Dialing in Lo 'n Slo temps at Startup

wdan

Hi folks, I'm a newbie. Have had my lrg BGE since late July, have been reading this forum daily and thoroughly enjoying both. Have been doing all kinds of stuff on the cooker (much of it from your leads)while gradually leading up to the launch of my main offensive this holiday weekend...a low 'n slow 9.5 lb. pork butt shoulder (for some reason, they don't call them Boston butts around here, but that's what they are...I'm pretty sure) for a post-roast tug-o-war.[p]Initial lighting with a Weber starter cube resulted in a massive, mosquito-killing smoke screen (which I've had before, and clears up after the lump gets hotter). So I went inside for awhile. I returned 15-20 minutes later to find lava even the Naked Whiz would envy! So I replaced the rain cap and closed the bottom damper and engaged in other activities for 3 hours until things calmed down to 250 F. I finally got things going and stable around 230F and went to bed, planning to get up every 2 hours to check things out...good thing I did. The lava eruption burned up a lot of fuel and by 5:00 A.M. (12 hours on-line) the fire was out. Finished it in the oven, it turned out great, my guests were impressed (I didn't care, I just wanted to go to bed)...bottom line is it worked! Nobody up in this part of the Northwoods I know can do pull like this came out, and it was every bit as good as anything I ever had in Memphis![p]My recurring problem though, is how to get a lo 'n slo lit right from the git-go and not overshoot either unintentionally or intentionally in order to kill the initial acrid smoke? I would truly appreciate hearing how any of you get your temps in the 200-250 range. Oh, by the way, I used Elder Ward's method of sorting and assembling the lump...I just burned too much of it up during the volcano show. If you tell me your secrets, I promise never to post a post this lengthy again...I'll leave that to StumpBaby, although I think I have relatives who used to be circus people too.

Mike in MN

WDAN,
The key is ...DON'T walk away from it. If you do, don't go far...or, for long. 10 minutes is too long...20 minutes, you might just as well use the microwave, because at least you can control that.[p]The idea is to work up to the temp....not down to it. Simple. EZ. If you are working down to the temp, you are groveling. Borderline failing. Don't get in that position as a "newbie" or as an "oldie." It makes me mumble and talk naughty when I find myself looking at that thermometer way outa whack. No good![p]As far as acrid smoke in the beginning when it is cool...I don't think so. That meat is begging to suck in smoke in the beginning, and it wants everything you can give it. Stink up the neighborhood! Your neighbors will love it! Once you have established a nice amount of smoke in the beginning, let it go it's own after that. It will be getting just a wee bit from the lump. If you add smoking wood towards the end, then you will give the meat an acrid, bitter taste. I never add smaoking wood past the initial chunks and chips.[p]Leave yourself plenty of time to get the temp set in the beginning (after the meat is on, and you have established your "set" temp). I like to watch things for about 3 hours before I'm comfortable enough to walk away from the grill for any length of time. Sometimes it takes a long time to stabilize...Sometimes you can't even get it to stabilize at "your" temp...it may be happier at a little different number. I have found if it "sets" at a temp that is close to what you are shooting for, leave well enough alone, and it will maintain that temp for HOURS without any input from you. Trying to change it even 10 degrees can sometimes put the egg into a roller coaster ride... up it goes, down it goes...up...down. [p]Slow and EZ[p]Mike in MN

Sundown

WDAN,
I've used a version of Elder Ward's instructions that fits my way of doing things. Large chunks of lump on the bottom building to the small stuff on the very top. I use the parafin and sawdust cubes to light my lump. For a lo 'n' slo I put one half a cube on the top of the lump, light and pile on a few larger pieces and wait. Top vent open lower vent at about an inch or so open. Fire likes to burn upward. I burns downward very slowly in this case it usually burns down and outward very slowly. I always have lump left even after an 18 or 20 hour cook. Once you have a nice little core pocket going and the temp has stabilized (or is creeping up on 200º) I'm ready to add my shoulder or butt, drip pan and plate setter but not before adding my soaked wood chips. The whole process does require you to be there until you hit your target tremp of 250º. Have a drink and hover in the area for a while using your lower vent for temp control. I use either MickeyT's rings (#2 ring)or my Daisy wheel closed till a little smoke curles out of the bottom vent then open till the smoke goes in the direction it's supposed to. Tapping the lower vent in very small increments and waiting a bit to see where the temp goes ususally takes another 3/4 hour. TAKE YOUR TEMP UP TO TARGET SLOWLY! Once I hit 250º I will go off to do some chore close by and check every few minutes for an hour or so. Most of the time dome temp stays rock steady and I'm GONE! Last Saturday wife and I went out to dinner and were gone for 4 hours. A check when we got home and Mr. Egg was still on 250º and meat temp was creeping up. Went to bed and didn't get up till about 6:30 and all was as expected dead on! Pulled the shoulders when the internal temp was 195º wrapped them in foil place them in a cooler and went to the party. Two hours later we pulled the meat and the internal twmp had risen to 210º. Best to go slowly initially Grasshopper then you can go play. Sorry, I don't usually get this long winded. Hope it helps.

JSlot

One sure-fire method of getting the temp where you want without overshooting is to place either a small amount of lump in the Egg, or just use what is left from a previous cook. Light that lump and let it get burning well. Cooker temp doesn't matter at this point. Once you have it burning well, place whatever wood chunks you want on it and then dump fresh lump on top up to the bottom of the fire ring, set the dampers to your 250° mark, put your plate setter/grid setup or whatever you are using back in the Egg, place meat in the Egg and you should be good to go. The new lump on top holds the temp down while still maintaining a fire underneath. If your temp rises past 250°, just damper it down some and it will fall accordingly.[p]Jim
Jim

wdan

Thanks so much for the info. I stand before you guilty as charged...egg negligence! Hovering in the back yard with a libation in hand is not a foreign concept to me...I just need to become more disciplined about the hovering part...I tend to putz moreso than hover...practice, practice, practice.

Coleslaw

WDAN,
I went to Meijer's (similar to WalMart in West Michigan) and for 10 bucks bought an electric starter. It is a 120 VAC 600 Watt coil that I put in the egg, and then pile lump on top. Ten minutes later minus the nasty cube chemical smell, I pull the coil out. If the temp is to high, I leave the lid open, and not too long after the temp is ok for a good smoke. An old neighbor taught me the trick of leaving the lid open a bit to cool Mr. Egg.

wdan

coleslaw,
I've been tempted to try an electric starter. But tonight I'm happy to report I had a successful low temp startup, mainly by following the advice of the kind responses I received earlier...catch it on the way up and don't leave the egg alone during that critical period. The acrid smoke is not coming from the Weber starter cube, it just may be unique to the lump I get. At any rate, the bad smoke seems to go away even at low temps once it has been burning for some time (about an hour). Maybe it's humidity burning off and taking some impurities with it?[p]Hey any of you who live north of the Ohio River: What is the coldest ambient temp you've egged in? Can you burn frozen tundra in it?

jwitheld

coleslaw,
if starting for a low and slow, fill the firebox full then put your electric starer in and cover it with a few coals.
this will give you a small fire and no waiting for it to cool off.