First piece of advice you would give a newbie

corivoo · July 2010

I gave my husband a large green egg for our anniversary. I am curious what advice others would give us as newbies. Thanks! We are looking forward to all of our adventures with the BGE.

Jo Ann

Crimsongator · July 2010

Experiment and have fun. Cook something you are comfortble with first and grow from there. Welcome to the group

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker · July 2010

"Don't worry too much".

Remember, when all is said and done, it's a grill.
And don't go from never worrying about temperature to suddenly panicked if it's not within 10 degrees of where it "should" be

Richard Fl · July 2010

Welcome to the "CULT". I would suggest cooks under 350-375F for the first 4-5 so that the gasket gets a chance to set. Chicken, pork chops, burgers hot dogs are a few along with some veggies to compliment the meal. Just ask the forum someone has been there before and happy to help. There are no dumb or stupid questions here.

RVH · July 2010

Don't put the food on the grid until the smoke rising from the top smells good.
Good smell=good food
Bad smell=bad food

kricks · July 2010

I'd echo what the others have said so far. Start simply and work your way up. Always cook what you enjoy.

One thing to be a little careful of if you haven't had a cooker like this is that there is a lot of heat going on and its all around the food. My first cooks were all more done than I would have liked.

First accessory to consider is a thermapen. Get one and that will get you down the right road.

Enjoy and welcome!

pissclams · July 2010

-calibrate your thermometer
-purchase a plate setter

mad max beyond eggdome · July 2010

first of all, "if it were all great, it would all be average"

thats right, you are gonna make some crap, you are gonna make some great stuff ....learn from your mistakes. . .have fun with it ...like stike said, don't worry about it. . .

if you were a good cook before, it will help you be a better cook now. ...if you were a lousy cook before, its not a magic machine. ..you are still likely gonna be a lousy cook tomorrow, but if you pay attention to the folks around here, just maybe, maybe you might learn a few things that will make you a better cook than you were yesterday. . . :unsure:

:cheer:

FearlessGrill · July 2010

Welcome.

One piece of advice... how about 'don't set yourself on fire'. :evil:

Seriously, and I don't think anyone has said it yet, be patient with longer cooks. Good barbeque takes time. You can't shortcut a multi-hour cook for butts, briskets, ribs, etc. Relax, enjoy it, and produce great results.

and I'll add a 2nd one too. Learn to cook to temperature, rather than time. You'll see a lot of recipes out there (not here) that tell you to cook 5 minutes per side or something similar. Get to know what temps you like various meats at, and invest in a Thermapen or other good thermometer. This will improve your results tremendously.

Enjoy your new Egg!

-John

Mainegg · July 2010

1. don't over think it

2. realize your about to have a huge change in cooking style lol
3. read the forum, then read the forum and when you are done take some time to read the forum
4. get to an egg fest near you if you can. and near is up to 1500 miles for some of us! :P
5. do a searsh for grandpas grubs post. all good things for newbies
6. read the forum, then read the forum and when you are done take some time to read the forum
7. welcome. this a great group of people that you may end up calling friends, like many of us here have over the years.

Mike in Abita · July 2010

I whole heartedly agree with point #2.

Cook to temperature not time.

2Fategghead · July 2010

Jo Ann I Welcome you and your husband to the forum. Have you cooked much on your egg yet. Do you have a cook that you would like to do? Let us know what piece of meat you want to cook and see what kind of responses you get. Tim

Fidel · July 2010

Stike hit precisely what I was going to say -- don't overthink it or get overly worried. It's not rocket surgery.

Second advice would be to read and understand this web page:

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm

Then browse the rest of the site. Especially this page http://www.nakedwhiz.com/infocentral.htm and the links it will take you to. It will save you a ton of questions and searching later down the road if you really understand what the whiz is preaching.

Adult ADHD · July 2010

how do you calibrate thermometer?

kricks · July 2010

1. Take the thermometer out of the egg.

2. Put it in boiling water.

3. It should read what the boiling point is for your altitude. Here in Atlanta pretty much 212. In Denver about 205 or so as an example. There are charts on the interwebs that tell you that sort of thing.

4. If your thermometer is off, you can adjust it. There is a nut on the back side. Just loosen it, turn it to what it should be. Tighten and re-test. Rinse lather repeat until accurate.

5. Replace the thermometer back into the egg.
6. Have an adult beverage.
7. Cook!

Zippylip · July 2010

If you are ever fortunate enough to meet him, it's pronounced 'seltic' wolf.

cookn biker · July 2010

:laugh: :laugh: :silly:

AleggxandriaVA · July 2010

I've only had the egg for a few months, so here's what I've learned in that short of a time:

- Get grill gloves and use them, but most importantly, on hot cooks, burp the egg. I've singed many an arm hair by cracking the egg and not waiting a second or two. Similarly, don't look down the barrel of a gun - meaning, don't peak down the chimney.

- Get a plate setter. You can do so much more, including pizza, which is a weekly event in our house.

- To the above, try new stuff; you can cook just about anything on the egg - trial and error is key.

- Lastly, here's a cheat - get a little battery operated fan from CVS or the like, place it right next to the bottom vent when you're starting the fire. It gets more air in under the charcoal that's lighting up - meaning your fire gets hotter quicker.

AleggxandriaVA · July 2010

stevesails · July 2010

dont put the food on until the smoke is clear. and cook to a temp, not by time.

alegghead · July 2010

Keep the air holes and ash cleaned before cooking.

Egghead-Sooner · July 2010

The most beneficial accessory I have bought for my egg has been a thermapen instant read thermometer. It has allowed me to cook all my food to perfect doneness and has saved my butt often. Obviously a plate setter is invaluable (I probably use mine in more than half my cooks) but pulling off a perfectly med-rare ribeye or a whole turkey cooked to perfection is so rewarding. They are expensive, but so worth it.

CBBQ · July 2010

Of course I'm a fan of the Boston Keltics.

schmeetex · July 2010

Great advice on this thread...in my five months of experience...here is my tip:

COOK STEAKS!!! They are easy and they are awesome. More than anything else, the TRex style of cooking steaks have made me a huge believer in the BGE. Once you taste the best steaks of your life, you'll have the confidence to tackle everything else.

Here's the TRex style: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/trexsteak.htm

SchmeeTex

2Fategghead · July 2010

:laugh:

:silly:

WessB · July 2010

As others have said..relax, enjoy, do a little research..don't stress about it..and ignore anything Tweev has to say..those few little bits will get you going just fine..

Carolina Q · July 2010

Hi, Jo Ann. Welcome. Don't get too carried away in the beginning. Cook what you like. Remember, it's just a grill.

berrygood · July 2010

WessB wrote:

As others have said..relax, enjoy, do a little research..don't stress about it..and ignore anything Tweev has to say..those few little bits will get you going just fine..

:laugh:

First piece of advice you would give a newbie

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