Yet another temperature control nightmare...

dougcrann · February 2015

Have had our XLBGE for over a decade now. Never much interest in anything but burgers and steaks. Want to start going "low & slow"....bought a DigiGuru....have never been able to use it s the wires broke off of the blower motor...long story...supposed to be getting another blower but who knows when that will be.
Folks on another forum are telling me to leave the top wide open and control the temp. with the bottom vent. That results in seeing 325 on the grate. In the past, the few times I have went "low & slow" I had the Daisy Wheel just about shut....and the bottom open an inch or so. But that still resulted in 275 on the grate. My head hurts from banging it off the top of the Egg...beyond frustrated...

BYS1981 · February 2015

I do not use the daisy wheel EXCEPT for low and slow cooks, I do low cooks at approximately 275.

Scottborasjr · February 2015

First off welcome to the forum. I can't believe you have had a Egg for that long without wanting to do a pork butt or a brisket but I digress. Do you have a indirect stone whether it is a plate setter or pizza stone? Are you able to control the temp below 300*? Lot's of information that could help us help you.

orbbq · February 2015

with my XL if i'm aiming for 200 grate, i do wheel on with flap closed, the moons about half to 1/4 open and bottom about 1/2 an inch. usually settles right down if i dont overheat. I found its harder to get it back down if i overshoot by a lot.

SMITTYtheSMOKER · February 2015

Welcome to the forum.
Pay attention and learn to fix your mistakes. Cooking and fire management are an art form.
Mistakes are your friend....if you can't learn to enjoy it, why do it?

nolaegghead · February 2015

Light a small fire. DigiQ or old school, that's my advice to keep it low and sustained. And load your lump so it will burn like a candle. For example, don't smother any part of it with charcoal dust.

pgprescott · February 2015

Put the daisy wheel on and close it down to half the small holes. Choke the blower down to at least half. It's as simple as choking off the air a little bit. If you light it and overshoot, it will take a while to get back down. In that case, assuming you aren't nuclear hot, I would put the smoking wood in, the plate setter, and the cold meat. This often times lowers the temp to where you need it.

bweaver · February 2015

When I do low n slow on my XL I take a bge fire starter and break it in half. Lite them and keep the lid open til they burn out. When the burn out I'll close the lid and put the daisy wheel on and set for my desired temp. Sometimes it takes a while to get up to my desired temp, but it gives me time to do my food prep and drink. I can burn a heavy load of lump a long long time @ 225 to 250 but you have to find out what works for you.

AD18 · February 2015

Going low temp takes a bit of practice. Start with a small fire, I usually start around the edges, in one spot. Let it go for a few minutes to get started and then add your "stuff" like plate setter and grate to get them climatized. Once you get to 50-75 degrees below your desired temp start shutting down your top and bottom vent. I have a large BGE and start with the daisy wheel. I have everything closed but have the multiple small vents wide open. Bottom usually about 1/2 inch. Watch your temps and adjust accordingly. When it starts to get to hot, say 25 over your target temp, burp egg and close bottom vent a wee bit more. Temp drops open bottom marginally. Bringing temp up is way easier than bringing it back down. When you put your meat in expect a marginal drop as the meat cools the internal temp. Don't touch your vents to increase temp at this time. Give it 30-45 minutes to stabilize and then start adjusting your vents again in small increments, if need be, to hit your target temp. In either scenario do not let your temps get away on you. Once you get it stablized it shoud cruise along nicely for your cooking times. Also expect small variations of 10-25 degrees up and down. Goes much further in either direction make your adjustments. How I do it and it works pretty good. Best of luck:)

Chubbs · February 2015

If that's the advice you got on another forum they are wrong and you have come to the right place. You will not achieve that low of a temperature with the setup they recommended. Like others, I only use the daisy wheel for low n slows. It is a necessity for me as I have an aftermarket charcoal grate (high que) with better airflow but I digress. The grate temp will usually be around 25 degrees less than dome for most of cook but will continue to creep closer to dome temp as ceramic heats up. To achieve say 225 grate get your dome set around 250 by using your daisy wheel with petals open only and then use the bottom vent to fine tune. To me this requires the bottom to be almost all the way shut on my large. If this still doesn't get you there close petals halfway. Start closing down the vents to your settings as the egg is coming to temp. Shooting up to 500 then trying to dial it back is no bueno. This forum is full if helpful and experienced people. If you have a question, post it and you will have an answer or 20 within the hour. Good luck and welcome.

