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Temp management help needed

willrev
willrev Posts: 80
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Lit the grill for the first time. Have a rack of babyback ribs. Trying to keep at a steady 230 deg. Having trouble. 200 is no problem. If I open vents more I am hitting 250. Are there any pictures on how far each vent should be open to get to a particular temp?

I am pretty sure I don't have to be so exacting, but I was told that 230 deg. was optimal. Thanks.

Comments

  • don't recall any pictures but you can do a search and see if you come up with anything. search box upper left hand corner. I just adjust till I get in range and then see if it settles out. If to much close if not enough just open a tad bit. You will get the hang of it. Just takes some practice. With BB ribs not sure that will make that much difference anyway.
    gp
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    230 where the ribs are sitting on the grate is about 250 on the dome thermometer. where ever it wants to settle between 2205 and even as high as say 275 and your good to go, with a few cooks it becomes second nature to zero it in, but for the first couple you will be fiddleing with the vents and chasing temps, best to go with the flow if the egg wants to cook at 250. anyways i have two eggs, both with the daisy openings a quarter open, one has a lower vent about a credit cards thickness open, the other has a lower vent a quarter inch. its usually somewhere between there and it doesnt take much adjustment to move the temps 20 degrees
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I always cook mine at 250. Open for three hrs indirect with rub. Two hrs foiled and one hr back open with sauce. Be sure to put in some wood chunks. This is called 3-2-1 method and it's fool proof.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    didnt catch the babyback part, with those i even go hotter 270/300 and they are fine
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I have done plenty of ribs lo & slo and have yet to use the same exact vent settings twice, I find what maintains the temp I want for each cook to be different each time....just my 2 cents B)
  • Grandpa's Grub posted this a few times in the past couple of months for the newbies, best visual I've seen. Hope it helps. He's also got an incredible list compiled with information for newbies and the veterans alike. Have fun, link below.

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=746823&catid=1#
  • Played with narrowing the bottom vent after seeing the pics and leaving the top about half open and it hit the 240-245 degrees perfectly and maintained.

    I am guessing one rack of baby back ribs will be about 3 hours till done. I have a digital thermometer, so I can check.

    Then will heat it up for some kabob's to go with the meat. Thanks everyone.
  • Here's something to think about...

    I use the bottom vent for coarse adjustment of temperatures. (1/4 inch on mine will put my Medium Egg at around 250...automatic!). I use Miss Daisy for minor adjustment of temperature. So, I always start with Miss Daisy set with her fluts open right at halfway. That way, if I need a minor adjustment either way, I have plenty of room to make, either side of perfect.

    Just a suggestion. There's a lot of ways to achieve optimum temperature adjustment. Main thing...have fun learning your way.
  • THA
    THA Posts: 198
    bought my dad a medium for Christmas just like mine. Noticed he could not keep temps under 225 no matter what. Looked it over and found that the frame of the lower vent did not seal good with the bottom of the egg. Noticed that it and mine were sealed with silicone but his did not fit well. Big gap and not sealed with enough silicone. I looked at several at dealer and none of them were same with varying degrees of openness.

    Check the bottom of the lower vents and see how much gap and if it is sealed proprely with silicone.

    His now is about the same as mine temp controlwise