A ThermoWorks BBQ controller consists of two parts that complement each other. The Signals measures the temperature at four spots at once and tracks how your cut of meat and your pit are developing. The Billows is the blower that sits on the bottom air intake of your kamado or smoker and feeds in exactly as much air as needed to hold the pit temperature you've set. Together they take the manual fiddling with the air vents off your hands.
What a ThermoWorks BBQ controller gets you
A kamado already holds its temperature well on its own, but over a long session it still drifts. Wind, outside temperature, a coal bed settling: all reasons you end up walking outside every hour. With a blower on the intake, that back and forth disappears. You set what you want, the fan corrects the rest, and the thermometer keeps an eye on your meat's core temperature.
Who it's for
This is gear for the barbecuer who regularly cooks through the night: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, a whole ham. Mostly grilling short and hot? You'll get more out of a quick instant-read thermometer. Do those long sessions instead, and this is the difference between staying up and simply going to bed.
- Brand
- ThermoWorks
- Set
- Signals thermometer and Billows blower
- Channels
- Four probe inputs
- Control
- On the unit itself and wirelessly via your phone
- Use
- Kamado, smoker and charcoal barbecue with an adjustable air intake
Connecting it to your kamado
The Billows goes on the bottom air intake, where fresh air comes in. The top vent stays your own setting: you open it a little and leave it alone from there. Make sure the rest of the kamado seals well, because a blower can only control what it blows in itself.
Bill's tipBring your fire up to temperature by hand first, and only fit the blower afterwards. A controller is meant to hold an existing fire steady, not to get it going.
Looking for a simpler measuring tool? Check out the BBQ thermometers or the ThermoWorks Smoke. Find the rest of your gear for long sessions in the BBQ tools, and the smoking wood you use alongside it in the smoking wood chunks category.
