Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Temp issue

Options
dstrbd488
dstrbd488 Posts: 66
in EggHead Forum
So I did my 1st butt as well my 1st over night on Wednesday night. I have an xl and my set up was plate setter legs up with drip pan filled with liquid. Got the temp stabilized at about 235 grid temp put the meat on around 10:00 pm. Stayed up till about 3:00 am and temp fluctuated 10 to 15 degrees up and down but I felt ok about getting a couple of hours of sleep. Wife woke me up because the maverick alarm was going off meat temp was at 190 and the pit temp was at 280. This was about a 10 lb butt so I was looking for a little longer cook time than the 10 hrs it took. I know some cuts cook faster than others but this piece of meat went in the cooker at meat temp of 34. But my biggest concern is the temp spike. I'm thinking that maybe the cooker was set up with the water in the pan and once the water evaporated it allowed for the temp to rise. Has anyone else had this happen?
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Options
    What did you set the max pit temp for on your maverick? I usually go 15* over/under my target.

    Not sure why your's rose; I suppose the water evaporating is one possibility. Maybe the wind shifted or picked up putting more oxygen in the egg.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dstrbd488
    dstrbd488 Posts: 66
    Options
    While greed that I had my maverick range set wrong I guess my question is more about the temp fluctuations. All I have ever heard about eggs prior to owning mine is about holding rock steady temps and I'm just trying to figure what I could have done better
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    During long low temp cooks over 6 hours, I expect a gradual rise in dome temperature. Typically, I find that by 8 - 10 hours, if any of the vents are open more than a slit, I'm at 275 at least. I don't know what factors cause this. The meat getting drier and warmer, probably. The Egg ceramics getting hotter and hotter. Again, probably. The water in the pan evaporating might influence the air temperature, as the vapor is going to average 212F. But a moister environment can slow the meat cooking. So to me that is a toss-up.

    Visit amazingribs.com, review the info there about the "stall," and for more detail,follow the link to Dr. Blonder's site for an even more detailed description. Sometthing I've noticed is that according to one chart, the "stall," or "plateau" that makes butt cooking so slow doesn't happen if the ambient temperature is high enough, around 350F. Of course, the thickness of the meat, the amount of water and fat in it before cooking also plays a role.

    My fastest was a pork picnic that took about 50 min/lb to reach 195. I don't use a Maverick anymore, but I do check the dome temp every 4 hours, and the meat once at 8 and then 10 hours.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • boatbum
    boatbum Posts: 1,273
    Options

    at a low temp - the Rule of thumb for me is 1.5 hours per pound - for planning.

    If you are moving to higher temps ( which sounds like the 280 did) - this will shorten the cook time - with NO impact to the final quality.

    Yes, I think if you are using a water pan, and it evaporates, your temp will jump.   I never use a water pan, I think the nature of the Egg, it doesn't help much.

     

    Cookin in Texas
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Options
    dstrbd488 said:
    While greed that I had my maverick range set wrong I guess my question is more about the temp fluctuations. All I have ever heard about eggs prior to owning mine is about holding rock steady temps and I'm just trying to figure what I could have done better
    It would have been because the water all evaporated or your air intake increased or a combination of the two. My guess is that the air intake was the primary factor. 

    FWIW, I don't put water in my drip pan.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    Options
    To me, it sounds like you never had your Egg stabilized to begin with. 10-15 fluctuations? I'm guessing it was jumping up and down and you were trying to adjust vents to compensate and get it stable? You should have had it stabilized before the meat went on and then left it alone. It would drop in temp at first, but would recover by itself eventually. Just my $0.02.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories