Bullseye Temp Swings - First Cook

[DCRoyal]

Hey all -

First post here. Just purchased a bullseye to replace my gas grill - not going to use as my primary smoker but wanted to try it out today to get a hang of it.

Did my burn off - temps came and held 400 pretty steady for an hour.

Doing a test chuck/poor man’s brisket and trying to set at 225 bc I have a drip pan underneath - expecting a lower run - anywhere near 200 is fine for me - using my MEATER for the ambient and internal temps.

Issue is (and I’ve noticed this may be a first run problem but it’s been two hours now) - shot way past 225 to near 350. Then dropped to 120ish - back to 350, down to 120. Now on its fourth cycle of this. I don’t mind learning - usually do it with a chuck roast bc the fam will eat it as long as it’s not awful - but are these swings for this long normal for a first cook? Or should I be doing something different.

Thanks!

 

[DCRoyal]

Also should mention my MEATER ambien prob is running a pretty consistent -25 to the bullseye display temp - so I’m pretty happy w that.

 

[DCRoyal]

Update: just got an R-2 error…

 

[C. Keeper]

Update: just got an R-2 error…

Temp is below 175 or failed to light

 

[DCRoyal]

Temp is below 175 or failed to light

Yeah - thank you. I just took everything out - auger is working, fan is working and ignition is definitely working. Maybe there was a jam - but didn’t seem like it. This poor Chuck roast doesn’t know what’s going on.

 

[DCRoyal]

Another update - removed everything as I mentioned above - still experiencing the wild swings and won’t hold a temp.

 

[C. Keeper]

Another update - removed everything as I mentioned above - still experiencing the wild swings and won’t hold a temp.

Have you called Recteq?

 

[DCRoyal]

Have you called Recteq?

Not yet - trying to troubleshoot as it’s my first cook - I feel like it has to be something I’m doing. Especially bc yesterday the burn off set to 400 and stayed no problem.

 

[DCRoyal]

Have you called Recteq?

Btw thanks for replying. Appreciate it.

 

[C. Keeper]

Not yet - trying to troubleshoot as it’s my first cook - I feel like it has to be something I’m doing. Especially bc yesterday the burn off set to 400 and stayed no problem.

The Bullseye is a different animal, cantankerous.

 

[DCRoyal]

The Bullseye is a different animal, cantankerous.

I can tell. I’m sure I’ll figure it out - why I started with a $20 cut (which now probably has twice as much smoke as it needs for the time it’s been in - and not the good kind either)

 

[C. Keeper]

I can tell. I’m sure I’ll figure it out - why I started with a $20 cut.

Good thinking!

 

[DCRoyal]

Another update - it finally came to temp, probably three hours in and has stayed a consistent 225. I may have had an auger jam - after o cleared everything out it did another two or three wild swings and settled down.

 

[Pops]

I would call RT, I have a Bullseye and it is not nearly as stable as my 590. It will shoot past temp and settle in maybe. You just need to keep your eye on it as it will fluctuate.
That being said, I use it mainly for hot and fast, so it is really not an issue for me.

 

[jasonbr1975]

I experienced high temp issues mainly when it was new. It’s now over 1.5 yrs old and stays steady. I think over time it just learns how to work. I use mine mainly for chicken, ribs, pork steaks, etc and the occasional 1/2 brisket. It’s not an ideal low and slow cooker.
Oh, and it flames out at times. Just gotta watch it more than a traditional low and slow deal.

 

[Gilmore]

I experienced the same fluctuation when my Bullseye was new. It tood about 5 cooks for it to stabilize. At the lowere temps it runs about 25 degrees high. So, I use the LO temp for anything I want to smoke. I bought a case iron griddle and use a laser temp (Klein) monitor. That measures temp about 25 to 30 degrees higher than the bullseye temp.
As a side note, I cleaned my firepot after the first 5 cooks, with a shop vac. Since then no cleaning at all. I have cooked 30+ times with no start-up problems. I did turn off the grill too soon and had to restart. Again no problem. I don't recommend that, but so far restarted without incident.
Love the bullseye, especially for searing steaks.

 

[Dkouri]

Hey all -

First post here. Just purchased a bullseye to replace my gas grill - not going to use as my primary smoker but wanted to try it out today to get a hang of it.

Did my burn off - temps came and held 400 pretty steady for an hour.

Doing a test chuck/poor man’s brisket and trying to set at 225 bc I have a drip pan underneath - expecting a lower run - anywhere near 200 is fine for me - using my MEATER for the ambient and internal temps.

Issue is (and I’ve noticed this may be a first run problem but it’s been two hours now) - shot way past 225 to near 350. Then dropped to 120ish - back to 350, down to 120. Now on its fourth cycle of this. I don’t mind learning - usually do it with a chuck roast bc the fam will eat it as long as it’s not awful - but are these swings for this long normal for a first cook? Or should I be doing something different.

Thanks!

How fresh and what kind of pellets are you using? This happened to me once due to older pellets being in the hopper. Needed to burn through the older ones then the temp held solid.

 

[Bradman]

I had the same Temp swing problems. After a lot of trial and error and watching way too many YouTube videos, I changed the auger speed to 7.0. That seems to have done the trick. It now holds a consistent temp even after opening the lid.