Yo Cybercowboy

[Sea Six]

I'm getting a Cyber-Q from family members for Christmas.

Which one do I want? It's fer mah Primo.

[Cybercowboy]

Well, if all you want is to just have it control a single temp and not try to use it with your smart phone/home wifi network, then the PartyQ is fine. DigiQ is better as it can control pit temp and also monitor food temp (and do things when the food is done if you want.) They make a kit for the Primo XL for the correct adapter/fan (I think the 10 CFM fan is what you get.) If you want to control/monitor it with a smart phone or any device that can display a web page then you need the CyberQ with the same adapter/fan you get with the Primo XL kit.

Really, for most purposes, just controlling the pit temp is all you really have to do, as long as you have some way of monitoring your food temp so you know when it is done. If that's all you care about, the PartyQ will do that.

If you want to control the pit temp while monitoring BOTH the pit temp and the food temp, the DigiQ is fine. But it doesn't let you monitor/control it over your network/smart phone/PC.

The CyberQ WiFi is like the DigiQ but gives you the ability to interface with your network/smart phone. Honestly it's not that big of a deal, I never do it.

Also get a few extra probes (pit and food) because you'll probably ruin one now and then. Don't expose them to temps beyond about 350 or so and never to direct flame. This goes for all probes really. They say the probes are armored, but I've killed them.

Probably if it was me I'd just go with the DigiQ and a few extra probes, with the Primo XL Kit. Not that the PartQ is battery powered while the other two have an AC adapter so you have to have power near your grill (extension cord works fine obviously.)

This is the DigiQ Primo XL kit, almost $300. Then tack on two extra food probes and an extra pit probe for good measure.



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[Cybercowboy]

Also note that I never use a pit controller beyond about 250 degrees because there's just no point. Can you set it to 500? Sure, but why? Anything you are cooking at high temps are probably going to be done in 20 minutes or less, so you can keep an eye on the vent settings yourself.

[Sea Six]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

Also note that I never use a pit controller beyond about 250 degrees because there's just no point. Can you set it to 500? Sure, but why? Anything you are cooking at high temps are probably going to be done in 20 minutes or less, so you can keep an eye on the vent settings yourself.

Not really.

I cook chicken all the time at 425. It's my favorite thing to grill.

And it takes an hour and a half to two hours.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by Sea Six

Not really.

I cook chicken all the time at 425. It's my favorite thing to grill.

And it takes an hour and a half to two hours.

Right, but it's also not very temp sensitive. I do chicken like that too, but I don't bother with the pit controller. The ONE time I tried it, I killed my pit probe. Just sayin'.

I get it to 425 and stable pretty easily, it likes that temp with the bottom vent open about half way and I just use the top vent to fine tune as needed. But if it drops to 375 nothing bad really happens. Where the pit controller really shines is brisket/pork butt/ribs. Anything you want a nice steady lowish heat.

[Sea Six]

Actually I want the pit controller because the temp occasionally (rarely) goes up over 425 enough to fry my probe I use with my digital thermometer.

I figger this here thingamajiggy will prevent that from happening. Plus it'd be nice to check the temp from my smart phone vs walking all the way out to the grill.

I got the CyberQ- thanks for the info!

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by Sea Six

Actually I want the pit controller because the temp occasionally (rarely) goes up over 425 enough to fry my probe I use with my digital thermometer.

I figger this here thingamajiggy will prevent that from happening. Plus it'd be nice to check the temp from my smart phone vs walking all the way out to the grill.

I got the CyberQ- thanks for the info!

How's your wifi signal out where the grill is. At my dad's house it's pretty weak and it doesn't work very well.

If you are hoping that a pit controller will control high temps and not cause problems, good luck, because you'll need it. Definitely make sure you have "Open Lid Detection" turned on. I have that turned on always for all cooks, it's pretty important, but still it can get confused when you open the lid and the temp drops a bunch, and it then decides now's the time to blast lots of air even though the coals are right where you want them. I've been known to unplug the fan before I open the grill especially if I know it will take me a minute or two to do whatever it is I want to do. Then I close the lid, perhaps open the bottom vent some (you can do this even with the adapter/fan in place) and wait until I see the temp going back up and getting somewhere reasonable (like 25 degrees from target) before plugging it back in and closing the cracked vent.

When I killed the probe it was because I had to open the lid and then closed it and went back inside. The temp had dipped to like 250 and it didn't go back up fast enough so the fan started blowing, which enraged the fire and it wildly overshot.

You'll see.