Temp trouble

Uncle Dave · January 2001

Need some help. I have been with you guys for about 30 days and am having a super time with this forum and my BGE. All the sudden this week I cant seem to get my egg to light. IT was ready to cook in about 12 min now its just taking for ever to get to searing temp. Whats wrong? Im also having to use extra starter sticks to get started. My lump is not wet. Whats wrong?

char buddy · January 2001

Uncle Dave,[p]Do you stir your residual coals before each light? [p]I pull the ashes beneath the grate after I stir my coals. I am not sure if other folks do that, but I never have trouble getting to high temps. Low temps
are another story.[p]Is your firebox opening aligned with the bottom vent?[p]Char buddy[p][p]

Huck · January 2001

Uncle Dave,
I've taken to storing my lump in a great big plastic tote by Rubbermaid because I'm sure that it used to absorb some moisture. Another thing, get a chimney starter. You'll have MUCH more consistent and faster starting. If you want to start out lower and slower, just dump the chimney full of coals in the egg shortly after getting some started in the bottom. If you want to get a raging fire going quickly, let the whole chimney starter get roaring and dump it in the egg and load fresh coals on top. You'll be up to steak temps in no time! Here's another little tip for getting that egg up to temp REALLY quick! Buy a cheap hair dryer and keep it on the patio. Open all both vents after you start your fire and put that hair dryer in the bottom vent on high speed (no heat to save those $) You want to become a blacksmith?!? A vacuum cleaner that you can put a hose on the exhaust will work the same. I also keep one of those little gas bottle torches and a spark ignitor on the patio for when it's really hard to get coals going. I just load fresh coal in a clean firebox and torch some of them until they're glowing, then I hit it with the hair dryer in the bottom vent. YAHOOOOO!!!! I guess it's the latent pyromaniac in me!

Carl T · January 2001

Uncle Dave,[p]I believe that your lump, while not being "wet" has a high moisture content. If you store your bag of lump outside, the paper bag could be absorbing and holding moisture. I also store my lump in a Rubbermaid storage bin next to my egg table. While my fire is coming up to temp, I like to hear the "snap, crackle and pop" of dry lump anxious to burn.[p]Carl T

Big Murth · January 2001

Uncle Dave,
All the previous responses to your post are on the money. I'm right now in hour 12 of an 8lb.Boston Butt, per Elder Ward's expansive recipe (see BGE recipes section), and he devotes a whole page to preparing your fire. I had the same problem a few weeks ago, and last night I pulled everything out of the egg, vacuumed it out, and filled the firebox for my low 'n slow, with the biggest chunks of lump so as not to let smaller pieces drop into the airholes, going in first, and piling on smaller pieces on top. I used one of those little firestarters for the first time, and away she went, after using my electric cattle prod on previous light-ups.
I did get your e-mails on the Egg contraption, but to tell you the truth, I had a crash occur (coincidentally) when I was opening up your files, which I've saved and will look at carefully later. About 8" of snow here in Albuquerque today, more this afternoon, tonight.
Adios,
Steve Murtha

Temp trouble

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