Weber kettle temperature controller: how to run MeatStick Blow for low and slow

A fan controller turns a Weber kettle into a cooker that holds its temperature on its own. It feeds air to the coals from below: more when the grate runs below your target, less once it gets there. MeatStick Blow is a BBQ temperature control fan that does this on a kettle. It clips into an existing air opening if your kettle has an accessible one. Otherwise it mounts through one 1¼" (32 mm) hole that you drill below the charcoal grate.

Blow is the fan. It runs on the V Forge WiFi Hub, which reads the temperature at the grate through the Wired Ambient Probe and tells Blow how hard to feed the fire. You set the target and follow every number in the MeatStick app.

What you need

• MeatStick Blow, plus the V Forge WiFi Hub and Wired Ambient Probe from a V Forge Set. Blow Forge puts all of it in one box: Blow and the V Forge Set. Already own a V Forge Set? Get Blow on its own. It runs on the hub and Wired Ambient Probe you already have.
• In the Blow box: Blow with its mounting pack (gasket, spring clip, hex nut and screw), high-temperature foil tape, a hub-link cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable and the quick start guide. (The two kamado plates in the box are for kamados.)
• You bring a USB charger or power bank (5V/2A or higher recommended). A lower-rated source still works, but the fan may not reach full speed. For overnight cooks, a wall charger is the safest choice: some power banks switch off when the fan runs gently. No charger comes in the box.
• Power for the hub on long cooks. The V Forge WiFi Hub runs about 14 hours on battery and keeps running while it charges.
• A 1¼" hole saw or step bit, only if you drill. The bit sets the size, so no template is needed.

How to set up Blow on a kettle

1. Fit the gasket and clip to Blow. Do this once, before your first cook. The Blow quick start guide shows how.
2. Find your spot. Pick a place on the lower bowl, below the charcoal grate, clear of the ash sweep and away from the kettle's legs, so Blow has room to hang.
3. Use an existing opening, or drill one hole. If your kettle has an accessible air opening there, Blow clips into it. No accessible opening? Drill one 1¼" (32 mm) hole with a hole saw or step bit. Wear eye protection and watch for sharp edges.
4. Mount Blow. The clip needs a hole to pass through and a flat surface right behind it to catch on. A kettle's thin bowl wall is ideal. Seat the clip's two bottom legs through the hole, then push the top leg through with your thumb. All three legs spring open against the inside wall and pull the gasket tight. Give Blow a gentle twist, ports down, and check it sits firm.
5. Check the ash sweep. With Blow on, move the ash sweep through its full travel to make sure it still clears.
6. Make Blow the only way air gets in. Close off the other bottom vents with the foil tape. Start the lid vent at about a pencil-width and adjust after your first cook.
7. Connect it. Plug the Wired Ambient Probe into Blow and clip its tip at grate level. Connect Blow to the V Forge WiFi Hub with the hub-link cable, and plug Blow into your USB charger or power bank.
8. Open Blow's damper. The damper covers Blow's air intake. Open it to cook.

When Blow is off the kettle, the high-temperature foil tape in the box closes the hole.

See the fit guide for every cooker

Running a low-and-slow cook

1. Start clean. Empty the ash from the bowl so air from Blow can reach the coals.
2. Set up for indirect heat. Bank the charcoal to one side, or lay it in a snake around the edge of the charcoal grate, and cook the meat on the other side. Put the lid vent over the meat so smoke draws across it.
3. Light a small part of it. Light one end of the snake, or a few coals in the bank. A small fire is easier to hold than a big one.
4. Let the fire catch. Blow waits until the grate reads about 86°F (30°C) before the fan starts, so get the fire going first.
5. Set your target in the MeatStick app. Many low-and-slow cooks run somewhere around 225 to 275°F (107 to 135°C). Set it early and let the kettle climb to it from below.
6. Stick in the meat and walk away. The Stick in the meat sends its temperature to the app, so you can check doneness without lifting the lid.
7. Shut it down. When you finish, close Blow's damper and close the lid vent. That is what stops air reaching the fire.

Common problems

Overshoot. If the kettle climbs past your target, too much fire is lit or air is getting in somewhere Blow does not control. Start with a smaller lit area next time. Running hot with the other vents closed? Look for a leak: a bottom vent not fully taped, a gasket left off Blow, or a lid vent open wider than it needs to be.

Opening the lid. Every time you lift the lid, heat leaves and air rushes to the coals, so the grate reading drops and the fire gets a burst of oxygen. Keep peeks short. With a Stick in the meat, most checks happen in the app, not under the lid.

Fuel. When the snake or the bank burns down, the grate temperature falls no matter how much air the fire gets. For a long cook, build a longer snake or a bigger bank before you light. Watch the grate number in the app over the last hours of a long cook.

Power. If Blow stops mid-cook on a power bank, the bank may have switched itself off while the fan was running gently. Use a wall charger for overnight cooks, and keep the hub plugged in.

Fan not running. Check that the grate has passed about 86°F (30°C), that Blow's damper is open, and that the hub-link cable and the Wired Ambient Probe are plugged in.

Blow won't seat. The legs need a flat wall behind the hole. If Blow sits next to a leg or the ash sweep, it has no room to hang. Pick a spot clear of both.

After the cook. You can leave the clip on Blow and take the gasket off for storage. Keep the gasket with Blow and refit it before the next cook: a missing gasket is an air leak.

FAQ

Do I need to drill my Weber kettle? Only if it has no accessible air opening that Blow's clip can seat in. If it does, Blow clips into it. If not, drill one 1¼" (32 mm) hole with a hole saw or step bit. You supply the bit.

Where do I put the hole on a kettle? On the lower bowl, below the charcoal grate, clear of the ash sweep and away from the kettle's legs. The clip locks against the flat inside wall of the bowl.

What happens to the hole when Blow is off? The high-temperature foil tape in the Blow box closes it.

What do I need besides MeatStick Blow? The V Forge WiFi Hub and the Wired Ambient Probe from a V Forge Set, plus a USB charger or power bank for Blow (5V/2A or higher recommended). Blow Forge includes Blow and the V Forge Set in one box.

Where does the Wired Ambient Probe go on a kettle? It plugs into Blow, and its tip clips at grate level, so the hub reads the temperature where the food cooks.

Hold your fire. Meet Blow Forge: Blow, the V Forge WiFi Hub, the Wired Ambient Probe and Sticks in one box. Own a V Forge Set already? Get MeatStick Blow on its own. Got a kamado, bullet smoker or drum too? Check the fit guide. Comparing fans? See how Blow compares.