Temp control


 
M

Miles Thompson

New member
So new to gas grills andhaving an interest in learning temp control etc...

attempting a pork shoulder as I type and a recipe I am using calls for 250 degrees.

couldnt find this info with Weber so here I am.

Main question would be is there a chart somewhere or has anyone developed one that shows expected temp relative to burner knob setting using one two three or four burners? Seems like there should be a chart for this somewhere. shouldnt there? Set your knob(s) at X postion and can reasonable be asured of X temp, right?

example I have the Spirit II 3 burner model. Have the outer burners on and set at its lowest setting which reads as 1/4 on the knobs. Am showing 295 on the therm in the lid , igrill 3 shows variations from that either hotter or cooler depending on temp. probe placement. If I wanted to be more accurate on the temp using one burner instead, where should the knob be relative to the fixed 1/4 , 1/2 and full positions?

So which is most accurate to start with lid therm or an igrll?

Secondary question is with igrill use whats the best placement of a temp probe or would the recommendation be to rely on the lid therm?

thanks for the help....
 
Hi Miles,

I don't trust any of my lid thermometers except for ball park temps. I don't know much about the iGrill so I can't really comment. I have a thermoworks smoke and I put the BBQ probe in the grill after a preheat, and after the lid gauge says I'm close.

specs on the spirit 3 show three 10,000 BTU burners front to back (north south) so depending on temp and wind you may need only one burner for 250F. For example, my Genesis Silver B with one burner on low is about 260. ( edit: in summer, temps in the 80s, no wind, in the shade)

I would pick one side to cook on, and use the burner on the other side. My example I'll use the left burner.

Preheat with all three burners for a few mins, then shut it down to LOO put in the BBQ probe at grate level on the right side, set it to LOO and see where the temps settle. About 10 mins should be long enough. If it is too low, bump the left burner heat up a little. Too high? Not sure...

After the meat goes on, find a good spot for the BBQ probe that's not too close to the meat.

With heat on the left I would check the shoulder after a few hours and consider spinning the shoulder 180 degrees if the left looks to be cooking faster than the right.

Maybe there is a chart of burner settings and temps etc, yet it would have to have a bunch of assumptions built in, like:
1) elevation
2) ambient temp
3) wind
4) shaded or direct sun
and maybe more.

experiment and take notes.

good luck.
 
Hi Mike,
Great post by Dan. Sums it up. Took me a while to reign in specific temps on my Genesis. I can get it around 250 but it will bump up to about 265 based on variables.

If the lowest you can go is around 260+, you could add a couple of firebricks wrapped in foil. Or a small pot of water. That's helped me get temps down in the past. To be honest, I don't often use the Genesis for low and slow stuff.
 
Trial and error will be the name of the game. There are too many variables. I would imagine one burner will do the trick, especially in the warmer months. Slight changes will also be necessary during the cook as well but with a shoulder a 20 degree variance isn’t a big deal. Good luck!
 
Welcome to the forum Miles, glad you joined us. Good info above and I probably can't add much. I know of no chart or spreadsheet you are inquiring about but what a great idea. Say do some analysis on a calm, 70* day in the shade. The only other equipment you would need is a glass of bourbon and a cigar. :)

I cooked a 6 lb butt as described above and it worked very well. I was trying to justify a pellet grill. On my Genesis 3 burner with left burner on low and meat on the grill the temp settled at 240* at the grate and stayed there for two hours when my smoke tube ran out. I then eased the burner up to 275-300* for the remainder of the cook. I was kind of surprised at how stable the temp held at a given knob setting.
Anyway, again, welcome.
 
Great info above. If you still have problems getting temp low enough, you could try raising the lid a crack by sticking a thin rock or something between lid and cook box. I have Broilmaster that I have been playing with and it has a rod with 3 positions to raise the lid for that purpose.
 
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