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First long cook problems-Beginner help needed

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robertgt812
robertgt812 Posts: 9
in EggHead Forum
All, first time Egg owner, first post. Got my egg a couple of weeks ago- Have test fired twice trying to play with temperature. Tried a low and slow last night with 8lb boneless pork butt. Had a real struggly trying to get temp dialed in before butt went on- temp went way up, adjusted vents came way down to ~100. Finally thought I had squared away around 240 and put meat on. could get a constant temp all night. A couple of times went under 200 to `175-180. Based on reading attributed this to clogged grate holes. Frustratedly opened things up a bit and fell asleep- next thing I know grill is at ~450. Long night- what happened to constant even temp and sleeping through this :)? Any advice appreciated
Thx
RT
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  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,976
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    It’s all the vent settings.  Temps in the BGE are entirely governed by air flow. If they are kept fixed, eventually the Egg will settle in to a constant temp for you.  

    For low temps, my bottom vent is open maybe 1/8 of an inch - just a whisker.  Once my fire is going pretty well I just put it at that, wait for the bad smoke to clear (about half an hour to 45 minutes), and then simply expect it to reach that target temp.  I’ll make very minor adjustments at times but you don’t want to be chasing temps with your vents.

    I’d also recommend a high-Q grate.  They’re cheap and remove any concerns over clogging at the bottom.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
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  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,976
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    Oh and, welcome to the forum!
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
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  • ColtsFan
    ColtsFan Posts: 6,343
    edited June 2018
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    What size egg?

    How are you lighting it? One spot or many? 

    Using the platesetter I take it? 

    Once you get your temps where you want, let it stabilize for an hour before you put your meat on. I'll often start my egg 2-3 hours before and just let it ride. Make minor adjustments with the daisy wheel. For reference, 250 on my egg the bottom vent is only open 1/4 inch  

    That said, I've never been able to do an overnight cook and sleep until I got a controller. Just works better. 

    Try a turbo butt... Seriously...

    And lastly, welcome! Lots of great info and great people here. Post pictures ask questions and you'll find that a lot of people will help. 
    ~ John - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, KJ Jr, PK Original, Ardore Pizza Oven, King Disc 
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

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  • robertgt812
    robertgt812 Posts: 9
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    Thanks for the quick responses. Large egg, Had lump almost to top of fire ring, lit in 2 places. Yes used platesetterBased on you Tube video was trying to maintain temp with bottom air only, top was closed all the way. Based on comments probably needed to really get temp dialed in for a while before meats went on. As stated temp went way up, then way down and probably wasn't fully stabilized an hour after lighting before I put meat on- Will try some more test fires
    RT
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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,842
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    First, welcome aboard.

    Second, don't cook with the top closed.  You need the air to flow in the bottom and out the top.  If you allow for a small amount of airflow at both sites, the fire will stay lit and at a relatively low temp.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • bikesAndBBQ
    bikesAndBBQ Posts: 284
    edited June 2018
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    The top being closed is your problem. I’ve done 3 over night cooks without any gadgets just a wireless temperature probe so I can check the temps from bed.  I am done with overnight cooks for pork tho. 300+ is my temperature for pork now. With the top closed, you had minimal air flow. I would expect a very unstable fire if you just use one vent. I really don’t think you need to do test runs with no protein. Throw a meatloaf or ribs in there. Both are very forgiving with temperature swings and don’t take long even at low temperatures like 224-250. If you use both vents, you’ll be fine. 
    Pittsburgh, PA. LBGE
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    Welcome, Robert!

    Do a search for temp control or temp stabilization or some such. Plenty of info out there. Here's a pretty good thread I just found...

    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2302087

    Also, consider "turbo" cooking your lo n slo cooks. Cook at dome temps between 300-350° instead of 250 or less. There are several benefits; you can put a pork butt on at 10AM at, say, 320° dome temp and eat dinner at 5 or 6, no sleep deprivation and no worries about problems in the middle of the night. No noticeable differences in the finishhed product either.

    Make sure your temp is stable (with no vent adjustments needed for an hour or so) before you put the food on. Takes a little practice, but you'll get the hang of it quickly enough.

