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

Putting Egg Together

Options
Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I bought my green egg three weeks ago. When I put it together, I couldn't get the top and bottom pieces to fit exactly. The end result is that the top of my egg is about 1/16 of an inch further back than the bottom of my egg. Since the egg is so thick, there are no holes (top and bottom meet each other all the way around), but I have noticed two things that concern me: (1) when smoking, I do see smoke coming out of the very front of the egg under the handle, and (2) I tried smoking through the night at 200 degrees, but when I woke up it was at 400 degrees.

Since I am new with the egg #1 above could be normal and #2 above could just be that I'm still learning how to use it. Is it odd that the top and bottom do not meet up exactly or did I put it together incorrectly? Any help is appreciated.
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Rascal
    Rascal Posts: 3,923
    Options
    You need to take a few, detailed pictures of what's going on and send them to John in Atlanta. He helped me with a similar problem with my LBGE. Good luck!

    Rascal
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    Options
    Hi from another newbie egger. I hope you get a reply from one of the Eggspert on this forum 'cause I have the same problem with a very small wisp of smoke coming out of my lge egg just below the handle when I smoke something. Alignment is just about what you described on yours...not exactly lined up.

    Have not had the temp problem and I have done a small butt (3!/2 lbs) for about 10 hrs. Used Hickory and followed some of the suggestions I have read from some of the eggsters on this forum. Turned out great.

    Bob

    Opelika, Alabama
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ArvadaMan
    ArvadaMan Posts: 260
    Options
    It sounds like the bands are not installed properly. The dome does not sound like it is aligned properly. You might take a picture of it so we can see if that is the case. You might also see the posting below. It may be a similar situation to what you have going on.

    http://www.greeneggers.net/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=422321&catid=1

    As for the overnight, if your dome is not sealing properly, you may not be able to maintain low temperatures. You might be getting air leaking into the egg at the gasket and causing the temperature to rise.

    Just a couple of thoughts.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    Good to hear from a fellow newbie. I have done a lot of reading, but it is always good to hear from someone's live experience. On your 10 hours smoke, how long did it take you to get the temp stabalized? I was trying for about 15 hours which is why I started last night around midnight. The egg was pegged at 200 for about 1/2 hour, so I figured I was set. Then when I woke up about 7 hours later it was up to 400. My pork was not happy.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mike in Abita
    Mike in Abita Posts: 3,302
    Options
    I would recommend smoking at 250 dome temp. Reason being is the grid will be 25- 40 deg lower than that. Trying to cook a butt to 190 internal using temps of 160-175 doesn't add up. Won't quite get there. As far as temps are concerned I consider my temps stabilized when it no longer drifts after an hour. I know some experienced eggers will say 1/2 hour, but they are experienced. The hardest thing I have ever done while cooking on the egg was the first time I allowed the temps to come back on its own. I spent and hour getting the temps just right and then I threw a big hunk of cold beef in it and the temp went down. I fiddled with it and got it back. Came out an hour later and temps were 350. Closed it off and came back in a half hour and tempwas 200. Opened it up came back and temp was 300. See a pattern developing here. Chased those temps for 5 hours before I got them stable. I listened to those here and next time I set it and didn't touch a thing until those temps returned. Took about an hour and a half but it came back and stayed rock steady the whole time. As I learned more about my egg I was able to find little short cuts and shave a little time here and there. As a Newbie I enjoyed every succes and failure with the egg. Took a little learning but I figured it out.

    Good Luck
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Matanuska
    Matanuska Posts: 29
    Options
    The 1/16" offset may not be the entire reason for your 400 degree temps (mine is about the same & I don't have any problems), but smoke under the handle sounds like you've got at least a little leakage.

    How were your vents set? When I'm trying to maintain a 250 degree temp for a low & slow cook using a new load of lump, I usually end up with the bottom vent opened just the width of a credit card & the top daisy wheel cracked open not a whole lot more (wheel vents closed). If you had your vents open more than that the temp could easily have risen once the fire stabilized.

    I usually allow at least 1/2 an hour of stabilization with the platesetter in place before I put on the meat for a low & slow. Then I check the temp over the next hour to be sure it ends up where I want it (it will usually drop after you put on a large piece of meat, but will gradually come back up).
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeMdDkhDldQ

    Watch all 3 parts!

    Jeff
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    Options
    Jeremy,

    I kept my dome temp between 225 and 250. I watched it for about 11/2 hours. Then being a Newbie I checked it about every 1/2 hour to make sure it stayed at that temp. Only had to fine tune it once after about 2 hours. The meat temp was right at 200 when I took it off, then I wrapped it for about an hour. Remember this guy was only about 3 1/2 lbs.

    Pulled apart with a fork and was moist and tender as butter. Yum!

    Bob

    Opelika, Alabama
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WADoug
    WADoug Posts: 191
    Options
    Jeremy, great question. I too am new to this egg world. I set mine up last week. I wanted the experience. I followed the CD instructions that came with the bge. You know, it was very basic and looked simple. But, God is in the details, which the CD left out. I'm not good at construction/assembly. I have to do it two, three or more times to get it right. Maybe I'm compulsive. Whatever, I followed the CD instructions as best I could. After several do/undo/redo's I finally got the "dollar test' to at least meet with resistance and called it good. One side had less resistance than the other. Did one cook which was good. But when I saw your message string, I looked at "jeff"'s reference to the youtube site. I watched those video and found that very much more helpful. Thanks to jeff... So, I went to Home Depot to get some more carriage bolts to see if I can improve the seating of the top/bottom.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories