fire control

Unknown · March 2002

seems like someone with experience should should chime in and give a short lesson on fire control with the Egg. in the last few weeks there have been a couple of all nighters go for a dump and this can be disheartening for the new guys. and please don't include all the new little do-dads that go on top the exaust. reg

Unknown · March 2002

reg,
A faq with pictures may help and you could use a few different methods. Bill your not busy are you? :>
Jim

MickeyT · March 2002

reg,[p]I hear ya man. I have had that happen to me only once but once is enough. My strategy in the past (if you are referring to overnighters) is always the same. Start with a full firebox, and I mean full. Start adjusting your dome temp when it hits 160 or so. Put what ever do-dad you use on top. I won't say what I use. :>) Start slowly creeping to 200. Let it sit for at least an hour if that is your desired temperature, if not creep it to what ever it is. I try to stabilize mine for longer. When you have done this hit the sheets. It should be fine. In the past when I have gotten up to get a drink or what ever, I would normaly check the temp and adjust occordingly.[p]Hope this helps.[p]Mick

Gordo · March 2002

reg,
I am 16 hours into a PP that has only required one temp adjustment from when the temp initally stabilized. The thing I did different this time was put the PP on after a turkey yesterday. I stirred the hot coals after the turkey to get rid of the ash and then filled the firebox with fresh lump. The hot coals lit the new ones very well from the bottom and temp stabilized around 212 in 15 minutes. I will definitly light the coals for PP this way next time hoping it was not a fluke

BBQfan1 · March 2002

reg, There's no substitute on an allnighter for actually setting the alarm clock for every 3 hours, draggin yer carcass down to the cooker and physically checking dome and meat internal temp. It's not that big of deal, really! Remember, it is a live fire with your family's meal in there; one you will receive amazing accolades with--the least bit of 'work' you can do is check it every couple hours to ensure it is coming along properly.
Not quite a manual's worth of advise, but simply what I'd consider common sense for cooking with wood and charcoal, no matter the cooker....
Qfan

WooDoggies · March 2002

Hey there reg,[p]Though I don't own one (and it is a doo-dad :~}), I love the idea of the remote temp sensors that will set off an alarm by your bedside if the cook temp falls below the desired range.
I think it would pay for itself the first time around when compared to the cost of headache, heartache, walletache and wifeache.[p]As far as all-nighters I just take extra care to load the fresh lump by hand in the bottom using the larger pieces to cover the grate and firebox holes. This seems to eliminate the smaller pieces from falling in and keeps the airflow at maximum.
If anyone is interested I will email C~W's thoughts and method of firebuilding for lo n slo's. It has never failed me.[p]WD

Sundown · March 2002

reg,
A couple of years ago at the Waldorf Eggfest I met Cat and was watching her getting ready to do her famous ribs and when she shut the dome I asked if she were gooing to use the daisy wheel. Ever so gently she explained, once you get used to things Egg you can do all of your fire control from the bottom vent. I watched and sure enough, it worked. I seldom use the daisy wheel and more but do hope to use the new temp rings MickyT sent. I've done a dozen low 'n' slo's and never put the daisy wheel on except at the very start to grab the smoke I can usually stabalize the temp at 225º - 250º just fine. I've also followed Elder Ward's suggested lump loading technique and haven't been let down yet.

Unknown · March 2002

reg, As I write this, I have had some pork ribs in my small egg for 81/2 hours at 190 degrees. To keep long burn meats from burning on the outside, I took a coat hanger, fashioned it into a circle, twisted the ends together then covered it with multiple ( 5-6 ) layers of aluminum foil. I adjusted the diameter of the circle to fit just under the grill grate. By having this shield loosely fitted just under your food, it keeps your food from burning on the outside before its done. This works very well especially on a small egg where the distance between your food and the coals is small. Good luck!

