Is 225 just impossible without a gizmo?

twlangan

I've had a 9.5 lb butt in my Large all day today at 225 without issue. Fairly still day. Wind can play into it. IMO, you should start to close vents down sooner. I think you may have gotten too much lump ignited by leaving them wide open too long and now even a little air going in will stoke them and cause the high heat issue.

jtcBoynton

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

HeavyG said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

slovelad said:

My two thoughts. 1 I find it harder to get the lower temps with the smokeware cap. 2. Why do you what 225? I find 275 + to give me the best results 

This. What's wrong with 250-275? 225 is a made up number. Unless you really understand why 225 is better than anything else (It is not) then I would say let your cooker of choice settle in where it likes to be. I dont do a lot of low and slow on my eggs anymore but when i did, 260 was the number. 

225 is a made up number but that is the number that for decades has defined "low 'n slow".

Is it really better than any other made up number? Beats me. I've never bothered with 225 as I have always been satisfied with my higher made up numbers.

That number has been defined as low n slow for bbq cooking in offset pits. Everyone seems to want to equate that to Kamado cooking. It's totally different. 

Even the offset pit folks are running higher these days.  My theory is that the temp came from the old time bbq joints.  Cooking at that temp fits the schedule of serving lunch and dinner and still being able to go home at night and get some sleep.  Home cooks just duplicated the temps thinking that the temp was the key factor in turning out great Q.

booksw

@findbenjamin, if I want to do a low temp cook, I probably don't ever have everything "wide open" like you said you started.  I also start the fire very small (I use a small piece of paraffin fire starter and a match or butane lighter) and I don't overshoot.  I let it stabilize for a while before putting on the rest of the set up, and then I let it stabilize again before putting on the meat.  I think a lot of it has to do with doing it many times so you get a "feel" for your egg.  I have also heard long time eggers have trouble at egg fests where they are using someone else's egg .  I hope that advice helps you in the future.

The very BEST advice on this whole forum, in my opinion, is from @lousubcap: "enjoy the ride"  That one keeps me going from cook to cook, no matter how anything turns out (and even when it doesn't turn out the way I planned/hoped, it is still generally amazing and so much better than any other cooking set up).

bgebrent

No problem holding 210 in my L with gen 1 Smokeware cap.  You just have to catch your temp on the way up.  It's no more complicated than that.

findbenjamin

stompbox said:

Check for leaks.

Gasket is fine.  Is there a good way to check the lower vent?  Other than the fact it sticks like skin to superglue, I've got no frame of reference for it

ryantt

So for me to hold 225 or less my lower vent is open about the thickness of a credit card and the daisy wheel is cracked about 1/2  petals.  

GrateEggspectations

I have not yet read all comment, so this may have been covered, but in my experience, a water pan is a fantastic way to maintain low temperatures.

findbenjamin

Based on all the feedback I scratched the 225, and bumped to 275.  I hit the stall, 6 hours later I came out of the stall.  ~6# of Butt took 15 hours!  Rested it for 45 minutes before shredding.  Tasted delicious.  No crutch, so the bark was firm and dark. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

lousubcap said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker - is the dishwasher designed to run in the 225*F range or higher?  

Greetings from Venice airport. Finally headed home!

HeavyG is correct. It runs anywhere from 190-ish to the upper 300's. Totally different breed of cat since it has a thermostat and 2 fans. It's set it and forget it as far as temp is concerned. Onc you get the thermostat set where you want it, adding fuel is the only variable. You can't add to much (the thermostat will shut off, but if you let it run too low to maintain desired temp, it can drop lower than the thermostat setting. 

Eoin

findbenjamin said:

Eoin said:

What size Egg? My XL always climbs a bit once the ceramic has warmed up but I can still get it back and hold 225 on the XL and MMX. Do you have air leaks at the bottom vent or the gasket?

Large.  Gasket should be good, as I did the dollar-bill test (ok, it was a $10, but it's what I had ) Is there a good way to test the bottom vent?  I had to rehab the egg as it had spent a bit too long at someone's beach house who didn't appreciate what they had - the grid was too far gone, as was the gasket.  I had to wire wheel the nest, and reapply some nice high-temp black spray paint.  I got a screen from the local dealer as there wasn't one in this (don't know if it wasn't always a standard?).  If the bottom vent is leaking - silicone caulk? 

The guide was loose on my MMX when I got it, was rattling around a bit so I adjusted it with a hammer and block of wood so it was tight enough.