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Newbie

skitter_pop
skitter_pop Posts: 52
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
New egg head
I just got my large egg yesterday. Fixed ribeyes yesterday evening. They were good even though I left them on a bit too long and they ended up about well done, they were still amazingly juicy! Then I put half a boston butt on last night at midnight. Had a bit of trouble temperature wise. I let it get too hot, then couldn't get it below 300. HAd to go to bed, and I guess I choked it down a little too much, because the temp gauge had bottomed out by this morning. Butt temp was at 120, so I got the coals going again quickly and got it at around 300 degrees before heading for the early church service. When we got back around 11 the meat temp was just over 200, so I got it off and wrapped it in foil. Not too bad for a first try. I didn't take time for any special smoking wood. The meat was super juicy. Now I'm trying to decide whether to give it a rest or go grab some ribs and try them. I think I'm already addicted. Or maybe a peach cobbler? :)

Comments

  • CrazyHarry
    CrazyHarry Posts: 112
    I got a medium egg as a Father's Day present and I've been having a great time with it! Even after a bad cook (and I've had a few) a day or two goes by and I can't wait to cook something else.

    Half the fun for me has been figuring out how to control my temps. When I cooked my second brisket I got the dome temp stabilized at around 250 and went to bed. It was an anxious night but the next morning the egg was right at 225. Amazing.

    I swear my Egg can read my mind sometimes. :blink: I was trying to cook something at 400 degrees the other day so I adjusted the upper and lower vents (just guessing, of course) and came back about 15 minutes later. The thermometer read "400". (Not "405". Not "395". Exactly "400".)
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Congratulations and welcome to the forum.

    Why not do both ribs & cobbler...

    ribswet1.jpg+

    and or

    chocolatecake.jpg

    Just looked and there over 600 new folks registered this month.

    I will post something in a few minutes that should be of help to you and other new egg'rs.

    GG
  • Wow. Good guess?
    I think my mistake was getting started so late, and getting the lump going too much. I think I read to leave everything open for ten minutes and I left the lid open and everything. First thing I knew I had blue flames licking up past the gasket. So shut it quick, but the temp was already up higher than I wanted. Next time I will do more like I've read here I guess when I'm wanted a low temp and just bring it up slowly with the vents. When I went to bed I had the bottom vent open only 1/8" or so and the daisy petals about the same. It didn't take much to get it going again though. My half butt was around 5 pounds and I ended up having it on (all total) about 11 hours? So what is the normal lighting procedure anyone? Lid open for 10 minutes and then shut and regulate. Or lid shut and vents wide open. Just at start up. Also, I bypassed lighters at the dealer and am using rich pine kindling from my woodstove. Fatwood, some call it, to get the lump going. Is there anything wrong with that? The dealer said it would be ok. It does put out a lot of black smoke til it gets going good. Just for a minute or two.
  • haha!! This is not helping my addiction Granpas Grub! :lol:
  • I would not use pine kindling like you mentioned to start an Egg. I know you never use lighter fluid, it gets in the ceramic pores, and I would think pine tar would be as bad. There are numerous lighting methods covered here--electric, paper towel and oil, the lighting squares, looftlighter (which I use), MAPP gas torch. The Egg gets going fast, no need to use pine kindling and I think that would be bad for the BGE.
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    GG,
    Them ribs look killer as well as dat der chocolate thing. You sure know how to eat. :laugh:

    Cheers,
    Bordello
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Good comment. I would think the pine pitch would be a problem as well as potentially adding a bitter flavor to the food.

    There are plenty of ways to light the egg.

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    You skinny guys have all the luck...

    BTW, just got my electric bill for last month, a lot of hot days. $95, now you can start gloating about that under $30 bill.

    Kent
  • Ok I'll research it. What's the best way Grandpa, in your opinion? Meantime I will use a very small bit of pine w the lid open until it burns up.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Due to the pitch in pine, I wouldn't use it.

    Starter Cubes work great, but are a little costly and I think they leave some residue during the cook.

    Paper Towel and oil is probably the least expensive and simple to use. I have an one of those old honey bottles with the yellow spout top with oil in it. There is a link on my FAQ post.

    MAPP torch is very popular and inexpensive if you don't count the burn holes in the clothes from sparks.

    I use alcohol which took a little testing to make it work at my cooking altitude of 5,000'. This isn't the least expensive but it is the cleanest in my opinion.

    The fastest light is using a weed burner again if you don't count the playing around with the noise and flame. A large egg can be light in about 60 seconds.

    My preference is alcohol, paper towel and oil and at times MAPP torch. Sometimes I will use MAPP if one of the other methods don't get going as fast as I want.

    Paper towel and oil is a great place to start.

    GG
  • Ur talking cooking oil I assume.. I'm about to get the peach pie going here in a bit :)
  • yeah and I don't know if this is normal or from the pine pitch, but the top side of my plate setter is "pitch" black.
  • Yes, the grandpa grub post with all the helpful links in it explains starting with paper towels and cooking oil. I just mentioned it b/c I know you had those available tonight--the more I think about it the more I think you should stop using any pine in your BGE immediately. I think the dealer gave you bad info on it would be fine to light a BGE with pine kindling. Again, I really like the looftlighter, and here is a funny video on it from Fred's music and bbq:

    http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com/category_s/722.htm
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Any type of cooking oil, I happen to have Knola and Vegetable. I use whatever is the oldest.

    The tip shows oiling the napkin/paper towel on a cookie sheet. I just lay it on the lump, twist and put it a little under the the lump with a couple of spots at the surface so air can get to it easily. On my large, medium, small egg I use two pieces of 1/2 sheet paper towel on the mini 1 sheet crescent shaped.

    I make sure the paper towels are lit and burning well then I close the dome. Dome maybe is open 3 to 5 minutes.

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    The pitch black will happen in any case. I got in the habit of covering it with aluminum foil. If one side is black use that side facing the lump, it will get clean in one or two cooks.

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    :laugh: Fred's on one in that video. Another pretty nifty way to light the lump.