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Extra large BGE temperature

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Omaha cooker
Omaha cooker Posts: 1
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I have been cooking on a large for several years and just purchased the XL.
I am having trouble getting enough heat. Any suggestions.
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  • Capt Frank
    Capt Frank Posts: 2,578
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    More lump, more time, you have a whole lot of ceramic to get up to temp B)

    Capt Frank
    Homosassa, FL
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  • Mike in Abita
    Mike in Abita Posts: 3,302
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    Light in multiple places. How hot are you trying to go?
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  • BigGreenDon
    BigGreenDon Posts: 167
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    I made the following (easily reversible) mod to my XL that helped out a LOT:

    Pull out the fire ring and note that there is a gap (perhaps as wide as 1" in places) all around the firebox (between the firebox and the egg shell) where air entering the bottom of the egg can slip past and circumvent the lump. This leakage air is of realively low temperature and mixes with the hot gases from the lump, lowering the overall temperature.

    Make an aluminum foil "snake" gasket and stuff it in that gap -- all around. Don't stuff it all the way down, it should be just inside the gap. You do NOT want it to block the holes in the side of the firebox! Now, replace your fire-ring.

    Now, most of the air entering the bottom vent will be forced to take the path through the lump.

    Others on the group have done other mods that accomplish about the same thing, but I think this is the fastest and easiest means to the end.

    I posted diagrams previously:
    XL modification

    As someone else said, it is indeed true that temps move slower on the XL as well -- but this is true in both directions.

    Anyway, I suggest that you give my idea a try, since you have everything you need to do it in your kitchen.

    Later,
    Don
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  • Steelers252006
    Steelers252006 Posts: 115
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    Don,

    Just read over some of the original posts about your mods to the XL Egg and a lot of the reactions. I think your idea and post were excellent, even if gone over maybe once or twice TWO years ago or whatever!! Your intentions were clearly in the right place and misconstrued by many. I would think the larger cookers would take more time to heat, surely, but the air flow issue makes perfect sense, and that wasn't a knock on the Egg as you clearly enjoy using a ceramic grill as does this whole forum. That was good stuff.
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  • BigGreenDon
    BigGreenDon Posts: 167
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    Yeah, that thread almost made me give up posting, but I got over it.

    If the idea isn't new, so what? Lots of folks keep having the same issues, and often the old posts are not titled well to allow searches to easily find them. I, for one, was not on the forum two years ago to remember any such thread. I *do* remember a mod done by a forum member using a vent tube to direct the air (maybe it was Grandpa's Grub?), but I think the gasket approach is less intrusive on the overall operation.

    Actually, the person attacking the originality of the idea bugged me less than those that would respond "I have no problem". Cool -- their setup is fine, but what did they just add to the conversation?

    Anyway, thanks for the thought, but those wounds were healed over a while ago.

    Thanks,
    Don
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