Dome vs Grid Temps

Dawgtired · June 23

I cooked party ribs the other day following Meat Church’s Cajun Party Ribs recipe. His took about 2 hours to get to 205. Mine were probing at 158, four hours later. So my question is if 275 in an offset is the same as 275 in a BGE? If so, would it more likely compare to the dome or the grid temperature? I cooked these raised and indirect if that helps. Thanks!

fishlessman · June 23

Dawgtired said:

I cooked party ribs the other day following Meat Church’s Cajun Party Ribs recipe. His took about 2 hours to get to 205. Mine were probing at 158, four hours later. So my question is if 275 in an offset is the same as 275 in a BGE? If so, would it more likely compare to the dome or the grid temperature? I cooked these raised and indirect if that helps. Thanks!

its mostly the airflow characteristics with the metal cookers that speed things up, gage placement makes a big difference even comparing metal cookers side by side.

very hard to compare ceramic cookers in regards to time with metal cookers. cold meat in an egg heats up slower with how slow that airflow actually is. with alot of cold meat like butts and briskets ive had 1000 degree plus fires going on with a 180 degree dome before shutting the vents and just waiting it out. its the main reason we stabilize temps before adding the protein and then just wait for temps to come back.

on the flip side, opening an egg completely up top and bottom you can reach 1200 f dome. ive cooked pizza before with a blue ball of fire hovering over the pizza with just manual drafts. thats something you cant do in a metal traeger pellet grill either.

with those ribs i would start checking them at 2 hours but expect them done at 3 to 4

Dawgtired · June 23

Thank you… but they were cooking at 275 and after 4 hours they were temping at 158.

fishlessman · June 23

Dawgtired said:

Thank you… but they were cooking at 275 and after 4 hours they were temping at 158.

try 300 dome and see if they cook quicker. every little change in setup, temps metal, ceramic etc changes the cook. i do raised grid direct cooks with ribs and they cook faster and i cook them at 220

if you use a water pan it will slow it down even more

lousubcap · June 23

All instruments calibrated?

Foghorn · June 23

fishlessman said:

Dawgtired said:

Thank you… but they were cooking at 275 and after 4 hours they were temping at 158.

try 300 dome and see if they cook quicker. every little change in setup, temps metal, ceramic etc changes the cook. i do raised grid direct cooks with ribs and they cook faster and i cook them at 220

if you use a water pan it will slow it down even more

@fishlessman,

Are you saying:

1) If you have a water pan that you will have a harder time reaching higher temps?

2) Cooking at 250 with a water pan, food will cook slower than if you are cooking at 250 but don't have a water pan (i.e. food cooks faster in dry air than it does in moist air at the same temperature)?

3) Both.

4) Neither.

Botch · June 23

3) Both.
If you have a pan in a grill at high temperature, the energy is sucked up by the water, eventually converting from liquid to gas (it takes a lot of BTUs), which then leaves the cooker; only when the water is all boiled off can the cooker temp get above 220º. My first smoker was electric, no thermostat, and a water pan; the temp inside stayed at 220º until the pan dried out, then the temp skyrocketed (and you had to be ready for that).

Same thing cooking at 250º; the water will suck up all the heat until the water's gone, then the interior cooker temp will raise from 220º to 250º.

Whether food cooks faster in moist air vs dry at the same temp, I'm not sure. Although, I'd much rather put my dry hand inside a 500º oven than in front of a teakettle where the steam is at 220º.

fishlessman · June 23

Foghorn said:

fishlessman said:

Dawgtired said:

Thank you… but they were cooking at 275 and after 4 hours they were temping at 158.

try 300 dome and see if they cook quicker. every little change in setup, temps metal, ceramic etc changes the cook. i do raised grid direct cooks with ribs and they cook faster and i cook them at 220

if you use a water pan it will slow it down even more

@fishlessman,

Are you saying:

1) If you have a water pan that you will have a harder time reaching higher temps?

2) Cooking at 250 with a water pan, food will cook slower than if you are cooking at 250 but don't have a water pan (i.e. food cooks faster in dry air than it does in moist air at the same temperature)?

3) Both.

4) Neither.

Foghorn said:

fishlessman said:

Dawgtired said:

Thank you… but they were cooking at 275 and after 4 hours they were temping at 158.

try 300 dome and see if they cook quicker. every little change in setup, temps metal, ceramic etc changes the cook. i do raised grid direct cooks with ribs and they cook faster and i cook them at 220

if you use a water pan it will slow

Directly over water in a pan holds temp closer to 212f in the steam, the dome temps can be much higher. That’s pretty much the reason some with wsm smokers fill the pan with sand. Sand is a heat mass, more like ceramic is a heat mass. In a smoker water c causes steam.steam is 212f. Converting water to steam sucks out the energy/heat. When the water is gone temps in a bbq can spike

i don’t have a plate setter when cooking say pizza, I use a wok shaped dished tank head full of sand. That round head will direct heat up into the dome creating higher heat up top

water in a pan also burns more lump,the fire is hotter to maintain dome temps

Botch · June 24

fishlessman said:
Directly over water in a pan holds temp closer to 212f in the steam...

d'Oh! 212º! Where did I get the brain-fart of thinking water boiled at 220º??

Senility. It's one of my superpowers. :facepalm:

fishlessman · June 24

Botch said:

fishlessman said:
Directly over water in a pan holds temp closer to 212f in the steam...

d'Oh! 212º! Where did I get the brain-fart of thinking water boiled at 220º??

Senility. It's one of my superpowers. :facepalm:

Isn’t it less in Utah.

Botch · June 24

fishlessman said:

Botch said:

fishlessman said:
Directly over water in a pan holds temp closer to 212f in the steam...

d'Oh! 212º! Where did I get the brain-fart of thinking water boiled at 220º??

Senility. It's one of my superpowers. :facepalm:

Isn’t it less in Utah.

Actually, it is. At my particular location, 4,300 feet, it's 205º

Dawgtired · June 24

lousubcap said:

All instruments calibrated?

Yes they are. Flame Boss 500 was 2 degrees off

Dome vs Grid Temps

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