Temperature didn’t go lower than 350F for 30min with all vents closed. Vent running for 45min and now temp is at 270ish. Still all vents closed. Did I lit the coal wrong?
First time trying slow cook a pulled pork thingy.
Thanks for your advice!!
by Ok_Tonight_2154
9 Comments
If you are trying to do low temp you have to keep it low. If you are shooting for 250-75 you don’t let it go to 350..
This means there is an air leak somewhere. With vents closed the fire must go out pretty soon. You can find it by creating some smoke.
The thermal mass of the components in the big green egg make it so that coming down from 350 to 225 takes over an hour and maybe more in hot weather even with the fire out and the vents completely shut.
I light a basket and let the fire become self sustaining and then immediately shut it down with vents open just enough to get to 225 stable or what I think vents should be and I start adding the deflector in and waiting for things to stabilize around 200 to 250. Any more and it becomes really hard to get back down
Once it starts hitting around the 180 mark start backing your vents down to dial it in. Its hard once the egg gets in that 350 range to come down in a short period of time due to how it hold heat.
Here is a usual visual to get temps your looking for.
https://preview.redd.it/210yp3lsjm7h1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05978c64dea1f1a4fc5835049fc46bb787fe5582
The way to cool it when you’ve overshot is with a pan full of cold water. Put it in there and let the water act as a heat sink.
The ceramic is extremely efficient at retaining heat and if you open the lid the fire will surge back.
Much depends on how hot it went and for how long.
I’ve had pizza cooks where the morning after I’d still be above 200F.
You talked about your vents but you didn’t provide any info on charcoal, how much you used, and how you lit it. That is all very helpful for these diagnosis threads.
I would also calibrate your thermometer. With it being sideways like that, it could be off. I know when I was first trying to smoke salmon at a lower temp, I kept trying to use very little charcoal, and not able to maintain a temp. I figured out loading it up with charcoal, it was easier to maintain a lower temp.