The item(s) contained in this review were purchased by The Naked Whiz Publishing Empire from The BBQ Guru. No considerations, either financial or otherwise, were sought from or given to The BBQ Guru. were given.

Introduction

BBQ Guru is probably the biggest and oldest name in electronic BBQ temperature controls. The first BBQ temperature controller we ever reviewed was the BBQ Guru Competitor back in 2006. It was a basic controller with one pit probe to control your cooker and one food probe to monitor your food. It didn't have a numeric display of temperatures, but rather little rows of LEDs to show how far above or below a certain temperature you were. Since then, BBQ Guru has brought out the the DigiQ II, then the CyberQ II, then the NanoQ and PartyQ controllers in its line of basic controllers. All little metal bricks that provided great control for your cooker. Now here we are 15 years later with the BBQ Guru DigiQ DX3, the latest in this line of controllers. So, let's see if the DigiQ DX3 lives up to its ancestry!

Features

Here is a list of features and specifications for the unit from the DigiQ DX3 User's Guide:

• Smart Cook full-time adaptive control algorithm learns the pit for better stability and accuracy
• Armored, dishwasher-safe, high-temperature pit and food probes
• Controls your pit and monitors one food temperature
• Open Lid Detect senses when the pit’s lid is open to minimize temperature disturbance
• Patented low and slow Ramp Mode lowers the pit temperature as food temperatures approach the done setpoint so the food does not overcook
• Temperatures displayed on the DigiQ DX3 display in °F or °C
• 32°F to 475°F (0°C-246°C) [control] range with ± 2°F accuracy
• Included Universal Bracket allows for a variety of mounting options
• Runs on 110-240VAC, 50-60hz for worldwide use or 12VDC for automotive supply use

Here is a list of other features and specifications:

• Automatically and constantly controls your grill's cooking temperature with oven-like precision
• Ships with 1 six-foot pit probe and 1 six-foot food probe (8 and 10 foot probes optional)
• Ships with 12 volt - 3.5 amp 42 watt power pack
• Pit Temperature Probe - Type T thermocouple probe with 72" stainless steel-braided cable.
• Food Temperature Probes - Type T thermocouple probes with 72" stainless steel-braided cables.
• Probes good up to 500°F (260°C)
• Probes/cables smoke and moisture resistant, now dishwasher safe.
• Power Glitch Safe - Continues running at the saved set temperature when power returns.
• Food Temperature Alert - Lets you know when your food reaches your target temperature.
• Pit Temperature Alert - Lets you know if your pit temperature strays too far (configurable), from your target.
• Unit dimensions: 3½" x 2⅝" x ⅞" / 89mm x 67mm x 22mm
• Unit weight: 5.2 oz / 147 grams
• 3-digit 7-segment bright red LED display
• Display size 1⅛" x ½" / 29mm x 13mm
• Food Alarm Temperature 32°-475°F (0°-246°C)
• 4-button keypad for controlling the unit
• 10 and 25 cubic feet per minute (CFM) blowers with damper available
• 23 different blower adapters available for connecting to a world of cookers

Compared To Other BBQ Temperature Controllers

Like most other temperature control systems, the DigiQ DX3 system is blower-based, controlling airflow through the cooker with a blower. As a basic controller, there is no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, web or cloud connections. All control and readout is provided by the unit itself. The DigiQ DX3 also provides a complete set of features like Open Lid Detect, Ramp Mode, and Smart Cook that are missing from some other controllers.

We recently reviewed the BBQ Guru DynaQ and UltraQ models, so we thought we'd include a short comparison between the DIGIQ DX3 and the DynaQ and UltraQ models so you can see all three of BBQ Guru's current models:

	DigiQ DX3	DynaQ	UltraQ
Food Probes	1	1	Up to 3
LED Temperature Display	Yes	No	Yes
Display Scanning	N/A	N/A	Yes
Audible Alarms	Yes	No	Yes
Food Done Alarm	Yes	No	Yes
Email and Text Notifications	No	No	Yes
Wi-Fi and ShareMyCook	No	No	Yes
Voice Control	No	No	Amazon Alexa

The Basic System

The basic DigiQ DX3 package comes with the following items:

• The DigiQ DX3 control unit
• 12 volt power supply and power cord
• 1 Type T thermocouple food probe
• 1 Type T thermocouple pit probe with alligator clip
• Universal Metal Bracket
• Quick Start card (User Guide is available at the BBQ Guru Knowledgebase.

