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Getting Temp Down

I find when I have started the fire I struggle to get the temp down to what is needed for low and slow.

I often get stuck at 350 or so.

I think it has to do with how I start the fire.

I get it really hot and then shut the holes about 80% of the way.

Is the trick to keep them shut while I am starting up and then slowly bring it to the temp I want - rather than the other way around?

Also, what is a trick to bring it down quickly? Open the egg?

Comments

  • canegger
    canegger Posts: 540
    You don't want to over shoot. The ceramic absorbs the heat and is harder to cool down. You want to come close to temp then adjust to desired temperature.
  • Opening will only build the fire.  How are you starting the fire? Torch or starter cubes?  Once it gets above 300 it's difficult to get it down to 250.  Start shutting your vents down earlier would be my suggestion.
    I raise my kids, cook and golf.  When work gets in the way I'm pissed, I'm pissed off 48 weeks a year.
    Inbetween Iowa and Colorado, not close to anything remotely entertaining outside of football season. 
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    If you want 250, start shutting the vents when you get to 225 and let it heat up from there. Daisy half open or less and bottom vent 1/4" or so. Opening the lid doesn't let heat out it gives the fire more air which in turn makes the fire larger.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • There is no cooling down an egg quickly.  
  • I start mine with an electric starter, and i have a way that probably isn't in the book!  But it works for me.  The thing to remember the heat source starts and is trying to get every portion of the egg to a set temperature.  Stabilized means(basically) that the entire mass of the egg is at "that" stabilized temperature.  Many things can effect reaching that point -- wind - outside temperature - a big chunk of meat placed inside at 40 degrees - etc..  It is a learning experience, if you reach a stabized point and the temperature is too high, then the next time you need to start controlling the air to the lump earlier.  I usually cook with the bottom vent wide open and control my cooking setpoint from the top vent -- this is the way i learnt it>>>  8-|
  • Like @Charlie_Tuna says, it is all about air flow. Some use the bottom vent, some use the daisy. Like controlling water flow from a hose, use the tap on the house or the nozzle, both work. 
    I  use an electric starter, after 8 minutes (on the top front of the lump) out it comes. For a low and slow, bottom vent is about half open, daisy with petals open. Full indirect set up including my Maverick in the egg. I set my pit alarm for 250. When the Mav tells me, I go and shut the bottom to about 1/4", 1/2 shut the petals. Leave it for another 30 minutes and it is fairly stable, no VOCs. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    As mentioned above-it is all about air-flow and the quantity of lump you initially get going.  For low&slow I use about one-half a starter cube in one spot and have bottom vent wide open as well as the dome open.  Once the cube is consumed and I have around a grepefruit sized pile of lump ignited, I add all the hardware for the cook, shut the dome and install DFMT.  Then close down on lower vent and adjust DFMT to about where I expect the final settings to be. Don't get into the habit of chasing temps-+/- 20*F for a low& slow is fine.  A good low&slow "sweet spot" for me is around 240-260*F-whereever it decides to settle.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.