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Getting my Egg Hot Enough
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dward3335
Posts: 4
I am very new to the Egg. Got it for my birthday a couple of weeks ago! I believe I am doing things correctly when lighting (correct amount of charcoal, top and bottom vents open, etc.), but I can't seem to get the Egg hotter than 350 to 400 degrees. What might I be doing wrong?
Comments
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Is the opening in your firebox aligned with the bottom vent?
Are you filling to the top of the firebox (or higher) with lump?
Have you removed the daisy wheel?
NOLA -
i am new to BGE too, about three weeks.... i was having the same issue. My problem was i was closing things up too early, not letting the lump get really going. i couldn't get the temp up to cook a pizza for over an hour. once I opened the dome and let it breathe, it was then easier to regulate the heat. now i can get my temp up and higher as needed and also easier to control slow and low 200-300, as well as 300-400,LBGE May 2016
Ormond Beach, FL -
Ahhh, that makes sense. I have been doing the exact same thing. Thank you very much!
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You might want to check that the grate that the lump sits on is not restricted. Also, if you haven't checked your thermometer's calibration, that would be a good idea too.
Cincinnati
LBGE, Weber Kettle
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Thank you all for the comments! I will check all of these things!
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You don't need to fill to the top of the firebox or higher. I can maintain 600 degrees for at least three hours and have half the lump left filling only half way up the firebox. I can get to 600 degrees in 20 minutes. I dump new lump on top of the old right out of the bag and stick a starter cube in the center and light. Leave the lid open for 10 or fifteen minutes close the dome with daisy wheel off and 5 or 10 minutes later I'm there. I also have not cleaned the ashes out in about 10 cooks.Narcoossee, FL
LBGE, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter, Ash Tool. I'm a simple guy. -
Phoenix
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Along with the tips above, someone had another great tip the other day. Wait to put your accessories on and close the lid until you have a softball size ember going.Las Vegas, NV
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My wife is actually a chef but the Egg is all my baby. I want to get really good at this and with the help on this form, I just might! Thanks all!
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The key is just as stated above, leave the dome open for 10-15 minutes, I would lite and once the coals had started, shut the dome. Even with both full open vents the fire wouldn't come to life, Leave the dome open until the coal gets going good. Took me about 5 cooks to learn this. I keep my coal to top of fire box, When I am done, I shut it up and the coal goes out. I generally have plenty for next time.LBGE May 2016
Ormond Beach, FL -
I did everything, I thought I had a dirty firebox, cleaned it out. Still no heat. Once I learned to keep the dome open until good lump burning, I mean like flames, not just white, I wait now for flames then start my temp regulation.LBGE May 2016
Ormond Beach, FL -
Troykahack said:i am new to BGE too, about three weeks.... i was having the same issue. My problem was i was closing things up too early, not letting the lump get really going. i couldn't get the temp up to cook a pizza for over an hour. once I opened the dome and let it breathe, it was then easier to regulate the heat. now i can get my temp up and higher as needed and also easier to control slow and low 200-300, as well as 300-400,Narcoossee, FL
LBGE, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter, Ash Tool. I'm a simple guy. -
When going low & slow I use both the bottom vent and my Smokeware Cap. When going over 400 I have the top vent open and regulate with the bottom vent. I find it easier to control this way.
By the way welcome aboard @dward3335. Enjoy the eggdiction as you go forward and happy egging.XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas GrillKansas City, Mo. -
For a high-temp (500° and higher), I get the lump started with my Looftlighter, then immediately close the dome, and keep the bottom vent and daisy wheel wide open. When I approach the target temp, I adjust the bottom vent and daisy wheel.
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Battleborn said:Along with the tips above, someone had another great tip the other day. Wait to put your accessories on and close the lid until you have a softball size ember going.New Albany, Ohio
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Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.
As addressed above, the BGE is a simple air-flow driven machine. If you have fuel and a heat source, then the air-flow determines the cooking 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. -
take off the daisy wheel
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
After years with no problem, I've been fighting getting the temperature up for a couple of months. I'm concluding if the lump is broken into small pieces there is so much surface area trying to burn that you can't get enough oxygen to down to it to get it to take off. And it's not hot enough to draw a good updraft through the bottom vent. When I try to light another fire starter near the top of the smoldering lump the match will extinguish due to lack of oxygen. Using bigger pieces of lump, mixed with some small stuff (an inch cube or so) is the way to go. The experiment continues…..
Elkhart, Indiana
Large BGE -
One thing I've learned on lighting is air flow. Like @SmokinGolfer says, small bits clog up the air. What I now do is use a long screwdriver to make a path from the top of the lump to an air hole in the grate. I put my paper towel with oil over that spot and light it. I also put a bit of lump in a T shape over the lit paper to catch fast. 600+ in like 20 minutes. And no daisy wheel unless I want 250-ish or lower.Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes -
Other thing is to check your holes in the firebox to see if they are clogged with ash. If so, time to clean it out!
My method, if it helps:
1. Fill with lump to whatever level I like. I like to grab some of the larger, flat pieces to cover my initial fire. I don't "Lump Dump" from the bag much. I will pour some llump into a Rubbermaid container and bring it to the egg. Selecting the pieced I want. It will all burn, I know! I just like to get dirty!
