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Maintaining 170 degrees

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jerryp
jerryp Posts: 232
in EggHead Forum
Has anyone had luck effectively maintaining 170 or below? I made hot dogs and tried to smoke them at 170 using my Auber. It overshot to 195 and struggled to come back down. I was able to bring it down by briefly opening the lid, but it required a great deal of tending. I have a 9 month old daughter , so time is a commodity. I am hoping I can figure out how to just set it and forget it. I used the oily paper towel method for lighting and allowed it to slowly come up to temp. I clearly did something wrong. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    Why would you ever need to be 175 degrees? Assuming F?  No need for that. On anything. And, opening the dome is actually providing it oxygen therefore making the fire bigger therefore making the temp higher. Lowest I ever got hot smoking is 250F. 
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
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    You'd have to have a pit controller to maintain that temp.

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
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    Just to clarify. You won't bring it down by opening the lid. You're actually cooling the thermometer while also letting in a lot of spare oxygen which feeds the fire. This causes the temp to rise again

    To add.... hotdogs aren't generally cooked at 160, but rather that's the temp they are smoked to. You can hot smoke them at higher temps, and take them off when they themselves reach 160
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • cssmd27
    cssmd27 Posts: 345
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    The only way I can see doing it would be with a very small fire in the bottom plus a pit controller (which you have with the Auber).  I'm actually doing this tomorrow with some bacon I'm finishing curing.  My plan is just that - small central fire with a few lumps and some wood.  My goal is sub-200 for a few hours.
    Dallas (University Park), Texas
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  • dougcrann
    dougcrann Posts: 1,129
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    Have been able to maintain 150* on our Large. Have done it with an Auber. Light a small fire. DW shut. Set the controller for 135*. When it stabilized I bumped it to 150*. My reason was just curious.  
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  • dougcrann
    dougcrann Posts: 1,129
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    And you best have 0 leakage at the gasket...
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    Helps if you are in North Dakota in January.  Down here my egg starts at 110º before I light a fire.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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     Don't know of a reason to. 200+, ok. 
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • jerryp
    jerryp Posts: 232
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    dougcrann said:
    And you best have 0 leakage at the gasket...
    Went gasket less after frying every one I've ever put on. Great point. 
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  • matoch
    matoch Posts: 135
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    bgebrent said:
     Don't know of a reason to. 200+, ok. 
    I'm pretty sure that I've read that you want to smoke sausages in this temperature range. I can't remember the specific reason for the temperature range.
    Edmonton, Alberta - XL & Minimax
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  • dougcrann
    dougcrann Posts: 1,129
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    matoch said:
    bgebrent said:
     Don't know of a reason to. 200+, ok. 
    I'm pretty sure that I've read that you want to smoke sausages in this temperature range. I can't remember the specific reason for the temperature range.
    From what little reading I have done about Sausage making you need to smoke sausage below 200*...
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  • dmchicago
    dmchicago Posts: 4,516
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    I've smoked trout at 200 for 3.5 hours twice with no controller.

    Easy-Breezy.
    Philly - Kansas City - Houston - Cincinnati - Dallas - Houston - Memphis - Austin - Chicago - Austin

    Large BGE. OONI 16, TOTO Washlet S550e (Now with enhanced Motherly Hugs!)

    "If I wanted my balls washed, I'd go to the golf course!"
    Dennis - Austin,TX
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  • dougcrann
    dougcrann Posts: 1,129
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    dmchicago said:
    I've smoked trout at 200 for 3.5 hours twice with no controller.

    Easy-Breezy.
    Maintaining 200* without a controller is indeed simple...150* not so much. 
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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
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    Had not tried but imagine this temp would be easy with pit viper amd digi Q setup.
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  • Smokin_Trout
    Smokin_Trout Posts: 506
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    When I had a gasket on my XL, the lowest I could maintain was about 180* while doing jerky. It took awhile to get it dialed in. 
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  • cssmd27
    cssmd27 Posts: 345
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    I've had my bacon on for an hour now and maintaining 175 easily without my controller.

    The key I'm convinced is having a small amount of fuel.  I just used some of the leftover lump that I put inside a perforated wire ring (bought base on some comments here a few years ago - don't remember the source or name) and a few lumps of apple wood.  Started the lump, threw the wood chunks on there, let it stabilize below 200 with nice smoke, then bacon on.  Don't think this is going to be a problem at all.

    I think the next time I do a long smoke, I'm going to use a lot less fuel than I've done in the past and let the controller keep it sub 250.  I think we (well, at least me!) typically load too much fuel in the Egg and that's where we have trouble keeping the temp down.  My controller typically barely runs because of fighting higher temps.  And, I'm MUCH more likely to get an over shoot.  With a controller and a smaller amount of fuel, you let the controller actually do what it's supposed to do.
    Dallas (University Park), Texas
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited May 2016
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    The amount of fuel isn't the issue, because if you have too much air, that fuel will be consumed quickly anyway

    it always involves throttling the air in. 

    Opening the the dome doesn't ever cool the egg, it grows the fire

    Some sausage is hot smoked at lower temperatures so that it will be cooked gently without danger of bursting or overcooking. It's then plunged in an icewater bath


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
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    Used to make Jerky quite a bit maintaining my temp at 165 but I used a DigiQ.
    Packerland, Wisconsin

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  • n8er
    n8er Posts: 114
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    I just made a batch of Jerky this last weekend and maintained 178 with the Flameboss 200 for 9 hours. 
    Egging year 'round in North Dakota
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  • NautiRogue
    NautiRogue Posts: 118
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    I have tried multiple times to smoke salmon at 170 on my XL with no luck.  It either overshoots and gets too hot, or the fire goes out.  I've even tried the dual BGE cold smoke configuration with my Mini on the ground beneath the XL with ductwork from the Mini's dome to the XL's bottom vent.  No joy.

    Just yesterday, I got a new Mini Max and I'm looking forward to seeing if it might be able to hold 170 for a salmon smoke because my wife loves smoked salmon!
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