Higher temps on the XL: Here is how!

BigGreenDon · January 2010

I've had my XL since the big fest in October, and I've been pleased with the results in general, except for I have an incredibly hard time getting the thing up to pizza baking temperatures. Even getting the thing up to 400F or so seems to take an inordinate amount of time referenced to some of the comments I have heard from others.

I don't know if this is a trait of XLs in general, or just *my* XL, but I have found my problem fairly easily fixable, after all!

I was cleaning my egg a while back, and I noticed that when I removed the fire-ring, a fairly large (>0.25") gap was noticable between the firebox top and the egg inner wall. How much "cool" air was drafting thru that path and circumventing the coals, I wondered?

Tonight, I made a makeshift gasket out of crumpled aluminum foil and filled in that gap. The results were AMAZING. I reached the target temperature for the evening (400F) in perhaps 7 or 8 minutes. This usually takes about 20 minutes for me...

If this has been tough to follow, perhaps some pictures would help:

Here is what I believe my previous situation was:

...and this was the fix:

If you are having trouble getting your egg up to temp, you might try giving this measure a shot.

Don

"Sparky" · January 2010

Good luck with that,but how bout just waiting the 20 minutes though :blink: My XL will get as hot as I want,so I really don't understand your point(if you have one)

Have you calibrated your thermo latley? Nice diagram though,thanks for sharing Don

BigGreenDon · January 2010

Mine wouldn't get above 550F no matter what. I did a pizza a couple weeks ago, and was able to get it to peak at 550 using a hair dryer forcing air into the firebox, but when I would remove the air, the temp would slew back down to 500F.

I notice that there is some "slop" in placement of the firebox and fire-ring, so I wonder if there isn't something critical there? I just know my mod works for me!

There are occasional reports in the forum from folks who have trouble at higher temps that swear they have filled the firebox full of lump, have made sure they had clear airways, and have used a coathanger to clear the ash from the holes -- all without fixing their problem.

I think it is more than possible that there is something else going on -- your dismissive comments not withstanding.

Don

"Sparky" · January 2010

Take it how you like but it takes time to heat all of that ceramic mass.You say dismissive,I say tomatoe

N'awlins · January 2010

Nice work Big Don……..certainly the foil would make it more efficient!

With that said…..I do not cook much on my XL over 225 degrees.

"Sparky" · January 2010

Yea N'awlins,you're prolly right.BGE left that air-gap there for no reason :blink: Now I need to check all of my eggs to see if they have the same design flaw

N'awlins · January 2010

I don't know if it is a "flaw"……it could be an expansion/contraction design to prevent excessive cracking of the fire ring. Just a guess on my part as there are MANY more on this forum that would know. I use my XL to cook certain types of food/dishes and DO NOT have NEAR the experience that most folks on this forum have with the EGG.

WokOnMedium · January 2010

Just when we thought the drama was dying down.

thebtls · January 2010

Good idea for those that might want to try something different. Don't be surprised by some of the feedback however just resist the urge to debate back...

When I was a very early newbie I was berated for an idea I posted; but we all have different approaches to this wonderul crazy BGE world and it is nice to see something coming from some fresh blood...

Now, get busy posting some pictures of your cooks.

"Sparky" · January 2010

Hey Tony,thanks for your input,but I ain't dissin anyone.I'm just sayin that if you want your egg at 400* in 20 minutes,you'de better get a mini :P It takes time to heat up a XL egg(and all of it's ceramics).I really am not trying to start any trouble

Bacchus · January 2010

I agree. I like to see Newer folks chiming in. What I find interesting though, is the often present assumption that they are the first to think of something or try something "new". Not knocking anyone in particular here(although Kent did the tin foil thing over a year ago), "just sayin". There was another example of this earlier today.

uglydog · January 2010

There was a recent post from one of the regular forum contributors, maybe Granpa's Grub, in which he experimented with getting higher dome temperatures faster by placing a piece of 3" ductwork in the lower draft door with the end of the ductwork underneath the firebox. This caused the combustion air to all go into the firebox instead of cooling the annular space between the inside of the egg shell and the fire box/fire ring. Same thing as you are doing with the aluminum foil, with similar results.

