Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Runaway Egg

Scubadog
Scubadog Posts: 100
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
We fired up our new XL today for the 1st time. Decided to smoke a 14 lb turkey. Used BGE charcoal. Platesetter in place. Turkey on rack and in a drip pan. Stabilized the temp at 320 and loaded up the bird. Made a few minor adjustments and checked every 15 minutes or so. The temp stayed at between 300 and 330 for about 3 1/2 hours so we went in the house to make up the side stuff. Came back out 15 minutes later and the temp had taken off to 450. The vents were where they had been all day. Is there any reason for the runaway temp climb? Bird is a little crispy but will make some great turkey salad so we're not going to get in a twist over it. Life's too short. Any ideas? Thanks.

Comments

  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Tough first cook. Try some easier ones till you get the hang of it. Alot of reasons why temp went high and I'm not the eggspert. Took me 3 months to get used to it then even I, a dumb poolman bacame a master griller.
  • Yep temps weren't stable to start with. I have been fooled quite a few times with my XL. I've seen temps all over the place. 14 lbs of turkey will suck up a lot of BTUs before temps return to thermometers.
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    Yep those few minor adjustments..!!

    Stabilize the egg at your desired temp for 15 - 20 minutes. Put the food in, close the lid. No here comes the really, really tough part - note the temp and turn around and walk away.

    Come back in 30 minutes or so. IF and ONLY IF you do not see the temp rising make a minute adjustment. If the temp is rising go back inside. Have a beer, chase your wife around the house, or have a beer and chase your wife. She'll appreciate your attention and your food will be happier.

    Patience is a BBQ Virtue... Be one with your Egg, Trust your egg..
  • Scubadog
    Scubadog Posts: 100
    I see your point, but after 3/12 hours you'd think the turkey wuld be pretty much equalized with the inside environment. I mean this thing was steady freddy for 3 1/2 hours and then blast-off up to 450 and maybe even still climbing if i hadn't caught it.
  • Hammer
    Hammer Posts: 1,001
    Good advice CW! And so true! Hard learning curve however.
    Hammer
  • I know it sounds wierd. Maybe you finally burnt through a pocket of lump that was restricting air flow. Once this restriction was gone you got all the air you need for the excursion.
    This is why I love the egg so much. If you would have made the same mistake on any other cooker your food wouldn't have been edible. The egg allows for little learning curves to occur and still have a decent meal afterwards.
  • I've never had one take off on me that long after stabilizing, but I've seen my Egg do this within the first hour or so. I smoked a fatty a couple of weeks ago and the temp was rock-solid at 275* for at least 30 minutes. I touched nothing, went inside to get some other stuff done and noticed that the temp had climbed to 350* in what had to be less than five minutes.

    Consistent airflow producing a consistnt heat generation presupposes that a relatively consistent amount of lump is lit at all times. If that changes (and it does, as we've seen), then temperature will drift. "Closing the loop" by putting a Guru or other pit minder on the Egg is a good way to stop this.
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    Bones is that you????

    HAHAHAHAHA

    Just leave the dang vents alone.. Once you have the patiences to leave the vents along you'd have the patience to leave the Guru or Stoker alone..
  • i've spent more than a couple of decades tuning temperature loops...I know the temptation to tweak is strong, but I've learned to avoid it.
  • Wonka
    Wonka Posts: 68
    This is a great excuse to get a wireless remote thermometer!! I can leave mine on the kitchen countertop while we cook side dishes, on my desk while working, or even on arm of the couch while relaxing in front of the tube. Worth it's weight in gold!
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    I've had just a few fires suddenly jump up but I caught'em in time. This might be just me but I build my fire tee pee style every time, for low-n-slow and hot-n-fast it don't matter, it's big chunks on the bottom followed by medium then small. The air flow is very good and my fires very reliable. I know it takes a little extra time to build a fire but for me it's worth it.
    The Naked Whiz has info on fire building. www.nakedwhiz.com
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    ooops, Message ment for Scuba Dog.
    I gotta get more coffee.
    :blush:
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    When you assembled your egg, did it pass the 'dollar bill' test?
  • Scubadog
    Scubadog Posts: 100
    Thanks again for all of the feedback. If anything I have concluded that tiny or even NO adjustments are the way to go. My problem was that I had it so down pat for all that time and then the take-off. Anyway, it’s been quite the family discussion last night and this morning. All in fun because life is too short and you learn from mistakes and this one didn’t really cost us anything. One possibility I actually thought of is that the lower sliding vent actually stays rather cool during the slow roast. So it could have been one of my 3 Labradors nosing the vent open a little. Anyway, back to the mystery. I noticed a slight “5th Amendment” attitude in my 12 year son old this morning. Knowing that he had received his Junior CSI kit for Christmas I reminded him of the capabilities of fingerprint and DNA technology. I then explained the full 100% immunity deal that goes along with full cooperation. Anyway, he fessed up to an unauthorized adjustment and the mystery is now solved and we all had a good laugh. Sorry about the false alarm but I just could’t understand it. My conclusion to all of this is that the egg is natural way to cook. And like everything else on this planet, nature seems to do pretty well until one of us humans screws it up. The EGG rules!
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Had to laugh at that one. Glad you got to the bottom of it & that you have an honest son.
    Happy Egging
    Pat