assistance requested - BBQ Guru DX

Unknown · February 2010

Hi all,
I received the BQ Guru when I got home last night and was pleased as you can imagine! I hooked it up to test it out since I wanted to burn out the coals in there. I have a brisket ready to put on tonight. So, I plugged it up last night and set it to 255. I was astonished that it hit 255 and stuck for about 10 minutes. I was in heaven...lol but about 10-15 minutes later the temp climbed to 277 and rose slightly up. I then realized about the damper at the blower level. I had it all the way open, allowing natural air flow to pass, which caused the increase. My question is: where should I have the damper at the blower level to maintain around 225. The instructions say about half way open. Also, about where should I have the daisy wheel up top? Without the guru, I would leave the vent at the bottom opened about one-two credit card lengths, and the 5 slots at the top about half closed to maintain 225. Any help, experience with, or any other tips about the guru are MUCH appreciated. I got the egg too hot last night to keep experimenting as it was getting late.

Firetruck · February 2010

I have a large egg and sometimes use my guru. Usually I light the lump as usual and get the egg up to temp by itself. After the egg is stable I add the fan and the meat. I keep the damper about 1/4 to 1/2 open on the fan and the daisy wheel just barely cracked. Load everything up shut the egg and monitor for a while to make sure it's happy and I'm good.

One thing for sure if you have a good size load of fresh lump and it gets started you could bypass your intended temp rather quickly. That initial start will sometimes shoot a little high then quickly settle back down. You just have to monitor for a bit.

P.S. my fan is a 10 CFM and those settings are for about 225-250 degrees

Unknown · February 2010

Thank you very much firetruck! I relly apreciate the tips. I think last night, with the damper 100% opened, the airflow just kept going causing the spike. I have held temps all night w/o the guru, but I bought it for the nights that I might get it wrong ya know? I will post back Saturday and let the board knows how it goes. thanks again and have a great weekend!

Jeffersonian · February 2010

If I were you, I wouldn't gauge the DigiQ on the first time I used it. Mine acted very oddly the first time, but its been fine ever since. I'm betting it's set up to auto-tune (aka, get used to your particular pit) the first time it's used, so it's going to act a little strangely.

I keep my DFMT almost completely closed when using the DigiQ to prevent the passive draft through the fan you mention, and that seems to work without closing the damper. When I have the damper open fully, it does give me just a short puff to maintain 225*, though, with a 4CFM fan. If you have a 10CFM fan, you might want to close it a bit so the unit can function.

mojo · February 2010

I had the exact same issue the first time I used my DigiQ, but the device "learned" how my egg cooks and my 2nd overnight butt cook went without a hitch. You're gonna love it!

Grandpas Grub · February 2010

When I first got my DigiQII the pit temp keep overshooting.

The q2 blowers have a slider to restrict air flow. If you picture your vent settings on the 250° burns then think about the slider on the q2 blower. You will notice there is free air that can travel through the opening, up through the lump and out the upper vent. It isn't hard to have the amount of air flow passing through the blower more than your non powered burns.

Close down the blower slider. I have a the 10cfm fan and close the slider to about 1/4 and the DFMT closed, petals open about the width of a flat tooth pick.

I have never had a pit temperature overshoot since.

On the Stoker there is a gravity 'damper door' that stops the free air flow through the blower. The same concept as a 'doggie door' in a house. I still close down the DFMT as above when I use my Stoker.

GG

Unknown · February 2010

ah, it is good to hear these comments. I thought I was a little nuty. I knew I overshot the temp last night and it was getting late, so I cranked it up to 375 to see how that would hold. I opened the petals 10%, and I had the damper at the fan (10cfm) about 1/2 opened, and the temps stayed perfect. Before I got the GURU DX, I used the BGE thermometers, one meat probe and one pit probe, and it is wireless, so I could see the temps in my house. To double check the guru, I put the BGE digital pit probe, and the GURU pit probe almost next to each other. I was upstairs, and the BGE wireless receiver was showing 360 and holding. I went down to look at the egg, and the guru said 375. So, there is a 15 degree variation at the drill level btw the two. It says I do not need to calibrate the guru out of the box, but I might anyways. I am guessing it is probably the BGE that is out of calibration. any thoughts on that?

Unknown · February 2010

correction.. I opened the petals 100%, not 10%.