tipc1 · March 2002

reg,If I'm doing a 24 hour burn I always clean the egg first.
Then I place a single cube starter on top of the ceramic grate right in the center. I then FILL the egg using common sense. By that I mean place large chunks in first, making sure I do not block any holes. If there are any big flat pieces I place a small piece under it lifting it so air can flow through. Then fill it up with gradually smaller pieces
untill its level is a little above the top of the firebox.
You need to remember where the cube is so you can light it ofcoarse. I think loading this way will cause the fire to burn from the center first and the egg shape will assure that the lump will fall to the center and keep feeding itself. I know it is a lot of work but it will pay off in that you will not need to get up and check it through the night. DO NOT let your temp rise above your desired cooking temp because it will take a long time to get it stabilzed. It will be time well spent to watch it closely on its way up.
I got amazing results once using the ceramic top that came with it...that was before I got a daisey wheel which is a little easier to use but not as fuel effecient IMHO.
What I did was load it and light it, put the top cap on at an angle by placing a 16 penny nail on between the top of the dome vent and the top cap. That way the cap could never close off the top. The nail went this way...the head on the top of the vent hole lip and the point rested on the dome. All of the temp control was gained through the use of the bottom vent. You will be surprised by how little it will need to be opened. A 1/16 of an inch...no kidding maybe less. It depends how tight every thing is.
Good Luck

sdbelt · March 2002

reg,[p]Strangely, I've never had a fire go out. I have had them spike up in temp (say to 300), which is safer for the food, but obviously lowers the quality of the results.[p]My first step is to thoroughly clean the Egg of all ash. This includes the obvious ash under the fire box, but also the ash in the fire box, that's left from the last cook. Often I'll remove all of the lump in the box, if there appears to be a great deal of ash to deal with.[p]next, I always load my lump high enough so that it heaping up into the fire ring area. I've never taken much care in the way I load the lump, other than trying to ensure that my lump isn't all "small stuff". The BBQ Galore stuff is basically all small stuff, so for a long cook, I won't use 100% BBQ Galore stuff. I've always mixed in something else that was bigger (like the Chinese lump), or sifted through the BBQ Galore stuff, to find bigger pieces and ensure the the load isn't all small stuff. [p]I prefer to use an electric starter, though initially I used starter cubes. I've gotten away from the cubes, because I didn't want to be stuck at home, ready for a cook, and realize I didn't have any cubes. Either way, though, I always make sure that the cubes or the electric ring is well within the lump, approximately 50% down. I like to start the fire well down in there, and perhaps that's a key to success. I know a lot of folks that start their fires from the bottom, and again, they have success.[p]As far as staying at a certain temp, my common problem is a fire that spikes up a couple hours into the cook, vs. a fire that cuts out. But no matter, if I'm planning to sleep for 8 hours, I'll get up after 2-3 hours, and then again after 5-6 hours. I also use a remote thermometer in the meat, and displaying near my nightstand, just in case the meat magically finishes cooking before the morning, though that has never happened.[p]I now have a dual probe remote thermometer (never used), and hope to use that on future overnights, to avoid actually dragging my rear out of bed. [p]Best of luck with your next low 'n slow,[p]--sdb

Chipper · April 2002

reg,
The last several long cooks I've done, I have used the following method to start the fire.
First, I pull out the unused lump from the egg and put in a chimney starter, adding some new lump to fill the starter if needed. I set the starter on my old grill,light it, and let it heat up. While the starter is heating up, I scrape out the ash from the bottom of the Egg and make sure the grate is clear. Once the lump in the starter is glowing, *CAREFULLY* pour it into the Egg (holding an old baking pan underneath the starter to catch falling embers.) Put your flavor wood chunks on the hot coals and fill to the top of the fire ring with fresh lump. Put your grill/deflector setup on and then the guest of honor. I set the bottom vent to less than a quarter of an inch and the slide daisy to barely open. The dome temp will slowly rise while the smoke is going. Within about an hour, the dome temp should be steady around 250°. When using this method, I have not had the fire go out over night. [p]Cheers,
Chipper

fire control

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