Lot's Of Questions-1st Timer

CJ · July 2006

Well, 4 hours ago I brough home my Egg. I'll never buy propane again. Thank you all for this great forum, it really helped my the decision for me. Looks like the first round of baby backs are smokin' (pun intended), I've never had ribs so good...[p]Ok, lot's of questions, but I'll start w/a few.[p]Very hard to control the temp. How much coal do you guys use? I hit 400 before I knew what happened and struggled (even removed some coal) to stay in the low 200s. How do you guys do it? Seems like i light the fire and the dampers have little or no effect... I have a daisy wheel and slider on the bottom- lg. egg.[p]Is it ok to ask multiple questions on the same post? At the risk of offending, I ask one more.[p]I've seen rib recipies from 2hrs - 6 hrs... between 220 and 300 degrees. How do you guys judge when a rack is ready? do you cut them first?[p]I'll wait to see how this post comes out, but I really appreciate the help. Thanks again![p]

The Naked Whiz · July 2006

CJ,
Here is a link to my webpage on temperature control. It should help you get started:[p]TNW
[ul][li]Temperature Control [/ul]

icemncmth · July 2006

CJ,
Rule number 1[p]Don't let the temp go higher than you need...if you do it can be a while to bring it back down..[p]Remember the ceramic holds heat!...

CT Grillguy · July 2006

CJ,[p]Welcome! Ask as many questions as you want. You may or may not get an answer, but no one will fault you for asking. I've been an egg owner for almost a year and a half and still find myself asking questions. (as is evidenced by my recent toasting of my gasket!!)[p]Temp control is the learning curve for the BGE. You'll get it, so don't get frustrated. One hint is to always cook with a full load of lump. In otherwords, always fill the bottom ceramic piece (the firebox, which is the one with the metal grate and holes around the edges) full with lump. That way you will always know how to set your vents. In otherwords, you're taking one variable out. [p]Next, try to settle on a lightning method. Once you have the lump burning well enough that it won't go out, you can do one of two things:[p]1. Keep the Egg wide open (wheel off and bottom vent open all the way) and let the temp gague come up near the temp you want. Then, put on the daisy wheel closed down to the approximated setting and close the bottom vent to where it should be for the temp you want. The Egg should stabilize close to where you want and you can fine tune. This method is faster.[p]2. Or you can place the daisy wheel on right away after you have the lump ignited and adjust the bottom vent. The egg will slowly come up to temp. This way takes longer but is easier to control. If you're going for a low temp cook, this way is recommended IMO.[p]One thing to remember on the Large is that temp changes rather slowly. So patience is key.[p]Vent settings:[p]Basically, for a low temp cook (225ish) a full load of lump should have the bottom vent open just about the width of a dime and the daisy wheel should have the holes closed and the bigger wheel slid open about a quarter of an inch.[p]For 400, open the bottom vent about an inch and the daisy wheel open about a half inch with the wheel turned so the holes are half open.[p]That should get you started. Every egg is a bit different so you will just need to Cook lots and lots of delicious food on it to figure it out!!!! Sorry, but that's required.

EddieMac · July 2006

Welcome to the cult, CJ! You're going to have a lot of fun and meet some really nice people with a ton of experience that are willing to help you succeed.[p]I'm still a relative newbie and have been going strong for the past 29 months using my BGE two or three times per week. I always recommend that newbies visit and thoroughly read the www.nakedwhiz site! The Whiz has done a TON of research and it's all right there at your fingertips![p]Good luck![p]Ed McLean
Ft. Pierce, FL

Unknown · July 2006

CJ, welcome to the cult. I cook ribs at about 225 to 250 degrees for about 5 hours. Grab the rack of ribs in the middle with tongs, lift them, if they fold in half they're done.Also, when you can slide a toothpick between the ribs with little effort they're done As for lighting the egg, one way is to take the daisy wheel completely off and open the bottom vent all the way. If you do that, make sure you don't walk away from the egg, because you are running wide open and it wont be long til the egg is up to nuke temps and your gaskets will melt together. Quite a few people have fired up the egg, went inside to prepare the food for cooking, and came back outside to find a big problem. I light the egg and set the vents to where I think they need to be for temp I want. It may take a little longer to get up to temp, but no worries about cooking the gasket.

Clay Q · July 2006

CJ,
Welcome![p]Stay right with your egg until you get the hang of temp control, adjust the draft door and top vent as you get near target dome temp. If you overshoot target temp don't expect the egg to drop temp right away, your working a live fire within ceramic walls that hold heat.
Best bet is to adjust the door and vent as the egg gets close to your target. In a short time you will find it routine to adjust and make settings with the draft.[p]When a rack is ready....well, it will show tenderness but should not be falling apart. wessb.com has a great how to under cooks and recipes.
The fun begins, Enjoy!
Clay

Lot's Of Questions-1st Timer

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