Hanging with a PartyQ

[Mr.CPHo]

I had kind of forgotten that I'd installed a BBQ Guru port on my WSM+SSP last year.  I focused on rotating in my vintage kettles and I just never got around to playing with the PartyQ automatic temp controller.  An extremely overdue thank you to @Chiku18 for this FUNctional little BBQ toy. 

Yesterday I hung a couple racks of ribs, and while I typically trust my WSM enough to simply "set it and forget it", it was a good opportunity to play with my new-old toy. Though I typically run hot and fast in this rig, I really wanted to test the capabilities of the PartyQ, so I aimed for 275F.  My trusty iGrill 2 also joined the party to provide a baseline; with both respective temp probes inserted through the WSM grommet to compare temp readings at the same location. 

With the handy-dandy gas-assist, I started a pile of Royal Oak lump pushed to one side of the charcoal ring and as temps hit 230-ish, I closed the bottom one-touch vent completely and the top vent halfway, relying solely on the PartyQ for airflow.  The ATC fan blew continuously until about 10 degrees shy of 275, and then started blowing intermittently.  Compared to the iGrill, the PartyQ temps read anywhere from 20 - 30 degrees LOWER than the iGrill, and looking at the graph I can see how the fan starting and stopping resulted in the temps moving erratically, but still within a 225F-325F range.  Usually the temp graphs are extremely smooth.  I actually had to dial the PartyQ back to 265F which kept the iGrill registered between 280-300F. 

As you can see in the picture looking down, I setup the Gateway hanger perpendicular to my two zones so that I could easily slide the racks back and forth as needed.  Note to self, next time I'll orientate both hooks pointing out (like the top one in the pic) so I can turn the rack 180 by flipping to the other hanger.  I didn't wrap at all on this cook, they spent a couple hours over direct and then I slid them over to the indirect side, spritzing with apple juice once in awhile.  I sauced them around 190F and in retrospect that was probably too early.  I noted that the temps bounced back faster with the ATC after opening the lid or door which is a very nice perk. 

Thank you to SixZeroFour who generously sent a package of assorted rubs and sauces from Canada.  It's really nice to add more regional variety to my spice rack.  Thank you very much!  These ribs were rubbed and sauced with House of Q seasoning and they tasted fantastic. 

Sorry I didn't get any final food pics, I didn't even think about taking pics after pulling the racks out.  To be honest, I was kinda lazy and on auto-pilot all day, but I guess that is the point of an automatic temp controller.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and thanks for looking.

[bbqking01]

Well now, that's a nice set up!!


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[JEBIV]

nice write up Charlie !!

[bamakettles]

Very cool, looks like a fun cook.  Always fun to play with the toys too!


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[michaelmilitello]

Looks like a lot of fun!   Awesome cook !


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[AZ2FL]

Cool cook and great write up as always!

[HoosierKettle]

Very cool!  Can you use the atc for baking / roasting temps like 350?


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