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BGE Tips and Secrets

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BuckeyeBob
BuckeyeBob Posts: 673
edited March 2012 in EggHead Forum
I am now the proud owner of a new Large BGE and looking forward to doing my first cook this weekend. Will probably do something easy like hamburgers or chicken until I figure it out. Here's my question. What is that one thing (or few things) that you wish you knew when you first started cooking with your egg? All tips and helpful hints are very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Buckeye Bob
Clarendon Hills, IL
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  • stevesails
    stevesails Posts: 990
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    play with it, figure out how to control the temp. and dont put your food on until the smoke is clear!

     

    XL   Walled Lake, MI

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  • tmackie
    tmackie Posts: 67
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    Owned my LBGE since Christmas. Welcome to the Club!

    Wish I had known about the Ceramic Grill Store Woo3 and Pizza Stone or Adjustable Rig before buying a Platesetter. 

    http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/large-woo3-big-green-egg.html

    Also wish I had known about the Ceramic Grill Works Swing Rack before I had gotten the standard cast iron grate.


    The new Swing Rack has found a permanent place on my Egg!
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  • tmackie
    tmackie Posts: 67
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    Just thought of this too:

    With wood chips or chunks, use less than you think you should! Coming from an offset New Braunfel's that was leaky and inefficient I had to learn that the BGE holds in the smoke and moisture and you can get plenty of smoke flavor from just the lump.

    One chunk or a small handful of chips is plenty for most cooks. (I do use more for extended cooks like Butts or Brisket)
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    Buckeye Bob, I assume you are a Buckeye?  My dad was born in Lima, went The Ohio State University.  I have a lucky buckeye in my shaving kit that I take on trips so that the plane won't crash.  I consider myself an honorary Buckeye.  I'll bet you really wanted to know all that, lol!

    Here is a list of FAQ's I've compiled: Ceramic FAQ
    Here is my Information Central: Info Central

    There is a list of good web resources somewhere that was posted by Grampa's Grub.  It is most definitely worth looking up.  I'm sure someone here has it bookmarked.  Good luck!  You are going to love your cooker!
    The Naked Whiz
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  • tgkleman
    tgkleman Posts: 216
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    Use big chunks of lump on the bottom of the pile to maintain airflow.  Simply pouring the bag into the fire pit will cause the small pieces to clog up the air holes and make lighting the lump a pain.  This will save you hours of time waiting for the fire to get to temperature.
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    Here are some pieces of advice:

    1. Cook to temp not time
    2. Let the bad smoke clear out before you throw food on - if the smoke smells good the food will taste good
    3. Make sure your holes in the fire grate are not clogged with coal or ash or you will have trouble getting to temp
    4. Buy a thermopen
    5. Ask questions
    6. Take pictures
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • OLD NORTH STATE BBQ CO.
    OLD NORTH STATE BBQ CO. Posts: 412
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    1. Try not to chase your temperatures. Make an adjustment and give the egg 15- 20 minutes to raise or lower to the desired temperature.
    2. Get a maverick remote base station for low and slow cooks.
    3. Check out Wicked Good Charcoal. It's the best stuff out there.
    4. Follow the recipe and trust the process. Don't get in the habit of opening the dome to check on your food.
    5. Don't over think anything. When in doubt, post a question on the forum. Obviously there are many other eggers happy to help.

     "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

    Med & XL

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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
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    Bob - You are probably going to get a whole lot more advice here than you will on the Barbecuebible. Not saying that there aren't a lot of good guys over there, but not near as many Eggheads. Don't avoid that place, though. I've learned tons over there as well.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,378
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    The one thing that got me early in the game is the temperature off-set when cooking indirect.  Almost all cooking temperatures reference dome temperature (make sure you check the calibration) and with the indirect set-up the dome temperature can be anywhere from 20-40*F+ greater than the grid temperature.  If you have prior smoking experience this will throw off your cook times by quite a bit.  And always cook to finish temperature.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • BuckeyeBob
    BuckeyeBob Posts: 673
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    Wow, this quick response is overwhelming. Thank you so much for all the tips. I can't wait for the weekend so I can fire this baby up. I have been a long time smoker with my WSM but very excited I took the next step.

    Griffin - thanks for the advice. At times, I tend to post on multiple sites because always seem to get a different range of answers. BarbecueBible's egghead population seems to have grown but I hear you.

    NakedWhiz - Yep. I'm a Buckeye born and raised in Cleveland and a proud graduate of The OSU.

    Thanks again everyone.

    Buckeye Bob
    Clarendon Hills, IL
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  • Hic
    Hic Posts: 350
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    Grandpa Grubs wealth of info, for your reading pleasure;

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/977506/x/p1

     

    Large, medium, small and a mini. Egg'n, golfing, beer drinking, camping and following football and baseball.
    Atlanta NOTP suburbia.

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