Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Grilling

I just bought a large egg. I overnighted a boston butt that turned out great. But, I have a question on grilling. Are most of you grilling at fire ring height or are you raising your grill the the top of the bottom half? And, how are you raising it? I tried burgers at fire ring height and it was a chore. Everytime I opened the grill I had a flare up, and digging down to the lowered grate made it harder to flip the burgers. Any tips to grilling on the egg? Also, are you using a firebox full of charcoal to grill, or are you using a reduced amount?
Large BGE, Holland Gas Grill, Masterbuilt electric smoker, Oklahoma Joe, Flame Boss

Comments

  • shadowcaster
    shadowcaster Posts: 620
    edited December 2013
    it is usually easier to raise your grate to be level with the felt line. You can get grid extenders or use and AR. An easy, inexpensive way is to raise it using a couple bricks. This will get you grate up higher and easier to flip your burgers. I always fill my egg up do matter what I am doing. As soon as the cook is over shut it down and you will be able to reuse the charcoal for the next few cooks. Hope this helps, good luck and post some pics of your new baby!

    Edit: if you are doing steaks keep the grate right above the coals, gives you an awesome steak.

    and by the way, welcome to the herd
    Pure Michigan
    Large BGE, Medium BGE, Mini BGE, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer.
    If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I bought 3 fire brick splits to raise my grill within a week of getting Egg #1. The benefit is 2 fold. 1st is ease of turning. 2nd, the heat is more moderate. Cooks w. the food directly exposed to the lump are much hotter than ones where even something as lite as a pie plate is placed between the lump and food. Most of the heat from the lump comes off as IR. Because IR intensity drops of by inverse square, almost anything can be seared right above the lump, but once the food is moved up to the gasket level, the same fire may cook quite slowly.

    Flare ups can only be avoided by working quickly w. fatty foods.

    Look around for a welder's glove. You will eventually want to sear steaks. For searing, the Egg gets hot enough that carbon monoxide start burning w. a blue flame over 2000F. The steaks burst into flame whenever the dome is opened. And, I the dome isn't "burped" before opening, the interior gasses erupt in a fire ball. Most everyone experiences 1 of those at some point.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,162
    Along the same lines as above, if you like beer, pound three canned beers.  Retain empties and space on fire ring at about 120* separation.  Put cooking grid on top and you are now "raised direct".  You can get into the after-market toys later when you recharge your bank account :)>-
    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.
  • Jeffroe189
    Jeffroe189 Posts: 273
    edited December 2013
    Hey and welcome

    Take a look at this. I came across it when I got my Adjustible Rig and wish I had gotten it a long time ago. I don't have one because I went with the AR instead but it is a far cheaper solution at $65. I also believe if you don't already have a plate setter you can get one of there stones to work with the woo3.

    Like I said I have a AR now and love it but I wish I has seen that woo3 a couple years ago. I think It would have been very useful. 

    Jeff from Winston-Salem, NC  - LBGE, MiniMax, Blackstone
  • 4 4.5" stainless bolts and 8 stainless nuts

    LBGE

    BTFU!

  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    Ceramic Grill Store. Call Tom. Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • it is usually easier to raise your grate to be level with the felt line. You can get grid extenders or use and AR. An easy, inexpensive way is to raise it using a couple bricks. This will get you grate up higher and easier to flip your burgers. I always fill my egg up do matter what I am doing. As soon as the cook is over shut it down and you will be able to reuse the charcoal for the next few cooks. Hope this helps, good luck and post some pics of your new baby!

    Edit: if you are doing steaks keep the grate right above the coals, gives you an awesome steak.

    and by the way, welcome to the herd

    Large BGE, Holland Gas Grill, Masterbuilt electric smoker, Oklahoma Joe, Flame Boss
  • Tell me more about steaks right above the coals. I like my steaks done about 3/16's on both sides and hot pink  in the center. How would you go about achieveing this? I can't do this on my gasser and is one reason I bought the LBGE. As you can see I have a lot to learn.
    Large BGE, Holland Gas Grill, Masterbuilt electric smoker, Oklahoma Joe, Flame Boss
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Reverse searing is the way to go for me. I get edge to edge medium rare each time.


  • double
    double Posts: 1,214

    Reverse searing is the way to go for me. I get edge to edge medium rare each time.



    And there I was counting on you to suggest Mangrates... I agree though reverse sear on steaks is a win every time for me.
    Lynnwood WA
  • gmac
    gmac Posts: 1,814
    edited December 2013
    @AR Pork Producer reverse sear is when you cook your steak low and slow to just short of the internal temp you want (likely 110 or 115 based on what you said above. Remove the steak and foil. Then you crank open the vents and get it crazy hot and then quickly sear the outsides. Better control of internal doneness. Just figured since you are newer like me, that would be your next question. Works great for roasts too. Get right down on the fire ring for the sear and get those welder gloves.
    Mt Elgin Ontario - just a Large.
  • onedbguru
    onedbguru Posts: 1,647
    I would be very careful with using aluminum in the egg - especially when you do 600+ cook.  I had 2 aluminum square rods that I used to hold my drip pan. After doing a cook, I let it go to do a clean burn - got it up to around 800.  next thing I know, I looked down and notice these aluminum rods had melted. found melted chunks when it cooled down.. :) 
  • billyray
    billyray Posts: 1,275
    Mickey said:
    Ceramic Grill Store. Call Tom. Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
    Mickey, how old is this picture, that egg and AR are way to clean =))
    Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.
  • Reverse searing is the way to go for me. I get edge to edge medium rare each time.



    +1 on this. Its the only way to go on steaks
    Pure Michigan
    Large BGE, Medium BGE, Mini BGE, Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Performer.
    If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.