I need help!!!

langmotorsports · August 2010

I have a Large egg and bought the BBQ DigiQ set up.......problem im having is temp spikes from the start and even though i shut everything down it doesnt seem to make a difference......tried usiing half a starter which seemed to help a little but it is still creeping up on me........any suggestions? Thanks for the help!!

Tennisbum · August 2010

I have had the same problem, till I realized that I had not reduced the air flow from the fan. Did you do that?
There is a slider bar on the fan that allows you to reduce the air flow till almost nothing.
Also I waited till the fire was really stable before I set up the Q.
Hope this helps
gp

wannabebackinTexas · August 2010

Diddo. I usally shut mine down to about 1/4 of the opening. Also, in windy conditions, I'll take some metal backed ducktape and tape around the entire slider to seal out any drafts. That being said, my Guru stays firm at whatever temperature I select.

Good eggin'
-Paul

langmotorsports · August 2010

I think my start up is the issue....I take top cap off and let fan run at full opening.......any suggestions? When you say you let the temp stablize before you hook up the q what do you mean? dont use fan to start it? Thanks

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker · August 2010

ignore the initial temp of the flames from the starter cubes

Rolling Egg · August 2010

Shooting for a 250 low and slow-- Put the starter cube in and light it. Let it go for about 5 minutes with the lid raised. Shut the lid and put the daisy on with the petals open up just enough you could slide a tooth pick through (not even quarter way). Go ahead and hook up the guru (with fan slide adj at most half throttle) and let it bring the egg up to the 250 temp. Mine nails it everytime and I can tell you countless others that do it the same way. Also make sure you have the platesetter and all the grids you are going to use already in the egg. Let the Guru do the work of bringing it all up to temp. It will nail it. I promise. Like I said, this is for a low and slow cook, so you want to make sure the daisy is almost completely closed. I have a wasted gasket on mine so I run it completely closed on top and the guru just blows what it needs out the gasket. The Guru will take care of itself. If you run it with the top off, it will never get back down to temp. The Guru has to catch it on the way up.

AZRP · August 2010

I think your problem may be the starter cubes, they will initially take the Egg to 350 while lighting the lump. Just light your lump, shut the daisy down to where the small holes are barely open and let the Guru bring you to temp. -RP

tsinar · August 2010

This is pretty much what I do 'cept I don't leave the lid open after I light the starter cube (I use 3). Works every time for me.

Rolling Egg · August 2010

Three starter cubes is way overkill for a low and slow set up. Now if your wanting a 500 degree egg then it may make since. When I used starter cubes I would actually use a half cube on low and slow. Sometimes I would break one in half and stick it in two places if I was paranoid about a vertical burn.

thirdeye · August 2010

Try thinking of any temperature control device as a cruise control instead of an auto pilot. In other words, get your pickup... Uh, I mean your Egg, up to temperature, let the fire settle in and the smoke get right, load the meat, wait for the drop in temp to recover, then let everything cruise at your desired pit temp for a couple of hours.

Then hook up your fan and brain box. It will take less than 5 minutes for it to be in total control, and there will be no spikes in pit temp.

tsinar · August 2010

I'll give it a try next cook. No sense using more cubes than necessary. Somewhere I read something about starting the fire in more than one place for a more even burn on long cooks. Could'a been a figment of my imagination.....

2Fategghead · August 2010

Here is my 10 cfm pit viper.

Closed

Half way (this it my setting for my butt cook)

Wide open

Here is where I set my daisy wheel

Fidel · August 2010

Aside from thirdeye's advice which is spot-on, shut the fan damper so it is only halfway open (or closed depending on your overall outlook in life).

FlaMike · August 2010

Excellent advice!
It took me about 3-4 years to figure that out. Works like a charm.

chrisnjenn · August 2010

It took me a few minutes of playing with my Digi-Q to figure it out, but it was easy after that. I use the same method as you and it works to perfection.