Uglydog

field hand · January 2010

I have an XL and use it for lo/slo and higher temp grilling for steaks, did so tonight. Grilled a couple of Sam's rib eyes. As was stated previously, it took some time to hit 550*, my normal steak temp. Used a battery driven hand-held fan and hit 550* in about 20 minutes after lighting. After removing the fan, temp dropped to 350* and then started back up. Gave me a chance to control it and stabilize it. About half a martini later the fire was fine and the steaks were on in a total of some 45 minutes. Can't say that's a fast warm-up, but seemed ok. Steaks were done in about 10 minutes, so about an hour after lighting, steaks were ready for a rest or being put on the table. Can't argue with some one who has found a way to expedite the process, but the normal way seems to work ok for me.

Barry
Marthasville, MO

BigGreenDon · January 2010

OK guys, here it is:

1) I only stated what worked for me, and I offered my mod for others to try if they had similar issues. This was clear in my original post.

2) Never stated the egg had a design flaw. The engineers of the egg need to make design trade-offs, as is true with any design.

3) If the idea is not new, so what? What have other folks results been? I do a search in the forum for "kent" and find nothing on the subject. I dare not search for "aluminum foil" or "gasket". I wasn't in the forum a year ago. How would I know if the idea was not new? JUST SAYIN' so to speak...
Geese, your commenting about an idea not being new? How often has this subject come up compared to say, Nomex gaskets, etc... Those guys don't get the rude response...

4) Take a minute and think about the INTENT of my post. I was trying to contribute here. I spent the time to carefully document something that I though might truely help somebody else, and it took time to do so. It took substantially less time, and I daresay cerebral process, to compose the posts tearing mine down.

I shall not make the same mistake again.

Don

BigGreenDon · January 2010

I found that!

I'm going to play with the aluminum gasket for a while, because it has the advantage of not getting in the way at ash-cleaning time, or when the grate needs to be cleared with a poke-stick.

Thanks,
Don

BigGreenDon · January 2010

If your happy with your setup, who can argue?

I think adding the gasket will ultimately could result in more efficiency and the burning of less lump, overall too.

For me, Pizza has been the only problem until now. For steaks, I use a spider to get a CI grid down close to the coals for the searing step, and then I move the steaks up to a higher half-grid for the finish at 400F dome temp.

I want to be able to get my egg to super-nova temperatures for things like pizza, but I like the idea of not needing to get it there for steaks.

Thanks,
Don

Bash · January 2010

Nice diagrams.

Never had a problem with my XL. If it is clean, has load of lump, and lit with a MAPP torch, it can be at 600 in 20 minutes. It wants to get hot as fast as my medium.

Glad you found a solution to your issue.

Richard

Jeffersonian · January 2010

I think Kent's was a medium, though. Or am I misremembering?

Bacchus · January 2010

I just said I find it interesting, and I do. Can you honestly deny that you were assumming you were the first to try that and post about it?

Mike in Abita · January 2010

I've had similar thoughts about my XL. I did try one thing though and don't recommend anyone trying this. I had the half moon CI grate and was trying get some serious heat on it. I decided to remove the firering and put the CI on the firebox. Big mistake, the CI expanded so much it actually cracked my base in half. Please don't try that one unless your CI has a lot of room to expand.

A question though. I have cinched down the bolts on both the dome and base. When I'm cooking pizzas at 750 on the XL the dome band will expand and the dome gets a little loose. Have you experienced this? I notice it most often in the handle area, when I try to open the dome the handle will move up and down a little before the lid starts to open. I know this is an expansion problem as it doesn't react this way when I keep the dome under 600.

Bash · January 2010

Don,

Don't let any responses keep you from posting. You never know if what you post will be useful to the many who never log in or never post.

I for one appreciated your drawings. Grandpas Grub has mentioned the same thing (but w/o the nice pictures) in several posts about the medium egg. I think he considers the medium inferior in that regard, and I considered his opinion before buying my medium.

Anyway, a particular response (sharp or otherwise - meant or merely taken as such) does not reflect the views of the community at large.

I find it interesting whenever anyone does an actual experiment (better than just assuming something). As I said in my original response, I have never had issues with my XL getting hot, but your post was interesting regardless, and the pics were helpful.

Please do continue to contribute.

Thanks!

Richard

Bash · January 2010

Mike,

I have noticed that as well. The whole hinge system and bands get looser on the XL when it is really hot. Maybe it happens on the smaller eggs as well, but I notice more on the XL.

