Tip Top Temp - first cook & initial review

dgaddis1

I stumbled across the Tip Top Temp (TTT from here on) on this forum and was intrigued.  A ~$30 all-mechanical temperature control device...compared to the cost of an electric controller and blower, it was totally worth trying.  FWIW I got mine from BBQ Guys and it was $32 shipped.

So what is it?  It's an exhaust damper controlled by a bimetallic coil.  It sits on top of the Egg in place of the daisy wheel.  I'm not going to explain how it works, a quick Google search will handle that for you.  Now, it's not made specifically for the Egg, in fact it's made to convert a kettle style grill into a smoker.  It's 5" in diameter and comes with a red silicon band that you're supposed to use to secure it to the exhaust on a kettle grill.  With the Egg, the chimney is larger than 5", so it doesn't fit.  I have a Smokeware cap on mine, and it fits just fine down inside the base of the SW cap.  Because I have the SW cap, the TTT won't fall off when opening or closing the Egg.



I used it yesterday for the first time, I smoked some beef chuck ribs for about 6.5hrs.  Here's what I did and how it went.

Filled chimney starter half full and got all of those coals lit.  Set it aside, filled the Egg with lump and a few chunks of oak and cherry wood and then dumped the hot coals on top.  Put the plate setter in, grid, remote temp probe, and let it slowly come up to temp.  I kept the bottom vent open only ~1/4".  I put the TTT on top and adjusted it to keep it open so that the lower vent was limiting the airflow, not the TTT.  

Once my temps hit 220*F I adjusted the TTT so it was *just* closed, and left it alone, went inside to season the ribs and get them ready to go on.  Temp crept up to 235*F and settled.  I put the ribs on and then started recording temps every so often.

For the first hour of the cook the temp slowly went up to 239*F, then over the next 3hrs it slowly dropped down to 228*F.  At that point the ribs were into the stall.  I adjusted the TT a bit 'hotter', the temp went up to 241*F in about 15mins then dropped again down to 235* in ~10mins.  

At this point I was 5hrs into the cook and the ribs had finally come out of the stall, so I adjusted it a good bit to kick up the temps to finish them up so we could eat dinner.

So what did I learn?  It does seem to work well, but there's a bit of a learning curve.  It doesn't form a perfect seal on top of the Egg, and I think when I initially turned it down to 'settle' the temp I think the Egg had some momentum and the TTT was actually trying to keep it cooler than it was, because every time I went out to check on it, it was as 'closed' as it gets.  Keep in mind, closed is not a perfect seal.  Eventually the momentum ran out and the temps started to approach where the TTT really wanted it to be.  When I first adjusted it to bump the heat up I noticed I turned the knob a bit before the damper actually started moving - in other words the coil was under tension trying to push it even more closed than it was.  

Next time, I'm going to get it to settle just like I did the first time.  But then after ~half an hour or so I'm going to turn the knob just until it starts to open, to make sure that fully closed is where the coil wants the damper to be at that temp.  Then it should be rock steady.  Also, I am going to cut mine down to make it shorter so I can put the top piece of the Smokeware cap back in place.  That will keep rain off it (which would mess with it I'm sure since the rain will cool the coil and cause to move the damper) and keep it better insulated from wind.  I didn't have any rain or wind on this first cook though.

Here's the chart.



And the final product.  Seasoned with Dizzy Pig Red Eye Express, pulled from the Egg at IT of 199*F, they probed good so off they came.  The meat pulled funny on the ribs, this is my 2nd time cooking these and first time I've seen it pull the ribs in two directions like this.

The wife made some greenbeans sauted with sliced almonds and some kale/butternut squash/black bean stir fry to go with it.  Sunday dinners are the best!

MrCookingNurse

Your food looks outstanding. And I've always been amazing at little machines like that. Someone was a thinker. 

RRP

Here was mine after just 3 uses so you can see the creosote build up starts quickly. I would assume that after not too many uses the coil spring will be affected and need cleaning.

After 5 or 6 uses I did spray mine with Easy Off oven cleaner and got it back to show room condition!

lousubcap

Great write-up (I use one on the LBGE on occasion) and ever better cook and results.  Brisket on a stick-most eggcellent.
Edit:  Credit to @RRP for my intro to the TTT.

dgaddis1

RRP said:

Here was mine after just 3 uses so you can see the creosote build up starts quickly. I would assume that after not too many uses the coil spring will be affected and need cleaning.

After 5 or 6 uses I did spray mine with Easy Off oven cleaner and got it back to show room condition!

Yeah, I should have mentioned I do think it'll need an occasional cleaning.  But for the $$ savings vs a FB or Guru I don't mind cleaning it every once and a while!

HeavyG

It is a great device. I don't use mine on my kamados - just my Weber Kettle and WSM. On those it doesn't have any sealing issues.

I'm surprised it isn't more popular. I guess at that price a lot of folks think it is just a toy that won't work.

Maybe they should triple the price to get more people to buy it.

sctdg

Mine is totally black . Cleaned it once with an oven cleaner . Don't bother cleaning anymore and it works fine . Temp chart that comes with it is helpful when you first get started but after using it for a while setting it becomes a breeze . TipTop and Smokeware is the perfect combo for controlling temps Love it ,have two and got them both on sale for $19.95 a while back . Don't ever use my Auber control anymore TipTop is so simple and effective . 

YukonRon

I am curious, would colder ambient temperatures have an adverse effect in the utilization of exposed galvanic coils?

SmokeyPitt

That is really cool. I think the smokeware people and the tip-top people should get together and market a single product that fits the egg. 

dgaddis1

YukonRon said:

I am curious, would colder ambient temperatures have an adverse effect in the utilization of exposed galvanic coils?

I imagine using it in cold temperatures will mean different settings to acheive the same grate temp vs hot temperatures.  But, with the Smokeware top cap on as well, it should help insulate it and minimize those differences.  That's my theory anyways.

dgaddis1

SO, an update.  I've used this little controller a few more times and have come to really like.  What I've found:

• Let the Egg slowly come up to temp, you don't want to overshoot and then have it snuff out the fire.
• Leave the bottom vent open just slightly more than you normally would for whatever temperature you're trying to hold.
• It will hold the temp within about a 20 degree window - you just have to trust it and leave it alone.  When you see the temp dropping (or rising) don't go mess with it, leave it be.
• I trimmed mine down so it's shorter, left just enough on the bottom for the silicone band to fit.  It's still too tall for the smokeware cap to clear, but when I use it I just put the cap on a little crooked so it doesn't drop all the way down, but it stays in place when opening or closing the dome.  Helps shield it from wind and rain.

Overall:  Recommended!