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Aledo Green Dreggon
Aledo Green Dreggon Posts: 134
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I keep going over everything I may have done wrong with my pulled pork cook over the weekend.

Has anyone taken the time to take pictures of each level of lump as described in the Elder recipe?

I did pour 2 bags of lump onto a tarp (brand new RO, and then half a bag I got when I purchased the egg). I picked through and stacked the pieces according to the directions I thought. My fire burnt from the center to the right as I previously described. I am trying to convince myself logically why it burned this way.

1) Perhaps I was careless when stacking, but I don't think I had over a 1/2" gap between pieces. So maybe the fire spread in the easiest direction.
2) Maybe it was a combination of airflow and under lighting - I lit 1 spot instead of many and maybe the air from the bottom vent directed it to the right. I can see how this could be because of the line from vent, to firebox opening, to coals... maybe.
3) Will a DigiQII really make up the difference? If I had done everything the same would the device have prevented my fire from going out, or would it have burnt the same way and have the temperature more level?

Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,662
    youve had a center burn, it just happens sometimes. what i do now is push the lump toward the center once or twice when i shake the grate ashes out the bottm about half way into the cook. i open the dome and with a long peice of rod i just give the outside pieces a shove toward the middle. at home i use a welding rod thats bent on the bottom to shaker the lower vent for this, at camp i use an old aluminum arrow i found in the woods. i just dump and stir the lump, but the stacking method does work better.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Dump it and light it.
  • RELAX!!, now breath,
    I think you are beating yourself up over nothing. it is a kinda tongue in cheek story about the sorting and stacking of lump. i have been egging for a long time with 4 eggs in the family and have never done anything other than open the bag and dump in the lump. Knock on wood (lump)i haven't had the problem of a fire going out and i always only light in the center, but to each his own.
    and yes the digiII will definetly solve a lot of those problems and also let you sleep.

    good luck and practice makes perfect.
  • tach18k
    tach18k Posts: 1,607
    I just pour my bag into the Egg, I dont mess with stacking and that stuff. It may burn in the middle and it may not, as long as the time of cook works then it is done right. I do an 18 cook like this with no problem. having too much air space will also cause it to burn through the center as thats where the air is richest.
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    For a long (6 hours or more) cook I do the following:

    clean out all of the used lump & ashes

    dump new lump into the fire ring as high as I think is needed...if I am using wood (apple, pecan, etc) i add it intermittent throughout the lump

    I light my lump in 3 spots (I think this is where you went wrong)

    I let the BGE get up to my desired temp and regulate from there

    and yes the Digi Q II would have helped but you need to master this without a device to monitor it first in my opinion...
  • I had even vacuumed out my egg before I started so I am gathering that I had taken sufficient care. I just need to light more places. I have tried the oil/napkin method twice now with poor results. The first time I just tossed it(2 pieces) on top of the lump, the second I put it under a single layer of lump. Nada. So I keep going back to my coil starter. I would say the starting is my biggest problem. I may buy a bottle of 91% alcohol and just try lighting it that way a couple times.
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Have you tried cubes?
  • check these out
    http://www.acehardware.com
    Weber Fire Starter (7417)
    Item #8212250
    #3.79/24

    solid sterno cubes with no residual residue or taste.
  • So far I have only used the coil and tried the oil/napkin.

    I have done 6 cooks so far.
  • I guess I forgot all the talk about mapp and propane. I still haven't tried those yet. But those sternos, so you just use 3 of them @ 12, 4, and 8?
  • my fire has burned the way you describe several times. What I do now is make put smaller pieces of lump to fill in the spaces tighter.

    Also you can use firestaters to light a few places. I usually break them into pieces a little smaller than a golf ball and place them so they are under the first layer or two of lump.

    Lately though, I've been using the paper towel with oil on it to light.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    fires have gone out even with a powered vent unit, they aren't a guarantee, but they are a bit more peace of mind.

    i don't know what you might have done wrong specifically. sure, it's great to stack lump, but many of us have also just dumped straight from the bag, too.

    sometimes you just lose one. i have lost two i think, i my five years or so.

    8 bucks a butt, that's 16 dollars. i haven't paid for a powered vent unit yet by my calculations.

    generally, i check the fire around maybe 11pm. if i am nervous, i'll check in four hour's time, say 3am. after that, check at 7 when i get up for the day. the meat won't ever go bad because if i leave the egg and it's cruising nicely at 250, even if it goes out it won't be a situation where the food has been left between 40-140 for very long.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • 8 bucks for a butt? wow our sams club here in Spring Hill there in a 2 pack together going for 28- 30.00 they were 20 -21.oo per pack about 2 months ago but that changed so our butts are going for 14- 16.00 each unless they weigh less of course.
  • AGD,

    If you don't have one pick up a Maverick ET-73 and use the alarms. It costs under 40 bucks. That would have alarmed you your fire was going out.

    The vertical burn is just that. It happens. I try to avoid it by lighting in 2 or 3 spots.

    The burn will follow the easiest path of air travel. The burn will grow from there.

    I have found 'packing' smaller pieces in just causes more problems and reduces air flow. I end up haveing to use something to stir.

    Seems to me you are doing too much sorting of lump. I am not yet a bag dumper. I do sort into two Kingsford caddy's. One for large and one for medium & small.

    I then pour large on bottom and medium/small on top. If I am using lump from previous burn I try to get some new larger pieces on the fire grate then depending how the lump in the fire box looks I may add new.

    My worst problems is when I have done a lot of short timed cooks and have a lot of used lump. The pieces are smaller and after shaking off the ash the smaller pieces seem to stack tight. Leaving less paths for the air to travel. These times it takes longer for my egg to get light and get to temp and most always have a problem getting any high temps.

    Some times with the smaller lump I have a heck of a time getting the egg over 350° with all vents wide open.

    Just make sure you get a good mixture of large, medium and smaller pieces of lump. Light in three places maybe 4. Light at 3, 6, 9 o'clock and maybe dead center.

    To light try the oil/paper towel method.

    Hopefully stike will again post his paper towel pictures.

    GG
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    buck a pound at BJs on sale. roughly.

    maybe 1.29/1.69 every day price
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • UGAVET
    UGAVET Posts: 577
    I have never stacked lump. I just dump to the top of the fire ring and light'er up. I do use DigiQ on overnite cooks and had one fire almost out using it but it has definately improved my sleep on overnite cooks. Hang in there, it happens.