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Fire died after ~6 hours

Shrek
Shrek Posts: 69
in EggHead Forum
I did my first low & slow on the my MBGE yesterday.  Got a roaring fire going, waited until charcoals were good and lit, threw on a few wet chunks of hickory, added plate setter with pizza pan to catch drippings (added a little water to the pan; maybe 1/4 cup) and threw a ~7LB butt on, cut in 2 pieces.  Maintained a pretty steady 250 grid temp, except for a few hours in when I raised in to 325 for an hour or so for the 'turbo effect.'  After roughly six hours (~7 from lighting), my grid temp dropped to 200, with all vents wide open.  For the larger piece of the butt with bone in, I had to throw it on my Weber gas grill for a about 30 more minutes to get it to the right IT.  This kind of defeats the purpose, no?  Surely there is a trick to keeping my egg on fire longer.  Or do I need to add charcoal earlier in the game to accomodate?  Proud to say I didn't open the egg one time in 6 hours of smoking.. I guess I should have to add some coal?

Thanks Eggers!
My daughter named my Egg Shrek, because it is big, green, and burps.  
LBGE in Arlington, VA
God Bless America!
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Comments

  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,458
    What kind of lump?? I have found different lumps burn way different. When I am goin low and slow I only light a small amount of lump right on top. Could your roaring fire been a little to much in the initial and used some extra lump?

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • Shrek
    Shrek Posts: 69

    Mattman3969 said:
    What kind of lump?? I have found different lumps burn way different. When I am goin low and slow I only light a small amount of lump right on top. Could your roaring fire been a little to much in the initial and used some extra lump?
    So you mean you start cooking before all the coal is lit?  That never occurred to me.  I am using BGE Charcoal.  
    My daughter named my Egg Shrek, because it is big, green, and burps.  
    LBGE in Arlington, VA
    God Bless America!
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,458
    Yes. Once I get a small fire goin in the top center with a few glowing embers I will add the PS and close the dome. At this point my DMFT is not on yet and the bottom vent is wide open. When the temp gets within 50* of my target I will close my vents to where I think they should be for a particular temp. Let the fire ride until smoke goes clear and smells good and has been stabile for about 30-45 min. I will use less than 1/2 load of lump @ 275 for 7 or so hrs on the Large so I figure you should be able to longer on a full load.

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Surprised you were able to maintain 250 with a "roaring fire" and not go a lot higher.  As @Mattman3969 said, for a low and slow, just need to light a small area to get up to temp.  I've gone 29 hours on a large and had lump left over.  Were you loaded up to the fire ring? Also, no need to soak the wood.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
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  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    After you raised it to 325* it died?  Or did you try to dial it back form 325* and then it died?
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Tjcoley said:

    Surprised you were able to maintain 250 with a "roaring fire" and not go a lot higher.  As @Mattman3969 said, for a low and slow, just need to light a small area to get up to temp.  I've gone 29 hours on a large and had lump left over.  Were you loaded up to the fire ring? Also, no need to soak the wood.

    TJ nailed it. How much lump did you use?
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  • bo31210
    bo31210 Posts: 715
    How much lump did you have in there? When I go long, I fill it almost to the top of the fire ring and have gotten 18 hours on my medium. Also, I use either RO or BGE pretty much all the time.
    In the middle of Georgia!    Geaux Tigers!!!!!
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  • billybon
    billybon Posts: 213
    I do not have a medium but I can go low and slow for over 24 hrs on my large. I think your problem was the initial "roaring fire". Next time, just start a small spot on top and I am sure you will do fine.
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  • boatbum
    boatbum Posts: 1,273
    The brand of lump makes all the difference in the world.  A lump that is outstanding cooking at 3-500 degrees doesn't always hold up at 250.

    Cookin in Texas
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  • scarri3r
    scarri3r Posts: 29
    you may want to check to see if your gasket is worn and do the dollar bill test .... i have that problem currently ... I'm having mine replaced after 12 years.  Remember any kind of air getting into the Egg will cause the lump to burn quicker than you want regardless if it holds the temp there for a few hours.  Mine starts off at 300 for the first 4 hours but hour 5 it drops to 275.  
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