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First overnight tonight

Boileregger
Boileregger Posts: 614
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum
Got a 9.5 lb bone-in butt that I'll be putting on tonight. Planning on putting it on about 10pm so it should be done in time for dinner tomorrow.
I am hoping to still get a good night's sleep, so here is my question. What temp range should I set the maverick to? Don't want it to be too narrow so it is waking me up for normal fluctuations, but want to be able to catch it if the fire is in danger of going out. I usually target 250 at the grid. Thanks.

Comments

  • brianwdmn
    brianwdmn Posts: 371
    Buts are very forgiving, you can go as high as 300 on the alarm before you need to intervene.
    Marietta, East Cobb, GA
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Where would you set the low end?
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    200
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Set the egg at 200 low and 300 high. You should be fine and it won't hurt the butt either way.

    FYI- at 250 grid temp, you'll be eating pork for breakfast if you put it on at 10. it will be about 1-1.25 hrs per lb at 250 grid (which is how I do them)


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    I thought the rule of thumb was 1.5 to 2 hrs/lb
  • I thought the rule of thumb was 1.5 to 2 hrs/lb
    It is....at 225-250 DOME which is the old standard. That is too low. Go 250-ish grid and you will get better results and it will cook faster. There is absolutely no benefit to a 2 hr per lb cook. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    To amplify-when starting out with an indirect cook, the dome thermo will generally read 20-40+*F higher than the cooking grid.  Longer the dome is shut, closer the temps get.  So, with your Maverick you can get a grid read which is as Cen-Tex described.  Absent any descriptors, the common practice here is that when people mention temps they are referring to dome as that is the one thermo that all BGEs have in common. FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Thanks for clarifying. Guess I'll just get up real early instead.
  • wkenta86
    wkenta86 Posts: 17
    I finally got a Digiq DX2 and I sleep like a baby on my overnight cooks. It has never let me down.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Ditto, except for last week when my probes got soaked in the rain.  Did it old school, but still slept like a baby.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168

    Well-here's something else to consider-you can always start slow and ramp up.  Better to finish early (and not stress over "time to eat, where's the food") as you can easily hold that sized butt 4-6 hours wrapped in foil, towels and in a cooler (FTC) should you choose to go that way.  Of course, just to further muddy the waters, it seems most BGE's like to run around 250+/- on the dome as a minimum temp.  Seems to be the low-end "sweet-spot".

    Now that you have been tossed in several directions, just do whatever you want and enjoy the journey.  Don't over-think it as can happen!

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Yep, I'll probably get a controller at some point, but I want to learn how to do it the old fashioned way first. Don't want to be like LeAnn and cry if my controller breaks. :D
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    Right way to go-I do not subscribe to the controller camp partly because my SWMBO would likely kill me if I bought one and once you get the hang of it I don't think you need one.  Of course there is a substantial difference between "need and want". Besides-when you lose power, the BGE won't care.  I'm sure it will turn out great!
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Well-here's something else to consider-you can always start slow and ramp up.  Better to finish early (and not stress over "time to eat, where's the food") as you can easily hold that sized butt 4-6 hours wrapped in foil, towels and in a cooler (FTC) should you choose to go that way.  Of course, just to further muddy the waters, it seems most BGE's like to run around 250+/- on the dome as a minimum temp.  Seems to be the low-end "sweet-spot".

    Now that you have been tossed in several directions, just do whatever you want and enjoy the journey.  Don't over-think it as can happen!

    good call. You can always push it through. i do have trouble holding temps lower than 250-260 dome without a few adjustments here and there. 

    If you are not a morning person (like me) but feel you need to get up at 4am to put it on, I start my fire overnight anyway so it's ready to roll when I get up. Throw the butt on and go back to bed. Burns $2-$3 worth of lump and the fire is ready to roll as soon as you get up. Even if it goes down a little overnight, you can tweak it quickly and be ready in minutes. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • LizzieSamps
    LizzieSamps Posts: 894

    Well-here's something else to consider-you can always start slow and ramp up.  Better to finish early (and not stress over "time to eat, where's the food") as you can easily hold that sized butt 4-6 hours wrapped in foil, towels and in a cooler (FTC) should you choose to go that way.  Of course, just to further muddy the waters, it seems most BGE's like to run around 250+/- on the dome as a minimum temp.  Seems to be the low-end "sweet-spot".

