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Adjustable Rig and Increased Lump Consumption?

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kthacher
kthacher Posts: 155
in EggHead Forum
I have noticed in my last few cooks that I have been going through lump faster.  For example, I did a rib cook yesterday, and I went through a whole firebox of lump by the end of the cook, which was about 6 hours.  When I first got the Egg, this never happened to me.  I have noticed that I need to open the vents more to maintain temperature.  I am trying to figure out why.  I am starting to think that this problem is associated with my AR setup, but I am not totally certain on the correlation.

I have an AR.  On the bottom level I put the deflector plate that comes with the product.  Above that I hang a drip pan, which is the 14" pan that you can get with the AR.  I put the off-the-shelf grate that comes with the Egg.  Before I had this I had used the platesetter only.  I would put a drip pan on some foil balls, and the grid above that.

The drip pan setup with the AR is great because you get so much coverage.  But I am wondering if this setup restricts air movement so much, that it is making the Egg less efficient?

I am thinking that for the next cook, I will go back to the old platesetter arrangement and see what happens.

What do you guys think of the possible explanation?
Winnipeg, Canada
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Comments

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    You are likely using the dome temp? Maybe it's off or shielded somehow. I would clip a secondary thermo down at cooking level. 
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  • kthacher
    kthacher Posts: 155
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    I do have a secondary probe at grill level. 
    Winnipeg, Canada
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
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    Lump change?

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • kthacher
    kthacher Posts: 155
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    Same lump.  Royal Oak the entire time.  
    Winnipeg, Canada
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    edited April 2016
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    kthacher said:
    I do have a secondary probe at grill level. 
    Hmm. Air in the bottom. Burning lump. Air out the top. Not sure what to say. 6 hours is difficult to comprehend. I would say your thermo or thermos are off. It stands to reason that if you must add more air than usual and the lump is consumed more quickly that the temps are much higher than you are being led to believe. 
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  • Mikee
    Mikee Posts: 892
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    I doubt the temperature gauge is that far off. Burning a full load of lump in 6 hours; nothing much other than rib bones would have been left.
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    Mikee said:
    I doubt the temperature gauge is that far off. Burning a full load of lump in 6 hours; nothing much other than rib bones would have been left.
    How do you burn a full load of lump in six hours without the temp being darn high? 
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  • kthacher
    kthacher Posts: 155
    edited April 2016
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    There is no way that the temperature was way off.  I have done enough cooks to know that the ribs would have been burnt to a crisp if that was the case.  Remember that both my Maverick and the dome probe would both have to be off.  One digital, and one analog.  And they both would have needed to fail at the same time, given how all of this unfolded.  

    There has to be some other explanation, since both gauges being off in the same direction, and failing simultaneously seems like such a long shot.  

    I had to keep the vents open way more than normal to maintain temperature.  And this was a cook that stayed at around 250 the whole time.  I'm talking a good 2" plus on the bottom vent, and the daisy vents fully open, and it being offset to create a bigger gap.  Those settings should have had me at over 400 based upon prior experience. 

    As as you can tell, I am struggling to figure out what is going on.  
    Winnipeg, Canada
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,748
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    Have each of those recent cooks used lump from the same bag?
    Stillwater, MN
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  • Mikee
    Mikee Posts: 892
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    pgprescott said:
    How do you burn a full load of lump in six hours without the temp being darn high? 
    How would the ribs not be ashes if the temps were running so high?
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  • dougcrann
    dougcrann Posts: 1,129
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    Interested in seeing how this pans out...one reason being I am looking into getting some "stuff" for one of our Eggs....
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    Mikee said:
    pgprescott said:
    How do you burn a full load of lump in six hours without the temp being darn high? 
    How would the ribs not be ashes if the temps were running so high?
    Something not right here. 
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  • stompbox
    stompbox Posts: 729
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    Did you look immediately after the cook or after the fire was snuffed?  You could have a leak and it did not snuff the fire well, after the cook.
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  • smokeyw
    smokeyw Posts: 367
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    I use an AR and have not noticed any difference at all in lump consumption.
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  • Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim Posts: 3,351
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    I think it's that bag of lump, it's just wood and due to nature not all wood is the same so not every hunk of lump is the same and some will burn different than others. I also do not pay any attention to how much lump I use......... I'm going to cook on my Eggs and they use lump just doesn't matter to me how much lump! Sorry I could not be much help.

    I'm only hungry when I'm awake!

    Okeechobee FL. Winter

    West Jefferson NC Summer

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  • LRW
    LRW Posts: 198
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    I had a similar experience with RO. The next bag was fine.
    Volant, PA 1 LBGE ,Smokeware Cap, igrill2
    My Foodtography


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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
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    Sounds like if you are opening your vents that much, you've got a block in airflow somewhere. Have you taken your egg completely apart and cleaned all the ash between the outer wall and firebox lately? Was your bottom grate severely blocked with small pieces of lump? Next low and slow, try taking all the lump out and then add fresh lump big pieces on the grate and smaller ones on top of that. Just a thought.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    Cooking a rack full of ribs on the Adj Rig will cause you to burn a little more lump in the beginning of a cook. The Adj Rig pushes your cooking rack higher in the dome and closer to your temp probe. When you add a rack full of cold food it will lower your temp readings until your food temps start to increase. 
    In turn, it takes a little more lump to raise the temp. As food and Egg temps start to balance, things go back to normal.
    To me, 6 hours of cooking on just the lump in the fire box, is not bad for Royal Oak or BGE lump. A more dense lump such as Wicked Good will increase cook time. I use allot of Royal Oak. When they go on sale I stock up. It's far from great lump but for the price it works for me. But it does vary batch to batch on quality. Some of the lump is very light in weight and starts very easy but burns through fast. Some batches are heavier and burn longer. The bags are packed by weight. So a bag that looks very full I know will have lighter lump. A bag that looks saggy and not filled will have lump that is more dense or beat to hell with a bunch of smaller pieces at the bottom.lol
    Just keep cooking and take the good with the bad. It's not your imagination but the Rig does not eat more lump. It cooks a little different, as does any set up. I will never go back to my plate setter after using the Rig with exception to baking on the Egg. The extra thermal mass helps with baking IMO.
    Forum rules do state...If no photos were taken, the cook never happened...
    So maybe this is all just a bad dream.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    It is hard to understand how more charcoal could burn in a given time without producing more heat which would raise the temp.  Judging the amount of burnable charcoal by volume is difficult - Particle size and density do differ from bag to bag.  

    Check for gasket and vent leaks.  @stompbox may be right that your egg has developed a leak that affects shutdown.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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