Problems getting egg going

Unknown · October 2002

My wife has threatened me too many times about buying a gas grill because the Big Green Egg is a Big FLOP
when it comes to lighting it, and getting it ready for cooking in any reasonable amount of time. HELP! I've followed
the instructions from the book, and those from the manufacturer's response to no avail. We use the starter sticks
to avoid the newspaper mess, and it appears that there just is not a large enough opening at the bottom side to
keep air flowing up through. It also seems that the temperature drops to well below 300 after putting the 3 vents
open lid on with the lower vent wide open. My wife says these 200-250 temps are too low, but it appears to cook
fine. When we do get the fire going after about 30-45 minutes instead of the 10 minutes the instructions say then
the flames burn things and we don't get the moist interiors to the food like we used to. We often have to relight the
fire when starting. We always use the BGE natural charcoal and the grate holes and side holes are not blocked, yet
the air flow is terrible. HELP![p]Ben Verhagen

Puj · October 2002

Ben,[p]Do you have a copy of the Wise One's compilation of BGE recipes published earlier this year? If not I'll email you a copy and you'll find starting on page 12 some helpful hints on fire building.[p]Puj

Zip · October 2002

Ben,[p]What size cooker do you have? The small ones from my experience do have a problem getting up to temp if you load the firebox up. No matter what size you have, if you want a temp above 350º or so start with just a couple of hands of lump and use one of the starters you have. Open the bottom fully and remove all the tops. When this fire gets going add additional lump to the fire. This will bring the temp back down, but you will have a good base fire that will take hold. Adjust/close down the bottom vent to nearly closed and make small adjustments to the desired temp. I will assume you have emptied the asses from the firebox so this is not slowing the airflow and the grate is clear.[p]You may want to try some Weber starter cubes as well instead of the natural starter sticks. These burn hot and for about ten minutes. Give us a few more details about you setup such as size of cooker, amount of lump used, brand of starter sticks, ect...[p]Ashley

Unknown · October 2002

Ben,When I first got my medium size egg. I had a terrible time trying to get it to light up. I was using newspaper. That Christmas I recieved an electric starter. Truly a blessing. It gets things going within 5 minutes. Then get up to 350 within 15 minutes. I suggest getting one and stop spending money on the other starters. That way you are not spending money on them everytime you run out.

Country Boy · October 2002

Ben,
Is the bottom opening lined up so there is an opening big as the sliding Door straight in.

Zip · October 2002

asses = ashes[p]At least I'm not peeing down the vent....... Sorry Gretl

Tim M · October 2002

Ben,[p]It will never get going in 10 min. Disregard the manual - lets face it - it lies and is in real need of being rewritten. I like the Webber firecubes UNDER the grate (settel or ceramic) for faster grilling temps. If you follow the manual - don't - and make sure you have enough lump to get a hot fire. [p]Check my websites New Users help page for some ideas. Make sure the firebox hole is facing the lower vent. Old ash must be stired to get the ash to drop out and keep the dome closed to allow the air to move through the Egg. 200° is too low until you get pretty good at using the cooker - go for 225° or more. Check your dome thermo in boiling water for something close to 210° -- yours may be wayyyy off.[p]http://www.tm52.com/bge/
Tim
.
[ul][li]New Users help page[/ul]

nikkig · October 2002

Ben,
Could your lump possibly be damp? Damp lump would also take a long time to get up to temps. We use a MAPP torch for starting. It's alot quicker than the starter cubes.[p]~nikki

The Naked Whiz · October 2002

Puj,
You can find an online copy on my website. Here is a link to my recipes page which has the link to the cook book:
[ul][li]The Naked Whiz's Recipe Page[/ul]

Puj · October 2002

TNW,[p]'Nuff said. Saves me some work.[p]Thanks.

Zip · October 2002

Tim M,[p]Have you really experienced a problem with not having the fire box hole and the vent not being lined up on your large? When I do hot fire cooks like pizza and steak, I actually move the firebox so the openings are just barely offset, meaning if you were so stick skewer into the firebox from the outside, you would really have to angle it. My finding are that the air actually swirls into the fire chamber and make a more even burning bed of coals, reducing the hotspots. [p]Just curious as to what others have experienced with their cookers. As far as the size of the egg, it is a large. I know that on my sm and med eggs, this doesn't work. [p]Ashley

Tim M · October 2002

Zip,[p]Yes, and no. No - I have not had a problem myself. Yes, there have been several here that reported problems getting high temps and they later reported that the holes did not line up. I don't know if the holes were 180° off or slightly as you indicate. While I don't think it would be a big deal at start up, I can see where it could be a problem with high temps -- but why have them misaligned at all?[p]Tim

Zip · October 2002

Tim M,[p]Once again as I said before, I have experienced a more even burning fire with the air swirling into the chamber. I'm sure I'm not alone in having a very hot fire in the back of the cooker where the air rushes in and follows the firebox up. Generally the fire is hotter towards the back of the cooker as opposed to a even burning fire with the firebox offset slightly.[p]Ashley

WooDoggies · October 2002

Zip,[p]Very interesting theory you submit. I've noticed a hotter fire as well towards the back of the coals when doing longer grills like chicken.
I may have to give that air swirling idea a shot.
Thanks for posting your thoughts.
Monday Beers,[p]WD

JonLadd · October 2002

Ben,
For the last ten years with eggs I still use an electric starter... even when I do a 20 hour cook. I never have to leave it on for more than 5 or so minutes to get a good burn going... 10 to 15 minutes to cooking ready. They cost less than $10 at Walmart.

Painter · October 2002

Ben, Make sure your dome thermometer is reading correct. If your burning things at 300 degrees I think it may need to be checked and calibrated. Just a thought.
Bob

sdbelt · October 2002

Zip,[p]This is an interesting idea. I may have to twist my fire box slightly and give it a shot. Just past center, is always the hottest spot on my grill, but it's not that much hotter than the rest of the grill to cause me any grief. It would be interesting if this slight offset removed even this small irregularity.[p]--sdb

BYC · October 2002

Ben,[p]Electric Starter, Electric Starter, Electric Starter[p]Nothing works better and you eliminate all the initial smoke you find with starters and paper

Unknown · October 2002

Puj,
No I don't have a copy and would appreciate it if you'll e-mail it. THANKS! -Ben

Problems getting egg going

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