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Smoking with DigiQ

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brenkj
brenkj Posts: 21
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I just got my DigiQ and I'm going to do my first brisket with it this weekend. Here's my question: How do I adjust the top vent of the BGE so that it will work well with the DigiQ? Halfway open?

Thanks.
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    If you have the Viper Blower (10cfm) close the blower slider to 1/4 - 1/3 open. With the DFMT close the slider and open the petals about to the width of a round toothpick at the widest point.

    GG
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  • 407BGE
    407BGE Posts: 187
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    The issue for me at first was to have it open too wide. Specifically, all of the fans allow for passive air to go past without the fan turning on. If you open to top wide open and have the bottom wide open, it does not matter that you set it for a 250 pit. Instead the natural flow might get you to a 350 pit without the fan turning on once.
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  • brenkj
    brenkj Posts: 21
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    I just talked to the folks at BBQ Guru (the maker of the DigiQ). They said to adjust the top vent of the BGE the same as you would without the DigiQ system attached (mostly closed for slow smoking; wider open for hotter temps). So, how far open should I leave the top vent if I plan to smoke the brisket at 220 or so?

    thanks.
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  • Bobbareeno
    Bobbareeno Posts: 40
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    I always leave mine set to about a toothpicks width when I'm doing a low and slow cook. I have an XL and leave the blower vent for the Guru open halfway. I would imagine you'd have to adjust that setting for the size of your egg. I have found that if you leave the vent on the fan open too far you'll have a fairly large overshoot of your target temp when you are first bringing the egg up to temp. Even so it will settle down to your target temp fairly quickly. I just don't like the big overshoot.

    Bob
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  • brenkj
    brenkj Posts: 21
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    So on the top vent, the main slide is closed completely, and the daisy wheel is open just enough to poke a toothpick in? That's much less venting than I would assume.
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    This or less.

    eggsettings265_1-16.jpg

    GG
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    In a conversation I had with Kenny at BBQ Guru, he said the top vent opening didn't much matter. I have been setting mine up pretty much like GG described and it works extremely well.

    The last butt I cooked, I thought the daisy openings were a toothpick's worth (it was 11PM and very dark out when I started my cook :)). When I woke up the next morning, I went outside to check on things. Temp was dead on, but every time the fan came on, smoke was being forced out around the gasket. I looked at the daisy and saw that only two of the openings were toothpick sized. The others were completely closed. I fixed that so all openings were 1/16" or so and no more gasket smoke. Moral... even with my screw-up, temp was right where I wanted it.

    5542875829_d4e3d8bd5d_b.jpg

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
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    It's a small crack, but the DigiQ fan has the ability to push enough air through it to keep the dome at that low a temperature.
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