Gasket Replacement Time [Primo Grill]

[Sea Six]

Well, it finally happened to me. Not sure how, but the temperature got away during my last chicken grillin'. Cooked the gasket along with the chicken.

I ordered the fix-it-once-fix-it-for-good gasket. Cyber, have you done this one already? Any tips and suggestions?

Smart remarks are, as always, also welcome.

[Cybercowboy]

Yeah, I did it a few years ago. It's really easy. I took the lid off by removing the band tightening screws. That makes it a lot easier. Just follow the instructions in this thread.

I fried my factory gasket doing a high-temp pizza cook. It doesn't take much to ruin the factory gasket, happens to everyone eventually it seems. Before I fried mine, it had a few burned places from other incidents.

[Sea Six]

How hot can you get the grill with the new gasket?

[Cybercowboy]

How hot can you get the grill with the new gasket?

I think that gasket can take temps of something like 2000 degrees Celsius. You'd melt the copper silicone adhesive before you'd damage the gasket. The system can easily withstand temps higher than the grill is able to generate. At the end of that thread BBQInMainiac says that he's never heard of a single incident of a properly installed gasket failing.

[Sea Six]

What's the hottest temperature you've seen on your Primo?

[Cybercowboy]

What's the hottest temperature you've seen on your Primo?

About 700. Could have got it hotter.

[Sea Six]

What do you do at those temps?

[Cybercowboy]

What do you do at those temps?

Nothing other than sear steaks. Sometimes I get it too hot when I set the vents wide open to sear. It will sear fine at 500 or so with the grate set as low as possible (feet up.) When I do skirt steak I don't even use a grate at all. I get the coals red hot and put the skirt steak directly on the coals, with the lid open and the bottom vent wide open the whole time. After about 3 minutes I flip it, 3 more minutes done and rest and slice against grain. The first time I did this my friends there thought I was nuts but all agreed it turned out awesome. I saw Alton Brown do this once on one of his old shows.

[Sea Six]

I thought you also cooked pizzas at those extreme temps.

[RED-85-Z51]

http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/r3xLvh0B3YA/0.jpg

[Cybercowboy]

I thought you also cooked pizzas at those extreme temps.

You can but I don't. 550 or so is what I last cooked a pizza at, using the Primo pizza stone and a pizza screen. I haven't made pizza since I went on my low-carb diet last spring.

[syf350]

Nothing other than sear steaks. Sometimes I get it too hot when I set the vents wide open to sear. It will sear fine at 500 or so with the grate set as low as possible (feet up.) When I do skirt steak I don't even use a grate at all. I get the coals red hot and put the skirt steak directly on the coals, with the lid open and the bottom vent wide open the whole time. After about 3 minutes I flip it, 3 more minutes done and rest and slice against grain. The first time I did this my friends there thought I was nuts but all agreed it turned out awesome. I saw Alton Brown do this once on one of his old shows.

how long doe sit take you to get to the 500 for the sear? and when getting there, do you have lid up or down?

I always seem to have a hard time getting there and dont think it should take so long. I even leave the digiq fan on with the probe out so it's going full blast. still takes at least 1/2 hour.

[Sea Six]

how long doe sit take you to get to the 500 for the sear? and when getting there, do you have lid up or down?

I always seem to have a hard time getting there and dont think it should take so long. I even leave the digiq fan on with the probe out so it's going full blast. still takes at least 1/2 hour.

Me too. Same problem.

Maybe I'm not lighting the fire properly.

[Cybercowboy]

how long doe sit take you to get to the 500 for the sear? and when getting there, do you have lid up or down?

I always seem to have a hard time getting there and dont think it should take so long. I even leave the digiq fan on with the probe out so it's going full blast. still takes at least 1/2 hour.

I never use the fan controller when just cooking a steak or anything else using the reverse sear. It's not that critical to maintain a perfect temperature. Generally when I take the meat off for the first rest, I just open up both vents, make sure the grill on the left side is feet-up (close to the fire as possible), close the lid, and wait about 7-10 minutes and it's blazing. If you can't go to 250 to 500+ in 10 minutes with the vents wide open, your grill must be clogged up or something is very wrong.

