My first cook on the new egg

KickapooBBQ

I put the egg together yesterday in 25 degree weather. I usually burn chicken on the gas grill, so I panicked when the dome temp was reading 500 deg. I was able to get the temp down to 400 but had difficulty keeping it below that. To my astonishment, the chicken turned out great. Crispy skin, moist...EVEN an idiot like me can't screw up on the egg. The wife was impressed!!!!
Tonight burgers, asparagus, and romaine hearts.
Any easy tricks to keep temp below 400, I'm having trouble working the air flow.

AZRP

Light your Egg then close the lid, leave the daisy off and the bottom vent door wide open. The temp will climb slowly at first and then really speed up as it passes 300 degrees. When the temp hits around 475 set the daisy on top with the small petal holes all the way open and the large slider hole shut. Give it a few minutes and the temp will drop down and settle in at 350. Let it stabilize there until the white smoke is gone. Now close the bottom vent down to about a quarter inch open and add your food. -RP

ILL--EGGER

Kickapoo,
Congrats on the first cook! What are you useing to start your fire? I have found that makes a differance in how fast or slow my temp. starts to rise. Paper towel with cooking oil burns hotter and faster and the fire starter blocks tend to go alot slower but more control if your going 350 and under. Also, I assume you start the egg with no daisy on top or atleast it's wide open if on there and the bottom wide open, I keep the screen closed but the slider open full. If your shooting for 350 temp. I would start closeing down the bottom only nearly 3/4 of the way closed then wait to see where your temp. starts to "settle in" at. If it keeps climbing then you have to adjust the top a bit and also back down your bottom slider more. Be sure to let it burn clear smoke and a stable temp. for 10min. or so until you get a better feel for things. Also, be sure to calibrate that dome temp. probe by checking it in boiling water on the stove, should read 212 and just adjust the nut on the back until it does read that if it's out of whack.
Post some pic's of your cook tonight!

ILL--EGGER

I'll have to give this method a try myself AZRP. I'm always learing on this forum!

Grandpas Grub

KickapooBBQ,

It will take a little time to get used to establishing and holding a good steady temp. It is easy to do and most new users will keep fiddling and chasing temps.

When lighting and climbing to your desired temp begin to close down the lower and upper vents. Work up to the desired temp. You will find it hard to cool down to a temp, especially a low temp.

For 250° on my large, your lower vent will be about 1/8" open and top vent, slider will be closed and pettles will be about 1/2 open.

350° - apx. lower vent 1/8" to 3/16", top vent slider slightly open and pettles 3/4 to full open.

450° lower 3/16" to 1/4", top slider 1/4" open at widest point on slider and pettles full open.

The important thing is to get your temp established. Then when you put food on or open the dome DO NOT change the settings. Your egg will bring everyting back up to the temp. you had adjusted to before.

Try not to play with your vent settings, common problem we all have.

At some point in time you will find if using small pieces of lump will restrict air flow and it seem hard to get to higher temps. You will need to get or make a wiggle stick to help air flow.

Finally go to The Naked Whiz web site and watch the clips on flashback. www.nakedwhiz.com

Welcome to eggin.

GG

FlaPoolman

All the good advice has already been posted so I'm trying to figure out why I replied :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: . Just follow the above advice & I'll go back to my ribs & cold beer .
Pay no attention to the poolman behind the curtain
Pat

stike

there are more than a few of us here that roast (indirect, like with a platesetter) our chicken at 500.

you can also do them direct, butterflied, at about 400.

the egg is airtight, and you'll never have a chicken fat flare-up again.
have fun, ask questions, and enjoy yourself.

AZRP

Just don't leave the Egg while the temps coming up, thing happen fast. I got a phone call while I was firing up mine this morning and when I returned it was at 800. -RP

Eggtucky

All eggcellent advice above Kicka...welcome to the community and welcome to eggin' !!..and now back to my bloody mary's :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Jeffersonian

You aren't kidding. I usually get my Egg to 650* or so doing a TRex sear, but I did one last week that, when went back to flip after the first-side sear, found the Egg at almost 1000*. That was a heckuva sear, lemme tell ya! :ohmy:

stike

i don't unnerstand, boss.

aren't you at the point now where you just light it, make sure it's going, and then set vents roughly for your desired temp and then head back in to prep the food?

i never understood the "i walked away and found it at 900 degrees", cause you can just set the vents halfway, and it won't ever get to 900.


one thing people don't realize is that it takes no longer to get to 350 (for example) when the vents are wide open, or when they are set to 350 in advance.

the fire will draw as fast as it can until the vent restrict it. it doesn't draw more when it's wide open because it isn't consuming much.


knowutta mean?

Unknown

Well put my odd friend. Sundown wants to know when Fred's is going to open.

stike

i say we ditch sundown. that guy is a first class stooge. next time he asks about fred's, just lay low. between you and me, no one here really likes him. i get emails all the time from people asking if maybe sundown is really a mental patient with access to a computer for an hour a day. all his posts come at 2 to 3 pm, and the IP addy is Danvers State Men'L Hospital.

Mainegg

one thing people don't realize is that it takes no longer to get to 350 (for example) when the vents are wide open, or when they are set to 350 in advance.

the fire will draw as fast as it can until the vent restrict it. it doesn't draw more when it's wide open because it isn't consuming much.
knowutta mean?[/quote]
kind of like getting into the truck at -10 and setting the heater up to 90 and on high. Hubby always messes with my settings! i have it set at 72 automatic. never touch it. GRRRRR it will not start blowing heat until it is warm enough to have heat to blow! Julie

KickapooBBQ

Thanks for help ladies and gentlemen, i had more success controling temp tonight. i didn't feel like I was chasing the vents the whole time. I calibrated my thermometer and was able to maintain a steady 350 most of the cook. Next up...Big Butts.