Help - new and everything is overcooked

Volfo · January 2011

Having fun cooking some good stuff with the new egg. My biggest issue is that everything is cooking significantly faster than all the recipes I read here and elsewhere. It seems my egg cooks fast. Anyone else have similar experience? Could my thermometer be off, or is it something else.

ResQue · January 2011

If you haven't checked the thermo, then yes calibrate it. Cooking faster is not always a bad thing, you just need to learn when to pull certain things and what temps to cook them at. Also whether or not to cook direct or indirect. Good luck, and calibrate your thermo.

BajaTom · January 2011

Make sure your themometer is calibrated. Invest in an instant read to check your cooks.good Luck to all

Pjoe · January 2011

If you don't have one already, get an instant read thermometer. All of the experts here recommend cooking to temperature - not time. That way, it is done when it is done.
Also, make sure your dome thermometer is calibrated. Mine was off by 50* right out of the box.

Bill

Misippi Egger · January 2011

Welcome, Volfo ! Congrats on your last smoker/grill to own, unless like many of us you realize one is not enough! :ohmy:

First thing is to calibrate your dome thermometer. Once i checked mine and it was off nearly 70*. Place the tip in some boiling water then you can turn the nut on the back to adjust the temp to 212* (unless you are at a much higher altitude).

Here are a couple of links for newbies concerning temp control:

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=676154&catid=1

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/tempcontrol.htm

Good luck ! Come back here for more info, help and to post your results. We LOVE pics!

Also, consider purchasing a continuous thermometer for internal temps. One of the best, used by many here, is the Maverick ET-73 (available on Amazon).

Fluffyb · January 2011

I agree with the others, calibrate and invest in a good intant read thermometer, Thermopen is the best out there. The instant read is key to food success! Here is the best source for information on your new egg and calibration of the thermometer.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#calibrate

Ken Roach · January 2011

And if you're quick, Thermapens are on sale until the end of today at Thermoworks.com.

Other than the BGE itself, my Thermapen has been the best tool for improving my cooking because not only am I no longer overcooking my food, but also I can prove it to my skeptical eaters.

mollyshark · January 2011

Cooking on the egg is more accurately figured by internal temperature. Time is an estimate. Do you have a thermapen? If not, get one.

mShark

fishlessman · January 2011

calibrate the dome gage, get an instant read therm, leave the watch at work if you have one, i dont have a watch so that was easy for me :laugh:

Carolina Q · January 2011

Does anyone ever READ the previous posts in a thread? Almost EVERY reply to the OP's issue suggested calibrating the thermometer and, buying a thermapen. Good advice, but how many times does it have to be said in the same thread?

Welcome to the madhouse, Volfo! Lots of help is available here - repeatedly! :laugh: For what it's worth, my thermometer IS calibrated and I DO have a Thermapen. Yet I STILL overcook almost everything! Tastes great anyway!

You'll get the hang of it.

TXTriker · January 2011

:cheer: Michael, Wag More and Bark Less. Have a great week.

Carolina Q · January 2011

LOL! I WAS barking less!! :laugh:

elzbth · January 2011

Welcome - like most of the others, my suggestion is to calibrate your thermometer. Patience will pay off - it takes time to get the hang of it, but once you figure out how to get your egg to temp, and maintain the temp, you are going to be very pleased with the meals you prepare! Good Luck..

srq2625 · January 2011

Everyone has mentioned thermometer calibration .... and for some/most instruments (like the BGE dome thermometer) that's good advice.

However, there are some instruments that can't be calibrated - such as the Maverick ET-73. In such cases, the best you can do is determine the temperature of boiling water at your altitude and current barometric pressure and determine the difference between that "standard" and what your instrument reads. Use that as a computational offset for your readings when you are cooking.

Then, like has already been said, cook to a desired internal temperature rather than time.

And, finally, FWIW, I've only had one cook so far (about 30 since Sep 2010) that has not been cooked to a correct doneness - the ribs were under-cooked a bit which I ended up correcting the next day in the oven.

Volfo · February 2011

Thanks to everyone. Hearing it more than once helps verify it!

I honestly had no idea you could calibrate the thermometer. I bet mine is off. I will calibrate before my next cook. By the way, I've been having a lot of fun with some great results. I still overcook most things, and I do have a thermometer that I stick in the meat and can leave it in there, with a digital readout outside the egg. That helped me get my second boston butt to be the best bbq pulled pork I've ever had, and also helps with the chicken. Don't see that helping with the ribs, though.

Thanks to everyone. And, yes, I already want a second egg to take to the lake!

I've done ribs, brisket, boston butt, pizzas, hamburgers, steaks, pork chops and pork tenderloin. When I don't overcook it, it tastes fantastic, almost no matter what I do to it as far as seasoning, marinating, injecting, etc.

Volfo · February 2011

Although I generally really enjoy this thing, I'm actually pretty ticked. After slow-smoking a pork shoulder of 13.5 pounds overnight (put on at midnight) I checked it this morning at 7:30 and it was at 210 degrees internally. In 7.5 hours. Dome thermometer said 200 degrees. It was at 215 when I went to bed at 12:30.

So, I finally calibrated my thermometer. Boiling water registered 130 degrees F. I had to turn the dumb thing to 100 degrees when it is standing still to get it to read 210 for boiling. You would think if you spend close to $1,000 on this thing it would come with a functional thermometer. Thanks for the help on this site. Should have followed it sooner.

Also, I've now used two bags of charcoal and my gasket is completely shot. It obviously wasn't installed right to begin with as it overlapped in the back at the bottom, but now it has burnt up across the back in the bottom and the top. So I bought another one and I guess I'll have to reinstall it. Any tips would be appreciated.

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Help - new and everything is overcooked

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