If you are using the controller for the 250 part (nothing wrong with that, but I don't bother), take it off before you do the sear part. All that air being forced is just cooling things down more than anything else.

The only time I use the fan controller is when I'm cooking something low-and-slow, especially when I'm not going to be around for a few hours or overnight. If I'm going to be home and can check on it from time to time, manual vent manipulation is no big deal. If I'm doing something like ribs, which take about 5 hours, the only thing I do "technical" is put a thermocouple probe down near where the meat is and go by that pit temp instead of the dome thermometer which is just kinda a rough idea sorta thing.

And never use temperature probes where they come near open flame or temps about 400 or so, you'll kill them dead.

[Cybercowboy]

When I open the top and bottom vent, it looks like this.

(I know, it needs to be cleaned LOL and it is blurry because I suck at taking pictures)

If you have the daisy wheel top vent, can you open it like mine is?

http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx125/Cybercowboy1961/null_zpsfcd68e4a.jpg

http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx125/Cybercowboy1961/null_zps09bee0ff.jpg

[Sea Six]

Yes to both.

[syf350]

I never use the fan controller when just cooking a steak or anything else using the reverse sear. It's not that critical to maintain a perfect temperature. Generally when I take the meat off for the first rest, I just open up both vents, make sure the grill on the left side is feet-up (close to the fire as possible), close the lid, and wait about 7-10 minutes and it's blazing. If you can't go to 250 to 500+ in 10 minutes with the vents wide open, your grill must be clogged up or something is very wrong.

If you are using the controller for the 250 part (nothing wrong with that, but I don't bother), take it off before you do the sear part. All that air being forced is just cooling things down more than anything else.

The only time I use the fan controller is when I'm cooking something low-and-slow, especially when I'm not going to be around for a few hours or overnight. If I'm going to be home and can check on it from time to time, manual vent manipulation is no big deal. If I'm doing something like ribs, which take about 5 hours, the only thing I do "technical" is put a thermocouple probe down near where the meat is and go by that pit temp instead of the dome thermometer which is just kinda a rough idea sorta thing.

And never use temperature probes where they come near open flame or temps about 400 or so, you'll kill them dead.

I'll try that next time, but no, I have definitely never been able to get to the sear in less than half hour. I am pretty good, or at least i thought i was, about keeping asshes out of the way and having good air flow. I'll go through it pretty good before the next time and see how it goes.

[Cybercowboy]

Oh, and guys, when I sear I do not care about the dome temp at all. I don't even look at it unless by accident. I look for sparks flying out the top vent, and when I open it up I look for a red hot bed of coals that flames up with the lid open. That's all you need for sear. The internal temp of the overall cooker matters not. For reverse sear I usually am only searing about 90 seconds or so per side and don't even close the lid during that part usually.

[Cybercowboy]

I'll try that next time, but no, I have definitely never been able to get to the sear in less than half hour. I am pretty good, or at least i thought i was, about keeping asshes out of the way and having good air flow. I'll go through it pretty good before the next time and see how it goes.

Hell, I'm not all that careful at all. Heck, just leave the lid open and the bottom vent fully open. If can't get super hot coals in 10 minutes or less, I don't know what to tell you other than change the type of charcoal you are using. I like Ozark Oak but have used Royal Oak lump and Primo lump with no issues. Cowboy brand sold at Lowes Depot is crappy but still works OK, it just is light-weight and has a bunch of crap in it. Ozark Oak is pretty much the perfect lump if you can find it.

Now keep in mind, I'm talking about reverse sear here. The coals are already fully going gangbusters, maintaining a 250 pit temp, before I open the vents up. If you are starting from scratch and want to get a super hot fire going as quickly as possible, just get the fire lit and blow air down into the lit spots with a blow dryer or something like that. I use a Looftlighter to light my fires, and it blows hot air to do that. I get it going good, maybe you are just barely lighting it?

