JulesMCC

6 hours ago, Wade said:

Many years ago I created insulated sleeves for my ProQ/WSM smokers and they worked well. I used similar materials to those you show in your picture, however I can no longer find the exact materials again online.

Firstly - the most important area to insulate is the smoking chamber - as it is the heat loss along the length here that results in the heat gradient experienced in these smaller smokers. Reducing the heat loss here will greatly improve the internal temperature stability.

I would not worry about insulating the fire box to begin with as this will have less overall benefit. 

The closest I can find is the Vitcas Ceramic Fibre Blanket (£24 on Amazon). This can be stuck on using the VITCAS Ceramic Fiber Adhesive (£15 on Amazon)

 

The blanket I used has an aluminium blanket covering. In place of this you could use a simple foil blanket (£1.80 each) on the outside - also on the inside if you did not want to glue the fibre blanket directly onto your smoker.

 

Another option would be to simply use Vitcas Aluninium Coated Insulation Flue Wrap (£24 on Amazon) - which already has an aluminium coating on one side. This could be wrapped around the smoking chamber giving several layers. This can be held in place using High Temperature Aluminium Tape (£6 per roll). If I was doing this again, this would be the method I would probably use.

 

 

To help reduce the temperature gradient in the smoking chamber also ensure that you have a heat deflecter where your fire box meets the cooking chamber.

I hope this helps

Definitely helps!!! Thank you sir!!

Has anyone gone down the route of insulating their Landmann Kentucky?  i.e. blanket or jacket for the firebox or main chamber?  firebricks etc?

If I go down the route of making a jacket myself from suitable materials, and some Vermiculite fire bricks the project ends up costing around 240 GB pounds and that is not even counting my amateur efforts with a needle and thread!


So, anyone else done some insulating mods, apart from the gasket rope?

On 7/9/2023 at 4:52 PM, JulesMCC said:

Indeed, not a showstopper.  I've changed the power settings for the app so it isn't 'Optimised' and left it on 'Unrestricted'.  You access this on Android by keeping you finger on the app icon until a small pop up window appears and then click on the 'i' for information at the top right.  We'll see if this resolves the graphs disappearing next time.

Well, that didn't resolve the mildly annoying loss of graph data!  Still happened this weekend.  Oh well, perhaps it does call for a software fix.

3 hours ago, AdamG said:

That sounds to me like something that could be fixed in a future software update. Not really a dealbreaker though if your cook came out great👍🍻

Indeed, not a showstopper.  I've changed the power settings for the app so it isn't 'Optimised' and left it on 'Unrestricted'.  You access this on Android by keeping you finger on the app icon until a small pop up window appears and then click on the 'i' for information at the top right.  We'll see if this resolves the graphs disappearing next time.

Mildly annoying, not a showstopper though.

It gives what appear to be accurate temp readings (judging from how perfectly the meat came out) and shows the temps for the, up to, 4 probes inserted.

There might be an Android system setting I can change to prevent the app from being shut down, potentially due to power saving configuration.

Still, I am happy with the device.  Just letting others know of the real life good and bad points.

The Inkbird IBT-4XC Waterproof Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer  temperature graphs are a nice touch but they reset if you alter a setting on the device.  Hence why I only have a short record of the temperatures.  I changed the alarm interval for the DISCONNECTION notification and 'boom!', two hours of temp readings disappeared.

Update : the temperature graphs also reset after the app restarts (i.e. the process was killed by the OS).

A few minutes after this video, the temperature overshot the ideal range by a huge amount (woodchips caught fire) and went into the GRILLING zone.  I used a small water spray to quell the fire.

Evidently I need far less charcoal / fewer briquettes to get a good smoke, and smoking temperature, going than I thought.  I was still thinking in grilling and BBQ terms when I prepped the charcoal.  Had to remove about half the briquettes to get the temperature back down.

Smokes well though.  FYI I am using hickory.

Here is a screenshot from the Inkbird thermometer on my Android phone.

Set the desired temp and level of doneness (if applicable, which for chicken it isn't) or set by duration of cooking.  Even get an alarm if you are out of Bluetooth range for a while, and a graph of each probe's temperature reading over time.

