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Holding temps on the BGE
Thanks
Comments
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I'll leave it up to someone who knows more, but I would look into getting a pit controller if you don't want to worry about temps. Some might call it cheating, but using the CyberQ Wifi (or any of the other controllers) I never have to worry about temps during a long cook.
$0.02Large - Mini - Blackstone 17", 28", 36"
Cumming, GA -
I've had this happen many times and I thought it was cheating too but, the Flame Boss 200 sure made my weekend a lot more flexible.OKC area XL - Medium Eggs
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Your temp was not truly stable is all. Keep playing with it. Sometimes it might take an hour or so to have true stability.Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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I find to if I clean out the ash before a long cook it does better. The kick ash basket helps to.
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3 hours and 25*F= 8*/hr temp change. I go with 45-60 mins of no vent movement to call it stable for L&S cooks. It takes a while to bring the ceramics up to temperature. And in the main-if your temp is locked in within around +/- 15*F of your target-just let it run. 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.
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275 is the 'sweet' spot on the egg. Was the butt at room temp when you put it on the egg? If not, that will cause a temp drop. Also, for a long cook like that, I let my egg stabilize for a good 45 minutes to an hour.
Not sure how long you've had your egg, but as time passes and the more cooks you do, it'll get alot easier. My learning curve was about a year, 4 years later - I just knowI've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca. -
It is doable to get the temperature stabilized but it takes a longer burn time in order to get there. The other thing I noticed is when people lift their lid it might move on them slightly and that screws up the whole process.
As as others have mentioned the best way is using a pit controller! I have a CyberQ as well and it works wonders.XLBGE, MMBGE, CyberQ -
I would call it normal. How long was it stable at the 275? I feel that if it was not for at least 30 minutes with out the butt in there it was not really stable and it settled in at 250 with the settings you had.
I would not worry about a 25 degree temp change either up or down with a butt if you had let it go at the 250 it would have been just fine. A temp controller is nice but they are not foolproof I have read many post where people have lost the fire or had it spike to higher temps because something went wrong while they were away. I only do the turbo butt method now at 350-375 and I'm done in 5 hours and don't loose any sleep and the results are in my opinion the same.
I'm only hungry when I'm awake!
Okeechobee FL. Winter
West Jefferson NC Summer
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I don't have any science to back this up but here a few things I've learned that help stabilize temperatures.
1. Make a symmetrical bed of coals, and light two fire on opposite sides. This will initially create as much of a symmetrical burn as possible and will lower the odds of having any off-burn issues. You don't have to get anal about this, but just make sure it looks somewhat uniform.
2. Find my stabilized temperature and check on it every 4-5 times the first hour. After an hour I've found it's good to go and there are few fluctuations. Once I close the vents when I hit 225-250, it will settle on 275 for a few minutes but will drop back down after the initial spike.
3. Don't use a water pan unless you are sure you will keep it full for the whole cook. The water helps control the temp inside the egg and once the water evaporates you will see a spike in temperature.
4. Get a drip pan to catch any fat. With a ton of rendered fat on the coals you can get some flare ups that will cause temp spikes which can be hard to bring down.
5. If I'm doing a long cook make sure to clear out all of the ash and lump before building your coal bed. This will remove any small bits of lump that can get stuck in the grate and restrict air flow. -
admiral21 said:I don't have any science to back this up but here a few things I've learned that help stabilize temperatures.
1. Make a symmetrical bed of coals, and light two fire on opposite sides. This will initially create as much of a symmetrical burn as possible and will lower the odds of having any off-burn issues. You don't have to get anal about this, but just make sure it looks somewhat uniform.
2. Find my stabilized temperature and check on it every 4-5 times the first hour. After an hour I've found it's good to go and there are few fluctuations. Once I close the vents when I hit 225-250, it will settle on 275 for a few minutes but will drop back down after the initial spike.
3. Don't use a water pan unless you are sure you will keep it full for the whole cook. The water helps control the temp inside the egg and once the water evaporates you will see a spike in temperature.
4. Get a drip pan to catch any fat. With a ton of rendered fat on the coals you can get some flare ups that will cause temp spikes which can be hard to bring down.
5. If I'm doing a long cook make sure to clear out all of the ash and lump before building your coal bed. This will remove any small bits of lump that can get stuck in the grate and restrict air flow.
I'm only hungry when I'm awake!
Okeechobee FL. Winter
West Jefferson NC Summer
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I'd be totally happy with that result. 25 degree swing over 3 hours is fine. It's a good reason to plan to cook at 275 - a 25 degree swing in either direction should not be a problem. But trying to hold a low temp like 225 for a long time with no supervision can lead to fire going out if the temp drops.
Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle -
What blnd99 said. I try to cool low, 225-235, but have had the fire go out on me twice now...and it sucks (especially when it is 3:30 am and snowing outside)A Lonely Single Large Egg
North Shore of Massachusetts
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