How to get my temp right

Devon · August 2012

So I cooked on my egg for the first time tonight. With that said, I want to smoke something this weekend. And I noticed that I could not figure out how to get my temp below 300??

gerhardk · August 2012

I think you probably just built too large a fire to start with. If you want to cook low and slow start the fire in a couple of spots and then as the temperature approaches your desired temperature you have to close down the vents. For 225 to 250º it doesn't take a lot of lit lump and only about a 1/4 inch opening at the bottom vent and very little opening in the daisy wheel. Do a few cooks and you will master it. One thing don't worry about cooking at 240º instead of 250º it will work out the same. You see people trying to maintain an exact temperature, I don't understand that. For low and slow you need to be in the ball park and then aim for your desired internal temperature.

Gerhard

lousubcap · August 2012

Welcome to the cult. The BGE is all about air-flow so here are a few things to consider-

So, temperature control (aka fire volume) is a function of the amount of air flow through the bottom and out the top. You can control by top or bottom vent or combinations of each (preferred for low temp cooks). With any BGE (I have a LBGE) the trick is to catch the temperature rise on the way up to the desired end-point. You have a lot of ceramic mass and if it gets heated above the target temperature it takes a while to cool down.So, with that-get a good mass of lump burning (for low&slow I go with about a softball or grapefruit sized mass) and then shut the dome and set your vents for the approximate final desired temp. Minor adjustments as you go. And remember, the feedback indicator to any adjustments is your dome thermo-and that will take a while. So, patience is the name of the game at the low & slow temps.

here's a link that should give you some visual points of reference:

Grandpa'sGrub Temp Control

And a great general info site here-<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Best basic info site going- http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm

Tjcoley · August 2012

First, make sure your thermometer is calibrated. Not unusual to be off significantly. Boil some water, place the tip of the probe in and if needed adjust the nut on the back to 212F (100C)

Tjcoley · August 2012

Also, not sure what part of the the country you are in, but with most around 100 degrees, with an Egg sitting in the sun, you may be starting at 120 or higher. Doesn't take much fire to get to 250.

Devon · August 2012

So will I fill it with my lump and wood chunks to the fire ring, but only get a small amount lit? Or put less stuff?

lousubcap · August 2012

Within reason you can never load too much lump. For long duration (20 hours +/-) low&slows I go up into the fire ring but the key is air-flow which as mentioned above controls the volume of fire. Regardless of how much you initially light, once you get to steady-state (dome shut and vents set for the desired temp) the fire volume is set.

the_alchemist83 · August 2012

While airflow is obviously the most important here, I think another question to consider is what are you using to start your lump on fire & how many places are you doing so? I've found that lighting my lump with a single BGE starter cube allows me to get my temp all the way up to 500 so lighting in any more than 1 spot is certainly asking for temps above 300 F.

Devon · August 2012

Thank you that helps a lot because I certainly had way more fire then I needed. So will the fire eventually spread to more lump throughout the cook, so the fire will not go out

Phoenix824 · August 2012

Your fire will actually move around the lump. for a low and slow I usually start my fire in one section near the center. later in the cook the fire moves around. on my last rib cook I started in the center and at the end my entire fire was near the front right by the fire ring

Devon · August 2012

Awesome thanks to all of you I think I will be in good shape saturday Im going to smoke a butt I will post how it turns out

YEMTrey · August 2012

In the short time I've been using my XL Egg, I've noticed that my fire burns more down than it does outward. Once cooks are over and I'm cleaning out the firebox, I still have some good chunks of unburnt lump around the perimeter, but charred ash in the center.

bigguy136 · August 2012

Keep a wiggle rod handy or a metal coat hanger. If your temp starts to drop, you might have ash blocking the airflow. Come in thru the draft door with a metal rod with a 90°bend in it. A little wiggle going up into your fire and your temp will be right back where you want it.

YEMTrey · August 2012

Dear Lonely in Green Bay,
Here is what I suggest to put the spark back in your relationship!

Come in thru the draft door with a metal rod with a 90°bend in it. A little wiggle going up into your fire and your temp will be right back where you want it.

balliardi · August 2012

I'm a relatively new egger, have done one overnight pork butt before, and tonight is time for the second (I'm in London and it's for an Olympics party

)

What I do is load up the egg with lump (minus the amount you can fit in a weber chimney starter), load up the chimney and light the chimney lump with a heat gun. Sit it on top of the lump in the egg while it catches. The top of the cold lump will catch as the chimney goes up, which is fine; key point is you won't be heating the ceramic, but you will be heating the coals. When the chimney is going well, tip it out, spread it out, and let it settle for a couple of minutes. Then shut the vents down.

This way, you'll start the fire for a long cook with the ceramic cool, and you can shut down the vents and stop it getting overheated and having to bring it back down (which can take ages!).

I don't claim this to be THE way - it just works for me. Hope it helps.

How to get my temp right

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