Heck, light it with a propane or MAPP torch, then blow some air on it with a blow dryer. You'll bet at super high temps in under 5 minutes. :lol:

[Cybercowboy]

Last night I cooked chicken, indirect, at about 400 degrees. I lit the fire with the Looftligher (half fire box of lump obviously) and had it up around 375 or so within about 15 minutes and I wasn't trying to get it going fast really. And it was in the low-40s outside too.

[Sea Six]

Oh, and guys, when I sear I do not care about the dome temp at all. I don't even look at it unless by accident. I look for sparks flying out the top vent, and when I open it up I look for a red hot bed of coals that flames up with the lid open. That's all you need for sear. The internal temp of the overall cooker matters not. For reverse sear I usually am only searing about 90 seconds or so per side and don't even close the lid during that part usually.

Oh, ok. I thought you did all this with the dome temp set over 700 degrees and with the lid down.

[Cybercowboy]

Oh, ok. I thought you did all this with the dome temp set over 700 degrees and with the lid down.

I thought you guys knew about fire and shit! This is caveman stuff here. :rofl:

[Cybercowboy]

One more thing about fan controllers. Let's say you want to use it to cook at 250 for ribs or butts. Don't just light the charcoal and hook it up. No! Bad! You can, but it's not smart. Why? Because you'll likely just cause too big of a fire to start with, and it could go out when it overshoots wildly.

What I do is let the temps come up with both vents wide open. When it hits about 175 dome temp start closing them down. Set your controller to 250 and get it all ready, just don't plug the fan in yet or connect it to the grill. Keep closing the vents down so it goes up somewhat slowly to about 230 or so. Try to make it take at least 5 minutes to go from 175 to 230. Then connect the fan, plug it in, and close the top vent almost completely.

That's how you do it. The fan should blow some air but not all the time. Anytime the fan is blowing full on without stopping, that's not really what you ever want. I typically will just yank it off the grill if it is doing that and let the pit temp rise naturally with the vents open somewhat. When you hear the fan cycle down to about 70% or less duty cycle, reconnect to the grill.

[syf350]

Hell, I'm not all that careful at all. Heck, just leave the lid open and the bottom vent fully open. If can't get super hot coals in 10 minutes or less, I don't know what to tell you other than change the type of charcoal you are using. I like Ozark Oak but have used Royal Oak lump and Primo lump with no issues. Cowboy brand sold at Lowes Depot is crappy but still works OK, it just is light-weight and has a bunch of crap in it. Ozark Oak is pretty much the perfect lump if you can find it.

Now keep in mind, I'm talking about reverse sear here. The coals are already fully going gangbusters, maintaining a 250 pit temp, before I open the vents up. If you are starting from scratch and want to get a super hot fire going as quickly as possible, just get the fire lit and blow air down into the lit spots with a blow dryer or something like that. I use a Looftlighter to light my fires, and it blows hot air to do that. I get it going good, maybe you are just barely lighting it?

Heck, light it with a propane or MAPP torch, then blow some air on it with a blow dryer. You'll bet at super high temps in under 5 minutes. :lol:

allright, damnit...you're frying my brain. lid open or closed to get from 250 to sear temp? :willy:

[Cybercowboy]

allright, damnit...you're frying my brain. lid open or closed to get from 250 to sear temp? :willy:

It.

Doesn't.

Matter!

Either way will work. Leaving the lid open will probably do it faster but either way works. Forget the dome temp, just get the coals hot and even. Doesn't have to be surface of the sun you know.

[syf350]

got it

[syf350]

Cooked 2 one and a half pound porterhouse steaks tonight. Left the fan in the box. First time ever. Got it to 242 and held it. Cooked to 108. Opened everything up and had it to 500 in about 20 minutes. First time not using the fan for the whole cook. Did wonders for my confidence. :cheers: