To provide a recording unit capable of executing the optimum preliminary ejection for improving the recovery effect of an ink jet recording head, and to provide a method for controlling the preliminary ejection.

Preliminary ejection is executed at the time of recording with an ink jet recording head by detecting the temperature of the ink jet recording head, determining the driving pulse to be applied to the ink jet recording head according to the detection result, and driving the ink jet recording head by the determined driving pulse. The temperature detection of the ink jet recording is executed, the driving pulse for the preliminary ejection is updated according to the detected temperature by a predetermined time interval, and the preliminary ejection is executed using the updated driving pulse.