Getting my Egg Hot Enough

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,

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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,

This is it most of the time. If you want high temps leave the dome open until you can see I at least a softball size bed of coals burning orange. You will get there. It's all about oxygen. If you stuff the egg full of lump then close the dome before the fire is going you severely limit the amount of oxygen the fire has available.

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.

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.  

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

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.

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.

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

I love how everyone comes out of the woodwork to hep others - especially the new ones.  The forum is the best!!!

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

I'd guess it takes a little longer my way, then.  I use starter cubes, which is a fairly slow way to light the fire, and I usually start checking the dome temp around 15 minutes.  I think it might be 200° or so usually by 15 minutes, but I never cook that low, usually want it at least 250° even for a low and slow.  I'd guess 20-25 minutes might be typical for that, but honestly, I don't think I've ever timed it from lighting the fire to putting the meat on.  And if I'm shooting for 450° or hotter to grill, again, I don't think I've ever timed it, but I'd guess it'd be closer to half an hour, not sure.

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.

My Looftlighter hasn't failed me yet.  
I would consider a weed burner if I didn't have an outlet near the Egg.

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!