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First Cook Done... Getting Ready for Second Cook Tonight

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havertyj
havertyj Posts: 118
in EggHead Forum
First cook was completed last night. We did pork tenderloin. I am so excited to have this new GreenEgg! Been looking and comparing for about a year. Finally made the purchase on Saturday. Hello to the board. I joined this forum back in 2016, but had only been stopping in every now and then.

Doing second grill tonight with chicken breasts. The first grill went well. I have watched a few YouTube videos regarding lighting and venting. We were advised at the store to keep the first 4 - 6 grills 350 or below.

I cannot wait to do more grilling and then be able to do smoked meat too. Never done any at all. Any suggestions for a newbie?

John

♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,384
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    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.  Below is likely too much-and there is much more using the forum search function.

    Here’s a link to all things ceramic-chances are if you have a question the answer is within this site somewhere.  Check out the recipe section for some great ideas.  http://www.nakedwhiz.com/nwindex.htm

    For additional links to cooking/recipe sites; here are two very good ones, depending what you are cooking:  This site contains a wealth of the science behind Q cooking along with info on about every type of meat cook you would attempt: http://amazingribs.com/

    Here’s the second one:  http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/

     After-market toys- With the BGE there are three basic styles of cooking;  “direct”-where the cooking grid is on top of the fire ring; “raised direct”-where the grid is elevated at least to the gasket-line (this setup requires after-market stuff-easiest is to get another grid and then use three fire bricks (or three empty aluminum beer cans) and place them on the grid at the fire ring and then put the second grid on top. The third is “indirect” where there is a heat deflector (platesetter or some other type stone) between the burning lump and the cooking grid.  This is the setup for low&slow long duration cooks.  I would get comfortable playing around with the BGE before any major after-market investments.  Will save you $$ in the long run.

     Some observations-make sure you calibrate your dome thermo-boil some water, then insert the thermo and check the temp.  If not around 210*F, then note the off-set and use the nut on the back to correct.  Then recheck.

    Temperature is a controlled by the volume of lump burning.  The volume is controlled by the air-flow thru the BGE.  In thru the bottom vent and out the top.  Make sure when you set it up that the fire box opening is aligned with the lower vent. 

    When adjusting the vent(s) to change temperature, the feedback loop can take some time.  Changes in air-flow are reflected in the dome thermo temp.  Don’t chase temperature; +/- 10-15*F is close enough.

    “Stable temperature” is a relative term.  Means you haven’t moved the vents and the temperature is steady for anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

    Back to the main point-Have fun.

    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.
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  • SamIAm2
    SamIAm2 Posts: 1,898
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    Welcome to the forum. Suggestions? Hold on tight to your wallet! Cooking suggestions-cook whatever you like. Your egg is an amazing vessel. What size did you finally purchase?
    Ubi panis, ibi patria.
    Large - Roswell rig, MiniMax-PS Woo; Cocoa, Fl.
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    Went with the large. Reading through suggestions for chicken breast to grill tonight. Thanks for the welcome. Good info in the first reply from lousubcap. Thank you! I see I need to be sure to check the temperature gage.
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • outrageous
    outrageous Posts: 803
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    Chicken is better on a raised grid or indirect.  if no raised grid, use less lump to create space between chicken n lump.   welcome to the cult.....

    Large egg and mini max egg plus a Blackstone griddle

    South Ga. cooking fool !!!!!!!!

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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    Thank you! I did get the indirect convEGGtor. Have not used it yet. Raised grid? Is that an additional item to purchase?
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • SamIAm2
    SamIAm2 Posts: 1,898
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    @lousubcap is a super helpful egger. Listen to any advice from him and when you want to try your hand at brisket he is the brisket whisperer. He talked me thru my first attempt at a prime brisket and it was appreciated on this end.
    Ubi panis, ibi patria.
    Large - Roswell rig, MiniMax-PS Woo; Cocoa, Fl.
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  • outrageous
    outrageous Posts: 803
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    havertyj said:
    Thank you! I did get the indirect convEGGtor. Have not used it yet. Raised grid? Is that an additional item to purchase?

    Call tom at ceramic grill store and talk to him about the different options on raising grid up.  he is great guy 

    Large egg and mini max egg plus a Blackstone griddle

    South Ga. cooking fool !!!!!!!!