Unknown · February 2010

thanks so much for that tip GG! Do you leave your adaptor in the BGE all the time? If not, do you re-tape each time? I did not have any of the silver tape at the fan level last night on the first use. If others are keeping their adapters installed, then I will go ahead and tape it up tonight to help with any passive air flow issues that I might not be seeing.. I am so glad to hear that others had the same issues the first couple of times with their guru. that is exactly why I tested it out last night without any meat at all. Well I did cook one hotdog for my basset hound T-Bone. Plus I wanted to burn out the cowboy lump that was in there. I can tell a difference between that lump and the BGE lump. I guess it is like shooting the same bullets every time. Keep using the same bullets you used when you sited in your rifle!

AZRP · February 2010

Have your daisy almost completely shut making the Guru force the air out. This will prevent free flow no matter how you have the damper set. -RP

Jeffersonian · February 2010

Be aware, too, that the DigiQ "snaps" to the setpoint temperature if you're within 5* of it. IOW, if your setpoint is 250*, the moment the pit temp hits a bit over 245*, the display will "snap" to 250 and stay there until it drifts out of that +/-5* window. You'll never know if your dome temp is varying a little (and it probably doesn't matter).

Unknown · February 2010

Now that makes sense also. I wish there was a diagram on where to put the daisey wheel, petals, fan damper etc for all the different ranges of temps needed. At the equator. Now that would be a useful document. One with the guru and one without the guru. Anyone ever make one of those? Maybe I will start. That would be great for new folks to use, then tweak on their own until they get it right. A starting point is what most of us need. I hate being the "newbie". Now if you put me back on my offset smoker, that's a whole other story. I have had the egg for about a month and the guru for 1 day, and there is that learning curve, coupled with the guru expected to act a little strange on the first day out. As far as my offset smoker, I haven't even really looked at it since I got the egg. A wheel fell off, and I still haven't fixed it..LOL

Unknown · February 2010

I did not know that Jeffersonian. About the temp snapping to the preset levels within a 5 degree range.
Thanks!

Grandpas Grub · February 2010

First off, cook 2 hotdogs one for T-Bone and one for you.

The first 2 years of my egg, I felt I had to have everything exact, like sighting in the rifle. How close I am more depends on what I am doing. Chicken for example, I really don't care. 250° to 500° it all turns out great.

Just cook the food to temperature and the results will be great. Guessing the time will drive you nuts but the food will be good.

I never leave the adpter in and I never tape it. As for sleeping with the q2 I purchased a Maverick ET-73 dual probe remote with alarms and use it when I use the q2 for overnight cooking. I set the high and low pit alarm and go to sleep. It will wake my wife when something is too low or too high and she wakes me. :laugh:

I don't mind using cowboy lump, I am used to RO and habits are just that, habits.

Good cooking, GG

Grandpas Grub · February 2010

You will learn your egg settings as you go along. For tonight's cook on the DFMT close the spider and the petals only open about the width of a flat tooth pick in the center, 'just open'. If/when you open the dome make sure the DFMT settings are the same when you have closed the dome.

GG

Grandpas Grub · February 2010

The DFMT examples below are too wide when using a powered vent system.

There are many ways to reach any given temperature and any method is fine. I tend to use the lower vent for course temperature control and the DFMT to fine tune the final temperature.

Hopefully the following will give new users a head start in learning to control and stabilize their egg.

The following are settings on my Large. The setting for my medium, small and mini settings will vary somewhat.

A stable clean burn can be seen by looking at the dome pictures below. You want a clear or light blue smoke coming out of the egg.

265° Using 1/16” open lower vent

315° Using 1/16” open lower vent

The following have a larger lower vent opening

250°

300°

370°

390°

I need to open the lower vent to go higher. 450°

GG

Unknown · February 2010

thank you thank you thank you! I am printing these out, I am leaving to go home early right now so I get can started on the brisket. As an adult, I can still get excited like a little kid..LOL have a great weekend and I really appreciate the help!

greenfan · February 2010

As a side note: What does DFMT stand for? I know what it is, but what does it mean?

Jeffersonian · February 2010

Dual Function Metal Top

greenfan · February 2010

Thanks Jeffersonian, I'm not sure I could have come up with that on my own!

assistance requested - BBQ Guru DX

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