Truly a delightful read. Also after having seen the video, that is a really neat gadget! The knobs, the wires, the not having a (predictable) 3d printed case you’d kinda mentally intertwine with the idea of DIYing electronics like this nowadays.
This is cool but I just wanna say as an avid bbq-er this sounds like one of those cases of optimizing the fun out of something. babying a grill for 6 hours in the sun as a tired dad getting an excuse to drink a modelo and nurse a crappy cigar getting away from the stresses of raising a family is a feature, not a bug - but also as a fan of perfectly smoked meats, I get it. This piece speaks to me.
You can drink your beer while avoiding your family just as easily with a controller. Also, egg (kamado) style grills are very good at holding a specific temperature if you get the inlet/outlet airflow dialed in
Those wanting to duplicate the electronic bbq idea can build themselves a HeaterMeter.
https://github.com/CapnBry/HeaterMeter/wiki
Those wanting an off the shelf product can purchase a smart fire gadget. https://smartfirebbq.com/
I have one and it’s incredible.
That site is desperate for a paragraph about what the product does.
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Discussed at the time:
Dad and the Egg Controller - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18710205 - Dec 2018 (49 comments)
This was an absolutely beautiful eulogy.
Great story, nice humor, very touching. Thank you for sharing!
Truly a delightful read. Also after having seen the video, that is a really neat gadget! The knobs, the wires, the not having a (predictable) 3d printed case you’d kinda mentally intertwine with the idea of DIYing electronics like this nowadays.
Chef’s kiss
It's been long enough since I did a DIY electronics project that I used a plastic case bought at Radio Shack (or maybe Marvac?) for my last one.
This is cool but I just wanna say as an avid bbq-er this sounds like one of those cases of optimizing the fun out of something. babying a grill for 6 hours in the sun as a tired dad getting an excuse to drink a modelo and nurse a crappy cigar getting away from the stresses of raising a family is a feature, not a bug - but also as a fan of perfectly smoked meats, I get it. This piece speaks to me.
I expect that building and optimizing this thing was the fun.
And perhaps where you see alone time while grilling, OP's dad saw alone time for hours in his workshop tinkering with things like this.
You can drink your beer while avoiding your family just as easily with a controller. Also, egg (kamado) style grills are very good at holding a specific temperature if you get the inlet/outlet airflow dialed in
Disagree. The heat tends to spike when the fire hits a piece of wood.
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