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Question For You Egg Pros Out There

Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hey guys, I am dam close to buying the large BGE but I still have a couple of questions about smoking. Everyone talks about how you can get the BGE up to 700 in 10 minutes but:
1. Is it easy to control the heat for SLOW AND LOW temps??[p]2. How do you add more wood??[p]3. Is the smokin' time the same as other smokers for say a pork butt or brisquet.[p]Thanks

Comments

  • Daddyo
    Daddyo Posts: 224
    Bob Crane,
    It is very easy to control temps.
    You don't need to add wood. This is one thing that really seperates the egg from metal cookers. One load of lump will burn at 225 for 30+ hours. Some say 40. 24 hours is a breeze. Most butts and briskets cook in 20 or less.
    I don't know about times for other cookers. I've never used one.

  • Char-Woody
    Char-Woody Posts: 2,642
    Bob Crane, I am watching one of the posts slowly disappear down below...but
    (1) Its very easy to use the upper dome metal dome sliders along with or separately with the lower vent closure sliding door.
    Some people buy Guru's and swear by them. [p](2) You don't add wood unless its your smoking chunks and you only use or should use good quality real lump charcoal.[p](3) Smoking time is usually the first half hour to a hour while the meat is still below 140 to 160 degrees.
    Thats where you get the highest intensity, but you continue to get the smoke flavor from your charcoal all through the cook.
    Also depends on the wood used itself.
    C~W


  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    Howdy Bob.
    Any tool takes a little time to get just right, but for a charcoal cooker the egg is very easy to maintain at low temps. Since one load of charcoal is all you need, there is no need to add wood later. Just space the wood chunks throughout the charcoal so that they smoke as the fire slowly moves through the charcoal pile. As far as the smoking time, I think it would be the same as any other cooker at the same cooking temp. [p]You will not regret the purchase. Just look at the fanatics here.
    Beers
    Chris

    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • Bob Crane,[p]I loaded the firebox almost to the top of the fire ring two weekends ago. I smoked a butt overnight and cooked beercan chickens the first weekend. Last weekend I smoked a turkey for 9 hours. Last night I grilled tuna and chicken breasts. Tonight I'll finish country ribs on it. Haven't put the first piece of lump charcoal in it since I first stoked it up two weekends ago, but the ribs tonight will probably finish out that load. When people say you can run 40 hours low and slow, don't laugh. It's true.[p]Most of these tough ol' meats we cook have to spend time at 250F to break down the callogen sheaths holding the bundles of muscle fibers together to make it fork tender. There's not a lot you can do to speed that process along, so the cook time is pretty much the same as it was in my old offset firebox smoker. There are some significant differences though. First, as should be apparent now, you don't have to add fuel. Second, once the temperature is stable, you can sleep through the night without worrying about waking up to a cinder or cold, spoiled meat. Third, the egg retains a lot of the moisture, so things don't tend to dry out.[p]You'll have to putz with temperature control a little when you first get the egg. Soon you'll know where to set the bottom vent and top daisy wheel to get close to the low and slow sweet spot. Then you can make fine adjustments, mostly with the daisy wheel.[p]If you get real lazy (like me) get a BBQ Guru that controls airflow into the egg based on grate and meat temperature. You basically set it for say, 225 on the grate, and 195 internal temp temperature on the meat, and walk away from it.
  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    Bob Crane,
    Along with the other comments below...you wont get 700° in 10 minutes...20 minutes maybe..unless of course you use a fan of some sort......just for the record..[p]Wess

  • Thanks guys for the great info. Now all I have to do is convince the wife and hopefully I will be exchanging recipes SOON.[p]Peace,
    BOB

  • Bob Crane,
    My buddy Carter finds it as easy to hit 750 as he does holding 190. it all comes down to air in=combustion=gasses ut.[p]less in, lower temp.
    and i have found that the thing is so rock-solid, i DON'T need a guru. though it is insurance. but without a guru, just following the BGE lore, I am now at the point where i sleep like a baby and wake up to find the thing right at the temp i left it.[p]you don't add more wood, even for a 20+ hour cook. it's all in there, and smokes as much or as little as you want.[p]i don't know bout other smokers, but if you want to go real lo and slo, you can, and it won't dry out if it's on 20+ hours. you are limited only by what ever time it is you want to eat, and how long you want it to cook.[p]time for me is no big deal, i just start it earlier. i tend to go as lo as i can, for as long as it takes to hit 195 or 200 internal.[p]

  • Char-Woody
    Char-Woody Posts: 2,642
    stike/Colonel Crittenden, IMHO, you have advanced to PRO status with your ceramics.
    Good post.
    C~W[p]

  • Char-Woody
    Char-Woody Posts: 2,642
    WessB, yuppers, I blow comb the heck out of my steaks with my small BGE...fast and furious...fun to rock its little cradle.
    C~W[p]

  • Bob Crane,
    I have had the egg for only 3+ weeks. I have cooked my first picnic shoulder, low and slow, 16 hours. There was plenty of charcoal left to go another 16 hours. Temperature control is simple and precise.
    I have also scortched a few strip steaks at 750, this took about 15 minutes for me to reach.
    I have had a Brinkman SnP for 8 years, it is now retired and awaiting its burial as soon as the contractor shows up to clear out my back yard.
    You can't beat the egg!

  • Mark Backer
    Mark Backer Posts: 1,018
    egghead2004,[p]glad to have you aboard. I love my lo and slo butts, as does everyone that tries them. My ego could use a knock down a peg with all the compliments I've received about my food lately. [p]But the thing that sold me was the 1.5 inch ribeyes at 750. Those first steaks made the whole family smile.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Char-Woody,
    oh noooo. no pro here, man.[p]the tao of lump says it all.
    the only way to control the temperature is to not try to control the temperature.[p](credit to the nude whiz)

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Char-Woody
    Char-Woody Posts: 2,642
    stike, he (da streaker) learned that lesson from his sweetie.
    Can you follow me to the old days and the heated cooking stoves, using wood, corn cobs, and occassionally coal.
    Well, they had a oven, a side fuel pit, and a guage on the dove door. (usually). They had a slider damper door, and a in the stove pipe damper. Same as a ceramic. (Almost).
    And they made some mighty fine breads,beer roasts, whole turkey, and you name it. Only thing the ceramics can add to it is a warming oven and better efficiency and direct heat/smoke, and a means to collect some of the heat to a side water supply tank for house hold use.
    Nothing fancy...True Grit.
    C~W[p]

  • Char-Woody, BEEEF BEEEEEF not beer roasts....LOL Happy typos.
    C~W

  • Joder
    Joder Posts: 57
    Bob Crane,
    1. It will go low and slo for 30 hrs. on one load of charcoal.
    2. Once I had to add more, but it was due to an error. I had to take out the meat and the grill and add it.
    3. I would think smoking time is same.
    Moisture retention is superior with the ceramic. The ceramic holds heat, requiring less fuel.
    Egg can't be beat.
    Joe