Maintaining 200 degrees

Unknown

I have a hard time getting to and maintaining 200 or lower degrees. The charcoal burns in the middle but not on the outside and the fire then goes out. What do I need?

Fairalbion

Bill,
I strongly recommend you follow the the firebuilding method detailed in this link.

[ul][li]Elder Ward re Firebuilding[/ul]

CR

Bill, what is it that you are trying to do at that low of a temperature?[p]Remember that if your dome temp is 200° then your grid temp is probably in the range of 150°-200°.[p]IMO to maintain this low of a temp on a BGE will require very careful monitoring and tending, and some luck. Some users have had success with a gadget that I beleive is called a "Grill Minder"; these are somewhat pricey, like >$100.

stike

Bill,
I, too, recommend that method, ESPECIALLY if you are trying to go very low, 200 degrees.[p]I lately have been doing my lo-and-slo cooks at 200, and I make sure I clean out the egg quite well, removing the firebox/firering, etc.[p]also, when I build a fire, i use new lump, and am careful not too use too many small pieces. you will be cooking for a long time at 200 degrees, and so you'll have alot of fuel, and the more 'smalls' you have, the harder the air will find it to flow. a small fire of 200 degrees will draw very slowly, so prevent impediments to the flow at all costs.[p]it is not as hard to hold 200 as a lot of folks here seem to say, at least not for me when i build the fire ala Elder Ward.[p]My only difference is that i will light the fire in three spots, in a triangle, rather than one spot in the middle.

stike

CR,
a good point about the dome temp vs grid temp, but if you are set up indirect, with a platesetter or raised grid over bricks, your cook is up IN the dome, right by the ol' thermometer.[p]grid temp may differ, but you aren't down at the grid level anyway.

jwitheld

CR,
I do use a gadjet called thebbqguru.com, however for any low and slow light your fire in three places around the top. even with techno gadjets you can get center burnout
its also true that grill temp will be lower than dome temp depending on how much meat and how cold it is. i do my butts at 200 dome temp untill the meat gets in the 175 to 180 range then i kick it to 225-250 till meat hits 200.