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Mini temp control

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egger66
egger66 Posts: 385
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Tonight was about my 12-15th cook on my mini and temp control has been trickier than I thought(seems a lot easier to do on my large). The mini seems to cook hotter than I want it to. Also, how long should it take for the lump to extinguish itself after closing the vents? I shut them 50 mins ago and its still reading 400* and there was still some lump glowing. (This doesnt happen on my large). Could air be leaking in from somewhere?
Thanks
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    egger66,

    Mini just wants to cook! ;)

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • egger66
    egger66 Posts: 385
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    Do you light it any differently than the bigger ones? It seems it ramps up really quickly
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    E66,

    The mini, I just light in one place, the others three or four. It's up to temp in no time but, IMHO, I don't think you can control it below 300*. Maybe more experienced guys will kick in here. "Guys" does not exclude Faith...the mini Goddess.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
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    It does heat up quicker. Stay 'round and play with vents 'till you get the feel of it. I love it because of the quickness. Please don't compare the extreme sizes. Way to different to do that, imo. Keep on playing with it and have fun!!
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
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  • egger66
    egger66 Posts: 385
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    Thanks for the input...makes me feel better knowing its not the mini :cheer: Even though I dont have the hang of controlling the mini yet, the foods been great!!(And it is fun :lol: )
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  • Florida Grillin Girl
    Florida Grillin Girl Posts: 4,975
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    Mini Goddess here!!! Thanks Steven.

    Seriously, I cook on the mini 4-5 nights a week after having a large for 13 years. You just can't compare the two!

    As for extinguishing it, I glued some extra gasket inside the green ceramic top and always use that for extinguishing the fire. It helps alot!

    The mini does seem to want to get to 400 really easily and stay there. That is the reason I always have more food to put on the fire - I just cook and cook til the fire goes out, approx 4 hours of 400 degrees dome temp.
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
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  • emilluca
    emilluca Posts: 673
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    The mini uses so little lump I don't worry about shutting her down. Just do as normal shut vents and put rain cap on. The fire will go out and heat remain for a long time. Check it the next day and a amazing amount of lump is in it.
    E
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    I found the mini temp control to be a little trickier than the large.

    I usually cook at around 400 on the Mini because most of the stuff I'm cooking can be cooked around 400, it's easy to remember and it seems to be a temp that the mini holds well. I think temps below 350 would be difficult to control.

    The thing that made the biggest impression on me was that the food can take up so much grid space that it interferes with airflow and temp.

    It does take awhile to shut down but I don't usually pay attention unless I'm travelling with it. I added some extra gasket material to the raincap but it's still loose. I think aluminum foil over the top before putting on the raincap would shut it down quicker.

    FWIW - I can't remember the last time I used new lump in it. I take used lump from the Large and store it in a tin with a lid and that's all I use in the Mini.
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  • Jersey Doug
    Jersey Doug Posts: 460
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    There seem to be more variations in the fit of the ceramic cap (and the DFMT) on the Mini than on the larger sizes. We got lucky with ours in that the ceramic cap really shuts it off if I remember to give the handle a firm push down when I close the dome. Our mini cools off more quickly than our Large or our Small.

    The DFMT is another story. It rocks and leaks so badly on the Mini that it's just about useless for trying to achieve low temps. I've fiddled with the draft door and gotten it to close tightly enough to hold the temp at about 325º but no lower. Even at that temp it cooks pretty quickly because the food is so close to the lump.
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  • egger66
    egger66 Posts: 385
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    Thanks for the insight. After work this evening I took a closer look at the bottom vent and there was so much play in it, I could see daylight from one end to the other. I molded the slide a little to fit the curvature of the egg better, so this may help. But I really like your idea of the gasket material in the ceramic top...thanks.
    Scott
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  • egger66
    egger66 Posts: 385
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    :laugh: :laugh: Thats what I've been doing
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