2. Make a small well in the 12 o'clock position just to the rear of center of the lump pile.
3. Light a papertowel infused with cooking oil and place in the well.
4. Cover with the larger, flat lump pieces to aide in getting something burning.
5. Open the lower vent FULLY and keep the dome open.
6. Tell Siri to set a time for 10 minutes.
7. When Siri starts yelling at me like a pissed off wife; or the timer goes off, go out and close the dome. Keep the top of the Smokewear cap off still.
8. Tell Siri to set another timer for 7 minutes.
9. When timer goes off, put the Smokewear cap back on and choked to 1/2 open. Also close the bottom vent to approximately 1/2 inch.
10. Finish prepping the food sacrifices.
11. Adjust dampers as needed for desired temp.
Somewhere, in-between all the above, a few beers are consumed.
After a few cooks, I'll scrape out some of the ash from the base of the firebox. The only time I gut the egg and clean all ash out is before I am cooking for a gig.LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014
Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies! #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!
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I've been cooking on two Eggs for a number of years, now, and I never leave the dome open when starting the fire. I open the bottom vent completely (including no screen), and take off the top cap completely, never have a problem getting the temps as high as I want.
I've never tried it with the dome open to compare, but I figure it takes a while to heat all of that ceramic, and it makes a difference, because once it's all hot, the ceramic is radiating heat back into the food, whereas when it's still cold, all it's doing is absorbing heat. So I might be wrong, but it just makes sense to me that I'll get stable temps sooner if I have the entire Egg up to temp sooner.
With both vents open WIDE, I really don't think there's a big difference in how quickly the fire gets hot. -
Theophan said:I've been cooking on two Eggs for a number of years, now, and I never leave the dome open when starting the fire. I open the bottom vent completely (including no screen), and take off the top cap completely, never have a problem getting the temps as high as I want.
I've never tried it with the dome open to compare, but I figure it takes a while to heat all of that ceramic, and it makes a difference, because once it's all hot, the ceramic is radiating heat back into the food, whereas when it's still cold, all it's doing is absorbing heat. So I might be wrong, but it just makes sense to me that I'll get stable temps sooner if I have the entire Egg up to temp sooner.
With both vents open WIDE, I really don't think there's a big difference in how quickly the fire gets hot.LBGE May 2016
Ormond Beach, FL -
I'm a newbie and have totally given up on the daisy wheel unless its a low n slow cook. Why bother with it? No cap...no daisy wheel...temps up quicker and easy to control with bottom vent. Just my HO. YMMV.
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I love how everyone comes out of the woodwork to hep others - especially the new ones. The forum is the best!!!Northern New Jersey
XL - Woo2, AR L (2) - Woo, PS Woo MM (2) - Woo MINI
Check out https://www.grillingwithpapaj.com for some fun and more Grilling with Papa (incase you haven't gotten enough of me)
Also, check out my YouTube Page
https://www.youtube.com/c/grillingwithpapaj
Follow me on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrillingPapaJ/ -
yljkt said:I'm a newbie and have totally given up on the daisy wheel unless its a low n slow cook. Why bother with it? No cap...no daisy wheel...temps up quicker and easy to control with bottom vent. Just my HO. YMMV.[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]
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Troykahack said:Just how long until you have a good hot egg? I tried this way and it just didn't seem to occur fast enough. 15 mins or less would be acceptable in my kitchen. lol
But your dome cannot have fully heated up in 15 minutes, so I don't think temps can truly be stable that quickly. Maybe if you use a fan and controller, but I don't, and I don't think the dome temp will really be stable for at least half an hour. I've read on this forum people saying they routinely wait an hour for everything to stabilize before putting the food on. -
I am a very firm believer in a 20 dollar weedburner. I like it so much I have never done it any other way--ever. I am ready to cook in 5 minutes. I always add fresh lump at the end of my cook and don't cook with less than a half a an egg full. That is measured from the plate setter down. Unless it is a very short cook like caveman steaks or burgers. If I am in a real hurry I give it a 3 minute blast and then load food. Mostly I get the top red and then let the rest get acclimated. I have no idea how others light eggs except what I read on here. I have never waited 20 minutes.Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
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My Looftlighter hasn't failed me yet.
I would consider a weed burner if I didn't have an outlet near the Egg. -
yljkt said:I'm a newbie and have totally given up on the daisy wheel unless its a low n slow cook. Why bother with it? No cap...no daisy wheel...temps up quicker and easy to control with bottom vent. Just my HO. YMMV.
Most of my cooks are 350F or higher, and I never use the Daisy Wheel for them. Just use the bottom vent to control my temp and it is very easy.
Smoked some sausage yesterday at 250F, used the Daisy Wheel for that.
One thing some people get backwards when starting with the BGE, is the airflow. It is kind of backwards to think you need to open the daisy wheel, remove it, or even open the grill to increase your temp. It seems like you would just be letting the hot air out.
You want it hotter, increase airflow to the lump. I ruined my factory seal cooking pizzas. Opening the dome for too long and having too much lump, it went inferno on me. Wasted some lump, burned the pizzas, and melted my seal. Havent made that mistake again (yet).
Victoria, TX - 1 Large BGE and a 36" Blackstone -
Oxygen= hot fire
Get a hair dryer or a low speed leaf blower and aim it about 6" away from the inlet while you are firing up. It is also a good idea to get some lump going in a chimney starter first, the pour lit coals on top of a lump loaded firebox.
Happy birthday. This is soon to be your favorite toy!
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