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Low and Slow Too Hot

Hello, 

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I have a large egg that I got in June and I've done a few L&S, but I'm not quite getting the results I want. Sorry, but this will probably be a long post. I've done a lot of research on here and elsewhere and I think I'm following the tried and true methods for L&S.

it was a little tricky to learn the egg's temperatures at first, especially making sure to not let it get too hot, because it's a real pain to try to cool it down. I'd say I get very consistent temps out of it, much more consistent than the Weber premium I started on. The problem is, I can't seem to keep the temperature around ~250,  it wants to be around 300.

I checked the thermometer calibration on one of my first cooks with a spare digital and the temp at grate level actually matched the dome thermometer temp.

So, why I'm posting...I did an overnight pork shoulder this weekend. I went overnight because I wanted to be sure it would be done by 6pm Sunday. It was 8lbs, bone in. I started my fire just before 2am with ~4 spots using my looft lighter and charcoal filled to the top of the bottom ring, and vents wide open. I adjusted my vents down when the dome temp approached 200, and it leveled off at 230. Next, I put a small pile (2 cups) of soaked chips on the center of the fire, and put in the plate setter and grate. The done temp was under 200, but there was still smoke coming out the top vent, so I figured it just needed time to hear back up. I threw my shoulder on and went to bed. At this point the daisy wheel was about 1/2 closed, and the bottom only open about 1/2 inch.

I checked it at 6:00am and it was holding at 300, which wasn't ideal, but I figured it could've been worse and shoulder is forgiving. I probed it when I put it on the grill at 2, but not plugged in and didn't bother to check temp at this time. I adjusted the bottom vent a sliver more closed.

I checked again at 8:00, again 300, so I checked the internal and expected 160ish. It was at 205, so I immediately pulled it off.

It turned out pretty well, but I fully expected it to be at a much lower temp, and take 10+ hours. It took about 6 and I had planned to pull it at 195, not 205.

How do I get it lower without putting the fire out? Should I use chunks, rather than chips? Mix in dry chips rather than a pile of soaked?

Side note, the egg is nowhere near as smoky as when I smoked on my Webber. I still get a decent ring on the egg, but not as much flavor.

Long read, I know, but thanks in advance!

Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    when im shooting for 230 dome, my bottom vent is less than 1/16th inch and the top vent opening is about a toothpick diameter wide. i have one egg that needs the vents opened a little more so consistancy from egg to egg is not there, but your vent openings are way to big for 230 dome temps
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
    Start ramping down temp 30-50 degrees sooner and I'll bet you get it
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
    Brother, the 'sweet' spot on a lg egg is about 275. 250 is can be hard to hold, doing unless your an especially seasoned egger. I use a temp control device when I wanna go that low and go overnight - I like my sleep.

    My advice is chunks (non soaked), for a really good smoke ring, may I suggest putting the meat on cold, there's alot of reasoning for this, but the answer is long and involved, so i'll save it for another time.

    More importantly, may I suggest not to overthink your cooks, but rather enjoy them. Cooking on the egg (I find) is very theraputic.


    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
  • Chunks or chips. Just don't soak
    [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]

  • That was quick! I should clarify, I'm not set on 230, just hoping for anything under 300. 250-275 is fine too. 

    I'll probably try a combination of all the above since they seem to all make sense. A little less charcoal (since I have yet to burn it all anyway), close the vents down a little more. (I was hesitant because I thought the fire would go out. The egg is efficient, but it still needs air.), and switch to chunks once I burn through what chips I have left.
  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
    ENOegg22 said:
    That was quick! I should clarify, I'm not set on 230, just hoping for anything under 300. 250-275 is fine too. 

    I'll probably try a combination of all the above since they seem to all make sense. A little less charcoal (since I have yet to burn it all anyway), close the vents down a little more. (I was hesitant because I thought the fire would go out. The egg is efficient, but it still needs air.), and switch to chunks once I burn through what chips I have left.
    Less charcoal won't make a difference.  The other changes will.


    NOLA
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    If i understand you correctly, you light the lump in 4 places.  I only light in that many places if I intend to do a higher temp cook.  For low and slow, i only light in one place.  Also, after reading your post it seems like you are getting it to temp and then putting your indirect setup in (plate setter, grid, etc.).  I let everything get warm together and if i am going overnight, I like to know temp is stable and will sometimes run it for an hour with no meat, just to be sure it is stable.  Like @fishlessman stated, it does seem like your bottom vent is too far open.  Less air = lower temp.  I am running my bottom vent at around an 1/8" for 230ish

    Good luck, you will get it!


    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • tgs2401
    tgs2401 Posts: 423
    Definitely only light the lump in one spot, interlace wood chunks in the lump and shut those vents way down as per @fishlessman post.
    One large BGE in Louisville, KY.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    edited September 2016
    lighting in 4 places has too much area lit, its harder to keep a bigger fire held back than it is to keep a small fire stable. when i used a weedburner to light a big area, that fire could easily take off just opening and closing it on low and slows, it can still be done but it takes more practice ;)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980

    I light in 2 spots for a L&S. I let it go for about 15 minutes with the top open and the bottom vent wide open. I let it come to 250-260 and add my PS. I then let it adjust and come back to the target temp then I put my meat on.

    If I do want it to come to temp faster I do light in 4 spots but you have to monitor it closer so it doesn't overshoot the target temp.

    250-275 is the sweet spot though. Once you have done it several times you just know where the settings are on your vents.

