What am I doing wrong

therealhaddock · August 2014

Relatively new on the egg but a few recent cooks have got me downhearted. Did my first turbo butt last week, filled the fire ring up, got the temp settled at 350 then put the meat in. It dropped a bit but wasn't worried and then it settled around 300. I left it to watch my son play football and when I came back, the temp had dropped to 220 and was dropping further. Looked inside and the lump had just about burnt out. This was only about 3 hours in. Had to fill it up again to get going again. Then cooked pizza last night, did the same thing, filled the fire ring and tried to get the temp up to 600 but it wouldn't go past 550. Put the first pizza in, which was ok, 2nd pizza ok but even with all the vents fully open, it wouldn't get past 550. By the time the 3rd went in, the temp was dropping and when I looked closer, the lump was nearly done. What am I doing wrong? I am using the BGE charcoal which I know hasn't got great write ups on here but it can't be that bad. Must be something I am doing wrong.

jhl192 · August 2014

Strange one. Usually when the temp drops it is due to air flow issues. Too much ash, blocked grate or air holes . Your lump is burning up. My only guess is that you don't have enough lump in the fire box. Go higher. If the problem is too much air you should be seeing high temperature spikes during the cook. Maybe while you were watching baseball? How long are you letting the VOCs burn off. Maybe too long ?

TFols · August 2014

It sounds like you're having air flow issues. I would take the guts out of the egg to clean all the ash out and start fresh. Make sure the air holes in the fire box are clear and reassemble. Make sure to calibrate your dome thermo. I don't think it's your lump, I use 100's of #'s of Royal Oak (the manufacturer of BGE Lump) and have never had a fire go out.

mshump · August 2014

How are you lighting your lump ? for L&S I only light one starter cube in the middle of the lump. and get a small fire going in the middle. It will maintain a lower temp easier. This is also using BGE lump. As others have stated definitely check your airflow with a clean-out.

therealhaddock · August 2014

Thanks for the advice. I've just spent an hour gutting the egg so will be interesting to see how the next one goes. It's the big one next week, so it can't go wrong! 20 adults and 12 children with an overnight pulled pork. I light the L&S as you say, with one lighter in the middle. Out of interest, would it make a difference if the bottom vent is open too much? Could this be a factor? And what is a VOC?

CoolBees · August 2014

Also try different hardwood charcoals. I found some with "low density" that burn faster than others. In the production of lump charcoal, it can be "over cooked", so to speak.

mslaw · August 2014

Vent open too much is most likely the problem. My lower vent is usually only open about 1/4 to 1/2 inch for a 250 deg cook. Choke it down .

grege345 · August 2014

When you fill it up bring the charcoal up to just under the plate setter.

therealhaddock · August 2014

Thanks again. When doing pizzas do you need a full load or can you get away with it being half full?

Foghorn · August 2014

Volatile Organic Compounds are in the "bad smoke" that you get early after you light fresh charcoal.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound

victor1 · August 2014

mslaw said:

Vent open too much is most likely the problem. My lower vent is usually only open about 1/4 to 1/2 inch for a 250 deg cook. Choke it down .

have had similar problems. i don't understand how a larger lower vent opening would cause the fire to go out. i would think the fire would burn hotter and faster. new to this too! thanks in advance.

GeorgeS · August 2014

If your choking it at the top vent it can go out. I don't understand how you are not getting over 550 if the bottom vent is all the way open. What size egg are you using? After you clean it out load it up with lump, leave the daisey wheel off and open the bottom vent all the way. Leave the lid closed and let her rip. See how the temps do then. I always use a combination of bottom and top vents unless I'm doing pizza and then I just leave the daisey wheel off and adjust the bottom vent.

jlsm · August 2014

I, too, am at a loss about the lump consumption. I would say you need to get a different brand. I use a dense charcoal, and I have plenty left over after a turbo butt or brisket.

Skiddymarker · August 2014

An egg, MBGE/LMBE, will hold twice as much lump when filled to the top of the fire ring as it will when filled to the top of the fire box. You are filling to the top of the fire ring, right?

If your gasket is good, the bottom vent can be almost wide open if air flow is restricted by the DFMT. You will burn more, but not in the amounts you are talking.

Once your egg is burning, drop in the setter, the lump can be almost touching it, at 250º temps you should be good to go for 12 hours easy.

therealhaddock · September 2014

Thanks everyone again. As mentioned going for my first slow cooked butt on Saturday. Guests arriving around 2.30pm and we are out on Friday night so was going to risk an overnight cook but was going to put it on before we went out, around 7pm. If its for 20 adults, what size do i need and do you think the timings sound about right?

If the Egg stays lit that is......!

revolver1 · September 2014

Be sure the firebox is properly aligned with the lower vent. Butts - Been doing mine at 350 indirect. Takes about 5 hrs. Yesterday's 9 lb was at 200 in about 4.5 hours. Tastes the same as L&S. I'm also using a salt free rub and non processed butt. Whole different flavor profile, IMO. Yum!

