Help with temperature control

Tom · February 2005

I bought my BGE a few months back. So far most everyone I have cooked for enjoys the great taste of the food. But I am having one problem that is bothersome.[p]I am having trouble holding a steady temperature. I have tried and ruined two Boston Butts by slow cooking. I get the right temperature (between 220-230 degress). I get the temperature to hold for a few hours. Then temperature drops after a period of time. I cannot serve the food because the internal temperature of the meat decreases as well, rendering the meat contaminated.[p]I do open and close the vent doors as necessary. I am frustrated because nothing seems to work.[p]Please help.[p]Thanks,
Tom O'Connor

mad max beyond eggdome · February 2005

Tom,
well, lets start with the basics. . .do you have your firebox hole lined up properly with the vent opening? . . [p]when loading up the firebox with lump, do you make sure to have some large pieces in the bottom to allow plenty of airflow through the fire box grate? . .. [p]once your fire is established, you should be able to close the bottom vent to about a credit card width and then set the daisy wheel with the slide in the closed position and the vent holes open just enough to hold the temps steady. ...[p]have you thought about purchasing a bbq guru product (either a guru, or as a minimum a pitminder?). . .great products for temp control. . .[p]its funny, but with one of my large eggs lo and slo requires a fair amount of attention as it temps will fluctuate. . .my other large holds temps for 20 straight hours without so much as a tweak on the vents. ..go figure. ..

Steve-B · February 2005

Tom,[p]It has been awhile since anyone posted this from Kelly Keefe. He AND Spin has some great info in this post. I'll also put The Whiz's Temp page link at the bottom.[p]==========================================================
Here's what Spin sent me when I first got my (Large) Egg. I have some additional comments which I'll place at the end.[p]The learning curve for temperature control with your Egg is quick. Here are some ideas that may help you on your way:[p]Your Egg regulates heat by limiting the amount of oxygen available for the fire to use, thus controlling the fires growth and size. Airflow through the Egg is where this oxygen supply is obtained. The vents control the amount of this airflow.[p]The bottom vent has much more control over the ultimate cooking temp of the Egg, the top vent being used for finer adjustments. A closed top vent (alone) will not kill the fire, while a closed the bottom vent (alone) will slowly kill the fire.[p]The dome temperature gauge always reads internal dome temperature. It fails to indicate whether this temperature is from the fire or radiated from the stored heat in the Egg. Your Egg heats up much quicker than it cools down, thus it is easy to kill the fire attempting to cool the Egg down on a temperature overshoot.[p]Good fire control practice is to start your Egg with both vents wide open (I even remove the top vent for maximum airflow). Light your lump charcoal from the top in the center of the top of the pile. Close the dome and watch the dome temp gauge. It will first not move as the lump slowly catches on. As the dome temp rises, it will tend to rise faster (more lump lit = more lump growing = faster rising temps). At about 200°F, the Egg will really start to run up on the temp.[p]As the gauge approaches 50°F lower than your intended cooking temp, close the bottom vent to an appropriate opening and adjust the top vent to about a half open setting. This adjustment is made to limit the airflow to "catch" the rising temp and allow the Egg to stabilize at a regulated dome temp below the cooking temp. Once the temp has settled to a reading, tap the bottom vent open (or closed) just a tad to make final adjustments.[p]Approximate bottom vent settings and resulting dome temps are; 1/16"= 180-210°, 1/8"= 220-250°,
1/4"= 250-280°, 1/2"= 275-325°, 1"= 325-350°, 2"= 350-400°. Top vent settings affect regulated temp more as the cooking temp rises as more airflow is required to maintain a hotter fire.[p]That's what Spin sent, and for the most part it's very good advice. I have a couple of additional observations:[p]First, I use starter blocks and not an electric starter. I've noticed that after I light the starter blocks the dome thermometer gets to around 200-250° pretty quickly. Then, as the starter block burns out, the dome temp drops to around 100°. After a few minutes, the temp starts to rise again to the 200° range. So when Spin advises you make vent adjustments when the thermometer gets within 50° of the desired cooking temp, make sure it's the REAL range and not just the starter block burning out. If you use an electric starter than I guess that doesn't directly apply but I think there's something to it still. With an electric starter, the dome temp is going to reflect heat from both the lump as it starts to catch AND the electric starter. What I'd try is pulling the starter before making ANY adjustments to the vents and see if the temperature drops. If it does, then leave the vents alone until you get the lump up to the temperature you really want.[p]Second, I don't worry too much if I overshoot my target temperature as long as it's not WAY over. If you watch, the dome temp can drop as much as 50-100° when you raise the dome to put the food on (more if you're as clumsy as I am - grin!). Just don't over do it. A little experience, coupled with your observations, will tell you what you can get away with.[p]Third, STIR THE LUMP! Especially true if it's used. I don't think I was getting all the old ash out as well as I could have. I stir till I see NO ash, period. Yeah, it's a pain and yeah, it takes time. Do it anyway. (I've even gotten to the point that I stir the lump when adding new to get the dust out of the way.)[p]Fourth, despite all the claims I've heard, my Egg takes more than 10 minutes to get started (heresy, I know). I routinely allow 30-45 minutes to get the darn thing stabilized. Sometimes more. Give yourself enough time to feel confident that the temp is where you want it and stabilized. Again, a little experience, coupled with your observations, will tell you what you can get away with.[p]The biggest complaint I've seen in the time I've been on the forum have involved problems with low/slow cooks. Couple of thoughts on this:[p]Make sure you have plenty of lump loaded. I've yet to hear anyone caution about having too much lump loaded. Completely fill the fire box, stopping just short of the bottom of the ring the grid sets on.[p]Can't hold temps below 300°? First, make sure you're following Spin's advice. If it's still not working, check and make sure the dome is installed right in the hinges. To check this all you'll need is a business card. Raise the dome and put the card half way out the back near the hinge, then close the dome. Now pull the card out. If it comes out easily then you need to adjust the dome. There should be a slightly perceptable "tug". Finally, carefully check your felt, top and bottom. There should be NO visible gaps in it. If there is, go to your dealer and see if he has any scraps of felt. He should be able to give you some for free. There should be no need to do a complete replacement if it's a new(er) Egg.[p]Fire keep going out? Spin's advice should help you out with that. Make sure you STIR THE LUMP! Lot of times smaller pieces will clog the air holes. Also make sure there's not a boatload of ash in the bottom. I don't like starting a low/slow cook with a bag of lump that's half empty. After the first half of the bag is used the pieces get progressively smaller and you'll get dust which will impede airflow and clog the air holes. Save that for a high temp cook! Use the biggest pieces you can for an unattended low/slow cook. If it means getting a fresher bag then, in my book, the cost is worth not having to lose sleep.[p]The wind can also be a problem. Check which way the wind is blowing in relation to which way the bottom vent is. If it's blowing straight in you're going to have problems. If the Egg is in a nest or on the little feeties, try turning the Egg to a bit to a right angle to the wind. Similarly, if you're having trouble getting it up to temperature, try turning humpty INTO the wind. (Be careful, it'll be hot and awkward, right? And PUSH, don't pull to avoid upsidaisying humpty. Push from the back!) If you have a table then do the best you can, possibly blocking the airflow with something.[p]If you're STILL having problems with a low/slow cooks, give yourself some time and experience. Instead of doing a 10 pound butt for 20+ hours, do a 5 pounder for 10. You can fire up the Egg early in the morning and still have enough cooking time to have it ready for supper. If you do this on a weekend, you'll be awake for the whole cook and can keep an eye on the temps. A little confidence can go a long way![p]Hope this is of use to you. I believe that the hardest part of cooking on the Egg is just getting the confidence level up there. After that the fun starts![p]Cheers![p]Kelly Keefe
Jefferson City, MO

