Humbled by the fire

w_ky · July 2014

I've had my Large BGE for about a month. It has been great. I've smoked bologna, a pork shoulder, did a spatchcock chicken, some burgers etc. All of these had been during the day but I had no trouble with the fire.

Jump to last night and I decide to put a pork shoulder on. I lit the egg, had it stabilized at 250, and put the shoulder on at 11 PM. I stayed with it maybe 15 minutes and everything seemed good so I went to bed. I slept just fine as I had very good experiences so far. I get up at 5:30 this morning and you guessed it, no fire. I felt like crap. The shoulder was for my in-laws and I wasn't going to risk making them sick so I tossed it. I hated to do it but it wasn't worth the risk.

So now I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong and how to make it not happen in the future:

1. I need a remote thermometer with two probes, one for grate and one for meat. I need it to have an alarm for when the grate temp gets low and when the meat is done. I want it to have good probes that I don't have to worry about. I thought I saw one recommended where an aftermarket guy swaps out for better, made in USA probes. I'd like to keep it under $100

2. When I lit the fire I used my weed torch which I've used in the past. However I mainly had one spot lit instead of the three I would have had lit if had used the egg starters. I'll make sure to have more spots started next time (may use starters as backup)

3. I should have stayed up with it longer and checked on it every couple hours or so. Lesson learned. I can sleep when I'm dead.

Any other suggestions?

golfandgrill · July 2014

switch to turbo mode. 325-350 all the way through. I've never had a fire go out once that way.

NPHuskerFL · July 2014

Welcome. Under $100, made in USA, probes you don't have to worry about and an alarm for the pit and the food. FWIW you may have difficulty with this in that price range. One word. Stoker.

Hang on while I speak to the wise one on your request.

)

fljoemon · July 2014

I would recommend a Maverick ET-733 as the remote thermometer. Email forum member @stlcharcoal to get a good deal on it.

BBQ equipment store sells a water resistant high temperature probe. Check that out: http://www.bbqequipmentstore.com/Maverick-ET-732-ET-733-Water-Resistant-Probe-Made-USA-ET-732-ET-733-Resistant-3-FT.htm?categoryId=-1

I think the total package will be well below $100.

I light the fires at 2 places for my low & slow .. a little bit off center on the left & right. I have run out of charcoal on a brisket cook ... now I often load it up with charcoal right up to almost touching the platesetter ( I use a PSWoo2).

johnkitchens · July 2014

Don't feel bad. It has happened to a lot of eggers before.

It sounds like you need a Maverick. I just purchased mine last week. I haven't used it yet, but your description in number 1 sounds just like what a Maverick does. I got mine for $69.99 I think.

Don't sweat it. No one wants to throw away meat and have a ruined cook, but I bet you will never do it again!

NPHuskerFL · July 2014

@fljoemon‌ and are the probes worthy and Made in the US of A? How about the controller? Just saying.

fljoemon · July 2014

@NPHuskerFL .. they are definitely Made in USA .. a forum post on BBQ Brethern by the owner of the BBQ Equipment Store attests to that.

Yes .. I have a controller (Flame Boss) and I love iit .. but for less that $100 which is what the OP wants .. I don't think you can find anything other than a used Auber that someone is wlling to sell.

TexanOfTheNorth · July 2014

Just curious... what did your dome thermo read at 5:30 when you woke up?

stlcharcoal · July 2014

fljoemon said:

@NPHuskerFL .. they are definitely Made in USA .. a forum post on BBQ Brethern by the owner of the BBQ Equipment Store attests to that.

Yes .. I have a controller (Flame Boss) and I love iit .. but for less that $100 which is what the OP wants .. I don't think you can find anything other than a used Auber that someone is wlling to sell.

The Pitmaster IQ110 is the closest you're going to get the $100 mark.......email me. If you can find a used one, it would be under $100. I occasionally see them on eBay or have one from someone that traded up to a IQ120 (none right now though.)

JHands · July 2014

I'll add in. Maverick et 733. Keep only lighting one area of lump dead center. Make sure you arrange your lump don't just dump and light. Big chunky pieces on the bottom. Then getting smaller as you get to the top. I fill almost to the level of the plate setter now - above the fire ring. When you are trying to hold 250 dome the fire is more likely to go out than at say 300 dome. The only way you are going to be able to sleep the full night without the maverick alarm going off and you having to go out and open the vents up for a few is if you get a controller set up IMO. This can also be combatted by better lump. I have not tried better lump yet so I just sleep on the couch as per my old lady's orders when I'm overnighting

NPHuskerFL · July 2014

fljoemon said:
@NPHuskerFL .. they are definitely Made in USA .. a forum post on BBQ Brethern by the owner of the BBQ Equipment Store attests to that.

