Platesetter

burnithot

Ok i am still new to the egg i have heard if you get your egg stable around 250 for example without the Platesetter in 
then put your wood then Platesetter then food your egg drop temp ok
i guessin the reasoning behind that is to achieve more smoke ok 
but dose it really make that much difference 
whats the best way to do this and I do have a guru as well 
get my egg stable at the cookin temp with the Platesetter in 
and what's the proper way to use the guru on start up let the guru fan bring the egg up or just open the dampers 

SoCalTim

If (for example) your looking to cook at, oh say 275 ... load your lump, light it (with lump strategically placed) let the fire catch, then die down - install the plate setter ... close dome.

When temp gets to 250 or so start closing top and bottom vents down (so you can catch the temp on the way up)

If your using a guru, don't install the probe onto the grate til the actual flame has died down (as you'll do damage to the wire connected to the probe)

Install the probe, close lid, turn on guru and watch the magic happen. Simple

Carolina Q

I always add all hardware (platesetter, grid, etc.) right after I light the lump. Let everything come up to temp together.

When I use my guru, I stir the old lump, add new if needed (just dump it out of the bag), add smoke wood (if using), light the lump, add the platesetter, drip pan and grid, install the guru fan, clip the pit probe to the dome thermo probe (don't care about grid temp) and then close the dome. The guru will bring it up to temp. When the temp has been on target for a while, I add the food.

If I'm not using the guru, I light the lump, add all the hardware and open the vents to where I think they should be for a given target temp. Come back after it's stable at temp and add the food. It's faster if you leave the vents wide open until temp gets close and then close 'em down, but if you get sidetracked, you may come back and find the temp at 700°. Once you get an idea of the usual vent settings, you can set them there and not worry if prep takes too long, the phone rings or there is some other interruption. When you get back, temp will be right where you set it.

SoCalTim

@Carolina Q  Bingo!

SmokingPiney

To me, it's a waste of time to stabilize the temp and then throw in a cold plate setter. I get a good light, put in all of the hardware, close the dome, and let the temp come up / stabilize.

Ladeback69

I add the wood I am going to use when I light the egg.  I light the egg,  let it get going then put the plate setter on.  If put in 3 to 4 good size chunks of wood it went burn up for while.  That sounds like how you are doing it.  I can't answer about the guru, I have never used one.

Jeepster47

I use both the Bubba Guru and the Flameboss 200.  At a base level, they have similar operational characteristics.  When using either of them, I light the lump with an electric starter ... after about 8 minutes there is a ball of lump burning.  Then install the smoke wood (or install it when loading the lump), install all of the hardware and then computer controller.  While learning the characteristics of the guru, I would set the pit temp 25 degrees lower than I wanted.  That allowed a margin of error if the pit temp overshot ... let it overshoot and start to stabilize, then bump the set temp up to target.  Now I simply set to target and leave it alone.

If I'm going to be standing around the egg, I'll leave the top vent open until the pit temp gets to about 100 degrees short of target temp ... it will warm up faster that way.  If I'm leaving the area, then I simply set the top vent where it needs to be for the cook.  I have two large eggs and they each need a slightly different setting.  That's something you'll have to play with to find the correct setting for your egg.

Remember that the guru is responsible for raising the temp and the top vent is responsible for lowering the temp.  Close the top vent until the guru's fan is working about 30% of the time ... that seems to be about ideal.  If the fan is working over 50% of the time, then open the top vent a little bit.  If the fan is working 5% of the time (you're probably getting above target temps) then close the top vent a little bit.

One final point ... make sure to route the probe leads in the shadow of one of the plate setter legs.  If you've got flames coming over the edge of the plate setter, you've allowed too much lump to become lit ... you'll need to choke down the fire before installing the guru.

Opinion:  Place your pit probe at mid level of the protein ... after all, that's what you're interested in controlling.

burnithot

thank y'all