Newbie Question - Where's My Heat?

Unknown

Any help the outside world would be able to provide would be very much appreciated.

I bought my first BGE - a large - about 10 days ago. So far we've had a few good early experiments, culminating in an excellent pulled pork last weekend.

Today I'm trying some ribs. Charcoal is in, got them good and glowing after a while, and put my ribs in at 250 (with place setter and water filled drip pan) with both vents wide open, hoping to get the heat up and then close them as needed, and to maintain about 250 or 300.

Puzzlingly, the lid has been closed (vents wide open) and the ribs have been on for for 30 min or so and the heat is climbing exceedingly slowly - now to about 275. Can anyone give me an idea as to why the heat isn't climbing? I don't actually need the heat for the ribs, but I don't understand why I haven't needed to close the vents.

Thanks in advance,

civil eggineer

Meat can suck a lot of heat out of an egg and take a while to recover. After I place a butt on I will open everything up until temps start to climb then throttle back. Heating an egg is like driving a river barge. You start turning miles before the bend then wait see what happens.

Austin Smoker

Just checking, but have you cleaned out the ash?

Jeffersonian

I'd add that you probably need to clear some of the holes in your grate...they are likely plugged with small bits of lump from your previous cook. Restricted airflow will choke your Egg.

fishlessman

i would start closing them down, the water in the pan is slowing things down as it steams off at 212 degrees. be really careful when opening the egg with water in a pan, steam burns are the worst with an egg, way worse than flashback. wear gloves and open slowly

Grandpas Grub

Bad habbit to get into...

Get your egg stabalized then add the food to cook.

Getting an egg extreemly hot than bringing the temp back down is also a bad habbit.

The reason your temp isn't climbing could be any of several things.

A lot of old small or small lumb in the bottom of the firebox and over the fire grate which will cause poor air flow.

Probably not damp lump.

Lump not lit properly or the lack of air flow is not allowing the lump to build.

Get you egg lit and bring it to cooking temp. Make sure the smoke is clear or a light blue in color. Add your flavor chips/chunks if you are using them. Then add your food.

Water pan, new meat will all take heat energy to get again re-stabilize. If you egg is at temp then when you see a temp drop from adding the cool stuff in the egg, don't touch the vents - let the egg come back up to temp.

GG

Unknown

Thank you all for your advice - and your support.

I am inclined to think that Grandpas Grub has nailed my problem. I checked the holes, and I am pretty sure they are clear. There is some ash at the bottom, but I can't imagine enough to cause any trouble.

My best guess is that my lump wasn't lit properly. It was climbing so slowly that I jumped the gun and put the meat/place setter/drip pan in when it crawled to 250.

Can anyone point me anywhere on the web where I can find some instructions/advice/help on how to build a decent fire? I am at present just lining the bottom with charcoal and wedging a firestarter cut in two in the centre, and going from there.

Again, thanks...

stike

adding the meat, platesetter, and water all at once means every bit of heat is pretty much going into reheating everything.

next time, bring the platesetter up to temp with the fire. you don't need water in the drip pan.

and after adding the meat, you'll still see a drop in temp. one reason is the cold meat, the other is that you have spilled the warm air from having the dome open. don't touch the vents, as it will eventually return to the previous temp. it will take a lot less longer though, with a preheated platesetter and no water.

Ike Witt

go to nakedwhiz.com click on the egg.

you will find a couple different ways to build a fire
under the pork section.

don't feel alone...im 3 weeks into the egg, and dont feel like ive built a decent fire for low and slow.
the peeps here are friendly and offer good advice.

good luck
allen

Unknown

using water in the drip pan?

Water smokers use water to help stabilize the temperatures. You have the ceramic in the shell of the egg to do this.

Water boils @ 212 and uses energy to convert to steam. That's where all of your heat is going......changing water to steam.

Big'un

Try this.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/infocentral.htm

AZRP

You don't need any liquid in your drip pan on the Egg, heck, I didn't even use any in my WSM. -RP

WADoug

Me too...not that I know that much, but I tried some ribs with a pan of water below. It was a very different environment. Trying to get the temp beyond 225 was very difficult/long.