Odd egg temp issue

snoqualmiesmoker · July 2016

So I have a weird temp issue with my Large. I fill it and light it like normal, going for 225. Then i bring it up to about 175 and I start closing down the draft doors to 1 finger wide, and using a smoke ware top, to maybe 1/4 inch, and then lower as i get to 225. it keeps climbing and stops about 240. then it keeps climbing. or it plateaus about 240.
Royal Oak Charcoal.
Has a recent Rutland gasket.
Dollar Bill test is tight all around.
No visible crack in base.
No visible damage to the screen door or the bottom area at all.

had me stumped.

RedSkip · July 2016

I think you may need to close the bottom vent less than 1 finger width.

Think of bottom vent as large temp control and the top as fine tuning.

hoosier_egger · July 2016

Mine seems to like the 240-260 range and that's with a 1/4 gap on the lower vent and Daisy wheel just cracked

Duuane · July 2016

I would agree with redskip, On mine I can get a solid 250 with about 3/8" bottom open, if I want 225 I go for 1/4" or less with about 1/8 or a little more on top

pgprescott · July 2016

My 2 cents is 225 or 240, who cares, close enough. No appreciable difference.

Theophan · July 2016

What's odd? You seem to be convinced that a finger width is the rule or something. If the temp's too high, cut back on the air flow.

However, what's wrong with 240°? I really think the BGE doesn't smoke as well below 250°. I know people with other smokers do a lot at 200° or 225°, but I think most other smokers have more air flow than the BGE. In my own experience, and at least some others, here, everything just works better in the Eggs when the temp is 250° or higher.

snoqualmiesmoker · July 2016

i should edit and say, i can close it down to almost closed and it still rises.

BYS1981 · July 2016

15 degrees really ain't anything to worry about. I can't hold my egg lower than 240 either.

snoqualmiesmoker · July 2016

Only enough, after the cook, it seems the hinhr
or band has torqued. At least I have my answer!

snoqualmiesmoker · July 2016

After taking off the lid, found the hinge out of alignment. Straitened it out. Holding at 205 dome right now. 1 finger open wide!

dougcrann · July 2016

pgprescott said:

My 2 cents is 225 or 240, who cares, close enough. No appreciable difference.

Yup....I think 225* is a bit over rated. I have a homebuilt Reverse Flow. 250*-280* is where it runs. Only way to get it lower, and still burn clean is to use logs about 3" in diameter...but no longer than 10". Logs this size mean I must pull up a chair as it will burn thru it in about 15-20 minutes. That being said...our Large needs the bottom shut down to about twice the thickness of a credit card and the Daisy Wheel shut...our XL wants the DW the same but the bottom has to be cracked open so that the,screen is just barely visible. Both are air toght...as air tight as an Egg can be...

dougcrann · July 2016

snoqualmiesmoker said:

i should edit and say, i can close it down to almost closed and it still rises.

I know some folks claim that they leave the DW off and use only the bottom...that whole stale smoke/botulism line of BS. I have tried this on all 4 of our Eggs. With the DW off and the bottom just cracked the temperature slowly but steadily climbs...topping g out at 340*-370*.

rmr62 · July 2016

from my experience, each individual egg will have it's own little sweet spot. Mine doesn't do well around 225 but in the 250-270 range it will settle in and rock on

cheeaa · July 2016

Seems like this place is mostly concerned with low n slow. The brethren likes hot n fast. Weird.... anyway, I don't fight the egg. It runs nice and easy at 260-275 for smokes. I feel like it would take forever to wait for thin blue at 220.

lousubcap · July 2016

@cheeaa I would offer that low &slow temperature regulation takes more care and feeding than the hot and fast cooks. Thus the likely emphasis in that regard. But every forum tends to have it's own character and that's part of the fun.

cheeaa · July 2016

Yeah it's definitely interesting. Whatever temp works for ya!

Odd egg temp issue

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