[ul][li]The Naked Whiz's Temp Control Page[/ul]

Tom · February 2005

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]To answer your first question, yes.[p]Your second question, however, is revealing the error of my ways. I recall seeing some smaller pieces at the bottom.[p]I don't have a BBQ Guru product, but I do have a thermometer that has both smoker and food temperature probes. However, after reviewing the BBQ Guru website, I need to ask permission from the Mrs. before I decide which to get. The high end is definitely out.[p]I am certainly learning a lot about this from everyone here. Thanks so much.[p]Tom

HolySmokes · February 2005

Tom,
None of it should be that critical. My first low'n'slows were tedious, but never to the extent of losing temp to the extent you indicate.
You don't need a guru yet, and shouldn't until you make the darn thang work like you think it should; then it's just a way to take over the night watch.
If you don't have any major leaks, practice. More lump, to start with. I tried and tried to do ovenights never putting enough lump in... get it at least half way up the fire ring, and get a good fire going. If you can start it on top in the center, you've got enough airflow...
Don't try and do 200; the BGE thermometer in the dome at 225-250 is really a grate temp of something like 200-220, which is where you want to cook your pork. Move it up a little from where you are currently and see if you can stabilize it there.
Start one in the morning so you can watch it all day; then take it out at night or when it's done and pull it in the morning; then you can watch the cook temp throughout just to test.[p]only a few ideas...
best, HS

Toy Man · February 2005

Good info.[p]I would suggest trying 235 if you are having problems at lower temps.[p]****

Sundown · February 2005

Tom,
Oh-my-God I don't believe I'm going to say this out loud.
I am in the school that says you learn to do something right without benefit of modern technology. When I first got started with my first Egg, oh so many years ago now, (we didn't have the BBQ Guru back then) one of the old timers said to go load up Mr. Egg light him up and stand there while the fire go established. Then fool around with adjusting the temp using the lower vent first. Over a fairly short time I got prificient at controling the temps and now, don't even think about it.
I cook with my Eggs and lump charcoal because it requires me to slow down a little and enjoy the anticipation of what will soon be on my plate. I love my toys that beg to be bought and I would love to have a BBQ Guru but, some how doing my cooks the old fashioned way seems to work for me. I know I'll buy a Guru one day but in the meantime just refer to me as the Coot enjoying the mystique of the Egg.

Bordello · February 2005

Sundown,
I love my Guru but don't always use it as I also like to tend to my eggs, not that they need much once you go through the learning curve. I can remember being in a business math class and the teacher had to let the people that were working in the field use calculators because they could not longer do math the "old way" LOL
Cheers,
New Bob

Bordello · February 2005

Tom,
You have all the advice you can use below. Before I purchased Mr. Large Egg I had been reading this forum for a few months and had some idea of how to control the temps. When I finally got my egg the first thing I did was to fill er up with lump, grab a cocktail (it was summer in the phoenix area of AZ.) then proceeded to light the egg and practice controlling the temps. I did not cook anything at all, no pressure about ruining the meat. For me that made a big difference, if it went up or down I would just play with the vents to see what would happen.
The one thing is that after making a small adjustment to the vent/vents is to give it time to adjust. If making a large adjustment such as opening the lower vent all the way the egg will respond quicker.
Good Luck and keep with it.
Cheers,
New Bob[p]

Help with temperature control

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