The annual low BGE temp hi-heat habanero smoke down

lousubcap

That time of the year-a load of habanero's to smoke down and grind to a powder.  Due to the moisture properties of the BGE this is quite likely a protracted event.  Goal is to stay under 200*F on the dome.  Time will tell.  But plenty of heat awaits.  

Mattman3969

Judging by the time needed to dry the peppers out I hope you have plenty of adult beverages at the ready.  

lousubcap

I am ready for this as it's only a once a year deal.  I will probably need to pace myself as we approach the time change hour-or I may let my good buddy "manual" take the night shift.  TBD.

lousubcap

Temp dialed in and the aroma is incredible.  I will have to give it an eye-ball check just prior to sunset.  

feef706

How are you accomplishing the below 200? I've seen some use the cold smoke devices and then Dehydrate, want to try this myself.

gmac

I smoked a bunch of cayennes at 250 and was surprised how long the whole pepper took to dry down. Probably 6+ hrs total with some stirring involved. 
But the smoked cayenne, ground with seeds, membranes etc was worth it. Nice and hot with a great smoke kick. 

lousubcap

@feef706 -  Believe it or not, I just load with lots of small lump pieces (quarter to half-dollar size) and light in one spot-dial it in, set the vents and the friggin thing is more stable then when running hotter.  This is the fourth or fifth time I've tried this and been successful on each occasion.  I fully expect this adventure to take at least 20+ hours based on prior cooks-I will check the lump load this pm and if I need to add some, I will.  Then let it run unsupervised other than my buddy "manual" and see where I am Sunday AM.
Definitely an out-lier cook and behavior.  I have made one small adjustment in the past 6 hours and I am running 150-160*F on the dome.  Should I really care about a cook at this temp, I doubt it would happen.  FWIW-

feef706

lousubcap said:

@feef706 -  Believe it or not, I just load with lots of small lump pieces (quarter to half-dollar size) and light in one spot-dial it in, set the vents and the friggin thing is more stable then when running hotter.  This is the fourth or fifth time I've tried this and been successful on each occasion.  I fully expect this adventure to take at least 20+ hours based on prior cooks-I will check the lump load this pm and if I need to add some, I will.  Then let it run unsupervised other than my buddy "manual" and see where I am Sunday AM.
Definitely an out-lier cook and behavior.  I have made one small adjustment in the past 6 hours and I am running 150-160*F on the dome.  Should I really care about a cook at this temp, I doubt it would happen.  FWIW-

Very cool, I will try this sometime but I plan to try the cold smoke method first. Can't wait to see the finished product

bgebrent

Enjoy this ride and the supervisory beverages brother!

lousubcap

@bgebrent -  it's becoming an annual rite of passage-the transition from summer.  And it always finishes with the high-heater and this year the AM after the time change, best not described any further on the forum.  

lousubcap

Where we are now; 10+ hours in- (consolidated to one level) and still hanging between around 170-190*F on the dome. Will check the lump load in a few hours and then let it run unsupervised ("manual" is on it) til Sunday AM.  Outcome doesn't matter but as I mentioned before, if I had a need to run at this temp with this level of ease it wouldn't happen.

Mattman3969

The cook is Lookin fun so far. How bout the beverages?

lousubcap

@Mattman3969 -  the beverage inventory is more than adequate, the beverage consumption may become a challenge down the road.  However, as I enter LEO and then approach escape velocity I will endeavor to give the lump load a look as the ease of this cook at this temp reminds me of the same deal around a year ago.  Gotta be the total load of the small pieces that enable such a hands-off at the low temps.  And you are right-it is fun and I can even watch some college football. Thanks for the inquiry.  

bgebrent

Manual's got you covered Cap!

lousubcap

Manual is on a roll-wish all L&S cooks behaved like this one:  (16+ hours in) and all small pieces of lump-not even close to the top of the fire-box, never mind the ring.  Better to be lucky than good any day!
(apologize for the pic quality but it is dark and I'm not big on pics.)

herbu

You mentioned smoke.  Do you use wood chunks, or just the lump for your chilies?
Have you ever thought about adding a pan of salt?  Sometimes when doing low/slow butts on my offset smoker, I'll add an aluminum pan about half full of coarse kosher salt.  Need to stir it every few hours.

The salt takes on a dark smoke color and some great smoke flavor.  Use it on the table just like regular salt.  Handy option to have along side your dried chilies. 

SciAggie

@lousubcap Outstanding. Did you discover the small lump/low temp approach accidentally or was this masterful planning and genius? I will avoid any comment about (ahem) lump size that might detail this thread
Very cool cook. Keep the beverages trimmed out until you reach escape velocity. 

lousubcap

@herbu - I toss in a couple of small chunks of pecan for smoke.  That's a great idea with the salt.
@SciAggie -  still chugging along this AM, temp dropped to about 140*F over night but a slight nudge of the bottom vent and we are still running.  No cooks planned for the LBGE today so I will let it run a few more hours.  Regarding the lump findings, I actually gave this some thought a few years ago and it worked then.  Didn't smoke any a couple of years ago, but gave it a run last year (same great performance) so went with it again.  I am a believer.  FWIW-

SciAggie

@lousubcap Thanks for the information. It bothers me that so many small pieces of lump are thrown away that fall through my kick ash basket into my ash bucket. I actually sift out the unburned lump and rebag it. I've been wondering what to do with it - now I know. Be sure you post pics of the finish. 

lousubcap

Victory has been declared. 30+ hours at between 140-180*F on the LBGE and time to wrestle with these:

Can't believe the ease of manual temperature control.  Until next year's smoke-down.

blind99

Cap that is masterful! Next time I praise the flame boss feel free to remind me how well "manual" takes care of things. 

lousubcap

@blind99 - Thanks but I only suggest that those who run with the controllers learn the basics first.  Better to be lucky than good any day but this once a year gig has achieved the same stability for many years, now jinxed.  I do think it has a lot to do with the small lump pieces and sort of pyramid built in the center of the grate.  It doesn't consume much once up to temp and annually surprises me with the performance.  Definitely requires less attention than "manual" and running in the mid-high 200's, funny how that works.   Edit:  perhaps it's because wherever the temp decides to run, it really doesn't matter with the peppers, different with a hunk of protein.  Until next year.