Baron King 540 Calibration-

[BFlynn]

So I have a brand new Baron King 540 I'm trying to calibrate. And would like some freedback.

I divided the grill into 10 sections -

Back A C E G I


Front B D F H J

1 2 3 4 5
(burners)

For Example, the back half of burner 3 is section E. The front half of burner 2 is D.
The knobs for each burner go from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). {Although, the knob should go to 11}

The grates over burners 1-3 are the standard stainless steel grates. I have grill grates (upside down) over burners 4 and 5. There is about an inch gap between the grates on burners 3 and 4.

The best set up I can come up with for 2 zone cooking is
Burner 5 and level 7
Burner 4 at 1.5
Burner 1 at 1

I measured the temps with a Maverick 732 and left it over each zone until the temps stablized within +/- 2 degrees for ten minutes.

The temps I got for each zone were

I - 447
J - 395

C - 318
D - 310
F - 330
E - 325
A - 337
B - 320

Back 337 318 325 G 447


Front 320 310 330 H 395

1 2 3 4 5
(burners)

I tried to measured for G and H but I knocked the probe in contact with the grill grate and it just read HHH and by then it was late, I was sleepy and the it was time to call it a night.

Some questions I have-


1) It seems the back half of each burner is hotter than the front. is this normal?

2) Is this an acceptable range of temps?

3) When I moved the temp probe, it would take 20-30 mins to get back up to temp, and stabalize. So for the last few measurements, I cranked burner 4 to 4 or 5 for maybe a minute, then back 1.5. It would reach a stable temp faster, cooler, rather than heating. Is this a terrible practice to use while grilling actual meat?

4) I'm going to repeat the process tonight, to make sure I can duplicate the results. Any suggestions on what to tweak?

As always, thanks for the help.

[Max Good]

It's very difficult to do this accurately, even with a multi-channel digital thermometer. There is a difference between a probe reading right above the metal grate and a reading slightly off the grate. For practical purposes, the bread test is demonstrative, and easier to do and interpret. Have you read our article on Seasoning and Calibrating that describes the bread test? http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech...our_grill.html

[Huskee]

I would say burner 5 at level 5-7, burner 4 at level 1.5-?, and no other burners on. In other words, try only having heat on one end and your meat on the opposite. Anywhere from 200-250 is a great target for low & slow such as for ribs, but if you're doing a pork butt or a brisket, higher temps (like you're currently getting) won't hurt a bit, and 325ish is perfect for skin-on chickens. I personally wouldn't do ribs at ~320 though. O fcourse this will all be VERY dependant on weather, rain and wind in a gas grill. Most gas grills are as insulated as the average mailbox and so are easily swayed by any weather, even better built grills.

You're doing much more homework than most people do in calibrating their grills for the right temps. Good job!

[The Burn]

A mailbox smoker, hmmm? Not like one at the house, but the old blue ones that used to sit on street corners. The big door for access to fire, water and some added grates and use the top mail drop door as a damper.

[Huskee]

@The Burn, could be done I suppose! But how does one go about getting their hands on a federal mailbox?

[BFlynn]

@Max I've read the article on calibrating the grill. I was trying to get the indirect side to hit 325 first.

I've had trouble getting to 225. I can get to 180 pretty easily, and then it seems like a small change jumps the temp to 260. But I'll post those notes tomorrow. I will probably try again this evening with a water pan set up below the indirect side
I've done that with my old (now deceased) grill with a lot of success.

I've been avoiding the bread test bc my wife is on a super crazy, carbs are worse than the devil kick right now. She might throw ME on the pit if I come home with a loaf of white bread. I'll have to wait until she's distracted by football, or sleeping to try that one.

@The Burn
I bet if I turned my mailbox into a smoker, my mail man wouldn't lose any more of my mail.

[Huskee]

See if you can fit a water pan of some sort in there, between the lit burners and the meat, the water will help absorb heat and regulate things (buffer I call it), and maybe your temp of 260 will augment down after this.