New purchase & nervous

Watch the DVD that comes with it, then when you have questions, ask here. Welcome aboard! -RP

Go to store Buy Meat and Beer
Go to another store and buy lump and more beer.
Put egg together if not already.
Fill with lump..
Drink Beer
Light fire and let smoke clear
Drink Beer
Cook Meat!!
Drink Mo' Beer!!

Welcome to the family!!

I agree with Celtic Wolf and Fishless, start out with something simple like sausage, hamburgers or chicken breasts, play with the temperature don't forget to get a clean burn first though......oh yeah lots of beer is very emportant it seemed to work for us Canadians on the weekend.

If you want to cook something first step would be to type whatever it is you want to cook type that in the search screen.

You will come up with hundreds of hits.

Search the recipe section here on the forum and or go to some of the sites in the link post I sent to you below.

Ask questions. When folks say temperatures unless specifically stated 'grate' then the the temperature refers to the dome temp.

In general the dome temp. will be about 30° than the grate temp. You will get used to all this in time.

GG

Have you gotten the beer yet? Well, go ahead and get that (it's the most important thing) and then click on the link below while your waiting on your "egg" to get there. Click on burgers, etc. and watch the vidios provided and you'll learn alot about cooking various things on the egg. Also, search everything else at the BGE website and you'll find the answers to many of your questions. Welcome and good luck.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/videos/videos.html

actually i just tried the link and "desserts" was the only vidio i could get to play.....maybe my computer

Just to make sure you fully understand the situation, a glass of wine can be substituted for all previous mentions of beer. :woohoo:

I too converted from gas a little over 2 years ago. I've been cooking out year round 2 to 3 times (or more) per week ever since. I found that my gasser realy didn't cook well as soon as the temp went into the 60's. Now the weather can't keep me from grilling.

The Egg is quite different than what you're used to, but take your time, you will adjust. I got frustrated because everyone made it sound so simple and I kept screwing things up. In hindsight I tried to do too much too fast and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. There is no one, single correct way to cook anything on the Egg-which makes it hard when that's what you're looking for.

First big difference - allow yourself a good half-hour for the smoke to clear (literally) before putting the meat on the grill.

As mentioned above, experiment with temp control. If you have a baseline to start from it will make your life easier. Your temps will vary depending on the type of lump used, if you have a platesetter in and how much space the food takes up (blocking the flow of air). But if you know what temp you want you can adjust for any irregularities. The only time I cook with the Daisywheel on is long slow cooks like ribs, brisket or overnight cooks. Otherwise, I control the temp entirely with the bottom draft door from 250 - 750+. (Stay away from the high heat for awhile, give your gasket a chance to settle in)

As far as cooking temps go, let us know what you'd like to cook and we can give you temps. which reminds me- keep a "cook book" or log of your cooks so you can look to see how you cooked something last time and whether or not it was any good.

good luck and have fun!

Here is a temp. guideline posted by Thirdeye. Time is a guideline, trust temps for doness.

Chicken, sausage links & logs, or country-style ribs (cut from a pork shoulder) are good starters. Whenever possible, cook meat on the bone. Spare ribs take a little more time and effort. A pork butt is a good choice for your first long “low and slow” cook. Turn or rotate your product the minimum number of times for even doneness, even color or if you have a hot spot in your cooker. Keep a close eye on your first few “all night” cooks. Too often the fire dies out in the early stages of the cook and goes unnoticed, resulting in food safety issues. Until you learn your cooker and how meat cooks, don't be too concerned with using "low and slow" pit temps around 200°. They can be hard to hold. Considering an average butt or brisket, a pit temp between 230° and 250° is usually adequate to insure an internal temperature of 140° or higher in the first 4 or 5 hours of your cook. Some cookers are more reliable than others but another good rule is to check your pit temp every 3 or 4 hours, especially on overnight cooks.

TEMPERATURE GUIDE - The temperature ranges below have worked for me when considering moistness and tenderness of the finished product. The USDA has a different range of temperatures they recommend for food safety. Click on this link to learn more: USDA

I tend to bend the rules more often on poultry white meat, ground beef, lamb, steaks and pork loin. You should decide your personal preference for doneness. I would however, suggest the USDA recommended temperatures when serving guests. Remember that most internal temperatures will rise 5° to 10° during the rest period. That being said, here are some guidelines that I use at home:

CUT

---

APPROXIMATE INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
Brisket.......................... 185°-200°
Beef Roasts/Steaks ........120°-125° rare 125°-130° medium rare 140°-145° medium
Beef, ground .................150° - 160°
Bologna ........................140°
Chicken ................. 165°-180° thigh, 150° - 155° breast -(juices should run clear)
Turkey ...................165°-180° thigh, 155° - 165°breast - (juices should run clear)
Lamb..................................130°-145°
Pork Butt & Picnic................165°-180° for slicing 185°-200° for pulling
Pork Loin .............................145°-165°
Sausage, beef & pork (fresh) .....160°-170°
Sausage, chicken ................ 165° - 170°
Salmon...............................135°-150° (watch for the white albumin protein to rise to the surface, this is a signal that it is close to being done, and don't wait for it to flake or it may be over done by the time it is served.


