Favorite BGE tips

Morro Bay Rich

Eggecutioner,
Or even cheaper: A large coffee can with "Church Key" holes poked in aroung the sides at the top.

Dos Huevos

Let me add a VERY important corollary:[p]That rain cap gets SOME KIND OF HOT!!! Do NOT touch it. [p]That is all...[p]

Morro Bay Rich

gdenby,[p]Sorry, you don't qualify as an "Old Married Guy". Try 64 yrs old married 43 yrs (to the same person, BTW).[p]Ever been 6 hrs late cooking a Thanksgiving turkey on a Weber with the outside temperature of 27 degrees, a wind blowing 20 mph and burlay bags draped all over the kettle trying to keep it warm? Now if you have, try doing this as the invited turkey cook at a friend's house for his 15 guests. REAL "Old Married Guys" understand humiliation, big time.[p]Once you've experienced the scorn and shame associated with the above, only then can you join the "Old Married Guy" Club.[p]Morro Bay "Hiding in Shame" Rich

Morro Bay Rich

Dos Huevos,
Yeah, it gets REAL hot. Actually hot enough to cook huevos on it.

Morro Bay Rich

J Appledog,
If you ae reading all these tips, YOU ARE AN ADDICT (as are the rest of us).[p]Morro Bay "How will I remember all these" Rich

Morro Bay Rich

Sandbagger,[p]PLAN B: "I need another Egg. Just wait until you see what I can do then."[p]Morro Bay "Still nursing the bruises" Rich

Retired RailRoader

J Appledog,
Always use a good brand of lump and avoid any Royal Oak that is made in South America. Mix chunks of hickory or whatever wood you are using, throughout the lump for an all night cook.

duckegg

J Appledog,
Burp it.[p]Use your old Weber Kettle to store BGE gear.

thirdeye

J Appledog,[p]Here are a coupla more tips.[p]Get in the habit of recording the details of your cooks in a log or journal so you can duplicate your favorite cooks. Keep track of the type of product, seasonings, preparation, cooking temperatures and times, basting, type of sauce etc. Be sure to accept any comments and criticism with an open mind. If you need to make changes, don’t adjust too many things at once. Change one or two things at a time.[p]It's easy to get carried away with seasoning. The goal is to compliment the flavor of the meat, without overpowering it. For a flavor baseline, barbecue a half-rack of meaty spare ribs with just a little sea salt and cracked pepper. When selecting rubs, try out a few good quality commercial rubs because they will be much fresher and have a more balanced flavor than grocery store rubs. If you make your own rubs, buy spices from a spice company and replenish your supply at least twice a year. Explore marinades, basting liquids and injections too. Experiment to find the flavor combinations that you like.[p]If you are into saucing, DON’T apply sauces too early during the cook, wait until the end or serve them at the table.[p]~thirdeye~[p][p]

thirdeye

J Appledog,[p]I think these may be my last tips....[p]For your first few (like six or eight) overnight cooks, don't feel like you are obligated to cook at temperatures less than 250° at the grate. Lo-n-slo barbecuing is a good thing but it takes time to master. There are way too many posts that start out with something like "Help...my fire went out last night".[p]Secondly, don't worry about getting a good smoke ring. When it happens, we all like to show off and point it out to the guests, but remember it has no special flavor. [p]Third, learn technique not just recipes. Once you master technique, you can develop your own recipes.[p]Lastly, when in doubt ask. And don't be afraid to share what you know. That's what BBQ forums are all about. It's how we all learn. [p]~thirdeye~

BobS

thirdeye,
I think the comment about learning techniques is right on!! You need to be in touch with your cooking. If you are a slave to time and temp, you are going to be disapointed sooner or later.

fishlessman

J Appledog,
get to know your butcher

Unknown

J Appledog,
sorry if this has already been mentioned. I aint got time to read all the other suggestions. Mine would be: don't be afraid to experiment and make a recipe yours. Its hard to mess something up with the egg. Try new twists to recipes and fix'em up the way you like.

fishlessman

<p />J Appledog,
you need a heat barrier between your egg and wood, the little feet are not enough. as with any grill you should have a fire extinguisher nearby

BOBF

TUSK,[p]Also, your absolute worst screw up will probably be an improvement over what the dog eats now.

Dos Huevos

BOBF,[p]Unless that screw up is burning a batch of taters and carrots that were to go in with the corned beef, so you threw them into the woods and your dog-in-law chased out there and ate them all![p]Then, you'll be cleaning up HUGE piles of orange vomit for the foreseeable future.[p]

BOBF

Dos Huevos,[p]I did that with shrimp heads once. Just threw them on a vacant lot in August in Houston. The dogs found them and then came home. BTW, the WGCB is great. I wish I had bought more at Eggtoberfest. Thanks.

Charbon

J Appledog,
Here goes. You don't need to do complete clean but once per year
Cooking at 350 or above can be done with tilted rain cap if you are too lazy to get out wheel. Wok ladle makes excellent tool for stiring old lump before adding new to each cook. Should be able to burn all pieces thus keeping hands clean.
Wood chunks designed for cooking are good for smoking wood.
Get another temp guage and use it to check calibration on the one you are using put away your boiling pot.

BOBF

J Appledog,[p]Those heavy plastic milk cartons (approx 12"X12"x12") are a great sorter for new or used lump. The holes in the bottom are 1" square so you may want to sort over a screen with 1/2" or 3/4" holes to capture some of the smaller pieces that will go through the 1" squares. But the carton is good for the first sort and the waste is not too bad even if you throw the small stuff away.

mikeb6109

Charbon ,
if your gonna want multiple eggs...become a dealer wife will ask less and expect many eggs and accessories,then one might not want to forget to stock up on the dizzy pig.dealer part saves me lots of begging.....honey i need to test this one out for a custumer!!!! its working for me so far!!

J Appledog

fishlessman, I learned that one the hard way also. Burned up my favorite J.K. Adams BBQ board. JCA