Set it and forget it....

vidalia1 · August 2008

A friend asked me if he bought some butts would I cook them for his office. (he said I could keep some for dinner)

This caused a dilemna to do a mid-week lo and slo which is unusual for me since I work a regular 9-5 job M-F. I usually do all my overnighters on the weekends. I have had my Digi Q II since June and I used it a lot but this was the best.

Well I put the two bone-in butts weighing 18.9 #'s total on at 9:30PM last night. I set the Digi Q II for 250 degrees. I went in and watched the Olympics until 11:00PM. I checked on the Digi Q at 11 and it was at 250.

I went upstairs and went to bed. I usually wake up at least once (because I am over 50 and that is what you do) and check on my butts while I am up. I must have been tired because I woke up when the alarm went off at 6:00AM.. :ohmy:

I went downstairs and got my coffee and it hit me.. :woohoo: yikes I have not checked on my friends butts in 7 hours. Guess what

when I got downstairs my Digi Q was at 250....I love my Digi Q II...

so if you are contemplating getting one of these I highly recommend it.... :silly: you can get lots of good sleep...and have great pulled pork when you get home....BTW the wife is monitoring the butts today...I hope she will call around 3:00PM and tell me she is pulling the butts....I am already looking forward to supper...pics to follow later today...

FlaPoolman · August 2008

The 0ver 50 built in alarm can sometimes be a blessing :unsure: Hope they come out good but with Ginny's supervision I'm sure they'll be perfect.
When are you coming down to take this rain???

vidalia1 · August 2008

Glad to see you haven't drowned yet Pat...did you get to cook Ribeyes on your Bday? or did you just float around in your dinghy???

Please send us some of your rain.....

FlaPoolman · August 2008

Not yet, still too windy and raining. News said 30" so far and it's still coming down :(

Bacchus · August 2008

That's awesome Kim. I am still riding the fence on the Guru myself but glad to see it is working well for you.
So, how much was your cut of the pulled pork?

vidalia1 · August 2008

Enough for several sandwiches and lunch tomorrow... :P

smokeydrew · August 2008

I'm doing the same thing, but with the stoker. I'm monitoring it from work as I type.

stike · August 2008

i've had a lot of success just going it alone, without a power draft unit. when i first got the egg, i'd lurked here for a while, and i don't think anyone had a power draft unit at the time. everyone was talking about how easy the egg was to dial in and hold a temp.

i used to try to do ribs on a low low gasser, and that was a nightmare. ultimately i bought the BGE because of it's legendary set-it and forget-it abilities.

i haven't ever heard a complaint from any owner of one of the units, but i think newbies should understand that it's a luxury, not an absolute. no one said that, of course, but it might be misunderstood that way.

FlaPoolman · August 2008

Agree completely. I look at it as added insurance but I do sleep better now.

Jeffersonian · August 2008

That generally true, though while the Egg is stable in the short- and medium-term, there can still be issues with long-term drift (4-5 hours or so). If your definition of 'set-n-forget' is to put the meat on and come back when it's done, a draft unit is a must, IMO. If you don't mind checking and tweaking every 4 hours or so, then the Egg is good enough alone.

Wingswille · August 2008

WHERE DOES ONE GET THE DIGI Q II???

Wingswille · August 2008

Where can one purchase a Digi Q II???

vidalia1 · August 2008

Here is where you can get them:

http://secure.thebbqguru.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=49&idproduct=235

I agree with Stike and Pat that you need to learn how to do lo & slo by means of the BGE draft doors and daisy wheel first. This gives you a better understanding of the nuances of holding temps. Also if you are using a power draft tool and the power goes out how will you control your cook...but all that being said it is a great cooking tool and let's you get much needed sleep...zzzzzz

stike · August 2008

i dunno. the only drift i ever encountered was the snowdrift that buried the egg in 27 inches of snow overnight. no snow at 10pm, nearly 30 inches in the morning. i got up at 7 am, and kicked the snow away from the lower vent (it piled up behind it and spilled around front), and went back insode.

that cook went 10 pm til 2 pm the next day while the blizzard dumped on us all day. i checked it every few hours out the back door window, and never touched the vents.

build a good fire, and that sucker will chug nicely.

at least in my experience.
i'd have to ruin a lot of butts to pay for a power draft unit. but that's not to say that they aren't worth it to many folks. and again, i have never heard a bad word about either of the companies represented here.

Jeffersonian · August 2008

I've had some cooks that have done that - stuck to a temperature and barely drifted 10* over the course of 15-hours. But I've had more where I've had to goose the airflow for a few minutes because my dome temp has dropped 30* and I still have plenty of lump left. I suppose you're right...it's all in how you build the fire.

stike · August 2008

i've had them go out to, lest you think it's all rosy happy-land over here.
hahaha

Jeffersonian · August 2008

Shhhh...you'll shatter that image. :woohoo:

I haven't had any go completely out in the middle of a cook other than because I didn't put enough lump in at the start. Along those lines, I was surprised at how much more lump I used cooking four butts (26# total weight)than I did cooking two (15# TW). Have you seen that, too?

RATRED · August 2008

A power draft unit, I have a ProCom 4, in conjunction with a BGE is the best possible combination, however, even a power draft unit will not over come a poorly built fire. Some of the recent posts have been very helpful in learning the proper way to build a good "low and slow fire" in a ceramic cooker.

captjo · August 2008

Hey Kim!
Tell Ginny I understand she's grilling now!
Enjoy it,
Jo

vidalia1 · August 2008

Jo she said all she is doing is watching... :P not grilling...I am trying to talk her into the Kitchen Aid Pro deluxe mixer.... :woohoo:

how did your bread turn out??? did I miss the post with the pictures???

sirlancealot · August 2008

Do you work at home in order to be monitoring it?.

vidalia1 · August 2008

The stoker you can access through your laptop or PC. The Digi Q II has to be moitored in person. My wife is at home monitoring it...others can speak to the computer access...but either way someone has to be home to take the food off when it is ready...

Pop's BBQ · August 2008

Wingswille.

Go to "thebbqguru.com" to find all the info you want on th Digi-Q

captjo · August 2008

Good luck w/ the Kitchenaid...someday when I get one it will definately be high wattage. Don't bother with one of the smaller ones. I did see a big one on a clearance rack in Sam's Club once...I think it was around $200, but I didn't have the $$ at the time. Wish I had it now for many different things!

In regards to your question...it was cinnamon rolls (made from Grands biscuits) and pizza dough from scratch. WWELLLL...the cinnamon rolls were really good. The family said the pizza crust was too, but I didn't agree. I used half all-p flour and half past flour (duram semolina), thought the pasta flour would be high gluten like Bobby talked to us about. It wound up being pretty dense (like me). Maybe it was the flour, maybe it was the yeast which had an expiration date less than a month away. Not sure.

I am supposed to do a BGE demo on Saturday, but Fay is coming here (and to you right?), so I've decided to try Egret's smoked cheese tomorrow, and just let them hand it out in the store for samples. Thanks Egret!

Set it and forget it....

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