Keeping an eye on the temperature won't so much good if your thermometer(s) are not calibrated. This goes for your pit thermometer and your kitchen thermometers that you use for monitoring the internal temperatures. There are some online boiling point calculators which take into account daily changes in barametric pressure as well as elevation, but here is a chart that will get you really close. (in other words, don't sweat a couple of degrees)

ELEVATION .....BOILING POINT
sea level ........ 212° F
600 ft ......... 211° F
1,100 ft ......... 210° F
1,600 ft ......... 209° F
2,100 ft ......... 208° F
2,600 ft ......... 207° F
3,100 ft ......... 206° F
3,600 ft ......... 205° F
4,100 ft ......... 204° F
4,700 ft ......... 203° F
5,300 ft ......... 202° F
6,000 ft ......... 201° F
6,500 ft ......... 200° F
7,000 ft ......... 199° F
7,500 ft ......... 198° F
8,000 ft ......... 197° F
8,500 ft ......... 196° F
9,000 ft ......... 195° F

FOIL
Sometimes called a crutch, foil does have a place in barbecuing. Using it when cooking meats is not mandatory so, just look at this way, foil is a tool not a rule. A few times where it comes in handy are: 1. Your barbecued meats are coming out too smokey. 2. You need some control in the color of your finished product (the bark). 3. You need to speed up the cook in order to meet your sit down time. 4. You want to change the texture of your product. Wrapping ribs with some liquid in the foil for example will steam/braise them making them more tender. Some folks sauce and foil thighs (usually a foil covered pan) at the end of the cook too. Following the cook, wrapping and resting meats in foil, especially if you are holding them in a cooler or Cambro-type device works great.

THE REST
Allow your meat to rest before slicing or pulling. The juices need time to re-distribute into the meat. A prewarmed cooler is a good place for resting or holding your product until serving. Wrap in foil and use some newspaper for extra insulation if you need to hold it for a couple of hours.

SERVING
Ok, now you are ready to dig in. If you are slicing beef, pay attention to the grain and cut across it for tenderness. The slice of brisket on the left is cut with the grain, and the slice on the right is cut across the grain.



When pulling or chopping beef and pork, remove some of the fat but be sure and mix some of the crust or “bark” in with the meat. Don’t be alarmed if the meat, especially chicken, has a pink color. This is a natural reaction from the smoke. If you monitored your finish temperature and any juices run clear, the meat is done. These baby backs were barbecued for almost 5 hours at 225° using a little cherry wood for smoke. Trust me....they are done.



You will sometimes notice a red or pink ring around the edge of slices on larger cuts of meat like this brisket. This ring is highly desirable in barbecue competitions, but it adds no special flavor.




Don't be too eager to slather on the sauce, it is not always necessary. I like to serve a couple of kinds at the table.

REHEATING
For reheating barbecue use an aluminum pan. Add a diluted sauce, CocaCola, apple juice, broth or a mixture of any of these to keep the product moist, cover and place in a 250° oven for about an hour or until warm.

I have the results of a survey of favorite reheating liquids posted in the Rubs, Sauces, Mop section, check it out if you are looking for something new.

FOOD SAFETY

The nature of any outdoor cooking event, from grilling some burgers to smoking a brisket for 20 hours, sometimes allows us to let out guard down when it comes to food safety. And I don't just mean once we are in the backyard. I'm talking transporting and preparing raw meats, cooking, and serving.

HERE
is a link to the USDA site that discusses barbecue safety issues. It's worth a read.
Posted by ~thirdeye~

Hi All,

My new egg arrives on Wednesday & I can't wait. Although I am a little nervous on how to get started. Any help would be great!
Thanks
;O)


Welcome to the neighborhood. Using a ceramic cooker is way easier than you could ever believe. But first off, even before the beer and food run, briefly tell us some history of the type of outdoor equipment you have used or own now, your indoor/outdoor cooking abilities, and of course your favorite grilled, barbecued or smoked foods (it doesn't matter if these have been cooked by you or if you just have some favorites you want to learn to cook).

Okay....the good thing here is that there are no old habits or techniques that you have to modify. Don't fret cooking with lump charcoal, it's actually very predictable.

Like fishlessman mentioned, learning fire control is important and you can understand the basics in one evening of playing with vent settings. Give yourself 3 or 4 hours to experiment. Some burgers, dogs or sausages are nice treats to sample on while you are figuring things out.

Grilling will be the easiest thing to master, roasting would come next, then it's most likely a toss up between barbecuing, and baking things like pizza or breads.

When it comes to flavors, the options are unlimited. Of course charcoal produces a slight flavor on it's own, adding some wood chips or chunks will boost that. I cook a lot of things with just salt and pepper, but you will have hundreds of options when it comes to rubs, marinades, brines or sauces. It's best to start plain and change one thing at a time, so you learn what combinations are your favorites.

There are tons of recipes in the recipe section and many members have websites and/or collections of tried and true recipes to explore. A forum regular, DrBBQ has a series of cookbooks that are very good.

If you click the link to my cookin' site below, look for this section. I have one page with some basic tips.

I'd start off with some simple cooks. Burgers are always good. Some pork chops. Maybe grill up some chicken breasts.

Get those under your belt and you be seeing the difference the Egg makes.

One of the most important things to learn is what is good smoke and what is bad smoke.