Temp Troubles

[Guest]

I did ribs and chicken on Sunday, and I was never able to get the dome reading above 225. I had 5 racks of ribs, and I had to put 4 of them into my rib racks vertically. I think my thermometer may have been touching the meat, which gave an inaccurate reading. I put my Polder on the grate, and it read consistently between 200 and 220, usually around 207. I cooked everything for 5.75 hours, and they came out great. I guess the moral of the story is to measure both at the grate and the dome...

Ken

 

[Guest]

Ken, you should be able to get the dome temp higher than 225? if all the vents are open, etc. There is nothing wrong with the temps you were at, but I'm curious why you had the low temp issue. What kind of fuel were you using? Also, if the outside temp is low I either use less water in the water pan and/or boil the water before putting it in the pan.

Heres a link to Chris' temp page:
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/measuretemp.html

I try to run a dome temp of 250?, and I usually have 2 vents about half open to maintain that temp.

 

[Guest]

I know they claim that Kingsford has not changed their formula. Maybe not, but it is not the same. Kingsford I had from last fall would run my bottom vents half open to less than half with the Minion method and a chimney full of lit at an outside temp of 20 degrees.

I have also been fighting my fire to get the temps up with the stuff I bought recently. Yesterday I built my fire with two Chimneys of lit divided out and against the three vents. I put my used and new in the center and on the top. I use a Brinkman water pan and cut the water to half of a pan. With all the vents wide open and the ribs and butt in it took one hour for the grate to reach 119 degrees and the dome to reach 240. Thats great, but it stayed there for 3 hours without going any higher. I then took it apart and shook the charcoal down. Then I got more temperature and closed the vents to half open.

I am going to make some adjustments. I will cut back on my used charcoal, leave the lid off until the fire seems hot, put the lid on and let the temperature go to abot 300 before I put the meat on. I will also start looking for other fuel. If I don't soon solve the problem I am going to buy a Cook Shack because this is getting old.

Oh, and the outside temp was 70 degrees yesterday and the chimneys have a lot of mud in them when you dump them onto the grill. Well not mud, but it would be if you added water.

 

[Kevin Taylor]

Hi WyoJim!

Just to let you know....I have run across some "bad" charcoal from Kingsford in the past, but it was only a couple of bags.

The stuff I have bought this spring is burning the same as in years past. Plus, I have heard reports from the field that claim Kingsford has NOT changed formula's. These were posted on the KCBS Forum earlier this year and came from the actual plants that produce the briqs.

There are a number of factors that can cause improper burning. Moisture is the most prevalent. This can be caused by the retail store or the distributor, or by the final end user. Impossible to tell who is at fault.

I mention this because I have tried several other varieties and they simply don't work as good as Kingsford.

 

[Guest]

Stogey....My new Kingsford is the two bag deal from Costco and they had just got it in. Hard to say where it came from. But we live in what would be called the high desert. Try to eat a sandwich outside and the bread will dry out before you get it eat. I will cook again next week and I will dry the charcoal in the sun the day before I use it. We shall see.

 

[Guest]

Doug-

I was using Kingsford, a bag I bought last fall at Sam's in one of those double 24lb. units.

I used the Minion method to light the coals, and the temp got up to 250 in about 45 minutes. I din't start having trouble with the temps until I put the meat on. I've never had this kind of problem before -- I usually can have just one vent open and keep it rock steady at 250. Had I had difficulty getting it up to temp at all, I would blame the charcoal. I'm pretty sure that the dome probe was touching the meat itself.

I'll do a post after the next time I smoke, which may not be for about 10 days or so.

Ken

 

[Guest]

Stogie....

I think you are probably right about the problem of getting enough heat being moisturein the charcoal.

I have a brisket in now and the temperature almost leaped to a dome reading of 270. Its been perking along now for several hours with the dome around 240 with the bottom vents about 1/3 open.

I remember when I first used this same charcoal it took over an hour to get the briquets burning that were on the top of the chimney. Since I dumped them on unlit lump I never gave it another thought.