need help sealing

Unknown

tried smoking a boston butt, fire went out after about five hours..I had my fire box full.....I did notice smoke coming out of the back of the egg....any recomendations for sealing the egg better????

Dave

CHARLES WINDOM,[p]I take for granted that the smoke you saw coming out was between the dome(top) & the bottom of the Egg. If this is the case you either need a new gasket or an adjustment on your spring hinge. Others who have had their egg longer than I have will probably have some other tips.
Dave

hounddog

If your fire went out, the problem is not the gasket. Even if the gasket is leaking, you won't burn up an entire load of charcoal in five hours unless it is billowing. And if it is billowing, then you are not going to be able to hold the temperature down below 300, which I am assuming you tried to do. Fire going on a low and slow means not enough oxygen, by and large. Bad seal means too much oxygen. One question i would have is what temp you are trying to hold. If you are trying to hold too low, fire sometimes goes out. Also, maybe charcoal is a little wet.
If you really are leaving then there are lots of threads here about replacing gasket with a stove gasket, but I don't think that is what you need.[p]

CR

CHARLES WINDOM, hounddog has the correct info but also from your post you said that you had the "firebox" full. Did your fire go because your lump was consumed or did you have unburned lump left in the firebox? [p]When doing a long cook you will usually need to fill the Egg up to almost the level of the top of the "firering."

Unknown

hounddog,
I was trying to go low and slow....I was trying to sustain a temp of 250.....seems as thought it burned down the center and did not spread out....

Unknown

Dave,
How do I adjust the spring????

Wise One

CHARLES WINDOM, a couple of questions:
1. How much lump did you have in the firebox? I usually fill mine almost to the grill level when doing alow and slow.
2. Where were the vents? For 250, I normally have about half the openings on the daisy when exposed and about 1/4" on the bottom vent.
3. How did you let it get to 250? I normally open both my vents wide open and when the temp hits about 200 I close them down to 1/4" at the bottom and then start closing the daisy wheel down.
4. How did the temperaturs do over the 5 hour period? It typically takes tweaking over about an hour to get the temp stable at 250. It'll go up to about 275 and I'll close it down and it will go to 240. Then I will open it up and it will go toi 260 and then I'll touch it slightly to get it down to 250.

Unknown

CHARLES WINDOM,[p]Have you ever had the top or bottom strap off without having the metal safety strap secured in the back? This strap will hold the top & bottom bands together when you loosen them or take them off. It will also let the back hinges move apart slightly. It is a safety device, but also helps keep the right spacing.
Dave

Unknown

Wise One,
I only had the lump up to the rim of the fire box...I had the lid closed and the bottom vent open about an inch...

Unknown

David A Fulkerson,
I do believe I have removed the two metal straps on the back, that may be the problem...I was told that they were only needed when you are moving the egg...

hounddog

Then the fire went out because it couldn't breathe. You need to give it some air from up top. I suggest you follow with the Wise One describes next time.