Temp change

HuevosLoco

Hello,

I did two briskets this past weekend. I put them on at 250 degrees and kept an eye on the temps for an hour before going to bed. I woke up to 325 degrees and near burnt bark. What gives??

Mattman3969

How long did you let the egg stabilize at 250 before putting the meat on?  Did you have any liquid in the the drip pan? The answers to these questions will help diagnose your issues 

HuevosLoco

I only let it stabilize for like 5 minutes before I put the meat on. No drip pan, just foil wrapped over the plate setter .

Mattman3969

At 5 mins the ceramics weren’t heat sunk yet. It takes a good hr the let the egg get stabilized before a low and slow cook.  

In your case the fire was hotter than a 250 fire needed and kept growing after you put the meat in.  

For a low and slow try this method 
Fill with charcoal up into the fire ring with your smoke wood scattered throughout the lump as you’re dumping 
Light in one spot kind front of center
Once you have a few glowing ember put the PS and pan in and close dome with vents wide open
When you’re within 75 or so degrees of target temp start closing vents to adjust temp. For 250 my bottom vent is open maybe the thickness of a quarter and my daisy wheel is shut with the pedals barely open.  

Fine tune and once the dome thermometer settles at your desired temp for around an hr you’re good to go.   Once you get the hang of it you will know where the vents need to be set for what temp and what size fire to build and things will go faster. 

For me now if it’s not an overnight cook I don’t wait the hour to stabilize because I’m comfortable with my settings. Once I have clean smoke the meat goes on and the egg does its magic 

Mark_B_Good

HuevosLoco said:

I only let it stabilize for like 5 minutes before I put the meat on. No drip pan, just foil wrapped over the plate setter .

So you let it hit 250F and then put in a cold plate setter and the meat?  I think that could have been an issue.

I get my fire going, when it hits 250F, I then put EVERYTHING in except for the meat and let the temperature stabilize to 250F for probably 20 minutes before I put the meat in. There's an initial temperature drop, but I don't adjust my vent for at least 20 to 30 minutes, and most times I find I actually need to close the vent a bit when everything is stable.

HuevosLoco

Thank you all. This makes sense now.

stlcharcoal

Also, check your gasket and for any other cracks in the base.  If you have it dampered way down and it's running 250+, then it's sucking air from somewhere else besides the draft door.

4TheGrillOfIt

Mattman3969 said:

“At 5 mins the ceramics weren’t heat sunk yet. It takes a good hr the let the egg get stabilized before a low and slow.”

This advice isn’t given nearly enough.  Radiant heat is so crucial to using the Egg to its fullest potential.  Let the ceramics soak up that heat.  When the dome becomes very warm to the touch proceed.  

PigBeanUs

Put the platesetter in early. 

Makes no sense to wait until it gets to the desired temp and then put in a big cold heat sink

Archcam

Ditto what everyone else said. I'd add:

• Arrange your lump with the biggest chunks near the starter.
• Make sure the firebox is full.
• Make sure the vent holes in the firebox are clear.
• Make small adjustments to your venting, and be patient. 

I allow for at least one hour to get my Egg to its target temp and let it sit there a good while before putting anything in it.  Letting it get it all warmed up and sit at the target temp for a while really helps with not having to adjust it much after putting the meat in. As noted, don't mess with it for about 30 minutes after putting anything in it, unless the temp is running away or something.

HuevosLoco

Thanks all. I’ve tried everything mentioned, minus the meat and I am getting much closer to dialing everything in at 250. On two large eggs, it’s a little easier to dial things in with the reggulator vs. the smoke ware SS cap.