EggerFromIowa · August 2010

When I was using cubes, I used to tear one up in 4 pieces. 1 cube, lighting 4 places.

GeorgiaBorn · August 2010

Ok, so I see two completely different posts with advice on using these things. One says to hook up the device right away and let it bring your Egg to temp, while the other one says wait a while until your up to temp and the fire and smoke are right.

Which one works best? The reason I want one of these is so I don't have to wait a couple of hours to get my temp right. I can do that without a DigiQ.

Rolling Egg · August 2010

I say try both ways and decide yourself which one is for you. Thirdeye has been going at it for many many years so there's no doubt in my mind his method is proven. I can also tell you that I have been using my method ever since I un packed my Guru and it works as well. I dont wont to fool around with mine. I want to light it and forget it. That's why I hook mine up about 5 minutes after I light. I'm always doing things around the house while I cook. When I light mine and hook up the guru, I always come back in one hour and put my meat on. That's just a timeline I use. Yesterday I cooked ribs and I knew I had to get them cooking by noon. I lit the egg at 11. Came back at 12 and it was spot on at 240. Try both ways and see which one is for you. Thats why this is such a great forum, there are many ideas out there, you just have to find the best for you.

Smokin' Stogies · August 2010

I've tried both ways as well. It comes down to personal preference with the DigiQ set-up. I have settled on setting up the unit 5 minutes after starting and it has never failed to get me to temp and keep me there for Lo/Slo's. The other way has worked fine as well but I felt like I was wathcing the BGE more than anything vs. letting the Guru do the work it was meant to. You'll find what works best for you, just try a few ways.

GeorgiaBorn · August 2010

The whole reason I want to buy one of these devices is so I don't have to watch my temp for an hour or so, which is what I do now. I don't have a problem getting regulated at 225 but it takes me about 1-2 hours of watching after I begin my cook to make sure it's steady. That's what I am hoping to avoid, so I like the idea of getting the Digi going immediately.

One more question for you Rolling. You say you start the Egg and come back in an hour to start your cook. When you start your Egg and Digi, do you also put in your wood and plate setter too? I usually put my wood, plate setter and meat on all at the same time. Seems like a long to for the Egg to smoke without the meat being on for an hour.

Rolling Egg · August 2010

I put three chunks of wood down in the middle of the lump and cover them with more lump. Then I light and let it go for about 5 minutes with the lid up. I go back outside, put the platesetter and grid on, shut the lid, put the daisy wheel on barely cracked, hook up the digi q and walk away. I come back in about an hour and my temp is usually stabilized where I want it. I open the lid, take the grid off, throw three more chunks on top of the fire, put the grid back on, put meat on and shut the lid. I verify that my daisy wheel hasn't moved and I walk away. I do glance at it every once in a while as it approaches target temp.

2Fategghead · August 2010

GeorgiaBorn, When I setup for an overnight cook and plan to use my CyberQ II I have the egg cleaned and full of fresh lump with flavor wood chunks mixed in with the lump.

I lite the egg and set the plate setter in and put the grid on top and close the dome with the daisy wheel off and the pit viper adapter in place. As I watch the dome temp come up I get my CyberQ II ready and plug in the meat probe but let it hang draped on my egg table. I plug up the pit probe and clip it to the grid or dome probe. I plug up my pit viper and I also plug the pit viper in the adapter with the pit viper draft door fully opened for an hour then I close it half way for the cook. I plug up the power and set the CyberQ II for the cook. Also, at this time I place the daisy wheel on top with it being opened enough for a tooth pick to drop in. Now my egg is being controlled by my CyberQ II.

I stabilize my egg this way for about an hour while my VOC's burn off and my egg heats up. All I have left to do is wait for the smoke to turn from white to clear with a blue haze and open the egg to put some wood chunks under the plate setter and take the butt out of the fridge at the last minute and rub it and place it on the grid and place the meat probe in the meat and close the dome and close the pit viper draft half way.

Howdy, Stranger!

Forums

I need help!!!

Comments