S 'n S-Weber-DigiQ 2 Cold Wx Test 2 by Pit Boss and Dan

[Danjohnston949]

Tommorrow 8:00 AM CST Test 2 will Start! Hourly Reports will be Posted. All Charcoal will be Kingsford Blue Bag, 15 Briquets will be Lit, and put in one
Corner of the S 'n S, 85 unlit Briquets will be overlayed the lit coals. The DigiQ 2 will be choked to 1/3 or less and provide all Air during Test. The Weber bottom vent will be closed, the top vent will be open +-1/8. (See Pic). We are attempting to maintain 225* F to simulate a Slow Smoke! Again Hourly Reports Will Be Posted local Wx Reports Incl. All Temps will be monitored by a Maverick ET-733. All Comments and Suggestions Welcome! Dan

[David Parrish]

Good luck! I'm putting the over/under at 9 hours 33 minutes and still above 210 F.

[Danjohnston949]

Boss, I should get Odds?, Hopefully a little more control this Burn! Dan

[David Parrish]

The main thing is to tighten down on those vents as the pit temp climbs past 200 F. I've gotten to where I make one adjustment to the top and bottom vents as the pit climbs past 200 F and it pretty much settles in at 225 F with little or no adjustments needed after that, except to adjust for changes in the environment (temp changes, rain, snow, sunshine, wind, etc...)

Take a little practice but once you have it down it's like riding a bike. Pretty darn easy.

[Danjohnston949]

6:00 AM CST, 22 Jan 16, Fargo ND. Cold Wx Test to Begin 7:00 AM, Dan

[fuzzydaddy]

Dan can do it!

[Jon Solberg]

Dan needs to change his user name to SNSCWPG. (Slow n Sear Cold Weather Proving Grounds) hehehehehe

[Danjohnston949]

7:00 AM CST, 22 Jan 2016, Grill started. 7:30 Temps Spiking got to slow it Down!

[Danjohnston949]

Note To Self! Close the Damned Lid! Dan

[David Parrish]

Yes if you leave the lid off for long after adding the unlit coal to the coal you can get extra coals ignited and the heat will soar. It wouldn't be called the Slow 'N Sear if it didn't have the ability to heat coals up quickly with the lid off

[Craigar]

Danjohnston949 my eyes aren't what they used to be, do you have water in the SnS?

[David Parrish]

7:00 AM CST, 22 Jan 2016, Grill started. 7:30 Temps Spiking got to slow it Down!

Dan you must be leaving your vents too far open, especially your top vent. Make sure you have no leaks around the lid. Binder clips work great for killing around the lid leaks.

[David Parrish]

You also may have started off with too many lit coals. I usually recommend 12, but figured the 15 to 20 you mentioned might work well in such cold weather. Maybe you should start with 12 lit briquets in all weather conditions? Something for me to think about.

[Danjohnston949]

Boss, I didn't have the lid in place like a dumb sh-t! I started with 15 Lit Coals, 85 Unlit Briquets added on Top.
Temps dropping slowly!

[fuzzydaddy]

The more I mess up, the more I learn. Way to hang in there Dan!

[Danjohnston949]

8:00 AM, S 'n S-Weber-DigiQ Cold Wx Test 2,

[Danjohnston949]

Breaking Daylight in Fargo 8:10 AM CST, Dan

[Danjohnston949]

9:00 AM Report, S 'n S-Weber-DigiQ 2 Cold Wx Test 2, Temps continue to fall slowly! -2* F at 9:00AM CST, Fargo ND. Dan

[Jerod Broussard]

If you have the DigiQ on the lowest air intake setting, and you are lighting less than 15 coals, AND restricting the air flow to the coals before it gets to 200 (i.e. not running all air intake vents wide open until you get to 225), and it still runs too hot, you must have an air leak near the coal bed.

With that said, I let my B & B charcoal burn hot (I lit a few too many and let them get waaay too hot, and didn't choke down until the temp was over 200, twas busy) the other night and let it go up to 285 since it was a pretty gradual increase and I preferred to sleep rather than mess with it. OUTSTANDING pork butt with apple wood.

[Danjohnston949]

Thanks Jerod Broussard, When started I was fumbling arround in the Dark and I didn't Note that the Lid didn't get set on correctly! Rookie Mistake on my Part! Temps are falling nicely down to 255*-255* on the Maverick! Thanks Again, Dan

[Jerod Broussard]

Good to hear. I've done that while cooking on my Pit Barrel.

FYI- if you are cleaning out the grill, crack the lid near the coal bed for HOT temps.

[Danjohnston949]

9:30 AM, Boss the Temps continue falling!

[David Parrish]

Keep it up Dan, you'll get there!

[David Parrish]

erm, I mean keep it down! to 225 F! lol

[Danjohnston949]

10:00 AM Report, S 'n S-Weber-DigiQ 2 Cold Wx Test 2. Craigar, Sorry I missed your Question, Yes I Did Start With 1 Qt Boiling Water! Dan

[Craigar]

Thanks for the info Dan! 2 weeks ago my ambient temp was about 10 degrees warmer than what you are currently experiencing, but I had winds gusting to 20 mph. I was able to stabilize my 26" w/SnS at 238 without using water. For my cook this Sunday I am sure I will have to use water to help keep the grill temp at around 225-230. Keep up the good work and thanks for all of the info!
~Craig