learn how to cook competition quality brisket, ribs, chicken, & butts?
Smoked Turkey - How to smoke a turkey.
American Royal BBQ - 2007 results for the biggest BBQ contest in the world.
Cooking Barbecue - All about collagen, protein fibers, and fat.
Barbecue Wood - All about the different barbecue woods, how to use them, and the flavors that they impart.
Barbecue Smoker - A review of the Southern Yankee Barbecue Smokers.
Fast Eddy Smokers - Cookshack's FEC100 and some history about Fast Eddy Maurin.
Barbecue Sauces - Ole Ray's Barbecue Sauces.
Smoked Ham - How to smoke (reheat) a ham on your BBQ smoker.
BBQ Ribs Example Project - How to adjust BBQ ribs cooking in cooler temperatures.
BBQ Baked Beans - two great BBQ baked beans recipes and the Bush's Perfect Pair contest.
The BBQ Guru - a great blower device that digitally controls your pit temperature.
Cookshack FEC100 - The Cookshack Fast Eddy FEC100 and the importance of pit temperature control.
Boone Hall BBQ Contest - results of the 2008 Boone Hall BBQ Contest.
Smoked Brisket - Here are the rusults of several of my brisket practice runs.
Douglas, GA results - BBQ contest results & Smoked Turkey & Smoked Ham reminders.
Roasted Pig - Videos of roasted pig Filipino style on a bamboo spit - also called Lechon Baboy.
Grind Your Own Spices - Kick your rubs up a notch by grinding your own spices.
Pulled Pork - How to pull a Boston Butt the right way!
BBQ Bark - How to create great BBQ bark.
Wagyu Beef - Report on the 2009 Barnesville, GA BBQ contest and also a newsletter on Wagyu Beef.
Barbecue Turn In Boxes - a sneak peek at our "secret" turn in boxes.
Barbecue Ribs - Know when your ribs are done to perfection.
Barbecue Timeline - All about a barbecue contest timeline and why it is so important - also our Greenwood, SC pics.
Weber BBQ - If you are looking to buy a weber BBQ then you need to visit this site. The 22" Weber Smokey Mountain is great!
Stumps Smokers - BBQ Friends - Wiley's Championship BBQ, Stumps Smokers, Kennesaw Grand Championship, etc.
BBQ Smokers - A great source for BBQ smokers.
BBQ Judge Survey - Results from our BBQ judge survey, report on American Royal trip, and Myron Mixon's BBQ school.
Jack Daniels BBQ Contest - Pictures from the Jack Daniels BBQ Contest & Degaque BBQ Contest 2009.
Barbecue Videos - detailed videos of how we won 4 Grand Championships in 2009 - BarbecueCoach.com
Barbecue Judging - Suggestions on how to improve barbecue judging.

Return to Barbecue
newsletter archive