Nice bit of kit.

On 7/3/2023 at 3:33 PM, Ken™️ said:

A lot of people swear by the Inkbird. For the price, it seems to be the best wired thermoprobe set going.  

Personally, I bought the Meater+ a few years ago and am very happy with it (the app is particularly good), but I might have given the Inkbird greater consideration if I had my time again.

have given the Inkbird greater consideration if I had my time again.

Gracias tío!

Oh!  good to know.  I am reassured.  We had another wired thermometer but as it was for indoor use it wasn't waterproof and a light shower of rain ruined the screen so that you couldn't make out the numbers.  Chose the inkbird weatherproof one to avoid the problem.

FYI these are the items I recently added to the smoker BBQ
Inkbird IBT-4XC Waterproof Bluetooth BBQ Thermometer
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TXZ4T77
and
GALAFIRE 80MM Large Dial Face 300°C BBQ Grill Thermometer
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07SSXHRHZ
 

Will review in due course.

After over a year of having the Landmann Kentucky / Taurus smoker BBQ (basically the same thing as far as I can tell), and after some glorious weather here in the UK the last few weeks, we took it out and gave it a go with a small beef joint and a 1kg gammon.

We seasoned the meats with some herbs and spices then smoked them with some oak chips.  Overshot the temperature a bit accordinging to the dodgy temperature gauge on the BBQ body (at rest it was reading 50C in the shade) but we had a meat thermometer set to buzz at the right temperature so were not affected unduly.  Well, the gammon was so big that it was undercooked in the centre and dry on the outside and had to be finished it off in the pressure cooker for 30mins to cook it thoroughly and add some much needed moisture to it.  The beef was fine.  Well, better than fine!

OMG!  The most flavoursome meats we have both ever had!  Simply astounding.  So good that
1) Bought a new temperature gauge for the BBQ body to avoid having to use something so obviously wrong on the outside.
2) the next day we popped to the supermarket and bought a bigger beef roasting joint and did that too.  This time I used a more appropriate amount of charcol and the reading from the new temperature gauge on the BBQ body.  BBQ temp stayed within suggested smoking temp and the beef came out beautifully medium rare in the centre.  The smaller pointy end was well done but still delicious and tender.
3) Ordered and just received a 4 probe meat thermometer with Bluetooth to be able to monitor several different meats all at once.

I am late convert but a total one now.  Chicken and ribs are definitely on the menu!

Also going to add some gasket tape and possibly a blanket in future to keep it available in the colder months.

5 hours ago, Ken™️ said:

Ostrás, no fastidies! Yo también! Coruñés por aquí, tu?

Have PMed you as this is outside the remit of the forum and not in the language spoken by the others. Two Spanish speakers?  What could go wrong?

11 hours ago, Ken™️ said:

Personal favourite cooks on it were spare ribs, pulled pork, and paella.

Yep, you read that right. One of the easiest and best ways to get even distribution of heat across a paella pan is on a barbecue.

Por casualidad me da ganas de hacer una paella de esta manera ya que no pienso comprar un aparato solo para cocinarlas.

How did you know I was of Spanish origin?  I've hidden it so well! 

Ribs and pulled pork are definitely on the menu.

8 hours ago, Icefever said:

I started of with a Kentucky...it's sat in the shed now...take it slow and get to know it, offset's are not as easy as others.

When asked about what to cook most of us will say a spatchcock chicken...just enjoy it..👍

 

Ice.

Already gone with a gammon to test it, spatchcock will be for another day.  Still have to arrange for pickup but that is just logistics!  Oh and I have ordered some stove rope, and will be getting some sealant to make it a tad more airtight.

Thank you for the suggestion and encouragement.  I have no shed.  It will be living outside, under its cover.  Maybe with an additional tarpaulin.

About to buy my first smoker (2nd hand), this very Landmann Kentucky.  This thread has been very useful and insightful.  Thanks everyone.

I am picking it up tomorrow or Friday so with any luck I might be smoking this weekend.  If so, photos will follow.