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First cook!

Darrell_Johnson71
edited January 2012 in EggHead Forum
I just got my egg and I would likes some ideas for a first cook!!!

Comments

  • BakerMan
    BakerMan Posts: 159

    Burgers!  Cook some inexpensive meat till you master temperature control and then get more ambitious.

    Here are my thoughts on temperature control:
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1145428#Comment_1145428

    Welcome to the forum and good luck!

     

    BakerMan - Purcellville, VA "When its smokin' its cookin', when its black its done"
  • Spatchcocked chicken was mine at the suggestion of some here as it was easy and unbelievably delicious.
  • Thanks guys! Shouldn't I keep the temp under 350 for the first few cooks so I do not mess up my gasket?
  • ABTs
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
  • DMurf
    DMurf Posts: 481
    Yes you should not do any high temp searing for the first couple of cooks to allow your gasket to cure. If you do then you will get the experience of replacing your gasket, as I did, not a big deal but not the set it and forget it operation either. 

    You can definitely grill some burgers, brats, wings, chicken (spatchcock is phenomenal, it's how I do turkeys), vegetables, seafood, baking (I love to bake bread on my EGG), etc. The thing is get used to how to cook on the EGG and what to expect. BBQ is not about the cooking or the speed, although I can go from walking in the door to grilling within 20 minutes, it is about the experience the planning and sharing. When I use the EGG it relaxes me and slows me down, I make decisions based on how I feel what rub, sauce, method do I want to use.

    ABTs are always great just let them ride and the peppers lose some heat and start turning sweet, and everything is better with bacon!

    As a final comment when you get your EGG, before you add any lump, calibrate your dome thermometer! I made the mistake of not doing this for over a year, when I finally did do the calibration I found that my dome thermometer was off by 80 degrees! So when I thought I was doing a low and slow at 250, and everyone talked about the lower vent being open just a sliver and mine was open a good two inches, I was actually cooking at 330. No wonder my butts always cooked fast, but then they were still good as I cooked to temp not time now they have moved to great. The last butt I did I asked a friend to try who used to have a BBQ restaurant and I got the best compliment "That is so good it doesn't need any sauce" that was high praise in my book.

    Have fun, and relax.
    David
    BBQ since 2010 - Oh my, what I was missing.
  • Thanks David !! One question how do you calibrate the dome thermometer?
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Stick the thermometer in boiling water...212 is boiling point at sea level. You can just google the boiling point of water at your specific altitude. Where I am at 6000' it is about 201.5. If the thermometer doesn't show the right temp, turn the nut on the back of thermometer to adjust to what it should read.
  • hogaholic
    hogaholic Posts: 225
    Sitting here trying to think what I cooked first - too long ago, regrettably, for me to remember.

    I would suggest wings, brats, or some seafood (shrimp or salmon).  You don't need high temps for those. 

    Unless you have a raised grid I would not do a spatchcock chicken direct with the grid on top of the fire ring.  When I did that the underside of the bird got too crusty for my taste before the breast hit 165.  Moving the bird to a raised grid anhd fixed that.
    Jackson, Tennessee. VFL (Vol for Life)
  • I go the much easier route of calibrating to 100°C
  • thechief96
    thechief96 Posts: 1,908
    Do you have a plate setter? If so I would do a spatch **** chicken.
    Dave San Jose, CA The Duke of Loney
  • No the plate setter was on back order and will not be here until thursday!