stainless vent cap vs daisy wheel

H12mike

I have noticed that when I use the vent cap on my XLBGE I am unable to hold steady a 225° Temp when using the DigiQ it wants to creep up to 250°.  But if I replace the cap with the daisy wheel I can hold the 225° for 20 plus hours with no variation.  Does anyone know why this happens?
This is the third instance where this has happened.  It is not an issue as long as no rain is in the forecast.

Carolina Q

No idea why, but at 225°, the daisy is barely open. Rain won't matter.
Leroy's pic.

Theophan

LOTS of people on this forum have offered reasons why 250° and above is just better on the Big Green Egg, but I really don't think I've ever heard anyone make a case that there's any advantage at all for 225° or lower.

Why is it important to you to keep it below 250°?

BugFreak72

I had the same problem with the stainless cap. I couldn't hold a temp no matter what I did so I figured it was just me or my medium since everyone loves those caps so much. I went back to my daisy wheel and the problem went away.

bgebrent

You can hold whatever temp you choose with the smoke ware cap.  225 without difficulties.  All the other variables count.  Set up.  How you light, vent settings and changes.  I have both tops on various eggs.  I prefer the smoke ware.  

Eggcelsior

I never had this issue with the smokeware cap until I accidentally dropped it and busted a weld. I didn't notice until a couple cooks in when my normal settings were running higher temps than normal. I had dented an edge but saw the broken weld on closer inspection.

bgebrent

Eggcelsior said:

I never had this issue with the smokeware cap until I accidentally dropped it and busted a weld. I didn't notice until a couple cooks in when my normal settings were running higher temps than normal. I had dented an edge but saw the broken weld on closer inspection.

I’m expecting prime Baltimore Pitt beef at B.B.  Tradition.

YukonRon

I just recently purchased a Smobot for the XL, and that piece of equipment, has been impressive. It has held temps, worked the XL to changed temps, very accurate readings throughout, and monitoring pit and probes while away. It has performed flawlessly on each cook I have used it with. It is well designed, and built.
Thus far, I have tested holding at 200F, no problem, my low and slows I usually  keep at 225F, no problem. Cooks with multiple temp adjustments, no problem.
I bought mine on sale, but it was still pricey, but it has been worth it.
I don't know if you would be interested in something like this, as most may think it blasphemy to use a control device for cooking on the egg, but to this old, fat, slow, lazy guy, it has been worth every penny.
I am not very smart either, but this thing was easy as heck to set up, and the customer support is top notch.
I am thinking about getting a second for my MM, because I like it that much.

THEBuckeye

The smokeware can get pretty disgusting if you do not clean it after a cook or two.

usna70

FWIW, I just did my first cook (baby backs) with a DigiQ. I had the DigiQ set at 240 and, out of curiosity, I also used my Maverick to also measure the pit temp. The DigiQ and Maverick were pretty much in agreement at 240, while the dome temp on my large BGE registered 270-280.

EggbertGreenII

I've never had a problem with the Smoke Ware stainless cap, every slow cook that I do on my XL is at 230, using the CyberQ Cloud and before that the BBQ Guru without a hitch.

JustOneOfTheGuys

EggbertGreenII said:

I've never had a problem with the Smoke Ware stainless cap, every slow cook that I do on my XL is at 230, using the CyberQ Cloud and before that the BBQ Guru without a hitch.

I’ve had the same experiences as well.  No issues running at 225 for 8 hour cooks. I haven’t tried anything longer than that as of yet.  When I do these lower temp cooks, I need to close down the slider vent on the blower fan to somewhere about 1/4 to1/3 of the way open.  The smokeware cap is also closed down until it’s about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch open.  

whldch

Keep in mind the Smokeware cap has 2 vents, so when you see a little opening you are actually getting twice as much outflow. I use both. Biggest advantages to Smokeware are protection from rain/snow/ice and the fact that you don't lose your settings when you open the lid. It does get grimey as needs cleaning every few cooks.

QDude

whldch said:

Keep in mind the Smokeware cap has 2 vents, so when you see a little opening you are actually getting twice as much outflow. I use both. Biggest advantages to Smokeware are protection from rain/snow/ice and the fact that you don't lose your settings when you open the lid. It does get grimey as needs cleaning every few cooks.

How do you clean the Smokeware cap?

bgebrent

Never have.  It has built up crud for sure.  Assuming your silicone vent tab is gone per usual, I'd put the pieces in the egg at the end of a hot cook or simply cook it at 350-400 for a while.  Others have used Easy Off.  Not a fan.

EggbertGreenII

I've found that just soaking the cap in warm water with dish wash detergent for a couple hours allows the build-up to be scrubbed off with a 3M "Scotch Brite" pad. I've used "Easy Off" too, and it works,but don't like it. The Scotch Brite pad doesn't scratch the surface of the cap.

R2Egg2Q

I haven’t had any problem maintaining low temps with my Smokeware on my XL.  

FYI, if you’re looking to get one (or anything on their site) they have a sale until 7/8, 21% off using code LUCKY21.  I’m not affiliated with them, just passing on the savings info.

kjs

I’ve spent enough on various accessories for the egg. Smokeware cap is one that has never appealed to me personally. Daisy wheel works fine. I’ll save my money for other things like different setups from Ceramic Grill Store.

whldch

QDude said:

whldch said:

Keep in mind the Smokeware cap has 2 vents, so when you see a little opening you are actually getting twice as much outflow. I use both. Biggest advantages to Smokeware are protection from rain/snow/ice and the fact that you don't lose your settings when you open the lid. It does get grimey as needs cleaning every few cooks.

How do you clean the Smokeware cap?

Heavy duty oven cleaner works well. Spray it outside then wipe it down. They now make one that says for grills. The weaker ones, like the low. Odor ones don’t work as well imo 

MaskedMarvel

R2Egg2Q said:

I haven’t had any problem maintaining low temps with my Smokeware on my XL.  

FYI, if you’re looking to get one (or anything on their site) they have a sale until 7/8, 21% off using code LUCKY21.  I’m not affiliated with them, just passing on the savings info.

Linky —- https://smokeware.com/


@r@R2Egg2Q  thanks for the code — finally ordered replacement thermometers...

happy 4th!!

Botch

Curious as to why the Smokeware cap would crud up enough to require cleaning, but the daisy wheel doesn't (and yes I know some folks put their DW into the egg during a clean burn; I never have).  

mEGG_My_Day

The Smokeware instruction page says they are dishwasher safe - FWIW