lousubcap · February 2015

@dougcrann-welcome aboard and enjoy expanding your horizons. All good info above-and whatever you do, don't get into chasing the temps for low&slow cooks. +/- 15-20*F and stable is close enough.

dougcrann · April 2015

Scottborasjr said:

First off welcome to the forum. I can't believe you have had a Egg for that long without wanting to do a pork butt or a brisket but I digress. Do you have a indirect stone whether it is a plate setter or pizza stone? Are you able to control the temp below 300*? Lot's of information that could help us help you.

Need to apologize for more or less doing a hit and run. I do indeed have a place setter.
I have gotten this figured out. Credit card width on the bottom and the tear drops on the wheel just cracked, it will hold 220-230* til it runs out of fuel. I do have a DigiGuru as well but wanted to be able to control the temperature manually.
The Guru is a neat device. Had to deal with BBQ Guru....there customer service left a bad taste in my mouth but that is for another day.
My gasket was leaking pretty badly. I just replaced it yesterday. With my back troubles ain't no way I was going to be able to replace it without flipping the dome over. We purchased the spring assist band way back....needless to when I was putting it back together one of the springs broke.
Would like to Thank all that left a comment.
I am in serious need of some help in the recipe department. Ernestina, aka The Boss, aka my loving wife, is somewhat hard to cook for. Doesn't care much for pork, beef has to be cooked to the shoe leather stage, doesn't like thick steaks...neither one of us will eat fish/sea food...

DaveRichardson · April 2015

@dougcrann - how much lump are you loading it with. I can go low and slow at 250-ish in my Large Egg for 28 hours before running out of fuel. I will fill it to just below the platesetter and then light it right in the middle. I also don't "lump dump"; I will start with a clean firebox and build the lump in piece by piece as to avoid the small and dust that gets in when you dump from the bag.

I'm a beef/pork guy, too. Not much for seafood for me either! Chicken has numerous opportunities for different styles of cooks. If you are on a desktop/laptop, on the right side of the screen you will see lists of all different types of foods. Also google beer-can burgers that are stuffed with cheese, peppers, etc.

dougcrann · April 2015

@DaveRichardson ......how much lump depends...when we did a Tri Tip a couple of weeks ago only had the lump up to the holes in the firebox. When we smoked ribs was about the same. When we did a butt I filled it up to about 2 inches under the bottom of the place setter. I always just light the front of it, in one spot, right over the bottom vent. I do, however, "lump dump". I do however, always clean up under the fire grate. Thanks for the tip on the recipes, after I get done exercising tonight I will be looking at them. And I will also be looking for beer can burgers...Thanks for the assistance Sir...

DaveRichardson · April 2015

I'll bet it was the "fines" that have clogged your fires in the past. I keep a large Rubbermaid container by the egg that I dump the bag into and flip thru it to get the largest ones on the bottom like building the Boy Scout teepee campfire. You'll get a great fire each time!

but most of all, have fun!!! Egg on, brother @dougcrann!

Ozzie_Isaac · April 2015

Leaving the top wide open is common for Weber Smokey Mountains. I tried it on my XL and I could not get temps below 350. I have had to break my WSM habit and learn to close down the exhaust.

Don't stress. You will get it.

lowandslow · April 2015

1 inch bottom vent opening is too much for low and slow. On my XL, to get a constant 225 to 250, I bring the egg up to temp and then bring the bottom vent to about 1/8 of an inch, a 1/4 inch tops... I really just need a sliver of airflow to get in there once the egg is up to temp. As for the daisy wheel, you still need it to control temp. I have not been able to keep the egg below 300 without it. I offset the daisy wheel about 1/8 inch and open the holes about half way.

I don't put my meat on until the the fire is burning clean and the thin, whispy smoke smells good.

Raymont · April 2015

+1 on reducing allowed air on bottom vent/choker and DFMT to barely open. You've got to much air going through.

EggPerfection · April 2015

Perhaps you're letting it get too hot when you're starting it. It can take hours and hours to pull all that mass back from just a 300dome temp. You can totally do this. It's fundamental to the Egg function.

Yet another temperature control nightmare...

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