Smoking requires precise control of parameters such as temperature and humidity. In this article, you will find an overview of smokehouse thermometers and learn about the automation system for controlling the temperature and the ripening, cooking, smoking and climate control processes. In addition, you will find out what measurement and software technology we offered to the meat company Ablinger. Check it out!
Thermometers are one of the most important components of a smokehouse - the smoking and cooking processes largely depend on them. There is no other way to accurately determine desired smoker temperature and thus obtain good quality meat products.
It is necessary to standardise the smoking processes and to control all the variables affecting them, like both the internal temperature and ambient temperature. Important parameters such as chamber temperature, humidity, core temperature, running time and gears - to name a few - must be reliably recorded, controlled and monitored.
Ambient temperature and internal temperature control is the basis for a properly conducted smoking process
The first step to reliable control of the smoking process is to choose the right temperature sensors. These should be of high quality and provide an accurate reading. In addition to the tried-and-tested analogue variants, such as plug-in sensors, wireless devices are also used today to detect core temperature.
Smokehouse thermometers are mostly made of stainless steel, composite materials or high-strength plastic and glass. The range of types available is very wide and includes analog and digital probe thermometer.
One of the available solutions are analogue thermometers, whose advantages are:
simplicity
long service life
Examples of this type of smokehouse thermometer are:
Plug-in resistance temperature sensor dedicated for the food industry JUMO FOODtemp to measure f.e meat temperature
An alternative to classic thermometers are electronic thermometers like digital meat thermometer. Their advantages over their analogue counterparts are features such as:
greater accuracy of temperature measurement
handiness
can be wireless
they can have an electronic display
When it comes to electronic thermometers for smokehouses, we think that JUMO Wtrans T wireless meat probe with radio transmission of the measured values is best wireless meat thermometer. It is also available in a high-temperature version, which allows operation in temperature range up to 600°C. It provides also a great temperature accuracy.
The measured temperature value is transmitted wirelessly to the receiver of the Wtrans measuring system; here it is displayed and available digitally on the RS485 interface as well as on the analogue output.
JUMO WTRANS wireless meat thermometer for smoker
To further increase the reliability of the process, we recommend that the temperature of the smoke generator, catalyst and burner is also monitored by an independent device such as a safety temperature monitor/limiter. If the limit value is exceeded, the device triggers an alarm and disconnects the corresponding power supply. This protects not only the smoked goods, but also the entire system.
Safety temperature limiter protects smoked meat products and the entire smokehouse
JUMO's extensive product range for meat processing technology has been supplemented by an industry-specific solution in the form of the mTRON T system.
With the JUMO mTRON T automation system, up to nine individually operating maturation, cooking, smoking and climate control systems can now be simultaneously operated, controlled and adjusted, and process measurement values recorded to ensure the highest quality. Data is transmitted via EtherCAT - a high-speed, Ethernet-based system bus that is widely used in measurement and automation technology.
The central unit - the heart of the JUMO mTRON T - has nine asynchronous programmers with a pool of 99 programmes. Various process steps such as smoking, hot-air cooking, roasting, roasting, drying, curing, maturing or spraying can be programmed in them.
Ablinger is a company with a long tradition in the production of meat and sausage products. It has 15 smoking chambers in its production area.
Ablinger needed around 50 accurate wireless temperature sensors to monitor the heating process. A wired solution would have caused significant time delays when filling and unloading the smoke chambers.
We proposed smoker thermometer JUMO Wtrans T with wireless data transmission. The measured temperature values are first transmitted wirelessly to the Wtrans system receiver and from there to measurement and control devices such as controllers, automation systems, indicators or loggers for further processing.
The JUMO Wtrans T01 receiver was used in conjunction with suitable wireless measuring probes for mobile or stationary temperature measurement. By assigning unique IP addresses, the signals can be processed together by a single receiver.
The JUMO Wtrans T, is particularly useful for calculating the core temperature when cooking or smoking meat products and sausages.
Use of JUMO Wtrans T wireless meat probes
At Ablinger, each transmitter has a barcode, making them easy to control. Barcodes, which contain information on the relevant product and order number, are also generated for each order. The individual trolleys are then moved to the smoking chambers and the barcodes are scanned. As a result, the actual smoking process for the respective product starts automatically.
Each product has a set limit value, which is continuously monitored. When this is reached and the hold time has elapsed, information is sent about the end of the process, as well as the name of the product, the current temperature value, the maximum value, the limit value and the hold time.
A daily protocol is generated automatically to ensure continuous documentation of the process. In addition, the entire process is visualised with the JUMO SVS3000 software, which supports the user with extensive protocol functions for batch-related protocol evaluation and data archiving for a regulated period.
This holistic package of measurement technology and software ensures maximum production flexibility and documentation security.
Barcodes are assigned at Ablinger to transmitters and to each order
