Getting your BGE fired up

Unknown

I cooked bake potatoes and steaks Sunday. I fired up the egg to bake potatoes it worked like a charm. After the potatoes were finished, I opened the vents to crank up the heat for cooking steaks, but I could never get the egg up over 425 degrees. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting the egg up to 600 or 700 degrees after cooking something at 350 to 400 degrees for about an hour? Thanks in advance for your help.

WessB

STLBGE,
Over and above all the normal vent/firebox alignment,damp lump,not enough lump, etc. issues..I would say you most likely just needed to stir the coals a bit to clear the ash from the grate to allow better air flow...[p]Wess

mad max beyond eggdome

STLBGE,
couple of things you can do. . .first, stir your lump and add some more if need be and make sure the ash area is well cleaned out (i always make sure i have a really full load almost to the fire ring for a high temp cook. . .[p]also, is the hole to the firebox lined up with the vent hole properly?. . .[p]make sure you remove the daisy wheel or cap completely for maximum draft. .[p]finally, if you still aren't getting the temps you want .. .take a small fan (i have one of those little personal jobs from sharper image), and blow that sucker right into the lower vent opening. .you well be able to see the temps shoot right up. .

Squeeze

STLBGE,
Make sure you clean out any ash from the egg. Blocked airflow can contribute to lower heat. You may try totally removing your daisy wheel too. If that does not work, get a hair dryer and start some forced air. [p]-Kevin

Tim M

STLBGE,[p]You didn't have enough lump in the firebox. After doing a few potatoes your fuel was getting too low to give you the high temps you wanted. Getting to 700+ degs requires a good amount of fuel left in the firebox. Just start out with more next time. Remember, you can never have too much but you can easily have too little.[p]Tim

Unknown

STLBGE,[p]Where are you located in STL? I am in Glendale. We need an STL EGGFEST.