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BBQ Guru: First Impressions

Buxwheat
Buxwheat Posts: 727
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
First of all, I gotta get me one!
I was given tips about using the Guru, notably set your pit temp lower than your desired temp to avoid overshoot. I set it at 200 (usual dome temp target of 225-250) and sure enough it hit 200 quickly. I let it stabilize for about 30 min before putting the butt on. The temp slowly climbed to about 230. The fan never came on. Decided too much draft so I dialed the daisy back to just barely open. Temp still didn't drop after about an hour. Closed the fan draft from 1/2 open to about 1/3 open. Temp slowly dropped to 200. Stayed there w/ no fan so I slowly increased pit temp and watched the fan activity. Just a puff every now and then. Set it at 215 and waited. Satisfied that I figured the right amount of natural draft, I went to bed at 1AM. Nature called at 3:30 so I took a look at my remote temp monitor (Dome temp): Balls on 215! For the first couple hours, Dome > Pit by about 10*. Differed by about 4* at bed time. Up at 7:30 and Dome temp still spot on 215. Meat temp 145, so I'm increasing pit temp to 225. Pit probe is clipped to the meat probe, couple inches from meat.
Once I got a handle on the natural draft of my egg & the Guru, this cook was a snap and I got the best nite's sleep ever during a Lo & Slo. I read on another forum that the important thing to keep in mind is that you should let the Guru do the work: Keep the natural draft to a minimum by closing the daisy almost shut and closing the fan damper more. The fan is going to force air into the egg and the excess will find its way out through any gap, leak, and of course the daisy, so by minimizing all natural draft the Guru will truly control the air flow.
Now the only thing is to decide between Stoker and Guru. Anyone know how the Stoker adjusts the draft on their fan? Couldn't tell on the web site. Like the ability to get info by Twitter and control remotely from a computer. Much like CyberQ , I guess. Stoker has more inputs than Guru so I could monitor pit, dome, and meat all w/ one device and keep an eye on it from my bedroom during an overnight.

Comments

  • HungryMan
    HungryMan Posts: 3,470
    I just hook mine up. crack the top vent very little. Open the fan vent 25% at most. Set my pit and meat temp. Leave it alone till I'm at the temp I want to be. Put the meat on and leave it alone. No big tricks to if for me. Set it and forget it.
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    Al would you send a pic of your top vent please.
    I got one for Christmas and still in the package. Need to get it out.
    Buxwheats post have shamed me :blush:
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • HungryMan
    HungryMan Posts: 3,470
    give me a few. out the door for 30 min. close Daisey wheel openings. Slide 1/4 inch open. guru will force out air.
  • HungryMan
    HungryMan Posts: 3,470
    It will blow smoke out of this and any other crack easy.
    d7350557.jpg
  • Buxwheat
    Buxwheat Posts: 727
    Right with you, Hungry Man: My Daisey is slider closed, petals barely open. Wish I had set the damper at 1/4 to start. Guru will force the air and fire won't die. Excess air pressure will escape. Next time it will truly be set it and forget it, but for my first experience I had to stumble along by trial and error.
  • HungryMan
    HungryMan Posts: 3,470
    I understand. I find myself standing next to the egg looking at it while the food is cooking. Thinking, why am I standing here? There is nothing for me to do.
  • guzzijason
    guzzijason Posts: 143
    With the Stoker, the draft closes automatically when the fan turns off, and then it opens when the fan turns on. The damper is hinged at the top and is simply held closed by gravity when the fan is off.

    __Jason
  • here here for the stoker
  • Uncle Phil
    Uncle Phil Posts: 669
    BBQ Guru is awesome and is only surpassed by the service of the company!
    I am in the process of creating a video on the DigiQ II. It is a nice piece of equipment. I personally have the Pro Com4 that I dearly love. You can't go wrong with Shotgun Fred's stuff.
  • I agree that Guru's customer service is just that, service. They are really great and easy to work with. I have one of the old ones, can't even remember what it's called, orange face with 2 dials then a new digi-q-2 on my newest egg. I just bought a guy I work with a nanoQ for his gen-u-swine and installed it for him but don't have a report yet. Looks like a quality kit for less money. No temperature read out, it startes at 225 and you go up or down, blind, in 5 degree bumps. Sure make good (high end) gifts.
  • chrisnjenn
    chrisnjenn Posts: 534
    I ordered a Guru shortly after getting my Egg. It has worked flawlessly and has made my life easy. Basically, set it and forget it until the meat is ready to take off the Egg. I called before I ordered the Guru and the people were very nice and knowledgeable.
  • SGT BBQ
    SGT BBQ Posts: 190
    I used the Cyber Q Friday night for the first time. Had an eight pound pork butt on it. The Cyber Q did a great job for my first cook with it. It stayed pegged at 225 all night long.

    I had a problem once I got involved. Once I started opening the dome I screwed thing up. The heat kept rising and I had a hard time getting the temp down. I too realized that you should pretty much close your daisy wheel and the damper on the Cyber Q and let your fan pump in air to keep your temp steady.

    My gasket it pretty muched gone so I imamgine this also had an impact on how the Cyber Q worked.
  • I just got a DigiQ DX as well and it does make it nice. My first shot at ribs was dead on. Looking forward to two prok butts Tuesday for family Wednesday and enjoying a good sleep.

    Smokin'Stogies in Exton, Pa with my wife and our four dogs; Sully and Boo the Newfoundlands, Murphy the Irish Setter and Alli the Beagle/Lab mix. 

    Eggers Prayer-

    Our egg, which art in sizes, hallowed be thy smoke, thy will be grilled, at home as it is at eggfest. Give us this clay our daily brisket and forgive us our rubs, as we forgive those who gas grill against us, and lead us not to flashback but deliver us from overnighters. For thine is the grill, the smoke, the egg. Let's eat!