    Good luck!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • gonepostal
    gonepostal Posts: 711
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    With my first low and slow butt i woke up the next morning and the temp was zero. Many on here have had good luck with the original fire grate but for me the high Q grate is the ticket. Has helped me sleep better. I do enjoy the overnights but would maybe recommend starting one early one morning on an off day and just watching how things go. There are many ways to get to the finish line with butts. Try them all. Pick the right one for you. And have fun!
    Wetumpka, Alabama
    LBGE and MM
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  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
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    You might find this helpful. There are some good YouTubes re temp control. It’s all about the setting (openings), for a low and slow the lower vent can be closed down to a credit card thick opening. I would recommend getting your temp stable without any adjustments for a 1/2 hour before beginning your cook. Use the YouTube, you will learn a lot. 
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  • Fredb
    Fredb Posts: 89
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    First of all, welcome!! You will not find a nicer bunch of people than on here.So much knowledge and always willing to share. I would suggest that you become familiar with the bottom and top vents before going to the many electronic devices out there. For me, I find it easier to catch the temp on the way up and stabilize than to let it get too hot and try to bring it back down. Some like to let preheat for long periods of time but for me, about 45 minutes from lighting to cooking works. This is a Voodoo Child so don't be afraid of playing with it!!
    Most of all, have fun and enjoy the many cooks in your future.
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,378
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    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.  Great advice above.  Stable is the key word- I generally light the BGE 2-3 hours before loading the protein on an overnight cook.  Set the vents for the desired temp (most BGE's seem to have a sweet spot  in the 240-270*F range).  Then no vent movements for an hour or more and then away we go.  
    Don't chase temp; +/-15-20*F is close enough on a L&S cook.  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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  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,653
    edited June 2018
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    I can't add any more to the temp control conversation.  The posts above pretty much cover it.  

    I will add however, that sometimes the egg will just settle into a temp.  If it is anywhere close to the temp you want, just leave it alone.  I usually cook low and slows around 275.  But if the egg settles in at 260 or 285, I just leave it alone and go with what the egg settled in at.  The ceramic design really holds in moisture, making it very forgiving.

    Welcome to the forum!!!
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
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  • caddesigner
    caddesigner Posts: 1
    edited June 2018
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    I am also a newbie, first post. Just thought I would add I also did my first long cook recently,  a 10.5 lb pork butt. I did mine at around 325, daisy wheel about half open and bottom about 1/4 inch or so, turned out great. Had it on for 8 hours. Internal temp was 205 and probed real easy throughout.
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  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
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    gonepostal said:
    With my first low and slow butt i woke up the next morning and the temp was zero. Many on here have had good luck with the original fire grate but for me the high Q grate is the ticket. Has helped me sleep better. I do enjoy the overnights but would maybe recommend starting one early one morning on an off day and just watching how things go. There are many ways to get to the finish line with butts. Try them all. Pick the right one for you. And have fun!
    Zero Celsius or Fahrenheit ?
    NOLA
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  • unoriginalusername
    unoriginalusername Posts: 1,065
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    I hand build my charcoal for low and slow.  

    1) empty out the coal, clean out ash and make sure all air holes and spacing is correct 
    2) I save my larger pieces when I get a new bag and put them in a bag dedicated to just large pieces. Using these I build a campfire cross hatch style to promote vertical airflow up the centre 
    3) i light the fire dead centre and use the looflighter to get a straight up and down flame. 
    4) full open bottom grate I control the fire with the top wheel 

    using this approach I can hold 195 to 205 for 18 hours 
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  • TEXASBGE2018
    TEXASBGE2018 Posts: 3,831
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    Check out this post.

    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/746823/vent-settings-a-visual-guide

    It will help with where your settings should be. As John said, the key is get them dialed in and leave them there. Changing either the daisy or the lower vent even 1/8" can mean a 25-50 degree temp change. Its that sensitive. Also each egg settles at a diff temp. Mine(I call her Victoria) settles at around 250. I can keep her at 250 easily for a 18-20 hour cook as long as I have enough lump and set my settings correct. So that's what I usually cook low and slow at. The vent can become clogged and the additions people have said can help but I don't think they are necessary as long as when you put your lump in you don't let a bunch of small chips go to the bottom. Be mindful of how you are setting up your lump don't just pour it into the egg. 


    Rockwall, Tx    LBGE, Minimax, 22" Blackstone, Pizza Party Bollore. Cast Iron Hoarder.

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  • OshawaDave
    OshawaDave Posts: 198
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    I've not done an overnight cook, but, some 5 and 6 hour ones. As others mentioned I light my fire a good hour or more before cooking to let the temperature stabilize.

    Bottom vent setting will vary by Egg and charcoal. I have a large Egg and use Royal Oak & BGE lump and in order to maintain 250-275, my bottom vent is only open 1-2 screen grids ....maybe 1/16" and daisy wheel open 1/2 on small holes.

    Weber Genesis CP310; Weber Q1200 (camping); LBGE.

    "If you haven't heard a rumour by 8:30 am - start one"

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