If you have purchased a temperature controller from BBQ Guru before, you may already have a blower and adapter. If not, when you order your DigiQ DX3, you must also purchase:

• Pit Viper 10 CFM blower or Pit Bull 25 CFM blower
• Blower adapter for your cooker (silicone kill plug included)

A Few Observations About The Components

The DigiQ DX3 innards are housed in a solid metal case that we suspect would survive an atomic blast. It is moisture resistant, but not waterproof. In other words, keep it protected from hard rain, and don't submerse it. The power supply should also be protected from large amounts of water and submersion.

The temperature probes all have braided stainless steel insulation, are protected from smoke and moisture, and are now dishwasher safe. The Pit Viper blower is described as "moisture resistant." The new plastic case on the Pit Viper certainly will better resist the intrusion of moisture into the blower than the original blower's stainless steel plate. And with the air intake on the new blower being more covered, there should be less chance for splashing rain entering from below in a heavy rainfall. In general, everything feels sturdy and well built.

The System Unit

The DigiQ DX3 unit is a small metal brick about 3½" x 2⅝" x ⅞" (89mm x 67mm x 22mm) and weighing 5.2 ounces (147 grams). The case houses the electronics and has four control buttons on the front. There is no dedicated power switch, per se. The unit will power up when you connect the power supply. However, simultaneously pressing the PIT and FOOD buttons will turn the unit off and on. The back of the unit has two small metal lugs that can be used to mount the unit on the Universal Bracket. Finally, the unit has all the electrical connections along the bottom edge.

Universal Bracket

The DigiQ DX3 comes with a stainless steel universal bracket. It can be bent in a number of ways so as to be a stand that can hold the DigiQ DX3 in different positions. The two lugs on the back of the controller slide into the channels cut into the bracket. Below we show you one possible way to bend the bracket and hold the controller. Other possibilities are shown in the DigiQ DX3 User Guide.

Controls

The DigiQ DX3 controller has four buttons on the front for controlling the functions of the unit, △, ▽, PIT and FOOD:

The FOOD and PIT buttons when pressed simultaneously will turn the unit on and off. When pressed individually, the FOOD button switches the display to the current food temperature. The PIT button switches the display to the current pit temperature.

The △ and ▽ buttons when pressed indvidually while displaying either the current pit or food temperature will alter the Pit Set Point or Food Set Point. If you press the △ and ▽ buttons simultaneously, the setup menu is entered. Once in the setup menu, pressing the △ and ▽ buttons simultaneously will move you from one setup item to the next. Pressing The △ and ▽ buttons individually will allow you to change values for individual menu items.

The following table shows how the Setup Menu operates:

Menu Item	Display	Actions
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to enter the Set Up menu)
Smart Cook   (1,2, or 3)	"SC " alternating with value	△ to increase value ▽ to decrease value
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to move to the next item)
Alarm Deviation Set Point   (20-125°F)	"ALr" alternating with value	△ to increase value ▽ to decrease value
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to move to the next item)
Ramp Mode   (Y or N)	"RAn" or "RAy"	△ to select Yes ▽ to select No
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to move to the next item)
Beeper Intensity   (0-10)	"bPr" alternating with value	△ to increase value ▽ to decrease value
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to move to the next item)
Open Lid Detect   (Y or N)	"oLn" or "oLy"	△ to select Yes ▽ to select No
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to move to the next item)
Temperature Units Select   (°F or °C)	" °F" or " °C"	△ to select °F ▽ to select °C
(Press △ and ▽ simultaneously to return to the Pit Temperature display)

We will describe all these functions, what they do and what values they have later on in the review.