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Newbie here ! Help me on Temperature Control !!!

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Kevlah
Kevlah Posts: 11
in EggHead Forum

Hi

Proud new owner of a large BGE in the UK

Problem ! I can't get temperature below 270F on indirect, even with top and bottom vents virtually closed. 270F is a bit too high for "low and slow". I've read on here about different temps in the dome and on the grill, and differential might be 30F etc, lots of information, often contradictory !

I'm relying on the thermometer provided with the BGE

So, is the problem a temperature problem or a thermometer problem?

I'll be very disappointed after paying UK prices to find this piece of kit is substandard

I look forward to your responses !


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Comments

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,341
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    Before there's too much info here, have you checked the calibration of your dome thermo?  
    Boil some water, and insert the thermo-should read around 100*C, if not adjust out the off-set using the nut on the back of the thermo, then re-check. FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
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    in addition to the above...

    "getting it below" a temp sounds like you are already above it and trying to come back down.  so don't go over it.

    catch it on the way up.  the egg holds a lot of heat, if someone told you to let it get a good fire going and THEN clamp down to your desired temperature, then they aren't anyone who uses a BGE.


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • calracefan
    calracefan Posts: 606
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    1. You can check the calibration of thermometer in boiling water. Adjust if necessary

    2. If it is a Large BGE they seem to have a sweet spot around that temp they like to run.

    3. If dome is reading 270 the grid is probably around 225 early in your cook. the temps equal out after some time. The temp being a little high isn't really anything to worry about.

    Ova B.
    Fulton MO
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    270ºF may not be low and slow, but it is a very good temp to cook at.  For example, my preferred temp range for pork butts is 275-290ºF.  Make sure you calibrate the thermometer (stick in boiling water and then turn nut to adjust is not reading correctly).  Don't worry about the relationship between dome and grid temps for now.  Too much information overload will drive you crazy.  

    You should be able to get steady temps in the 240º range without any problem. Lower than that can be a bit tricker.  Vent openings can be smaller than you think.  The opening in the picture is about where you should be, maybe a little too big. Don't worry about exact temp.  A steady temp anywhere close to the target temp is good.  


    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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  • bhedges1987
    bhedges1987 Posts: 3,201
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    Shut down your vents a bit earlier. Letting your fire get too big. 

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
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    270 is certainly low and slow. Even 300 is considered a slow oven
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • DaveRichardson
    DaveRichardson Posts: 2,324
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    Relax.  You are cooking on an Egg.

    LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014

    Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies!  #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!

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  • Kevlah
    Kevlah Posts: 11
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    Thanks everyone I'll give you an update over the weekend !

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  • BigWader
    BigWader Posts: 673
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    @kevlah Welcome to the forum.  Lots of people will chime in to help.

    In addition to checking your dome thermo, you might want to check how tightly the lid is sealed when closed.  You can take a dollar bill and put it on the gasket at various places when you close the lid.  It should take a firm pull to remove it all the way around.  If not, you might need to loosen your bands and re-seat the dome.

    Second, what Darby said is very true.  If you let the ceramic get hotter than your desired cook temp it will take a looonnnnngggg time to come down.  Try and get your vents set as the temp climbs.  What I do is get the fire going with the dome open and before a real good coal bed is going I close the lid with the vents mostly open still.  When I'm 50 degrees or so from desired temp I start closing them down.  Then I put in the indirect piece and work on hitting the final temp.  I give myself almost 45 minutes before I want to put meat on to dial in the temp.

    Third - it is surprising how little the vents need to be open to keep it going at low temps but 275 dome is a good temp and will render fat nicely on most low & slow cooks.

    Good luck and keep at it.  I don't think there is anything critically wrong with your egg - you just need to rule out a couple things and then learn to dial in the lower temps.

