Bringing down cooking temp from 350 to 225

[captgadget]

So I grilled a pound of bacon at 350˚ and after that, I wanted to do a tri-tip at 225˚. And whenever I try to reduce the temp I find it very difficult to maintain the temp at 225˚. The temp at one point went to like 175˚ so I shut the grill down and restarted. Then I finally go to maintain. Am I asking too much of the grill for this type of task?

 

[patstock11]

from my experience it really takes time for it to settle out...i have the 1300 and if i went from 350 to 225 it'd probably take at the very least a half hour maybe 45 mins to see a nice steady 225

 

[MidwestSmoker]

It works much better if you do it in stages. Try lowering it first to 300 and then dropping it to 225. The more steps the better.

 

[captgadget]

Thank you! That pretty much confirms what I was seeing!

 

[captgadget]

Thanks MidwestSmoker. I'll give that a try the next time.

 

[RayClem]

I normally, adjust my IW885 in steps of 50F whether I am moving up or down. That allows the controller to work without overshooting excessively.

I normally ignite my grill with a temp setting of 225F. If I want to cook at 400 F (pizza for example), when the temperature reaches 200F, I will bump the controller up to 275F. Then when it reaches 250F, I bump the controller to 325F. I keep doing this until I reach 400F in the cooking chamber which for my grill requires a controller setting of 450F.

If dropping the temperature from 400F to 225F, I would do something similar, but I would occasionally lift the lid to allow heat to escape to lower the temperature more quickly. By changing the controller setpoint in increments, you will decrease the possibility of overshooting, either high or low.

 

[midwest]

Seems like with those times it would be quicker to shut it off and let it go through the cool down cycle and then restart it.

 

[lvlnbrhd]

So I grilled a pound of bacon at 350˚ and after that, I wanted to do a tri-tip at 225˚. And whenever I try to reduce the temp I find it very difficult to maintain the temp at 225˚. The temp at one point went to like 175˚ so I shut the grill down and restarted. Then I finally go to maintain. Am I asking too much of the grill for this type of task?

Welcome to Traeger!!! I have nothing but issues trying to hold temp. I have had as much as 220 degree swings, yes it has gone 220 degrees above my setting. After multiple phone calls to Traeger support and parts replaced over a 3 month period I moved on. FYI, Traeger knows this issue and refused to give me a new grill. Keep in mind This grill was brand new. I suggest you sell your Traeger and buy a RecTeq. Since I’ve had my RecTeq I have had no problems. Temp swings are always within 5 degrees. They have a 6 year warranty and the whole inside is stainless steel. Very good quality.