Space Dilemma

midwestsmoker

I think I have a space dilemma. I will be doing some ribs this weekend and would like to try some ABT's for an appetizer. I have only 1 egg and I would like some advice on how to accomplish this. Today being Thursday only gives me 2 days if it requires buying a second egg which I don't want to do at this time.

nolaegghead

You can buy a generic round grate and some bricks to use a spacers from a hardware store.  Create a second level you'll increase your cooking area.

Or, you can buy one of a number of grates made specifically for this purpose such as a swing grate.

Budgeezer

Another option is to get the ribs cooked then FTC, then proceed with the ABT's.

lousubcap

+1 with Budgeezer.  ABT's willl take 30-45 mins tops-raised grid direct at around 375+/-.

JerkChicken

Yea you probably need to cook these separately since they require about 100 degree difference in temp. This hardly merits running out to buy a second egg (unless you're looking for an excuse). Do what Budgeezer said.

midwestsmoker

Such good ideas. My only concern about the foil is they will continue to cook, I am doing the 3-2-1 since my sister and wife prefer (fall off the bone) so maybe I will be ok. Looking about 1 - 1 1/2 hours after ribs come off before we eat, I should be ok, hugh ?..............As far as the second egg, wife doesn't care but I'm not sure what size I want. Planning on another large but I am not prepared for it yet however a small or a mini would be easy to maneuver around........Thank you for the comments so far.

nolaegghead

You can also do the 2-1 (of the 3-2-1) in the kitchen oven, and free the egg up for the ABTs.

Little Steven

You could do the ABT's ahead and reheat, they are actually better the second day.

midwestsmoker

Holly Crap, my wife had an idea. Ribs 3 hours on the grill, pull ribs and foil them. Now here is where it gets tricky, before I foil the ribs and put them back on I can pull the plate setter and put the ABT's on and but the temp just a litte. When the ABT's are done I can put the plate setter back in, this will drop the temp some, then finish the rib cook. Dang, I need an aspirin and a drink, way to much thinking.

chrisnjenn

or go to Target/Walmart/HD/Lowe's and buy a Weber Smokey Joe for $15-20.  While I love my Eggs, I like my Webers almost as much.  God forbid I also like my Weber Q 320 gasser.

Each smoker/grill has their purpose.

Hillbilly-Hightech

For Labor Day, I ended up cooking a bunch of different things which "required" different temps.  Short of buying several Eggs, or constantly adjusting the Egg and removing / adding foods, I just sort of "averaged" the temps, and did several things together. 

Here is what I cooked on the Egg: 

1. Lasagna
   
2. Stuffed Mushrooms
3. Chicken Wings
4. Chicken Legs
5. French Fries

As you can see, most of these foods are very different from one another, and require different cooking times & temps, but here's how I did it:  Because the lasagna needed the longest cooking time (2 hrs), I put it in the Egg first.  Since it was a frozen lasagna, it had instructions on the box.  I think it said something like 2 hrs @ 350, or something like that. 

After removing the lasagna, I then added the chicken wings, leaving space to add 2 firebricks, and placed a smaller grid on top of the bricks.  I then put the mushrooms on the smaller grid. 

Every 7-8 minutes I went out to flip the wings so they wouldn't char.  While I had the dome up, I'd check on the 'shrooms.  After several trips out to flip the wings, I determined the 'shrooms were done, and took them off.  After I took them off, I added some frozen French fries to a wok-type "bowl" (basically, a metal bowl w/ holes in it), and placed that on the smaller grid. 

Now, every time I went out to check on the wings, I removed the bowl & smaller grid to make it easier for me to get to the chicken (so I wouldn't have to keep trying to reach around & under that setup), and I also tossed the fries to spread them around inside the bowl.  Once the wings were flipped, I'd add back the smaller grid & bowl.

Once the wings were ready to come off, I opened the dome, removed the fries & smaller grid again for ease, and removed the wings.  I then placed the chicken legs on the same grid where the wings were, and then put the smaller grid back on the bricks, then the bowl w/ the fries on the smaller grid.  I then repeated the 7-8 minute drill of going out & flipping the legs, along w/ tossing the fries.  While these things were cooking, we were enjoying the lasagna, wings, and shrooms.  Eventually the fries were done so I removed them, then not too long after (maybe 5-7 minutes), the legs were done. 

I did ALL of this with 1 Egg at a constant temp of around 350-ish, one-right-after-the-other, even though some of the other foods called for a different temp (I believe the fries called for a temp of 400, I think, and the shrooms called for a different temp as well). 

The difference was that I just let the foods which called for a higher temp cook longer, is all.  For the most part, temps are guides, NOT written in stone.  For instance, a recipe might call for a temp of 400 at 45 minutes.  However, you can also cook the same food at a temp of 350 for a longer time, perhaps an hour. 

Granted, there are a few recipes where temps and/or time are imperative, like when you have to get to a certain temp for a chemical reaction in the food to take place, or for rendering, etc.  But those are usually the exceptions, and not the rule.  

The point to take away from my post is that, it's all food, it'll cook, and to not over think it or make it overly complicated.  :-B

HTH,

HH

midwestsmoker

Thanks Chris, that is an inexpensive option

midwestsmoker

Mr. High tech, one of my thoughts were to place the ABT's around the outside of the grate so they cooked direct, temp would still be a little lower than suggested but similar to what you are talking about as far as time. With my grid extender I believe I can pull that off. .......thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.......I will post pics for all to see.