BGE Chimney Cap

[Alphonse]

I have been cooking using a rotisserie on my BGE a lot recently and am reminded how much I dislike the original daisy wheel chimney cap that came with the kamado.

I began to look for an upgrade and found two options, the rEGGulator and the Smokeware. Like most BGE branded accessories, their rEGGulator is a bit pricey in my view. Alternatively, the Smokeware seems to be a good option.

Your experience and advice would be appreciated.

Here's a photo of my old school daisy wheel at work.

[LA Pork Butt]

I didn’t care for the Smokware cap because it didn’t draft upward, so I gave it away. What are you using to rotisserie on your BGE. A Large?

[Alphonse]

I have a large BGE and use a Kamado Joe Joetisserie.

Are you using a stock BGE chimney cap? If so, which one do you have? Since mine is the old school daisy wheel, I may need to update to the newer style. I really find the old style to be a PITA.

[Steve B]

Hmmm. I have the Smoke Ware and like it.
If your purpose is to let it somewhat rip so the rotisserie can do it’s thing. Than the Smoke Ware might just fit the bill.

[Alphonse]

Really looking for simpler control without having to reorient the daisy wheel hinge point every time you make a small adjustment. I cook at ~325 to 350F so it is not roaring.

[LA Pork Butt]

I have the old style daisy wheel, but for low and slow I use a SMOBOT which mounts a electronic daisy wheel on the old cap. I really think drafting out the side like Smokeware does changes heat flow, but I am with you on BGE being pricey. When I decided to go with Smobot I purchased a new daisy wheel, and mounted the SMOBOT on the old daisy wheel cap. I did that because I didn’t want to have to swap them out.

I have a grilling hut so rain is not an issue. What is it that, you don’t like about the daisy wheel?

Can I assume that the rotisserie fits and works fine on the BGE with no work arounds? What do you rotisserie? With a defuser or without? At what temp? Your realize you stoked my MCS.

[scottranda]

Does that smobot work well? Initial reviews said it did, but I haven’t heard anything since it’s launch.

[LA Pork Butt]

scottranda I used to use the Party Q which blows air. With the Smobot you set the bottom vent half way. You attach an electronic daisy wheel to the top vent. When it settles in it fluctuates 2-3 degrees each side of the target. Occasionally it will swing as much as 10 degrees on either side of the target. It can run on power or battery and uses very little energy since it has no fan but adjusts the draft through the daisy wheel. It is WiFi enabled, so you can make adjustments wherever you are.

[58limited]

I started off with this style of chimney cap on my Bayou Classic Cypress Grill:


I upgraded to this one and I like it a lot:



I have not tried any of the newer styles.

[Alphonse]

I have the old style daisy wheel, but for low and slow I use a SMOBOT which mounts a electronic daisy wheel on the old cap. I really think drafting out the side like Smokeware does changes heat flow, but I am with you on BGE being pricey. When I decided to go with Smobot I purchased a new daisy wheel, and mounted the SMOBOT on the old daisy wheel cap. I did that because I didn’t want to have to swap them out.

I have a grilling hut so rain is not an issue. What is it that, you don’t like about the daisy wheel?

Can I assume that the rotisserie fits and works fine on the BGE with no work arounds? What do you rotisserie? With a defuser or without? At what temp? Your realize you stoked my MCS.

My wife loves rotisserie chickens. I cook two at a time and we eat one and the other goes into stir-fry's, sandwiches, and the like the next day or two. I cook sans heat diffuser or control system. I run the pit at about 350F and cook the chickens in about an hour. I too cook under cover so a rain cap is not needed.

The Joetisserie works fine on my large (18") BGE . I discovered it to be a known fit for the BGE. I have a couple of videos of mine in operation but this forum doesn't allow videos, sorry.

I don't like the daisy wheel because it moves if you don't stage/orient it properly on the lid. I've seen indications the rEGGulator is intended to be affixed permanently to the chimney.

[LA Pork Butt]

Thanks for the info. I am wondering if you couldn’t drill a hole and put a set thumb screw to hold it where you want it.

