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Long Cook Trouble`

cracker23
cracker23 Posts: 7
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
Hello all....hope to find some advice.

I tried to follow the elder ward instructions for pulled pork.

I have two issues that came up.

1. I put two whole bone-in shoulders (20 lbs worth) on a 200 degree egg at midnight. The temp went down to around 120 and I opened the vents to get back to 200. This took about an hour. Before I went to bed, I noticed that I was having to leave the vents open more than usual. The small vents on the daisy wheel were fully open and the bottom vent was open about 2 inches.

About 7 hours later, despite opening the vents all the way, I couldn't get temp above 160. I gave up and put the shoulders in the oven. I then removed the plate setter to discover most all the lump was gone (I initially filled the lump just to the top of the firebox as per the instructions and I was using BGE Lump)

Do you think too much of the lump burned up while I was trying to restabilize the egg after putting the meat on? Maybe too much meat?

2. The bark on my shoulders gets too tough. Any tips to prevent this?

Thanks....
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Comments

  • snoqualmiesmoker
    snoqualmiesmoker Posts: 265
    That is a strange one. Can't imagine why all the lump was gone. Unless it was really small pieces. Even then that is strange. I always fill it to the fire ring for long cooks. The more the better.

    Upon looking at those instructions, that is a bit much work. Pour the lump in and set it on fire with a fire stick. Not sure about using the chimney. I have never done that, and was told by other its not needed. I light a firestck at 3:00 and 9:00 on a clock dial, and make a small TP over the fire. I have had my egg go 30 + hours (I used a Stoker) and I have never done anything like that. I have never had a fire go out, go below 200 or anything. It stays rock-solid with either the Stoker or the 1-finger method. That is the vents open 1 finger width.


    Why did you go 200? That is a bit low. You would have waited for 24 hours for your pork to get up to 190...

    Not sure about the bark, since this was a bad cook. Anytime you finish in the oven is sad. Perhaps next time it will be better. We've all had something go wrong!

    jjbbqcompany.com
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    On my large I fill the lump to the top of the fire ring and I light at 3, 6, 9 o'clock.

    Once I get to 235° I begin closing the lower vent to the width of a credit card - 1/8" or so. DFMT usually slider closed and petals open 1/4 to 1/3.

    I make sure the egg is holding about 250° dome (calibrated). 200° seems low to me without a powered vent system. It can be done but that is a low temperature and needs to be watched.

    It would seem your hunch that too much lump was used in lighting the egg is the most likely situation.

    What did you use to light the egg, how many places did you light. How long did it take for the egg to stabilize and did it stabalize?

    If the bark is developing too much put a aluminum foil tent over the butts. Don't wrap tight. The bark will pretty much stop developing at that point.

    However, the bark is great and if chopped up and mixed in with the pull adds a lot of flavor. Or a great cooks treat.

    GG

    GG
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  • Sundown
    Sundown Posts: 2,980
    Fill the lump to the fire ring Plus. You might want to try something like Wicked Good Weekend Warrior sometime. I don't have a great fondness for the BGE lump. Tried it once and didn't care for it. Used WG ever since.

    Elder Wards instructions are just great but his 200º temp is a little low for most people. You can take the dome temp to 250º with no problems.

    Once you have stabilized your temp at 250º put your meat on and close the dome. DON'T TOUCH THE VENTS! There will be a huge temp drop but it will come back up and hit 250º right on the nose.

    Leave things alone like, stifle the urge to 'help' get the temps back up!

    Sometimes the dome thermometer get stuck in the meat are you sure that didn't happen?

    I use a wine cork shoved on the stem of the thermometer to lift it out a bit so it doesn't touch the meat.

    Good luck.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    I think sundown hit the nail on the head. My guess is that your thermometer was touching the meat and the egg was actually running much hotter than you think.
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  • Keving
    Keving Posts: 36
    That's a good thought because in my experience higher heat makes the bark tough. If the temp was low and the bark is still to tough, use a plate setter if you are cooking direct. If you are using a plate setter and the bark is still to tough, wrap in foil after a few hours. That will do it. I don't have much help for the temp control. I have only had my egg for a while, and haven't had any trouble keeping temp. The only time I have had trouble is when I was at the bottom of my first bag of charcoal, and the small pieces were blocking airflow. I had to have the vents open all the way to keep it at 250.
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  • cracker23
    cracker23 Posts: 7
    unfortunately i'm in singapore, so all i have is the 4 bags of BGE that i brought with me.

    your idea about the thermometer stuck in the meat is a good one. i'll check to see if the end of the thermometer has any residue on it....thanks alot.
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