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Overnight Smoke Temp Drop

I have been cooking on the egg for two months and for whatever reason I can't quite seem to find the sweet spot. I am 8hrs into smoking a 10 lb butt and my surface temp has dropped to 180. At 4:30 am it was 240. I am using the Maverick and feel comfortable it is accurate. Why would my temp drop so low? Next question. My daisy wheel has jammed. It won't rotate. I wanted an egg more than anything in the world and to date I have not worked out the kinks. Please help me! I have a big smoke coming up and I don't want to use my WSM.

Comments

  • How much have you been adjusting the temp? If you are messing with it quite a bit then it has probably just settled. Set the temp and don't worry if it goes up 10-15* it will eventually settle back to where you had it. If you aren't messing around with the temp then I am not sure why it would drop like that, never really had that issue. Take your daisy wheel off and run some warm water through it. I'm on my phone so I can't see signatures, where are you located? Is it cold?
    Pure Michigan
    Large BGE, Medium BGE, Mini BGE, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer.
    If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
  • jerryp
    jerryp Posts: 232
    I'm a big fan of my automatic temperature controller. Takes the stress out of overnighters. Many to choose from in many price ranges. They all work pretty much exactly the same. Big differences are the bells and whistles.
  • KRSIIII
    KRSIIII Posts: 19
    I am in NC right around 35 degrees. I didn't adjust vent at all. At 11:00 I was dialed in about 220. I cracked tha daisy wheel just a little to push north of 225 and went to bed.
  • Not sure what it would be. Sorry I am of no help. I did a pork butt in 0* weather before and my medium ran out of lump about 13 hrs into the cook. I thought maybe that could have been an issue for you but 35* wouldn't impact you. Maybe someone else will be able to help you out
    Pure Michigan
    Large BGE, Medium BGE, Mini BGE, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer.
    If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
  • KRSIIII
    KRSIIII Posts: 19
    The whole selling point on the egg was holding temp and precision control.
  • On my first few long slow cooks I had the same experience. I was using Royal Oak green bag from Menards. I thought it might be the ash plugging the air holes in the bottom grate. I got a big piece of wire to try and poke the holes clear through the bottom vent. That seemed to help. Next time I piled the charcoal with the largest chunks at the bottom. That seemed to help too. When I got a Hi-Q grate that took care of it.  

    Cookin' outside in central Minnesota
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    KRSIIII said:
    I am in NC right around 35 degrees. I didn't adjust vent at all. At 11:00 I was dialed in about 220. I cracked tha daisy wheel just a little to push north of 225 and went to bed.
    225* is difficult to hold on an overnighter. You are better up north of 250*. A little bit of ash buildup will drop your temps at that temp. I sometimes put a floor fan in front of the egg on low a couple of feet away. That is enough to keep it from clogging.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    KRSIIII said:
    The whole selling point on the egg was holding temp and precision control.

    Seriously? Maybe you need to add or stir the lump.
    Dave - Austin, TX
  • KRSIIII
    KRSIIII Posts: 19
    I have made adjustments and I am at 270. Just spritzed with Apple juice, apple cider vinegar and a little water. Bark looks good.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,167
    WRT your DFMT-give it a shot of pam or equivalent to get it loosened up-then when you shutdown the BGE toss the DFMT inside it til the next cook.  Should take care of your issues.  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.
  • tcampbell
    tcampbell Posts: 771
    Just take something and lightly bump the daisy wheel.Sometimes they stick a little from grease build up and from rust if its gotten wet and off course it can freeze and stick.
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    My sweet spot is 260, I've never even tried 225. I don't think the hassle of holding the temperature that low versus the ease of holding at 260 is beneficial.

    Of course, I now have a temp controller and that is all no longer an issue.
  • I'm not sure why some are saying Sustaining 225 is tough. My large Will settle in at 225 and stay there all night and day. Not trying to start anything just wondering why it is a problem for some?
    Pure Michigan
    Large BGE, Medium BGE, Mini BGE, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer.
    If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
  • Jeffroe189
    Jeffroe189 Posts: 273

    On my first few long slow cooks I had the same experience. I was using Royal Oak green bag from Menards. I thought it might be the ash plugging the air holes in the bottom grate. I got a big piece of wire to try and poke the holes clear through the bottom vent. That seemed to help. Next time I piled the charcoal with the largest chunks at the bottom. That seemed to help too. When I got a Hi-Q grate that took care of it.  


    +1 on the high q grate. Much better than the stock one.

    Jeff from Winston-Salem, NC  - LBGE, MiniMax, Blackstone
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533

    I'm not sure why some are saying Sustaining 225 is tough. My large Will settle in at 225 and stay there all night and day. Not trying to start anything just wondering why it is a problem for some?

    260 was my egg sweet spot on my medium, I've not done a low and slow in my XL yet. butt that was without a controller.
  • Got ya
    Pure Michigan
    Large BGE, Medium BGE, Mini BGE, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer.
    If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    SC, I could get 225, but I found it was much easier to maintain 260. 260 was effortless compared to 225.
  • scooter759
    scooter759 Posts: 257
    I'm also on the Hi-Que grate bandwagon. Very good product. Did an 18 hr cook fri/sat at 250 in below zero temps. Had bigger problems with drippings freezing in the lower vent than anything else. As for the daisy wheel, when I shut my eggs down after a cook I always put tHe DW inside on the grate during cool down and put on the ceramic cap. Never had a problem with rust or grease. Now using the SS caps instead of DW.
    Extra Large, 2 Large, Medium, Mini Max, Weber Summit gasser, Weber Q. Mankato, MN