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Low temperature for the Large Green Egg

Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Over the weekend I was trying Elder Wards NC Style Pulled Porked and the temperature requirements were to cook the butt at 195 degrees for about 20 hours. I had on problem with the fire going for 20 hours following his instructions for building a fire. BUT.. I did have a problem keeping the BGE at 195 degrees for long periods of time. To maintain the 195 degrees I had to close the bottom vent all the way and also close the daisy wheel all the way. Obviously if you leave it like that for long hours (about 2) the fire will go out. With the bottom vent open about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and the dasiy wheel open only a crack my Large BGE burns about 235 to 250 degress. What should the low end temperature be and if it is less that 235 to 250 degrees what am I doing wrong.... any suggestions ??

Comments

  • Mark Backer
    Mark Backer Posts: 1,018
    Hogan,[p]I have the same problem. I think that one thing to remember is that (from what I've read here) the dome temp is higher than the grid temp, so if you can keep 225 on the dome temp, it'll run 20 hours and you'll be fine. [p]Actually, the ones I did last Saturday night were cooked at between 230 and 250 dome (two 8 pounders) that cooked for 18 hours and were absolutely perfect. Obviously the lower and slower you go makes them better, but without at Guru or some other tending device, I can't maintain temps that low and hope the fire keeps running. [p]Just my two cents...
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Hogan,
    you may have been trying to get to 195 from a higher temp, which is tough.[p]the ceramic could have been heated past 195, and so the only way to get lower somewhat quickly is to snuff the fire.[p]if you want to keep a fire at 190-195, next time you'll have to start the fire and set the daisy and lower vent immediately for maintaining that setting, which is almost entirely closed.[p]when i do this with fire starting cubes (and in this case, i only use a small chunk), i let the fire establish itself for an hour or so, to burn off the cube.[p]i have also let the fire establish itself more quickly by keeping the dome open (so that it will not heat up) for 10 minutes or so until i see that the cube has burnt off and the coals are going.[p]then you can close the lid and vents for 190-195. the dome will not be hot, and so the dome temp can be better controlled by the vents.[p]also, putting in the indirect mass as well as the meat itself usually brings the temp down, giving you a chance to tweak the vents lower if need be.[p]lastly, for 190, an 1/8th or a 1/4 inch is way too much.
    the daisy and lower vent should be barely open.
    in fact, when my lower vent is set fo anything under 220, i cannot even see the hole in the ceramic. it is covered visually by the vent, but the vent is open maybe a sixteenth of an inch... one of the guys here uses a piece of coathanger to set his. he pokes it in the opening and shuts the door against it. that's how little (or how much i guess) it takes.[p]

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mark Backer says
    "without at Guru or some other tending device, I can't maintain temps that low and hope the fire keeps running"[p]So are you saying that a low and slow cook cannot be trusted to maintain temperature unless a guru is in use?

  • Mark Backer
    Mark Backer Posts: 1,018
    BostonBBQ,[p]No, I just haven't learned to build the proper fire yet. I have been dumping lump in willy-nilly, and have reaped that which I have sown. [p]next low and slow will be complete with a proper fire building and no worries all night.

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Mark Backer,
    tryna tell you...
    the thing never needed a guru before they invented it, and it doesn't need one now, if you take the time to build a fire correctly.[p]i am not saying the guru is not a good piece of equipment, i am just saying it's not a necessity.[p]i used to to lo and slos at 190, but simply for the sake of shaving of a few hours, i do them now at 220 or so.[p]if you have good technique, 190 is not difficult.[p]

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mark Backer
    Mark Backer Posts: 1,018
    stike,[p]I agree completely. I have readily admitted that I have not taken my firebuilding seriously enough for lo and slo's, but no more. Next lo and slo is by the book.[p]Will post updates here on that one. And hopefully none of them will be from 3am...
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Mark Backer,
    i did a very bad thing...
    once, instead of building the fire in the tried and true method, i just dumped it out, the lump that is.[p]...and it STILL worked fine. so now i'm somewhere in between trying to build the perfect fire piece by piece, and just pouring it from the bag.[p]but it's still works fine. bad habit to pick up, tho.[p]cause someday my fire'll go out overnight to teach me a lesson.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mark Backer
    Mark Backer Posts: 1,018
    stike,[p]I've done three overnights in two weeks. First willy nilly build stayed lit all night. The next two didn't. i am now anti willy-nilly.[p]
  • Joder
    Joder Posts: 57
    Mark Backer,
    I've done 5 Elder builds and one willy nilly. All came out fine. My willy nilly was: One night I cooked burgers at high temp with a small amount of used coals. After that I just dumped a bunch of fresh coals right on top of the hot burger coals. No problems encountered. I took that risk because I knew I'd be around to monitor it. I believe it took a little more tweaking than usual, but still came out fine.[p]I've never been able to maintain 190. 210 is about as low a dome temp as I've gotten. And that is probably about 190 at the grill. One day I'll get a Guru.