XL People - CGS SS Charcoal Ring

I have the same product but noticed for indirect cooks I have to open the vents more to get the higher temperatures. Have you tried indirect cooks yet?

Guys,

I have this product and recommend the following process tweak:

On the charcoal grate you will notice that the outside holes allow air to come up into the cooking chamber without going through the lump.  Block these with aluminum foil.

The same is true for the holes in the side of the firebox.  Those holes allow air to come in that will not pass through the lump field.  Block those also with aluminum foil plugs.

These measures should increase the fuel efficiency when the reducing ring is being used.  The bottom line is that you want the air from the inlet to be forced to go through the lump field and not around it.

Plano_JJ said:

I see what your saying but wouldn't the air that is coming in around the reducing ring still feed the fire even though it is not coming up strictly through the charcoal? I would think the more air the better. I am asking because I don't know.

My take on this is that airflow in the egg is going to always tend to go upward.  If you are using the wire ring, then the outside holes on the grate may contribute to the fire, but if you are using the solid-wall reducer I don't think the air would go up 3 or 4 inches then back down to feed the fire.

The air coming out of the side holes in the firebox would need to travel horizontally for a ways also in order to contribute, but the general upward flow of gases would tend to push them up before they got to the fire.

This is all mind-experiment stuff that I cannot prove.  It would be easy for you (or others) to try this for yourself.  If you think it does not help, no need to do it again...

Ever since the early days of cooking on my first XL, I've been extremely sensitive to airflow that bypasses the charcoal bed.  For a while, I could not get my XL up to pizza cooking temperatures.  I discovered that some air would come through the gap between the fire-ring and egg shell and bypass the fire.  After I put an aluminum foil gasket between the fire ring and shell, my ability to get higher temps improved markedly.

I can only relate what works for me.  YMMV.  If you try it, it doesn't help, and you think I'm full of hooey -- I will not be offended if you tell me so!

Plano_JJ said:

Nah man, thanks for the explanation. You have obviously researched this quite a bit. Think you could post some pics of your setup? I am one of the intellectually challenged ones that do better with pictures :-B

Next time I am set up with the reducer, I can do that...

I've been considering a lump ring reducer and noticed that I see two styles, one made out of wire, and one made out of more of a solid ring.  I see them listed for the same price.  Is one better than the other, and why?  Thanks.

Plano_JJ said:

Ordered one of these and it arrived in time for me to use it yesterday. To put it simply, awesome product. This will save a ton of lump. I was concerned at first about how it would affect the heat in the XL. Not an issue at all. Basically you are using the same amount of lump in the XL that you would in the BGE Large.

If I'm doing a direct cook and don't need the whole grill area, I just pile up the lump in the middle and don't fill the egg?  I don't think I'm wasting too many BTUs of heat as long as I'm hitting my target temp.  I'm unsure why this would save a ton of lump, though I do see some convenience factor.  Have you (or others with it) measured this over numerous cooks? 

I have the wire reducing ring and as others have said it works great.  Sunday night is usually just the wife and me, so I can "circle the lump" get the fire roaring and then drop the steaks onto a lowered grid right above the lump.

BigGreenDon said:

Plano_JJ said:

I see what your saying but wouldn't the air that is coming in around the reducing ring still feed the fire even though it is not coming up strictly through the charcoal? I would think the more air the better. I am asking because I don't know.

My take on this is that airflow in the egg is going to always tend to go upward.  If you are using the wire ring, then the outside holes on the grate may contribute to the fire, but if you are using the solid-wall reducer I don't think the air would go up 3 or 4 inches then back down to feed the fire.

The air coming out of the side holes in the firebox would need to travel horizontally for a ways also in order to contribute, but the general upward flow of gases would tend to push them up before they got to the fire.

This is all mind-experiment stuff that I cannot prove.  It would be easy for you (or others) to try this for yourself.  If you think it does not help, no need to do it again...

Ever since the early days of cooking on my first XL, I've been extremely sensitive to airflow that bypasses the charcoal bed.  For a while, I could not get my XL up to pizza cooking temperatures.  I discovered that some air would come through the gap between the fire-ring and egg shell and bypass the fire.  After I put an aluminum foil gasket between the fire ring and shell, my ability to get higher temps improved markedly.

I can only relate what works for me.  YMMV.  If you try it, it doesn't help, and you think I'm full of hooey -- I will not be offended if you tell me so!


I like your line of thinking. I also noticed this gap between the fire box and the shell and wondered how it affects how the fire burns in the xl egg. I will give your suggestions a try and see what happens. Thanks...