Stable fire

Xyzza · February 2008

I am smoking my very first butt, on my new bge, that i bought 8 days ago. i am excited and nervous all at the same time. if i screw this butt up, the old lady will gripe for days ((..i have had a dome temp of 250 for 2 hours..can i expect this to be stable for the duration of the 12 hour smoke?[p]..thnx for any response

Celtic Wolf · February 2008

Xyzza,[p] I am going to answer here, but you may get more answers over on the new forum.[p] IF you did not play with the vents when you put the meat on your egg will pretty much stay at 250 for up to 18-20 hours (longer with certain brands of lump). [p] I put two 8 pounders on at 5am this morning. Attached my DigiQ II to the Egg and set it at 220 (I attached the probe to the grate). [p] Since it was the first time I used my DigiQ II I looked out the window several times before going to bed at 9AM. Every time I looked out it was locked on 220. [p] I relaxed and tool my own advice. "Be one with your Egg. Trust your Egg."[p] Now if you messed with that vent because the temp dropped when you put the meat in -- STAY AWAKE...[p]

hakalugi · February 2008

my first butt went out about 5pm for an 11am remval target, it ran an hour long b/c i flamed out about 3am, i decided to stay up my first time, glad i did.

i it got going again with some cursing and such, but i vowed never again. it'll still turned out, it's not like overcooking a steak, just frustrating. http://www.hakalugi.net/gallery/aka:bostonbutt

i tried once more with just vent control, and careful lump stacking and it worked, but by then, i wanted a bit more autopilot so i got a bbqguru call me lazy, but a "thermostat" for your smoker is just logical.

since then, i run it for an hour ahead of time to be sure i've got my top vent and such dialed in, and when i put the pork on, it's like an oven. you can always pretend to tend it so your guests think you're working hard, but we know the truth

hakalugi · February 2008

my first butt went out about 5pm for an 11am remval target, it ran an hour long b/c i flamed out about 3am, i decided to stay up my first time, glad i did.

i it got going again with some cursing and such, but i vowed never again. it'll still turned out, it's not like overcooking a steak, just frustrating. http://www.hakalugi.net/gallery/aka:bostonbutt

i tried once more with just vent control, and careful lump stacking and it worked, but by then, i wanted a bit more autopilot so i got a bbqguru call me lazy, but a "thermostat" for your smoker is just logical.

since then, i run it for an hour ahead of time to be sure i've got my top vent and such dialed in, and when i put the pork on, it's like an oven. you can always pretend to tend it so your guests think you're working hard, but we know the truth

Xyzza · February 2008

I too want a guru...but in the last week or so, i have dumped almost 1k into this project..till Uncle Sam comes in, I am stuck with out of the box controls...and one very anticipating family

Celtic Wolf · February 2008

I told everyone at work I slaved all night. They all laughed.. I forgot I told them I have DigiQ IIs

Celtic Wolf · February 2008

Only 1K... Boy you are a newbie!!

My trailer cost more then that :woohoo:

Morro Bay Rich · February 2008

You want advice? STAY UP!!! I did this for my first butt cook. After that trial, I bought a BBQGuru and now I sleep.

Jeffersonian · February 2008

If I were you, I'd check it every hour or two to make sure it hasn't drifted. I've found that the Egg is stable over the medium-term, but fuel issues can crop up in the long-term (unless you have Guru, Stoker or similar pit-minder system).

The good news is that butts are hard to screw up.

tjv · February 2008

Oh man this will put me in the dog house but I'll be curious to see which one you'll find more realiable in a couple months........egg or old lady!

Make room Spot, I'm coming in......LOL. T

Pork Butt Mike · February 2008

Good luck and take your time. You will do fine. There are so many different recipes for butts. YOU CAN DO IT.

Beli · February 2008

Xyzza,
Just a basic comment....do have enough charcoal to burn for all those hours...for me at least two inches above the holes in the firebox. All the best. Beli

Unknown · March 2008

Celtic Wolf,
This may sound stupid because I have successfully used my BGE for several years now. However, at the BGE site they indicate for smoking for long periods to mix in soaked chips with the charcol at loading. This implies to me lighting the charcol from the top somehow.
I have always used a chimney style lighter which gets most everything going at the same time.
Am I out to lunch here?
Thanks!

Michael B · March 2008

lehman woods,
You aren't using much lump if you can put all of it in a chimney starter. Sounds like you're using a mini, small, or only using the Egg for quick grilling.[p]1. Fill the firebox with lump.
2. Light the lump in several places. I light at 2:00, 6:00, and 10:00 using twisted paper towels that have a little olive oil on them. Others use a propane torch or a MAPP torch. The real fire bugs use a propane weed burner.
3. When you are done cooking, close the lower damper, place the daisy top inside the Egg, and put the ceramic cap on top. The fire will go out and you can use the unburned lump in your next cook.[p]For smoking wood:
First rule: Don't soak the chips.
Second rule: See first rule.
You can use a couple fist size chunks of wood buried in the lump.
You can use dry chips mixed in with the lump.
You can use dry chips spread on the top of the lump.[p]One correction to the video:
The smoke will go from white to blue or clear, not black.
Black smoke is the fire starter still burning.
[ul][li]Video - Lighting the BGE with BGE Fire Starters.[/ul]

Stable fire

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