The BBQ Guru and Caldera Smoker User Discussion Forums

[BBQ Bob Trudnak]

Important: The Ramp Mode does NOT ramp the pit up in temperature. It ramps the pit temperature down proportionally as needed when your "meat done" temperature reaches within 25° of DONE, therefore your meat will NOT overcook. Consider this a "Cook and Hold" feature.
The low-and-slow Ramp Mode works by measuring the temperature inside the meat, comparing it to the meat setpoint and adjusting the pit temperature setpoint to make sure your meat doesn’t get overdone. As the meat gets hotter, the pit temperature is ramped down to make sure that your meat is cooking low and slow. This is the perfect cooking strategy for large cuts of meat such as briskets, pork butts, roasts, etc. which should be cooked at low internal temperatures for long periods of time.

To activate the low-and-slow Ramp Mode, with The BBQ GURU powered off, set the meat setpoint to any temperature (other than off). Then press the power button. On the low-and-slow temperature plot below, notice that as the meat temperature rises, The BBQ GURU causes the pit temperature to fall. It is important to note that when the low-and-slow Ramp Mode is enabled, the pit setpoint knob may not agree with the pit display. This is because The BBQ GURU is automatically lowering the pit setpoint to keep your meat at the proper internal temperature. The temperature that you see flashing on the control’s pit display is the actual pit temperature that has been calculated by the control. When the control senses that the meat has reached the target temperature, the alarm sounds. At this point you can silence the alarm and continue cooking or hold at this temperature. You can also turn the meat control down to hold at an even lower temperature, until guests arrive, etc. This is a great feature for slow cooks or completed rapid cooks.

While using the BBQ Guru in the low-and-slow Ramp Mode, it is possible to start your cook at a higher than normal temperature such as 275°F-300°F to accelerate your low-and-slow cook without compromising moisture, tenderness and flavor. The BBQ Guru will lower the pit temperature as needed to maintain and never exceed your meat done set point. This is a very effective cooking strategy when time is of the essence.

[texanx5]

Which models is this ramp available on. Is it only on the upper end products?

[bigbuddy]

I think it's just on the Competitor and ProCom 4...is that right?

[Drunk_J]

[BBQ Bob Trudnak]

Yes, that is correct. The Pit Minder is the only one without Ramp Mode

bob

[RexFlyer]

How does ramp mode affect cook time? I plan to do a brisket in a BGE and normally I'd use 2hrs/lb. The ramp mode would kick in just as the meat enters the long plateau. Will this greatly extend the cook time?

[Drunk_J]

[himynameischuck]

I've been having problems with burning through a load of charcoal too quickly in ramp mode. Meaningly, I run out of lump before my pork shoulder is done. Any advice?
_________________
Team Ramsey
Pulaski Heights BBQ
Five and Ten

[Drunk_J]

[himynameischuck]

I generally use BGE or Cowboy lump and can usually hold a temp of 200-225 for twenty four hours when not in ramp mode. If I start ramp mode at 300 with a meat set temp of 180-190, I seem to burn through the lump before my meat is done.
As an aside, I did a pork shoulder for 24 hours at 225 this past week and still had a 1/4 of a load of BGE lump left over, which I thought was pretty impressive.
_________________
Team Ramsey
Pulaski Heights BBQ
Five and Ten

[Drunk_J]