Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Repost of egg problem

Options
Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Cooked a 6 pound butt on my new small egg this weekend.[p]Had one problem, had to refill the egg with lump twice. I was using biggreenegg brand and I didnt just pour it in. I stacked it in nice and neat like a jigsaw puzzle. [p]Temp stayed at 200 steady the whole cook, except the last 2 hours i cranked it up to 300.[p]How long should my small egg go at around 200 degrees on one load of lump?[p]Tom

Comments

  • sprinter
    sprinter Posts: 1,188
    Options
    TomF,[p]Cant comment on the small but I have a medium egg and here's my experience. When I'm doing low and slow cooks, I FILL my firebox up to just below the top of the fire ring. I really jam it full. By doing this I've been able to cook for about 30 hours and sill have enough to do some 350 degree chicken breasts when the butts were done, and still had lump left when that was done. Cant go much past that but I've done that two times at least.[p]How full were you filling the firechamber? Dont be afraid to put some lump in there and really pack it full.[p]Hope this helps.[p]Troy
  • TomF,[p]Hi, I have a large so I have no actual experience with the small :( BUT.... it sounds like you did pretty good considering the fuel capacity of the small. You may try filling it up to the top of the fire ring next time. [p]I have ran out of lump a few times with my large also on very long cooks if I dont fill it up high enough. [p]It depends on many variables.. quality of lump.. temperature .. humidity... so, Just a thought :)[p]Happy Egging.. BB [p]

  • Spin
    Spin Posts: 1,375
    Options
    TomF,[p]As offered below, really fill it up with lump - to 1/2 way up the fire ring (or more). The small Egg will give you 10-11 hours of cooking time at 220°F when the lump is overfilled, I have heard of some claiming 12-14 hours.[p]Spin
  • ChefRD
    ChefRD Posts: 438
    Options
    Spin, Hello again,
    Maybe the temp is a factor right now, last June I filled my small up to the bottom of the fire ring and maybe a 1/2 inch or so more and I got an honest 12 hour cook around 225 doing PP. The temp was in the 90's with no wind whatsover. At nite I think it cooled down to the 70's. It lasted all nite but started losing temps after I got up, so I had to load more. Still the best 'camping at a race track' food I have ever made. ;)
    Just my experience and YMMV :)
    later,
    ChefRD[p]

  • Spin
    Spin Posts: 1,375
    Options
    Hi ChefRD,[p]Both times I have used the small Egg for PP was on vacation in Florida. Daytime temp was in the mid 70's with nights in the 50-60's. Started the cook around 9:00PM with a good smoke to the meal as the Egg heated. It held nicely all night and I reloaded the next morning for the finish. Both times resulted in good PP. Just reporting my results and do tend to be conserative on my claims.[p]After 2+ years of politics (Christy Whitman is now gone as governor of NJ - now head of Federal DEP ;-{), it seems that a race track may be built in southern NJ. The proposals are still going through all of the red tape but the future now seems bright. Initial plans call for a 2-3 mile racetrack with very ambitious ideas. I believe it will be offered as a CART track first (NASCAR has a bad taste for a track in NJ from the prior politics - although they advanced the idea). It will be definitely built to accomodate NASCAR.[p]The proposed track will be less than 1.5 miles from my house, with protected forests in between. Maybe we can tailgate on the deck...[p]Spin[p][p]
  • RhumAndJerk
    RhumAndJerk Posts: 1,506
    Options
    TomF,
    First of all, let me welcome you to the forum.
    Second, I would like to apologize for some of other stuff that you may be reading in the current posts. We are a family here. Welcome to the family.[p]Now to topic at hand, the largest egg that I have is the small. Here is how I came to make a long lasting fire. In the recipe section of the web site under Pork, there is a recipe for North Carolina Pulled Pork. In there is a section about building a fire and sorting lump It helped me build a fire in small that will last through the night. .. I know this is a controversial topic, but give it a try and see if helps I do not dump my lump on the floor, but I do reach into the bag and get each size that need one piece at a time. One other note for the small is to fill the small with lump well into the fire ring. The goal is to maximize the amount of lump that you cram into the small.[p]Also, start a very small fire by setting the fire starter on top of the lump. If you let the fire get too big in the small, you will burn through the lump. Usually, the first three hours of cook a butt is done between 150 and 220. [p]I hope this helps,
    RhumAndJerk[p]

  • ChefRD
    ChefRD Posts: 438
    Options
    Spin, Sounds like a winner to me!! just tell me when to come. :)
    later,
    ChefRD

  • ChefRD
    ChefRD Posts: 438
    Options
    Spin, I emailed you, it bounced back.
    email me at my address and i will get back.
    thanks,
    ron.[p]

  • YB
    YB Posts: 3,861
    Options
    extragratesmall.jpg
    <p />TomF,
    Make a extra grate for you small egg...It will raise the grate 3 1/2 inches...Then fill the lump to the top of the fire ring.
    Larry

    [ul][li]Grate Detail[/ul]