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I'm sure you've had lots of success. I'm equally sure you missed my point. How did your food taste? Reef's tasted better. Frank

Just did a brisket and two pork butts, so 24 lb. of meat on the grate. I ended up using five thermometers, the mechanical dome thermometer, and four remote probes located: - grate center - top vent - center of brisket - center of pork butt Here's a pic at 3 hrs. Grate probe is in the center, directly over the water pan. You can see the second probe going to the vent. Additional probes not placed yet, hadn't needed them yet. I usually see ~30F difference between grate center and exit vent, with the dome reading close to the exit vent. For this cook, the difference was 60F until the water pan ran dry. Then the grate temp rose, so I refilled the water pan. First time I've done a mixed low-n-slow cook, and I was surprised how differently pork butt and brisket cooked. The brisket hit 155F in 2 hours, then stalled for 4 hours. The pork butts were 10F behind when the stall started, and 10F ahead when the brisket cam out of the stall and started to rise quite quickly. Ironically, the pork butts had diverged as well, so only one was foiled at 8 hrs, the other two pieces weren't ready until 9 hrs. That's how I ended up needed two more remote probes! BTW, I still use the dome reading as the final arbiter, due to its accuracy and reliability. @ckreef I suspect you'll still keep an eye on it, even as you figure out where to to put the controller sensors. I'd start with the exit vent, but that's me. Have fun, Frank

Recipe for disaster. Recipe for success. This has nothing to do with controllers and everything to do with allowing a fire to mature before cooking. Fundamentals of cooking don't change when you introduce technology. Have fun, Frank

Sure, come and get 'em!

This is a huge issue with some Kamado cookers, but not so much with our KJs. Your dome thermometer is telling you that. I suspect the probe location is part of what you're seeing. Temps vary under the dome. Cool spots: near food, over water pan, center of grate (far from the edges) Hot spots: edges where hot air is rising, directly over deflectors (no drip/water pan), above any gap in the deflectors. I dangle one probe in the exit vent and one in the center of the grate, then compare them both with the dome. Dome and exit vent will usually agree, eventually, with the grate center slowly rising as the food heats up. Try some different locations, see what you get. In general, you don't want to mess with the vents. Once it's stable, it comes back pretty well. My big surprise is how well I can control temps with the bottom vent alone! Have fun, Frank

just grabbed three...

That's the "problem." Wonderful stuff, but it's just plain too big. When using it (or any other too-big fuel) I use the ash tool like a splitting mall to crack it into smaller pieces. Fist-size is too big. Conversely, fingernail chips have their place. And my pizza fires also put the heat deflector on the X-rack, so there's more room for fuel. Play with it, have some fun. Frank

Decision criteria can vary without making non-decisive measurements superfluous. You can look at a remote thermometer without disturbing the cook. If you're spritzing hourly, the poor probe placement won't mislead your eyes. Frank

Two things. You can get very good results smoking meat up to ~165 F, then wrapping in foil and finishing to 190-200 F in a 225 F oven. Take a look at "Reef's Lump Comparison" for fuel differences. Frank

+1 to lots of fuel and patience. I did a 700 F pizza cook this weekend. It took 2:00 hrs to get hot, lots of fuel left when I shut down at 2:30. Three pizzas doesn't take long at 700 F. Frank

I don't believe in a time for ribs; it depends on the rib. I've tried the numerical methods and concluded long, low and slow is all I need. It may be 4 hrs, it may be 6 hrs. I spritz them every hour or so with mop, and watch for the meat to recede from the tip of the bones. There's a point where the bone aren't loose, but just need a gentle tug - that's done. It's usually in the 190-200 F temp range, but again, it's not a temperature target, you have to... Ask the ribs when they're done. Frank

Neither have I, but I bet we use bone-in butts. The bone may release when done, but ti holes it all together until then. A boneless Boston butt is a loose collection of meat bundles. Twine restores the bone-in compactness we take for granted. It's not critical - what is when cooking pork butt - but it helps it cook more uniformly. Frank

Looks like good procedure until you look at the wash basin. They didn't change the water...

Since I use Cole Slaw as a condiment on pulled pork sandwiches, this doesn't seem odd. Frank

Most folks rest in foil. I think I may wrap differently than most, though, it like a boat, not a birthday present. No fluid leaks and you have a nice sling for removing the extremely tender meat. And this is boneless? Use butcher's twine (100% cotton) and tie it together, or it will fall apart. Have fun, Frank