Kamado fan controller setup: MeatStick Blow on a Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe and similar

A fan controller holds a kamado at the temperature you set by feeding air to the fire through the bottom draft door. When the grate runs below your target, the fan pushes more air to the coals. When it reaches your target, the fan eases off. MeatStick Blow is a BBQ temperature control fan that does this job on kamado cookers like the Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe, and on a kamado it fits with no drilling.

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), two stainless kamado plates (Large and Medium), high-temperature foil tape, a hub-link cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable and the quick start guide.
• 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, so it can stay plugged in.

How to set up Blow on a kamado

1. Fit the gasket and clip to Blow. Do this once, before your first cook. The Blow quick start guide shows how.
2. Pick a plate. Two stainless plates come in the box: Large (about 3½ × 3 in, 90 × 76 mm) and Medium (about 3⅛ × 2¾ in, 79 × 70 mm). Choose the one that sits best over your bottom draft door.
3. Mount Blow. Place the plate over the draft door opening. Seat the clip's two bottom legs, then push the top leg through with your thumb. All three legs spring open and pull the gasket tight. Give Blow a gentle twist, ports down, and check it sits firm. Blow sticks out from the cooker with its ports facing down.
4. Compact kamado? You can skip the plate and mount Blow directly onto the metal draft door. Foil tape closes any small gaps.
5. Make Blow the only way air gets in. Foil-tape any gaps around the plate. Start the top vent at about a pencil-width and adjust after your first cook.
6. 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.
7. Open Blow's damper. The damper covers Blow's air intake. Open it to cook.

See the fit guide for every cooker

Running a low-and-slow cook

1. Start clean. Clear the ash from your last cook so air from Blow can reach the coals.
2. Load and light. Fill the firebox with lump charcoal and light a small spot. A kamado holds heat well, so a small fire is easier to steer than a big one.
3. 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.
4. 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 cooker climb to it from below.
5. 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 dome.
6. Shut it down. When you finish, close Blow's damper and close the top vent. That is what stops air reaching the fire.

Common problems

Overshoot. Ceramic holds heat, so a kamado that climbs past your target is slow to come back down. Bring it up from below: light a small fire, set your target early, and leave the top vent at about a pencil-width until you know your cooker. Running hot with the other vents closed? Look for a leak. Check for a gap around the plate, a gasket left off Blow, or a top vent that is open wider than it needs to be.

Opening the lid. Every time you lift the dome, heat leaves and a rush of air reaches the coals, so the grate reading drops and the fire gets a burst of oxygen. Crack the dome an inch first, pause, then open it fully. Keep peeks short. With a Stick in the meat, most checks happen in the app, not under the lid.

Fuel. When the charcoal runs low, the grate temperature falls no matter how much air the fire gets. For a long cook, fill the firebox 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.

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 kamado? No. On a kamado, Blow mounts on a stainless plate over the bottom draft door. Two plates come in the box. Compact kamados can mount Blow directly onto the metal draft door.

Does MeatStick Blow fit a Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe? Blow is made for kamado cookers like the Big Green Egg and Kamado Joe. Use the Large or Medium plate from the box, whichever sits best over your bottom draft door, and seal any small gaps with the foil tape. The fit guide covers each cooker.

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 kamado? It plugs into Blow, and its tip clips at grate level, so the hub reads the temperature where the food cooks.

Does MeatStick Blow work on gas or pellet grills? No. Gas and pellet grills already manage their own heat, so a fan adds nothing. Blow is for charcoal cookers where you can control the air coming in. A V Series set still works on gas, pellet and in the oven.

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. Not sure about your cooker? Check the fit guide. Comparing fans? See how Blow compares.