New ProQ Frontier - Tips for first cook?

  • Hi all,

    Picked up the ProQ Frontier Elite last weekend and finally have had the chance to put it together. I did a dry run today to check temperature difference between hood and grates (and burn out any manufacturing nasties). Noticed that there was a fair bit of leakage between the top stacker and the hood, is that normal? Temperature difference was about 25f degrees hotter at top grate and dial, and 45 degrees between bottom grate and dial.

    Going to put on a couple of slabs of pork ribs tomorrow and it's my first time with a bullet smoker - any tips for young players from seasoned BBQers?

    Will probably try to use the Minion method, how long a cook should I be able to get out of a full charcoal basket at 225F? And how many coals should I stick in it to begin with (both lit, and unlit)?

    (As an aside, I stuck a Maverick ET-733 probe into the gromlet during my dry run and liquid started coming out from the crimped point where the probe meets the braided cable - anyone have any clues on this one? Will check it against boiling water but I think the probe is now stuffed )

  • Liquid coming out of the probe sounds very strange, the 733 probes I don't think are waterproof. I belive there is a rubber/silicone seal of types in the crimped part where the wire goes in. How hot did you push it? My original 733 is over a year old now and had a hard life, the Mav probes are fairly reliable. not trying to tell you how to suck eggs but your aware they read off the very tip?
    That's all I have mate I'm not a bullet smoker guy but there are a few around, I'm sure they will see this soon :thumbup:

  • Hey dude,

    Haha yeah - i know they read off the tip.

    The leaking liquid was very strange, can't tell what it is from the residue on the floor - but smells and feels like just water. Have tested both of them in boiling water just now and the one that was leaking liquid has definitely died. The remote display was reading XXX for a little while, and when it finally came on the probe was reading 120C. Other probe was fine and reading 100C.

    Hottest I've ever had the Mavericks go to was ~350 which is what I got the ProQ up to just then. Wasn't sure what the min-max was on the probes, so never used it when high heat grilling.

  • Hey guys,

    Had the ribs on the grill sitting nicely around 225-245 for about 2.5 hours. Opened up the ribs to foil and there was a green liquid on the top of the ribs, have cooked ribs a number of times but have never seen this before. Anyone have any ideas?

  • . Noticed that there was a fair bit of leakage between the top stacker and the hood, is that normal?

    Hi m8I have a new ProQ Excel Elite 20 and mine leaks everywhere, the stacker's seem to fit very lose, and once everything is shut down takes ages to snuff out the coals, as for a cooker it runs at 250f all day mine does use a fair bit more charcoal than I would have liked, I did try and call ProQ about the problem but They have not had time in the last two weeks to get back to me, BBQXL who I bought it off, suggest a video of the smoke escaping the gaps in the stacker's so they can asses a warranty claim, because of work have had no chance to do that yet, looks like Monday when I fire her up next but all in all its a great cooker m8

    ProQ Excel Elite2o<---> Weber Kettle<---> AKORN KAMADO<--->  WEBER GO ANYWHERE

  • Yeah not having a good run - still trying to figure out what the green sh!t was. Made me waste two rack of ribs + 2 kilos of chicken wings which was on the stacker below it!! Sticking a whole chimney worth of lump in the cooker with no water in the pan to sterilise it.

    Didn't think it would be edible but went ahead and foiled the ribs anyway - this is what it looks like after it's been pulled off. Looks like a fungus/mold on the surface of the ribs, and the smell is just strange. It's an acrid, organic and bitter sort of smell, nothing that I would expect from a rack of ribs. After I pulled it off, I noticed the briquettes were smelling really strange - normally use Heat Beads but picked up a bag from Costco for Kingsford (have subsequently found that it's even more expensive than Heat Beads!! Never again).

    Steiny - I bought mine from BBQXL as well, the stackers fit together well and not getting many leaks - but between stacker and lid is really leaky. Had a whole basketful of coals today made up oif two Heat Beads chimneys in basket + 15 coals started in the starter, and it was more or less extinguished after 7.5 hours. Should I be expecting more from economy from the cooker? I would have liked to hope that I could set this cooker for a pulled pork cook before I sleep at night, and wake up to a cooked product.

  • After running furiously clicking my way through many websites, I think I have found that the stuff on the ribs was creosote condensate. Will have to watch the amount of smoking wood I put into the fire the next time i guess..

    Have also found a brownish/rust colored residue on the inside of the ProQ - anyone know what this is, and if I should be cleaning it off?

  • Talk about bad luck!

    With the green stuff, I'm stumped. If you had a thick white smoke pouring out of the Q for long periods then it might well be creosote. Otherwise all I can think of is that the BBQ came pre-seasoned and not all the seasoning oils were burned off prior to the cook.
    With the kingsford briquettes, I've learned to steer clear of them. I only use charcoal or wood these days.
    The rust... are you sure it's rust? Was it there before the cook? It could be creosote I guess.

  • Hard to say without seeing it, but my mind goes to these points first up:

    Kingsford briquettes are not the same as Heat Beads, as I understand it they are a mix of sawdust and charcoal dust, Heat Beads are predominately coal.

    It sounds like too much smoking wood....what wood are you using?...and how much?

    The "Rust" colour is just creosote/smoke residue, leave it there. After your next cook it'll have another coat of smoke and look different.

    Cheers
    Chris

  • I think the trick is with the proQ and WSM going by all the American threads, is do not run with water in pan, foil the pan or put a brick or some sand in it and as Chris from urban griller advises wash the sand first The water in that huge pan makes you burn the charcoal faster than you think, that is how I will go to morrow cooking some short ribs

    ProQ Excel Elite2o<---> Weber Kettle<---> AKORN KAMADO<--->  WEBER GO ANYWHERE

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