    Now that you have been tossed in several directions, just do whatever you want and enjoy the journey.  Don't over-think it as can happen!

    good call. You can always push it through. i do have trouble holding temps lower than 250-260 dome without a few adjustments here and there. 

    If you are not a morning person (like me) but feel you need to get up at 4am to put it on, I start my fire overnight anyway so it's ready to roll when I get up. Throw the butt on and go back to bed. Burns $2-$3 worth of lump and the fire is ready to roll as soon as you get up. Even if it goes down a little overnight, you can tweak it quickly and be ready in minutes. 
    Ingenious!!   ^:)^
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Well, it's about 4:15am and I just put the butt on. Meat is at 45 and grid temP is 259. Going to be a long day of waiting...
  • bigphil
    bigphil Posts: 1,390
    but well worth the wait . have some coffee and enjoy good luck
    Large Big Green Egg , XL Big Green Egg . BBQ Guru, Weber Kettle, Weber Q grill for road trips.
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Almost 3 hours in. Grid is at 282 and meat is 117. I know it isn't hurting the pork, so I'm not asking for that reason, but the temp keeps wanting to climb. Made two adjustments and it seems to level out for 30 min and then start climbing again. Just since i started typing its up to 288. No air gap issues, smoke was only coming out the top. Any tips on learning to control better?
  • JEC23
    JEC23 Posts: 131
    The more you use it the more stable it gets, the smoke blocks any extra flow in the DW. I would suggest that maybe the wind is having an effect, try shutting the lower vent down a bit more and open the top up a bit, there is obviously a limit on this as only what goes in can come out, if that makes sense.
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Think I finally got it stabilized. It just seems weird that without moving the bottom vent, I'm at 280s and climbing, but then as it dropped I've got DW almost all the way open and holding in the 250s.
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    What temp does the stall usually kick in? I'm at 171 with no sign of it. Been on for almost 7 hrs now.
  • Well-here's something else to consider-you can always start slow and ramp up.  Better to finish early (and not stress over "time to eat, where's the food") as you can easily hold that sized butt 4-6 hours wrapped in foil, towels and in a cooler (FTC) should you choose to go that way.  Of course, just to further muddy the waters, it seems most BGE's like to run around 250+/- on the dome as a minimum temp.  Seems to be the low-end "sweet-spot".

    Now that you have been tossed in several directions, just do whatever you want and enjoy the journey.  Don't over-think it as can happen!

    good call. You can always push it through. i do have trouble holding temps lower than 250-260 dome without a few adjustments here and there. 

    If you are not a morning person (like me) but feel you need to get up at 4am to put it on, I start my fire overnight anyway so it's ready to roll when I get up. Throw the butt on and go back to bed. Burns $2-$3 worth of lump and the fire is ready to roll as soon as you get up. Even if it goes down a little overnight, you can tweak it quickly and be ready in minutes. 
    Ingenious!!   ^:)^
    more like LAZY
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023

    Well-here's something else to consider-you can always start slow and ramp up.  Better to finish early (and not stress over "time to eat, where's the food") as you can easily hold that sized butt 4-6 hours wrapped in foil, towels and in a cooler (FTC) should you choose to go that way.  Of course, just to further muddy the waters, it seems most BGE's like to run around 250+/- on the dome as a minimum temp.  Seems to be the low-end "sweet-spot".

    Now that you have been tossed in several directions, just do whatever you want and enjoy the journey.  Don't over-think it as can happen!

    good call. You can always push it through. i do have trouble holding temps lower than 250-260 dome without a few adjustments here and there. 

    If you are not a morning person (like me) but feel you need to get up at 4am to put it on, I start my fire overnight anyway so it's ready to roll when I get up. Throw the butt on and go back to bed. Burns $2-$3 worth of lump and the fire is ready to roll as soon as you get up. Even if it goes down a little overnight, you can tweak it quickly and be ready in minutes. 
    Cen tex, you procrastinate waking up in a very proactive manner.  I-)  I like that.  :D
  • What temp does the stall usually kick in? I'm at 171 with no sign of it. Been on for almost 7 hrs now.
    right about now..........
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Thanks everyone for the help. It was done after 11 hours, when I took it off at 196. Let it rest for an hour, and then I pulled the bone out clean and pulled the meat. My wife said it was better than any pulled pork she's had at any restaurant. Not sure about that, but it was pretty damn good. Rewarding myself with a rum and coke now. I'll post pics later.