Second Butt Cook - High Temp Problems

Dan in StL

On my first butt cook, I didn't build my fire properly and I ended up with low temp problems. This go-round, I meticulously loaded the lump in - big pieces criss-crossed on the bottom, followed my medium and smaller ones going up.

Around 11:20 last night I fired it up and thought I had things stabilized in the 250-275 zone. I sat out there with it for over an hour and noticed it was starting to creep up. I already had the lower vent no more than a quarter inch open and the daisy wheel cap closed and just the holes on the top of the daisy wheel open. I decreased the lower vent as much as I thought I could without choking it off and went to bed sometime after 1:00.

This morning at 6:00 I checked on it. Dome temp at 350 and readings on the butt were 204 on one probe and 189 on another. I took the butt off, wrapped it in foil and towels, put it in a cooler and went back to bed. I haven't pulled it yet so I don't know how it turned out.

Cause for the hi temp? I'm thinking gasket since mine is in bad shape. Another thing I'm wondering about is too much lump. Since my last overnighter petered out on me I made sure I had this one loaded up pretty good - past the level of the firebox and maybe halfway up the ring. Is that over doing it? I'd appreciate any expert opinions and wild-ass guesses anyone has to offer.

Thanks!

Grandpas Grub

On my large for 250-275° zone, the bottom vent is about 1/8" open and the daisy petals about 1/2 to 2/3 open slider shut.

I would think 1/4" bottom vent daisy petals full open would put my large at about 325° to 350°.

Unless your gasket is really bad I really don't think that would be a factor.

Incoming air is what is going to make the lump burn hotter.

On my small and mini I generally don't use the metal top at all. Regulate by the bottom vent only.

GG

stike

too much lump can't really be an issue.

too much air, though, that's the problem.

honestly, if it is open at all (both vents), it can't be "choked off". it can only be choked off if one is closed all the way.

and if the temp is still too high, no matter how "closed" you think it is, it's just still too open.

Fidel

Too much lump is not your problem. Temp is controlled by air getting in, not the amount of fuel. Kind of like your car doesn't go faster just because the tank is full.

On my large to get a dome of 250 I need the bottom vent open the width of a quarter - not diameter - width - I guess about 1/8". Honestly just a sliver. The top slider is shut and the daisy petal are open about the width of a toothpick. That's it. I obvioulsly open it up more than that to get to those temps, but those settings will hold it.

My medium is completely different. To get and hold 250 I need about 1/2" on the bottom and the petals fullly open.

All eggs are different. You just need to find the sweet spot for yours.

That being said, cooking butts at 250 or even 300 won't make a huge difference in the final product, they will just be done sooner and probably have less of a smoke ring - but that don't matter anyway.

Chef in the Making

I don't beleive it was from to much lump, nor IMHO, does the temp depend on how you stack the lump. I just dump mine in and light. I always clean my egg before a long cook making sure most if not all of the old ash is removed and no wholes are blocked. Once lit, I let the blue smoke clear and then begin regulating the temperature. Neither my top vents or bottom vents are opened very much to maintain a temp of 220, but as you can see from the other posts each egg is different.

Dan in StL

Thanks folks. Rod, your post was particularly helpful - especially the width of a quarter and toothpick descriptions. After bottoming out on the last cook, I was just too gun shy to skinny the air flow down that much.

The upside is that the butt seems to have turned out just fine. I pulled the meat (of course took a few samples)and to my tastes I think it's pretty good. So I'm left with the same impression that I had when I did my first butt cook - butts are very forgiving!

Thanks again and Happy Father's Day to all

Broc

I use a drip pan filled with cider... When the liquid is about all evaporated, the temp creeps up...

Seems logical to me, but I'm not much of a scientist. I'm more of an artsy-fartsy "ain't it pretty" kind-a guy.

Yesterday's butt was wuenderschoen!

Glad yours turned out great, too!

~ B

Jeffersonian

Dan, something similar happened on my last butt cook, too. It just seemed to want to climb on me all day, and I caught it at 350* a couple of times. The butt cooked very fast, but oddly it wasn't blackened at all. In fact, it was really rather nicely browned and pulled beautifully.