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New owner.

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mjk412
mjk412 Posts: 113
in EggHead Forum
New egg owner here. I've cooked on the egg 3 times so far.  Ribs, chicken, and Italian hoagies. I've produced ok results. I just have to get used to using the egg. I came from using a wsm and weber kettle.  Honestly, I'm wondering if the egg was worth the price.  I could have bought a bbq guru for my weber smokey mountain. But I went with the egg. I hear everyone loves them. 
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    Welcome…
    I come from a similar cooking background. 
    The Egg will slow cook similar to your WSM with out the need of a water pan.
    There is a little bit of a learning curve between the grills.
    Egg uses less fuel and will will lock/hold temp easy with a stabilized fire.
    I have had a Guru for many years and only used it once. My WSM is collecting serious dust in my garage.
    Honestly, I still enjoy grilling on my Weber kettles.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
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    There is definitely a learning curve on the egg ... took me about 6 months to finally get a hang of things. Had an initial problem with temp control. I'm good now. Today, I control the temp, it doesn't control me.
    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
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  • myc5
    myc5 Posts: 16
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    Welcome to the club. I too am a newbie and had trouble justifying the cost of an egg after using a Weber kettle for 10+ years. I never smoked on the kettle though. I ended up finding a brand new BGE knockoff on CL for $400 that I'm struggling with hitting the 225 and 325 temps on.

    One improvement I hear about the Kamado is more moist food. I've cooked on mine only once, some chicken breasts. I can't say they were awesome. I did notice that after cooking them for a while, when I opened the lid I could feel humidity coming out of it. So I guess moisture does want to stay inside the kamado. I never get that with the web kettle. 
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  • mjk412
    mjk412 Posts: 113
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    Thanks guys! Temp control hasn't been too difficult. My problem is grilling. I'm used to making burgers, steaks, and chicken breasts using a two zone method on my weber kettle. I can't really do that on the egg.  I haven't tried burgers, or steaks yet because I really don't know how. 

    I just made St. Louis style spare ribs today on the egg. Cooked between 275-300.  Holy cow were they delish! My wife does not like ribs and she actually liked these! 
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    mjk412 said:
    Thanks guys! Temp control hasn't been too difficult. My problem is grilling. I'm used to making burgers, steaks, and chicken breasts using a two zone method on my weber kettle. I can't really do that on the egg.  I haven't tried burgers, or steaks yet because I really don't know how. 

    I just made St. Louis style spare ribs today on the egg. Cooked between 275-300.  Holy cow were they delish! My wife does not like ribs and she actually liked these! 
    Yea, the weber 22" cooking grate has way more grill area than the 18" BGE.
    I normally go fire ring level cooking for searing and then drop in a raised direct method for roasting. You can also buy a Weber 18" cooking grate and cut it in half and add 3 carriage bolts for a home made raised half cooking grate. Then you can go sear to raised grate at the same time for very little money.
    BGE also makes a similar raised half grate.
    As you see others posts look at their cooking method. New things are always showing up.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
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    mjk412 said:
    Thanks guys! Temp control hasn't been too difficult. My problem is grilling. I'm used to making burgers, steaks, and chicken breasts using a two zone method on my weber kettle. I can't really do that on the egg.  I haven't tried burgers, or steaks yet because I really don't know how. 

    I just made St. Louis style spare ribs today on the egg. Cooked between 275-300.  Holy cow were they delish! My wife does not like ribs and she actually liked these! 
    For "2-zone" cooking you raise the up away from the coals(raised direct) or use some sort of heat deflection as PhotoEgg mentioned. For grilling, browse youtube(search for grilling _____ BGE) and you'll find a lot of videos, or feel free to ask here. Reverse searing is my favorite, some like the Trex method, and some go hot and fast. The key to steak on the egg is it's ability to get very hot(750+) which is temps that steakhouses can only typically hit. This gives you fantastic searing action that is harder to achieve on other grills.
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  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
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    Welcome aboard. I like burgers several ways. Thick juicy lucy's start either raised indirect or raised direct and finish in a CI ware. Regular burgers or sliders direct and on the grid or on CI ware. 
    Steaks... !!! Caveman.  Thick Cut steak reverse sear  orT-Rex. APL methods with board sauce are just some of my favorites but, I deviate some for my own taste. There are MANY ways to do all of these. Look around on the forum and many folks will give tips regarding set-up, temp, lump lighting, wood chunks or no wood chunks, etc. 
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    Welcome - the egg will outperform your WSM no question. No water pan, much less smoke wood than you are used to using and make sure you have a heat deflector, AR, plate setter or whatever BGE is calling it now. Stabilize, then add the food and don't touch it. The egg is like Ronco cooking, set it and forget it. 
    Your kettle, using lump rather than briquettes will sear very nicely, so will an egg with the advantage that you do not have to feed air to the egg, it does that all by itself. Having been down the road you are on, I suggest you concentrate on using the egg for indirect lower temp cooks - much as you would in the WSM. My kettle has not seen a low and slow for years, but I have used it to sear or cook appetizers.  
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
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    You made the right decision to get ur egg. Once you get SEASONED on using the egg you will really enjoy it.

    Opelika, Alabama
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  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
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    @mjk412   Welcome to the forum.  Drink the koolaid and never look back.
    Phoenix 
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