Dobie · September 2014

Im just curious, is the lump completely ash when you say burned out? A L&S should not take much fuel.

therealhaddock · September 2014

Pretty much. Still some glowing embers but mainly ash. Temperature drops at alarming rate.

Dobie · September 2014

I suspect your not using enough lump. A hot cook like pizza and steak needs allot of fuel to get the heat you want. A low and slow on the other hand needs a good load to last for a long time. Ive done 12-15 hour cooks and still had lump left to cook again. Also larger lump chunks burn slower than chips.

GeorgeS · September 2014

I'm thinking not enough lump too now. I loaded up my XL almost to the bottom of the plate setter, cooked a 9lb butt for 15 hours, closed it down at about 1:30pm, stirred the pot at 2:30, set back up for my pig shots and cooked them for about 45 minutes, threw on a spatch at 4pm and cooked for an hour and there is still lump left over.

I think you just burning up all your fuel.

pgprescott · September 2014

XL will easily go 24 hours on a full load @ 250. Either not filling the egg enough or your temp is way off.

Ladeback69 · September 2014

It could be both not enough lump and air flow. I am doing a turbo cook with 2 butts together that weigh 19 lbs. I first clean all the old lump out, take it apart and and clean it. I then putit back together, add new lump on the bottom leaving room for the old. Add in the old, put in the eletric element in for 10 minutes, through wood of choice, put in plate setter legs down and let the egg stabilize for 20 to 30 minutes. I then turn the PS over for legs up, put in drip pan and place raised grid over the pan. Place meat on grill, insert probe and grate probe and stabilize egg again for about an hour to make sure it is set. Right no I have my top almost all the way open and bottom is about an inch opened. I am running at 350 to 356. I hope the photos help. What size egg do you have?

llrickman · September 2014

Ive gone 22 hrs on my LBGE on one load of Ozark Oak. I have had problems in the past getting high temps and it was always an airflow problem clogged holes in the fire grate etc...

I just took everything out totally cleaned it and was surprised at the amount of ash that was outside the firebox in the bottom since it was cleaned only a couple months ago but then again i have cooked on the egg almost daily this summer

BuckeyeBob · September 2014

I think it's not enoug lump also. I saw you asked if half full for pizzas is okay. I always fill mine up to at least the top of the fire box before every cook. And for long L&S cooks, I fill up into the fire ring. Last thing in the world you want is to run out of lump. Pain in the butt to add mid-cook. Light as you discussed, and start shutting it down a little once you get within 40-50 degrees below your target temp. For 225-250, you will have the daisy wheel barely open and the bottom vent open about 1/4 inch.

Zarcon · September 2014

I am new to the Egg too, but I will tell you what I have learned so far:

No matter what you are cooking or the temp, always fill up your firebox. You can always burn it the next time if you have some left over.

When lighting:
After you have lit the Egg, keep the dome open for a little bit so that you get a nice flame going before you close the top (approx 10 minutes). This also helps get rid of a lot of white smoke during the first light.

After its lit:
Close the dome. Keep the top off and the bottom vent wide open. If you are going for 350 (as example), wait for the temp to get to approx. 325 and then put the top on it (daisy wheel). Close the bottom vent to about 1" for now. You should see the temp get above 350, but not too far. The temp climbs faster than it drops.

Work your top daisy wheel to abut 1/2" open, and the bottom vent to about 1/2" as well. For me, this puts me at exactly 350 degrees.. give or take a degree or two.

NOTE: It is very possible that you will see the temp start to fall. Don't panic. When I make the same adjustments mentioned above, I can fall down to 275 before It starts to gradually climb back up. Tip: Today I learned that it may be best to rake your coals around to get a nice even temp.

- Get your temp regulated BEFORE you start to cook anything. This can sometimes take anywhere from 30-45 minutes from the initial lighting.
- Of course, always make sure that your airflow/vents are not clogged and the firebox is lined up with the bottom vents.

For the record, I am using BGE lump with no problem.

Good Luck!

therealhaddock · September 2014

Wow, thanks for the replies. Amazing how much everyone wants to help on here. I have a LBGE by the way and reading through your posts, I think I don't A) have enough lump in there and b) don't have the vents correctly set up. I basically don't think I give the egg enough time to settle and end up with the vents too far open, particularly the bottom. The tips on how to get it to temp were particularly useful. Thanks.

SGH · September 2014

@therealhaddock‌
Brother try filling to where you see me pointing the stick. I feel that your running out of lump issue will be solved. Hope this helps my friend.

therealhaddock · September 2014

That is way below where i fill it up to! Thanks!

jtcBoynton · September 2014

One more thought. If you dump charcoal from the bag, the powder and small pieces tend to fall to the bottom of your firebox, which can clog the air vents. Its best to have larger pieces on the bottom of the charcoal pile. Try not to let the fines and small pieces end up on the bottom of your firebox.

What am I doing wrong

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