Stabilisation times

[Charles88 0]

How long do people wait until they are confident that their grill has stabilised?

 

New user here

Lit my KJ today got it to the correct temp added my pork shoulder & it dropped like expected and then raised back to where it was before and I thought it had stabilised after about an hour at 250f 

 

I then had to go out for an hour and it was the first time I had confidence to leave it and hoped it would stay as it should at 250 but  when I got back and it had jumped 50f 

 

All my cooks before I have been watching the temp gauge like a hawk and I know it’s all about learning from experience but wondered if you guys had any tips or advice 

[BURGER MEISTER 540]

I usually give my BJ about an hour+ to stabilize, JR takes about 30-40+ mins.

[adm 490]

Me too. I like to give my Monolith about an hour to stabilise, although it's normally fine after 30 minutes or so.

 

 

[Grill_Boy 492]

I find that nothing de-stabilizes temps more than opening it up -

So I never wait for the target temp before putting on my meats ...

Better to put it on early and let target temp rise than to wait for target temp and then
mess around with opening, sending oxygen into the coals, putting on meat, arranging, blah
and then closing the lid... by this time your target temp is lost and likely to get outta whack.

[Dogstar 43]

Once you've used your kamado for a while, you'll get used to the heat on both the dome and the body of the kamado - when it's ready.  I typically lightly put my hand on both the dome and body, each for just a moment.  If there is a significant difference, or when the body is way cooler than the dome, the kamado is not heat soaked through and through.  Or put another way, it's still coming up to temperature.  When it's heat soaked, the dome and the upper part of the body will feel similar with regard to temperature.  That said, if you're cooking something that needs super hot temps, like pizza, use some discretion.

[Paul in AZ 31]

2 hours ago, Grill_Boy said:

So I never wait for the target temp before putting on my meats ...

 

I have also started putting meat in early.  Opening up and putting in relatively cold [air temp] meat is bound to befuddle a previously stable temp.

 

Meat goes on when about half way or more to the target temp and I regulate vents carefully as it creeps close to the target temp.

[len440 509]

I wait about 45 min for the grill to get to temp the it only takes about 1 min to plop the meat on and close the lid. I have everything ready to go before I open the dome. I do get a slight temp drop but that's the air temp in the grill I don't touch the events for at least 1/2 hour after. If your meat is real cold(it shouldn't be) it might take longer.

[dman 1,763]

Big Joe or Classic, light and wait 10 minutes with dome closed and bottom and top vents wide open, put in deflector and grates, 20 minutes more to come to desired temp, add meat, drink beer or beverage of choice. Repeat beer or beverage until done. 

[Grill_Boy 492]

4 hours ago, Paul in AZ said:

I have also started putting meat in early.  Opening up and putting in relatively cold [air temp] meat is bound to befuddle a previously stable temp.

 

Meat goes on when about half way or more to the target temp and I regulate vents carefully as it creeps close to the target temp.

 

Tempe ?...  hey neighbor... I'm down the street in Ahwatukee - !!

[Charles88 0]

Had it again today grill at temp for an hour open it up add meat- 15 mins later it’s jumped up 70f just can’t work out why it’s doing it 

[len440 509]

What are your vent settings and how are you lighting the charcoal and how much are you lighting I use 1 starter cube broken in half

[jtemple 64]

If you're targeting 250, you want to only light one spot in the center of your coals. If you light too many spots, I imagine the added oxygen when you open the lid might spike the temperature.

 

Here's what I do:

1. Light one spot in center of coals (I use a Looftlighter).
2. Leave the lid open for a few minutes while things get going. I use that time to drag out the heat deflectors, slo roller, smoking wood, or whatever else I plan on using.
3. Add smoking wood, slo roller, and grates.
4. Close lid and top/bottom vents to approximately where they should be for the target temp (this gets easier the more you use your grill).
5. Prep the meat while the temperature stabilizes at or very near your target.
6. Put the meat on. At this point, the temp inside drops, because you've opened the lid.
7. Wait, and don't muck with the vents, unless the temperature spikes too high.
8. Babysit the grill for a little while until the temp stabilizes.

The whole process takes about an hour.

[Charles88 0]

Maybe it’s the starter cubes I have started to add 2 instead of one to speed things up and this has coincided with this phenomenon 

 

thanks I will go back to one and follow the above steps tomorrow 

[Nnank76 165]

Ive started closing the bottom vent when opening to put meat on or check during a cook. That was a tip I found on a thread here somewhere.

 

If I dont, the temp always seems to creep up, and then the temptation to fiddle with the vents sets in........

[jtemple 64]

My temp drops when I put the meat on, and then comes back up to the target. If I'm doing a low & slow, I don't ever check the meat during the cook.

 

@Nnank76Maybe in Australia the temp goes up instead of down; kind of like how the toilets circulate water the opposite direction.