YAY!!! I've got an EGG... Now... what to do what to do????

Mark · June 2006

Hi folks,[p]After a relatively short time here at the forum, I finally purchased the BGE... So, I am a rookie and I need some help.. (Psychiatric mostly... But that's another forum) Anyway, I would like to know what you eggspurts think about what I should cook first? I've got the gear, the beer, and the motivation. I would like to try some excellent recipies (if you would be so kind) and then report back on my findings. You see, I've never had even so much as a sniff of the burning lump or experienced the glorious rapture of a fruitwood smoke billowing from an Egg... I have never tasted a single morsel from one of these cookers. I am truly a virgin (well sort of)... I am being very truthful here. It is this forum that has convinced me to take the plunge. I think you folks are amazing and it is your dedication and faithful support that has convinced me that I must seek eggspertise... Thank you and I look forward to my first and my 1000th cook... ciao for now... Mark

Unknown · June 2006

Mark, first thing I would recommend is to forget what the manual says about how much lump to use, load it up to at least the bottom of the fire ring. If you use 2 handfuls of lump like it says your temp will go down during a cook. Welcome to the wonderful world of egging, your life just got much better.

Rick G · June 2006

Mark,
The first thing I would do is get a lower draft screen door if you dont have one. At least one house has burned and several decks have as well and I was nearly one of those today. I just finished my new Trex deck this week and a coal melted a big hole in it today. I am not pleased. It will be addressed in the morning. [p]But thats what I would do first.

dhuffjr · June 2006

Burgers.
We love butterfly chops. Chubbys Mauls addiction turned me onto blade steaks...even better.
Spatchcock a chicken.[p]Simple stuff and easy to do.

T-47 · June 2006

My neighbor and I both got our BGE's for Fathers day last year. He cooked a nice low and slow Butt as his first cook...me, I went with a nice thick Costco Tenderloin. I did the TREX method. I followed the instructions for getting a nice lava hot fire going...and they were the best steaks I have ever cooked. I have had smokers before, but none of my grills could get THAT hot. Your family and neighbors are in store for some good food!

Unknown · June 2006

Mark, I am a new egger myself, about 6 weeks. It took me a couple of weeks (and a pizza disaster that I shall not go into, but it was not as bad as the hole in the Trex deck...) to become a pretty good Egg lighter. It is a bit fussy and there are lots of ways to light it. A big lesson is not to let it get much hotter than you want, hard to cool down. Let it creep up, close down the daisy and vent when it is getting close. I found these neat matches+ firestick together things, made by the match company. One works like a charm. [p]Back to your question -- I recommend plain old burgers, nothing but a little BBQ rub on them, 15% or so fat. When you make a simple, unadorned regular food, you are stunned by the difference in taste. [p]I think when you buy an Egg, it should come with a discount coupon to a Cardiologist, and a year's supply of Mevacor. [p]I have gotten wonderful advice from e-mail friends I have found on the site. I have become a fanatic EggManiac. Hopefully if I feed them enough, my friends will put up with my rapturous ranting. [p]Regards, [p]Jessica
Bethesda, MD

Unknown · June 2006

JESSICA,
What kind of matches Jessica? I'm having a very hard time lighting my egg lately..I use starter cubes and they are just not working! (I've also used the same concept that looks like a match and a starter cube..but they won't take a good light either)

QBH · June 2006

Mark,[p]Welcome to the cult...er, club.
My suggestion for the first cook is always chicken. You'll be amazed at how moist and flavorful it can be. It is forgiving in temperature ranges, but I usually shoot for about 300 degrees for chicken pieces.[p]You want to get a Thermapen fairly soon, for checking meat temps, and probably a Polder-type meat thermometer sometime.[p]I like to light it using the BGE starter cubes. Open the vents, load the firebox up, put a cube on top, light it, and put a little more lump on top. Wait until the cube burns out and the egg will start coming up to temp. [p]Don't overshoot your temperature, it is hard to get it back down. [p]Congratulations on your decision to get a BGE. You won't be disappointed.[p]Larry

CT Grillguy · June 2006

Mark,[p]When I bought my egg, I went on a week-long celebration (my wife loved it!). Every night was a special occasion and the weekend was an all out eggfest.[p]The first thing I cooked was Burgers. I'd start simple, because then you can get a massive impression of the quailty of the BGE. Something as simple as a hamburger is a religious experience! [p]An easy way to do a great Burger is to let your meat warm up a bit on the countertop for 30 mins or so. Get a roaring fire going in the egg with both vents open wide. When the temp is over 700, throw the burgers on and sear on each side for 60-90 seconds. Then close up both vents tight and let the burgers sit for 2 mins. Just be careful when you open the egg back up. "burp" it by openning the lid an inch or two several times to let some air in. Otherwise you'll get the dreaded flashback.[p]Toast some buns add some cheese and voila!! Best burger you've ever had.[p]Next try steaks. Use the Trex strip steak method with some prime 2 inch thick Strips. Best steak I've ever had.[p]After you've gotten the hang of the basic "cook". Buy yourself some Ribs or even a Butt and do some good work for the weekend. There are many, many techniques on the forums for these things and all are fantastic.[p]One thing I'd suggest you try is some chicken breasts (boneless skinless if you're into that sort of thing). Get some Walker's Jerk seasoning and put em in a plastic bag overnight rubbed with the Jerk. Grill em hot on the egg at around 400 for a few mins a side and eat em on a nice roll with tons of mayo. The flavor is out of this world.[p]Good luck and welcome!!!