[58limited]

The generic cap with daisy wheel that I got on Amazon doesn't move when I open the lid, or without a little tap for that matter. That is one reason I like it. The original chimney cap was loose and I had to remember to readjust it whenever I lifted the lid or disaster could strike.

[BBQPhil]

I tried the Smokeware but didn't care for it as much as the rEEGulator. Smokeware seems to be to prevent rain entering the grill, not to provide the wide adjustment range of the 2nd

[Alphonse]

Thanks for all the feedback folks.

I decided to give the daisy wheel a tune-up. I ground the pivot point stub down so I could install a "gardner" washer/spring. This curved spring provides enough compression to keep the daisy wheel in place when you lift the lid.

While I was at it I power brushed it all, solvent cleaned it with a SS brush, and gave it a coat of high temp paint.

The pivot point was ground down so it would be flush with the tab on daisy wheel and allow the curved spring to work its magic:



Gardner spring used:



Cleaned up and painted once again (2nd time in 10 years!):

[Uncle Bob]

Often the simplest solutions are quite elegant..............good job.

[yakima]

I believe the hardware guys call that a wave washer, and that Gardner manufactures many types of springs.

[whldch]

The Smokeware is convenient and can easily handle mid range temps easily, and is great in the rain. if you need to increase or decrease air flow to tweak temps it is great, much better than the daisy wheel. It does need a lot of cleaning the inside builds creosote. Oven cleaner works well, but don't wait till it gets thick on the inside. For higher temps the daisy wheel may be better.

[RolfTaylor]

The creosote buildup is the only drawback. I find if I clean it after every couple of uses it keeps it from getting so that it is hard to adjust. Usually I just scrape it with the ash tool. A few times a season I scrape it, run it through the dishwasher and then scrape again. As far as flow issues, I really doubt it matter. With the Smokeware the smoke is exiting 3 different places simultaneously. As far as the air having to bend, it has to bend to get into the egg at the bottom anyway! JMHO.

[Henrik]

Just like LA Pork Butt I don’t like the smokeware cap, I couldn’t get my BGE to breathe properly. I switched back to the old daisy wheel and things started working again. I recommend the Smobot too, really like it as a regulator.

[dshaffes]

I’ve used all three: 1) Daisy Wheel; 2) Smokeware; 3) rEGGulator. In my opinion the rEGGulator is the superior vent cap. Great airflow, vent top does not move, rain cap works, won’t burn you if you touch it and lastly, I find it easy to dial in and remember temperature settings.

[Old Glory]

Interesting. I have a Smokeware Cap and have had no perceived issues controlling temp. I didn’t find that it impeded flow at all. Now I am questioning that. If I needed ripping tips I just pulled the top off and it was an inferno. otherwise I find it actually allows for very precise adjustments. And keeps the rain out.

[BarbecueBob]

I was looking at the same two options to replace my original daisy wheel on my BGE thinking an upgrade was needed…. I was not convinced on the Smokeware cap reading some reviews on its fit. The rEGGulator is just too expensive. I settled for continuing to use the daisy wheel and actually it works well. Temperature control is good especially for low and slow. I did turn the wheel in such a way that the handle prevents the wheel from opening when lifting the lid and having to adjust the setting.

[Argoboy]

I have a Primo XL and I used it the other day and it was all gummed up and it did not work very well even after the egg heated up. After the pulled pork was done I took the daisy wheel cap off and soaked it in soap and water and it works much better now. I thought about making a post as I wondered what others have done about the cap getting gummed up? Here is the picture of my cap after I cleaned it. This style of cap seems to work well for me.

[Alphonse]

I have used oven cleaner or "Purple" degreaser to cut the creosote off the vents on a BGE, Primo and Grill Dome.  Sure makes life a lot easier to not have them tarred and stuck in place.

[Argoboy]

Yes it probably is creosote on the top, I will now make this part of my cleaning routine. Mine comes off very easily. My Primo is almost a year old and that is the first cleaning required.

[Spinaker]

I have the Smokeware cap on all of my ceramics. I love it. It does not move when you open the lid, which is a huge plus.