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  • GoVols
    GoVols Posts: 216
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    Welcome aboard
    Tim Rickman,Tn.
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
    edited August 2017
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    havertyj said:
    Thank you! I did get the indirect convEGGtor. Have not used it yet. Raised grid? Is that an additional item to purchase?
    People like to raise the cooking grid up higher away from the lump. Is it necessary? No. Is it a nice option? Yes. I went years without raising the grid with my egg. I built a raised grid by using some bolts and nuts to raise it. I eventually bought a Woo (From the Ceramic Grill Store) for my small. I will eventually also buy one for my large. 

    No worries about raising your chicken tonight. I still cook majority of my food at the normal grid height. Keep egging on! Welcome!
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
    edited August 2017
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    Here's a couple pictures of homemade raised grids.  It can be as basic as some beer cans, or firebricks to help elevate the grid. The most common homemade raised grids are made with nuts and bolts. 

    The real deal is the Woo from Ceramic Grill Store. Definitely worth looking into. 





    So if you hear someone say "raised direct" it's something similar to the setups above
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
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    My favortite egged foods are steaks, pork ribs, and pizzas

    everything else is great too. I've done butts, brisksts, pork loins, turkeys, and even baked chocolate chip cookies. 

    Its a fun cooker, enjoy the journey!
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    Thanks for the info and posts. A lot to learn. I will keep the raised grill idea though. Thanks everyone!
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • JohnnyTarheel
    JohnnyTarheel Posts: 6,541
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    Welcome!!  You gonna really enjoy your egg and hate us for always telling you how to spend more of your money
    Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,384
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    About the cheapest way to get into the raised grid style is to pound 3 aluminum canned beers, save the cans and use them on the ring to get your grid elevated to the gasket line.  You can forget how to do this a couple of times a day and thus accumulate some cans to call into action when you find clarity of purpose.  FWIW-
    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.
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  • dsrguns
    dsrguns Posts: 421
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    Agree with @lousubcap, they only work if you pound them.
      
    XL BGE
    MD
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  • YEMTrey
    YEMTrey Posts: 6,829
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    Welcome aboard and have fun!
    Steve 
    XL, Mini Max, and a 22" Blackstone in Cincinnati, Ohio
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    Chicken breasts turned out great! Took me longer than expected to get the fire going. Still figuring out that process. With about 20 - 25 minutes left in the cooking a big storm moved through. Cooked in the rain. Turned out great except I got wet. :)
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
    edited August 2017
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    havertyj said:
    Chicken breasts turned out great! Took me longer than expected to get the fire going. Still figuring out that process. With about 20 - 25 minutes left in the cooking a big storm moved through. Cooked in the rain. Turned out great except I got wet. :)
    I've tried a half dozen different ways to light my egg. I find the weed burner works best for me. I found this video on YouTube for a visual. You can get to cooking temps in minutes.

    https://youtu.be/SnBLmt5ULcs
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    WeberWho said:
    I've tried a half dozen different ways to light my egg. I find the weed burner works best for me. I found this video on YouTube for a visual. You can get to cooking temps in minutes.

    https://youtu.be/SnBLmt5ULcs
    That's great! I just want to play with it! :) That does look very easy to light the grill using that thing. Puts my little lighter to shame!
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    havertyj said:
    WeberWho said:
    I've tried a half dozen different ways to light my egg. I find the weed burner works best for me. I found this video on YouTube for a visual. You can get to cooking temps in minutes.

    https://youtu.be/SnBLmt5ULcs
    That's great! I just want to play with it! :) That does look very easy to light the grill using that thing. Puts my little lighter to shame!
    You can pick one up for around $20 at Harbor Freight. I personally hate lighting the egg any other way. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • SamIAm2
    SamIAm2 Posts: 1,898
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    WeberWho said:
    You can pick one up for around $20 at Harbor Freight. I personally hate lighting the egg any other way. 
    @havertyj - And now it begins. I did warn you about holding on to your wallet as did @JohnnyTarheel =)
    Ubi panis, ibi patria.
    Large - Roswell rig, MiniMax-PS Woo; Cocoa, Fl.
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    SamIAm2 said:
    WeberWho said:
    You can pick one up for around $20 at Harbor Freight. I personally hate lighting the egg any other way. 
    @havertyj - And now it begins. I did warn you about holding on to your wallet as did @JohnnyTarheel =)
    Buying the egg is the cheap part! ;)
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    In all honesty take some time and learn the egg. You will find out what you do and don't need. It's easy to spend others money here. Most of all enjoy the journey. Ask away with questions. Always someone here willing to help. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    WeberWho said:
    @havertyj - And now it begins. I did warn you about holding on to your wallet as did @JohnnyTarheel =)
    Buying the egg is the cheap part! ;)
    True! I am starting to see that now. I am having fun though. Hoping to do third grill today if the rain holds off. Grilled last Sunday in a down pour the last 20 minutes of the grill. Still trying to keep the temp below 350 though. 
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    WeberWho said:
    In all honesty take some time and learn the egg. You will find out what you do and don't need. It's easy to spend others money here. Most of all enjoy the journey. Ask away with questions. Always someone here willing to help. 
    Thank you! I appreciate it! Still learning the process. I am hopeful the lighting process goes better today. Last week, I ended up putting out the starter bricks when I poured more charcoal on top. I think I have a better idea of how to do it now. Granted, I had watched some videos and knew better, but it seemed like the thing to do but just made it take longer to get the grill going.