    Toronto, Canada

    Large BGE, Small BGE

     

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  • rmr62
    rmr62 Posts: 233
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    my large has trouble around 225 but if I go for around 250-275 it's no trouble.  My egg has a sweet spot around 270 and will hold there for hours
    Lagrange, GA   LBGE
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  • 1move
    1move Posts: 516
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    Another thing you should be doing is filling the lump to the top of the fire ring, which is the bottom of your plate setter pretty much. Less air in the egg will allow you to control the temperature much better.
    XLBGE, MMBGE, CyberQ
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  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,069
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    Welcome. I also paid UK prices and like you had troubles with my first low and slow, but the advice here is sound. It's not a substandard piece of kit. Enjoy.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


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  • GrateEggspectations
    GrateEggspectations Posts: 9,269
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    1move said:
    Another thing you should be doing is filling the lump to the top of the fire ring, which is the bottom of your plate setter pretty much. Less air in the egg will allow you to control the temperature much better.
    ^^^This. In my experience this is very true. Lump management is an effective tool for temp control. More lump (and of differing sizes to allow for more dense packing) = less air circulation. Good for low and slow. Less lump (and bigger pieces to allow more air gaps) = more air circulation. High heat.

    Do not underestimate this factor.
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  • SPRIGS
    SPRIGS Posts: 482
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    How are you lighting the fire?  On low and slows I light in 2-3 small spots right around the center.  Start closing down your vents around 25-30 degrees of your target temp. If you have too large of a fire going (too much lit) you will struggle to hold it low.  If it gets too hot, the ceramic takes forever to cool down.  That is why you need to catch your temps on the way up.

    I now use a Flame Boss 200 to control the temp but without a reliable automatic temperature controller, to me the key was lighting in  just few small spots and catching the temp as it was going up.  Essentially, shutting down the vents well before you get to your target temp. 
    XL BGE
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  • Kevlah
    Kevlah Posts: 11
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    Thanks guys, I'm leaving the egg open for around 15 minutes before closing at which point the the temp is above what I aiming for, so are you suggesting not to wait the recommended times to allow the fire to build ?
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  • 1move
    1move Posts: 516
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    Are you starting the fire in one spot? Because it should be one small area. And yes 15minutes might be too long. Get it started and let it build up and come to temperature an hour before you put your meat on.
    XLBGE, MMBGE, CyberQ
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  • Kevlah
    Kevlah Posts: 11
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    Started low and temperature stabilised at 230F ! 

    Thanks everyone !
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    Easy Peasy
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
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    Kevlah said:
    ... I'm leaving the egg open for around 15 minutes before closing at which point the the temp is above what I aiming for, ...
    I never leave the Egg open, and with the top vent off completely, I assure you there's PLENTY of air flow to get the fire going.

    The disadvantage of leaving it open is that you're not heating up the ceramic dome, so when you finally get around to closing it, you're going to have a period of time when the dome is only sucking in heat from the fire, not radiating any of it back into the cooking area.  I see no advantage to leaving the Egg open, and a potential disadvantage in taking longer to really get the Egg stabilized.

    Some people do it your way, but I really think most of us light the fire with the bottom vent completely open (including the screen), the top vent off completely, but after lighting, we close the Egg.  After about 10-15 minutes or so, I start looking at the dome temperature to get ready to close the vents down so I don't overshoot my goal temperature.
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  • dougcrann
    dougcrann Posts: 1,129
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    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    in addition to the above...

    "getting it below" a temp sounds like you are already above it and trying to come back down.  so don't go over it.

    catch it on the way up.  the egg holds a lot of heat, if someone told you to let it get a good fire going and THEN clamp down to your desired temperature, then they aren't anyone who uses a BGE.


    I stopped reading here...Darby nailed it. Waiting for an Egg to drop temperature is like watching your toes nails grow. Want to cook at 225*, light a small fire, put it together and shut the dome. When the dome temperature, assuming your thermometer is accurate hits 180* or so shut the bottom vent to about 1/8" and shut the daisy wheel almost entirely.  Leave perhaps an 1/8" of the tears open. Once it hits 225" shut the Daisy Wheel entirely. 
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