I want to love this but...

@Stew21,

I had a similar experience the first time I had guests over to eat pizza off the egg.  It's hard to cook pizza when the temp only gets to 300 after 90 minutes of having the lower vent wide open and the daisy top completely open.  However, I did some trouble shooting and have reached the following conclusions.

1) The screen on the lower vent inhibits air flow more than you might think.  Use this to your advantage.  Open it when you need to get really hot, but factor it into your decision-making when you want to stabilize it at a lower temperature.

2) If you want to get up to a high temp quickly it is in your best interest to light a lot of charcoal.  Some of the folks here use flame throwers and other similar devices.  Another option is to use multiple firestarter cubes (as opposed to only using one) when time is important.

3) - the least obvious - It is crucial that you make sure that the grid that holds the charcoal has some wide open holes in it to allow for air flow.  Some have actually bought a different grate (High Q) that has much more space for air flow for this reason.  On my XL, I just move the charcoal around so that I have 2 open holes in my charcoal grate at the front of the grill.  This gives me a cooler spot on the front of the grid, but the XL is so big that I can actually use this to my advantage as I cook.  Before I figured this out, getting up to heat with my XL involved a little bit of luck.  If the charcoal fell into the firebox in a way that did not clog the holes on the charcoal grate, it would go well.  If not, I would have trouble.  Since I started doing this I have had no problems with high temp or low temp cooks. 

Good luck.  Let us know how things work out.

I've had my XL BGE for about 3 years...cook on it 3-4 times / week.  90% of my cooks are direct (no platesetter).  The only time I use the daisy wheel is during indirect cooks (Butts / brisket)...otherwise I leave the top wide open and just use the bottom vent to control the temp.

I light my charcoal (royal oak) in 4 places with a MAPP torch, then leave the bottom vent completely open for first 8-10 minutes, then shut it down to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch opening.  At least on my Egg, this locks it at about 350-375 degrees which is where I do the vast majority of my cooks. 

I can't imagine your problem is related to airflow although I could be wrong. I clean out my ash about every 10-12 cooks and could probably go longer.

When using the platesetter, I wait until my fire is very well established (approaching 300) before inserting it.  The platesetter will knock your temp down considerably, then it will climb back up tot he 250-275 range.  At this point, I go ahead and put the daisy wheel on. 

Stick with it!  There is a learning curve but once you get it figured out, you'll love it.  Good luck!

A lot of good advice here. I'll share my story and hope it helps. (Someone already spoke about the lump.) I tried a different lump brand a bag ago (and a friend ago) and had a lot of joy taken out of BGE cooking: pain to light; temperature unstable through long cooks; and could only achieve 500 F. Went back to the old lump and I'm a happy camper now (still short a friend): Low and slowwed 14 lbs Pork Butt a week ago; mid temp and time Bisson trii-tip, loaf of bread, and a round of pizza party latter the joy is back.

Good luck getting over the hump and teach the next generation what good food is all about.

I'll reiterate what others have said about leaving the top wide open (no daisy wheel at all) and the bottom vent wide open as well when starting your fire and getting up to the desired temp.  Once your charcoal burns off the impurities and you approach your desired temp, then you can begin closing down the vent and/or adjusting the daisy wheel.  Like some others, I do many of my direct cooks never using the daisy wheel at all.

Also trying the torch method might help at the outset.  I just use a handheld propane torch from HD and hold the tip down into the charcoal at four spots just inside the perimeter of the Egg for about 45-60 seconds each and I'm always able to start cooking in about 15-20 minutes.

Other than that, not sure what else to say.  It's a learning process for sure and you'll get there.

I have had conversations with people I know who have BGEs and one thing a consistently hear is they have all had trouble getting a fire started using other brands of lump other than BGE.  I know it is tempting to get the cheap stuff, but trust me, it is worth the little extra money in the end.  I can use one fire starter in the center of the lump, light it, cover it with one medium to large piece of lump, and the fire will take off.  I can be up to 300* in 10 minutes usually. 

Another thing, depending on what you are cooking, you may not need to fill the fire box up completely.  For direct cooking that will take no more than 30 minutes to cook (probably less in most cases), I can get away with a little less than half full.  This will allow the air to get to it with less restrictions and it will light quicker.  Hope this helps.

jmcnutt5 said:

I have had conversations with people I know who have BGEs and one thing a consistently hear is they have all had trouble getting a fire started using other brands of lump other than BGE.  .