Since getting my medium, I generally don't get the XL over 450. For sears, wok cooks, and pizza, I use my medium. (Saves a ton of lump).

Richard

BigGreenDon · January 2010

I'll let you know when I try for 750! Tonight was the first time I have been able to get the egg to temp in any decent amount of time, and the last time I did Pizza, I was only able to get to 550F with a hair dryer assist. I think 750 will not be a problem now. I'll do pizza next week sometime. I'm starting to experiment with sourdough yeasts, and it will be a while before my first yeast starter is ready for prime-time.

The BGE video that comes in the kit says that you should not be able to crack the dome with band pressure and that you should not be afraid to torque it. Have you thought about tightening the band a bit while it is hot?

Later,
Don

BigGreenDon · January 2010

Heck no! I've got all this time on my hands, so I am planning on going thru a bunch of old posts and re-hashing them.

I think I'll start with Nomex gasket replacements. That needs a refresh. It only comes up 2 or 3 times a day.

Perhaps I'll do some thermocouple experiments and measure the difference between dome and grid temperature. I'm sure to start a holy-war if I state that the reason the grid temp has classically been stated as being cooler is because of the proximity of the huge hunk of cold meat nearby.

...or maybe I'll challenge the idea that any problem one has with their setup can be fixed by re-calibrating their dome thermometer!

Boilermaker Ben · February 2010

Good post, Don. Last time I cleaned out my large, I installed a similar foil ring around the gap. I hadn't read about it on the forum, it just seemed like a logical thing to try. I can't really say that I've noticed any difference, but I haven't exactly taken the time to measure anything either.

Don't let the grumps discourage you from posting.

Frank from Houma · February 2010

Don,

Did you put the foil above the vent holes on the firebox?

Obviously the sketch is a simple one to illustrate what you are trying to do, but it would seem that putting the foil above the vent holes on the firebox (maybe you did) would allow circulation from the bottom of the firebox as well as through the side vent holes.

I have had my XL into the 700s and to be honest it is a bit scary with the overall mass of lump at that temp. Since acquiring a Small and Mini, I mostly do low and slow on the XL or grill on a raised grid at 400 dome or less. My pizzas are on my Small using a stone for a Medium.

Good luck with it and be safe.

The Naked Whiz · February 2010

Interesting. We have had reports for the 8 years I've been around that some folks can't get past 550 and others can do 900. Anyone remember Tim Moore? He had a small Egg that he couldn't get beyond 550, yet mine has gone far hotter. Tim wasn't a newbie, so I know he knew what he was talking about. I never got a chance to drive over to see him and compare our two Eggs, but you might be on to something.

BigGreenDon · February 2010

Yes, the makeshift gasket is above the holes, so the firebox gets air thru the sides too.

I know what you man about that huge mass of lump. When I get a smaller egg I can see myself using the XL for mainly L&S work myself...

A week or two ago when I did my last pizza attempt (before the mod), I used a hair dryer to get up to 550F. The thing sounded like a jet engine and I was hesitant to push it any further.

Later,
Don

BigGreenDon · February 2010

I have a theory that if the firebox is installed skewed forward, that is, leaving a smaller gap in the front than in the back -- then there will be more resistance in the leakage path resulting in more heat potential.

I've done zero testing to back this theory up, but if it is so, than the difference between eggs could be explainable and correctable.

It's obvious from the thread that blocking the gap has been tried by others with presumably comparable results. Someone else has used an airguide of sorts at the lower vent to direct airflow to the coal-bed and away from the outside envelope -- again with good results. I think this thing has legs.

Really enjoy your site, BTW...

Don

The Naked Whiz · February 2010

Yep. Lump will burn around 700 degrees (measured at the grid) in an open grill. The way you get 1250 degrees is via the chimney effect with the dome shut and the vents open. Only so much air can enter the lower vent and exit the upper vent, so any air coming up around the firebox means less air going through the fire. So, I can believe it.

Mike in Abita · February 2010

I use my medium the same way. XL stays below 450 and the Med goes NUKE.

As far as the band goes, i think it;s the length of the material. That much steel heated up has nothing to do but expand. I'm wondering if two or three, half or third, pieces would expand less, and allow it to hold tighter.

Just a few thoughts.

Higher temps on the XL: Here is how!

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