EddieMac · June 2006

Welcome! Congratulations! And best of luck![p]If you haven't done so already, do YOURSELF a HUGE favor and read the nakedwhiz.com website from start-to-finish and get at least an idea of what you're doing. I wish I had done just that and avoided a couple of very, very silly mistakes! Learn from our mistakes! Also, WessB's site is also excellent! Get Dr. BBQ's Big Time Championship BBQ
Cookbook and read that! And don't forget to throw the BGE manual away - don't bother![p]And remember - fill the egg up all the way to nearly the top of the firebox! One of the most common mistakes is that people don't load the egg up with enough fuel to complete their first few low-n-slow cooks! And secondly, the BGE is NOT a "set it and forget it" device! Until you get your wireless monitor, Guru and all the other cool monitoring devices, you need to check your fire every two hours until you do![p]I've been Egging for just 18 months, I seem to learn something new most everyday and like any endeavor in life you'll get out of the egg what you put into it![p]Best of luck![p]Ed McLean....eddiemac
Ft. Pierce, FL

CT Grillguy · June 2006

Arlene,[p]I'd invest in the electric, cattle-prod type starter. Works everytime and gives you a very nice fire because it's a 4" circle and lights a nice footprint. The BGE one is great but there are lots out there.

CT Grillguy · June 2006

Zee,[p]I agree with you. It's much easier to do a larger load of lump when you're learning how it all works. As time goes on you'll just know how much you need.

Mark · June 2006

Hey Rick[p]Wow, I wasn't even thinking about burining the old house down... Damn... I have this thing sitting on my wooden deck... Can you tell me where I can get a screen door? I don't think I'll light this thing until I do... My wife would kill me if I burned her house down... Burning dinner would be ok but not the house...[p]Thanks for the tip.
Mark

fishlessman · June 2006

Mark,
i think the best thing you could do is take the day off, fill the egg to just under the grill, and light it. drink a beer and watch the temp climb to about 200. close the lower draft down to a little less than .125 inches open and drink a beer, watch it for a while and wait for temps to stabilize. drink a beer and open the vent up about a quarter inch and watch it.after every beer open it up some more and watch what happens, do this til you reach 700 degrees. you will learn alot about how the egg works, then get the biggest steak you can find and grill it.

stike · June 2006

fishlessman,
i suggest he go and get the steak BEFORE consuming your recommended beer allowance

stike · June 2006

eddiemac,
rats
now i have to start checking my egg every two hours.....

gdenby · June 2006

Mark,[p]You say you're completely unfamiliar with the egg. Have you done much smoking or grilling before? With an ordinary grill I found that a lightly rubbed boneless baby back is extremely easy to do. So that was my first on the egg. Turned out almost perfect. So far, anything that was easy on a regular charcoal grill, such as burgers, chicken thighs, chops, or small steaks, has been a snap on the egg.[p]Good luck! I've had an egg for less than a month, and I'm trying things I've never done before with really good results.[p]gdenby

stike · June 2006

Mark,
what was the thing that finally put you over the edge? was it using the egg as a BBQ rig? or was it searing steaks at nuke temps?[p]if it's BBQ, maybe do ribs. short cook, you can tend the egg during the cook (rather than an overnight butt), and you can dive right in.[p]if it's a nuke sear, then grab a pair of thick NYstrips and have at it.[p]i have a link here to a sller of collar extenders for shirts, and elastic waistband pants.... you'll be needing those and a good cardiologist.

Rick G · June 2006

Mark,
You can call big green egg direct at this number...770-934-5300 to "purchase" the door. I have been pleased as a person can be about the egg. But after e-mailing customer service and questioning on if a fix is in the works before any other houses burn down this is what I get..."The firebox design for the Big Green Egg is about 34 years old and the overall design is about 3000 years old so I don't think a recall is in the picture" Glad they are concerned about the problem.

AZRP · June 2006

gdenby,
What is a boneless babyback? -RP

eggnerd · June 2006

JESSICA,[p]FWIW...I use and highly recommend an electric charcoal starter. It makes starting a breeze, just place it into your charcoal and plug it in for 8 minutes, it has a large metal loop that by virtue of it's size will ignite a good sized area of charcoal and its a no mess solution, no chemicals to burn off, works every time, etc.[p]They are $12 at Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc.[p]Don't plan on ever using anything else...unless the power goes out! [p]EggNerd[p]

Unknown · June 2006

CT Grillguy,
no electricity near my egg...no electricity outside at all :o( and I am not handy enough to run power outside...

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YAY!!! I've got an EGG... Now... what to do what to do????

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