Yes .. I have a controller (Flame Boss) and I love iit .. but for less that $100 which is what the OP wants .. I don't think you can find anything other than a used Auber that someone is wlling to sell.

Cool! That's awesome that it's made here stateside.

& @stlcharcoal‌ I've never tried the device you've listed. However, I trust you as you led me to the Smokeware (you even saved me $$ by giving me a heads up that the business was located right in my neck of the woods). And FWIW you always give sound advice and it's appreciated Sir. Thanks. B-)

w_ky · July 2014

I'm not necessarily looking for something to control the temp, just something to report what it is and send an alarm if it goes outside a certain range.

johnkitchens · July 2014

Sounds like the Maverick is for you.

DMW · July 2014

NPHuskerFL said:

fljoemon said:
@NPHuskerFL .. they are definitely Made in USA .. a forum post on BBQ Brethern by the owner of the BBQ Equipment Store attests to that.

Yes .. I have a controller (Flame Boss) and I love iit .. but for less that $100 which is what the OP wants .. I don't think you can find anything other than a used Auber that someone is wlling to sell.
Cool! That's awesome that it's made here stateside.

& @stlcharcoal‌ I've never tried the device you've listed. However, I trust you as you led me to the Smokeware (you even saved me $$ by giving me a heads up that the business was located right in my neck of the woods). And FWIW you always give sound advice and it's appreciated Sir. Thanks. B-)

The probes he linked to are made in USA, the base and receiver of the Maverick are not. Just an FYI.

lousubcap · July 2014

A key to what may have happened is your definition of "stable". I will get the LBGE loaded up with everything except the meat and once no vent adjustments for 45-60 mins, I'm "good to go". With the large lump load mentioned in above posts, you can light the BGE 2-3 hours before starting the cook and still have plenty of lump for follow-on cooks the next day. There are many ways to get there. FWIW-

stlcharcoal · July 2014

DMW said:
The probes he linked to are made in USA, the base and receiver of the Maverick are not. Just an FYI.

This is correct. I don't know about the probes that come with it though. They look the same, but I the units are completely packaged overseas from what I can tell. So unless they export the probes, the originals are foreign as well. Not sure. Either way, so far so good on my two units.

tulocay · July 2014

Is your forum name for Western Kentucky? If so, can't help you. UK fan here. Just kidding.

I light in 3 places for low and slow, overnight. I stabilize for an hour, then put the meat on. Then I monitor for 2 hours. I know everyone says the temp will come back up, and it may just do that. However, in my experience that takes several hours. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I use a maverick and it works well. I am in the market for a pit controller, but that is for a different thread.

Welcome aboard.

jhl192 · July 2014

+1 on the Maverick ET-733, That would have woke you up when the temp dropped too low.

DonWW · July 2014

+1 on Lousubcap. 15 minutes is not nearly enough time for the egg to "stabilize." One more thing to consider - be mindful of chasing the temperature. Make small adjustments until you land on the right temp. Having said that, I also own a ET-733.

Farbuck · July 2014

You really do need a Maverick. Unless you're willing to wake up every 30 minutes during an overnight cook to check the temp, you should have one. It's less than $100, works well and lets you sleep through the night

johnkitchens · July 2014

A good nights rest is worth $100!

henapple · July 2014

What type of lump?

Phatchris · July 2014

If your shoulder was above 140 degrees when you woke up you would more than likely be ok.

w_ky · July 2014

The dome temp was under 100 and the meet temp was under 140. I just didn't feel safe with it. If me or my in-laws would have gotten sick, the cost of the meat would have been the least of my worries.

I was using red bag Royal Oak charcoal. I've used it before with good success. I should have stayed up with it longer to make sure everything was good.

That all being said, I'm working out the details now of buying a Maverick 733 from stlcharcoal.

TexanOfTheNorth · July 2014

w_ky said:

The dome temp was under 100 and the meet temp was under 140. I just didn't feel safe with it. If me or my in-laws would have gotten sick, the cost of the meat would have been the least of my worries.

I was using red bag Royal Oak charcoal. I've used it before with good success. I should have stayed up with it longer to make sure everything was good.

That all being said, I'm working out the details now of buying a Maverick 733 from stlcharcoal.

You erred on the side of caution and, there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

grege345 · July 2014

The big question is how much lump did you put in? Don't get me wrong i love my et-732 but it isn't going to keep the fire from goin out. So once the alarm goes off you'll be stirring coals or worse yet adding coals. For my long overnights I use my et-732 combined with my party q and it works amazingly well. I got both for around 150$. Et-733 is more expensive but I'm sure it's worth it for the extra features.

Humbled by the fire

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