    Wind also will play a bit of a factor in your settings as well. You can set your vents and be locked in but the wind will either come up at night or go down and it will affect your cook ( if your not in a sheltered area. Im not)

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    Adding fuel to the fire so to speak, the BGE is an air-flow driven machine once you have the fire going.  That said, when you start with a good sized (lit in 4 spots) fire it will take time to get into low temperature equilibrium.  Initially you have a lot of ceramic mass to heat up so your true cooking temp is not reflected until stable.  For low&slow I light in one spot with dome and lower vent full open until about a soft-ball sized fire is going.  Then load the cooking apparatus, shut the dome and dial in the lower vent and DFMT.
    There are many ways to get there-don't chase temps.
    BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.
    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.
  • I have learned much from the forum. I too was lighting to many spots, allowing fire to get too hot before beginning and also could not keep the temps low. I wanted to experiment with 230° and baby backs but could not get the egg to cooperate. With the changes I have learned here and also using my new FlameBoss, I can keep my egg at any temp I wish, including the elusive 230°!
    --
    Jeff
    Near Twin Cities, MN
    Large BGE
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,458
    I agree with several others, light in one spot only for low and slow.
    canuckland
  • With chips or chunks, plate setter and grid in place, I like to stabilize temp at 250 for a while before putting any meat on. I realize it was 2am which would make me less likely to spend an hour getting the fire right. A big piece of meat can easily be ftc'ed for several hours if it makes for an better night's sleep.

    Bob
    Cooking on the coast
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Put the wood in at the start, light, and put 'setter in. The 'setter changes the air flow a little, and when put in after the fire is near temp will cause a drop for quite some time as it absorbs heat. By the time the 'setter is heated, the "bad" smoke may be almost gone.

    As above, don't light so much, and keep the vents more closed. For me, 250F setting is a bottom vent open no more than 1/4", usually less, and the daisy gaps just slivers.

    You are likely to notice more smoke flavor w. time. In fact, it may become too much. The soot, grease and smoke residue will eventually coat the whole interior, and it will be time for a clean burn.
  • gdenby said:
    Put the wood in at the start, light, and put 'setter in. The 'setter changes the air flow a little, and when put in after the fire is near temp will cause a drop for quite some time as it absorbs heat. By the time the 'setter is heated, the "bad" smoke may be almost gone.

    As above, don't light so much, and keep the vents more closed. For me, 250F setting is a bottom vent open no more than 1/4", usually less, and the daisy gaps just slivers.

    You are likely to notice more smoke flavor w. time. In fact, it may become too much. The soot, grease and smoke residue will eventually coat the whole interior, and it will be time for a clean burn.
    +1
    [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]

  • In addition to the changes I mentioned above, I'll switch to mixing in chips/chunks so I can load the setter and grate after lighting. I hadn't put them in right away because I waited to add the wet chips until the fire was lit.

    Can't wait to try this out!
  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
    buzd504 said:
    ENOegg22 said:
    That was quick! I should clarify, I'm not set on 230, just hoping for anything under 300. 250-275 is fine too. 

    I'll probably try a combination of all the above since they seem to all make sense. A little less charcoal (since I have yet to burn it all anyway), close the vents down a little more. (I was hesitant because I thought the fire would go out. The egg is efficient, but it still needs air.), and switch to chunks once I burn through what chips I have left.
    Less charcoal won't make a difference.  The other changes will.


    One last thing, as far as temps go ... YOU control the temp on the egg, it doesn't control you. Enjoy!!
    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
  • How much chips does everyone use?  is there a preferred amount, like "x" amount of chips per hour of planned cook?  I am not to keen on the idea of removing the PS to add more, and when I drop them in the side, they do nothing as they are not touching the fire at all.


    Not looking for HUGE smoke flavor, but enough to taste..especially if it is something to do with fruit.

    Just bought an Egg?  Here is what you get to look forward to now:

    Plate Setter, FlameBoss 200, Spider, PSWOO-CI, Additional Rig Shelf for dome cooking, Thermapen, iGrill2, Cast Iron, Blackstone, Cooking Accessories for the Blackstone, Cover for the Egg and the Blackstone, shopping for Rub like a fine wine or IPA, and a new fascination with lump and what brand is the best-all to be debated every Friday Night.  Next desires-Joetisceriie, Adjustable Rig, Grillmates, table and more eggs

    Livermore, California
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Myself, a handful of chips or a couple of walnut sized chunks are fine for a rack or 2 or ribs. Typically oak or hickory, typically not mesquite or walnut.

    For longer cooks like butt, maybe 2 handfuls. The smoke flavor doesn't penetrate into the meat once the outside dries, but the smoke flavor compounds cake onto the bark.

    In a lo/slo Egg, the wood doesn't need to touch burning lump. It just needs to be in enough heat. Dropped on lump gone to ash, not going to do much. Dropped near lump still glowing, it will decompose into flavor compounds just fine, leaving perhaps a bit of new lump at the end.

    No need to add more wood just cause you can't see the smoke.  There should be very little visible smoke. The flavor compounds are hardly visible, but you should be able to catch a whiff with your nose.
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
    Experiment with amount - fruitwoodfish are lighter. Pecan and maple are medium. Hickory oak mesquite are stronger FYI .

    solid comments above re: controlling temp. I echo the light in one place.
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • How much chips does everyone use?  is there a preferred amount, like "x" amount of chips per hour of planned cook?  I am not to keen on the idea of removing the PS to add more, and when I drop them in the side, they do nothing as they are not touching the fire at all.


    Not looking for HUGE smoke flavor, but enough to taste..especially if it is something to do with fruit.

    FWIW, I had the same feelings @tikigriller so I made a "slide" out of tin foil, folded a V shape into it and curved it a bit... I can drop chips pretty much anywhere under the PS to distribute either direct on coals or near depending on needs. I do this through both gaps on the two sides of the grill where there is the extra open space. Works great. Don't think it would work on the cast iron grills though as I don't think they have those same openings. 
  • Drop them in and then push them into the coals with the ash tool
    [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]