    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    havertyj said:
    WeberWho said:
    @havertyj - And now it begins. I did warn you about holding on to your wallet as did @JohnnyTarheel =)
    Buying the egg is the cheap part! ;)
    True! I am starting to see that now. I am having fun though. Hoping to do third grill today if the rain holds off. Grilled last Sunday in a down pour the last 20 minutes of the grill. Still trying to keep the temp below 350 though. 
    I'm a little old school when it comes to controlling the eggs temperature. I leave off the upper cast iron daisy wheel for temps above 300 degress. I control the temp only from the lower vent. I find it easier and one less vent to adjust to get to a temp I'm looking for. The top daisy wheel is more less for fine tuning. The original Big Green Eggs never used to come with them back in the day. So it stays off for 95% of my cooks.

    I'll use the daisy wheel for low and slows. Anything under 300 degrees. I set the vent settings to the width of a toothpick on the lower vent and the daisy wheel to stay around 250 degrees. 

    A tip for temperature is to watch your egg get up and around the temp you're trying to achieve and start shutting down the vents. It's much easier to work your way up to temp as it is to come back down. Especially with ceramic. It retains heat so well that it may take a good amount of time to get the temp to come back down. So start adjusting the vent when you get within 50 degrees of your target temp. The more you play around with the vents and temps it becomes second nature. You'll know where the vent or vents should be adjusted and eventually be able to come back out and find where egg right where you wanted it. It does take a little time to get used to it. Don't give up and keep having fun. That's why you see used eggs on Craigslist. People don't give them enough time to fully figure them out and struggle with temps. Keep working on it and you'll have it up to temp faster than your oven!
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    @weberwho Thank you for the advice. I just started the afternoon grill and using your technique. This is only my third grill, but a little concerned that with the bottom vent completely open and the top half-way open I am only getting 350. Of course I do not want to have it above 350 right now, but seems like it should be a lot hotter at this point. I will need to review suggestions on how to get it hotter or adjustments.

    Also good advice regarding the adjusting up when getting close to target temp. I will remember that as sounds useful.

    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    havertyj said:
    @weberwho Thank you for the advice. I just started the afternoon grill and using your technique. This is only my third grill, but a little concerned that with the bottom vent completely open and the top half-way open I am only getting 350. Of course I do not want to have it above 350 right now, but seems like it should be a lot hotter at this point. I will need to review suggestions on how to get it hotter or adjustments.

    Also good advice regarding the adjusting up when getting close to target temp. I will remember that as sounds useful.

    I use a weed burner so the temps rise quickly. Depending on how you are lighting your egg you might want to keep your dome open for a short while to get that lump lit. If you close your dome too early it will take a good amount of time before that fire spreads and your temp rises


    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    Welcome to the community. Lot's of good folks giving you advice. Have fun. Post often. Ask questions.
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • havertyj
    havertyj Posts: 118
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    @SciAggie Thank you! A lot of good advice. I appreciate the comments. Finished third grill tonight. Planning to keep my blog updated with regular grilling. Played catch up from the first two uses. Happy with how chicken breasts and chicken quarters turned out tonight. 

    http://blogger.haverty.net/2017/08/green-egg-first-cook-through-third-cook.html

    Two or three more cooks and I will be ready for higher heat. :) 
    ♦︎ John ♦︎ Large BGE ♦︎ Topeka, KS ♦︎ My Blog ♦︎
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