New Egger

racer944

Picked up a new large egg Saturday to assist in making some brats at the new house here in Helena, AL.  I've been in love with the eggs for 2 years, finally got one of my own!  Having a hard time learning how to control it, but that's all part of the fun, right?

Today's relevant post: Started two bone-in boston butts (13#s total) at about 10 am this morning.  Temperature is sitting steady at 320/330.  Using them to test out two different homemade rub recipes, will post up results tonight when they're done.  Even managed to remember to put a drip pan on aluminum foil balls on top of the plate setter!

Doc_Eggerton

Practice, practice, practice.  Your assignment is to cook dinner on the Egg nightly for the next 3 months.  There will be a final exam.

Welcome.

Village Idiot

Welcome to the club !  My advice might be a little different than the rest.  I recommend that you keep it all in perspective.  

The BGE excels in many areas, including grilling, woking, some indirect baking and roasting, etc.  But, there are times when it is better to use the stove or oven, as in the case of broiling or closed lid cooking.

Your objective should be to produce the best meal you can create, and the BGE is a valuable, but just one tool you can use.

As one sage used to have in his signature ...."Relax, it's just a grill".

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Village Idiot said:

Welcome to the club !  My advice might be a little different than the rest.  I recommend that you keep it all in perspective.  

The BGE excels in many areas, including grilling, woking, some indirect baking and roasting, etc.  But, there are times when it is better to use the stove or oven, as in the case of broiling or closed lid cooking.

Your objective should be to produce the best meal you can create, and the BGE is a valuable, but just one tool you can use.

As one sage used to have in his signature ...."Relax, it's just a grill".

Good advice Gary. So true.

Doc_Eggerton

Village Idiot said:

Welcome to the club !  My advice might be a little different than the rest.  I recommend that you keep it all in perspective.  

The BGE excels in many areas, including grilling, woking, some indirect baking and roasting, etc.  But, there are times when it is better to use the stove or oven, as in the case of broiling or closed lid cooking.

Your objective should be to produce the best meal you can create, and the BGE is a valuable, but just one tool you can use.

As one sage used to have in his signature ...."Relax, it's just a grill".

Hey, VI, doing tacos inside tonight :-)  I was sincere though; experience is the thing.  I enjoy the occasional just-because-I-can cook, but mainly we use the Eggs for basic meat and veggie cooks.  You are dead on, when it becomes work it is not fun.  Cook what you enjoy, and enjoy what you cook.

Doc_Eggerton

Sometimes even I cook inside.

Village Idiot

Muy bien.  Good looking tacos, Doc.

racer944

Thanks for the advice! I'm still having a hard time controlling the temp, but managed to keep it at 320-330 for 7 hours.  Pork came out just right, with a good smoke ring and internal temp of 190.  After letting it rest, it pulled perfectly and was an all around success.

My super-duper secret rub recipe had too much salt, and my extra super duper ingredient that i was doing a comparison test on didn't perform as expect :-\. Oh well, off the drawing board again!

In the mean time, I've been doing brats, cedar planked salmon, and veggies on this thing and am beginning to learn how to control the temp.  Now, if I can just figure out an easier way to start the thing, I'd be set! Picked up a cheapo electric starter that broke after the first try, and I'm not very impressed with the weber starter cubes that I picked up.  Guess it's time to make the plunge for a BGE starter and starter cubes, huh?

Cozmo

Congrats on the new egg! I too am a noob.

Skiddymarker

Don't know if you've tried it, but brats at around 225-250, indirect, for about an hour (8 to 10 brats total weight about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds) on my medium.

No splits, perfect browning. Picked up this tip off the forum some time ago. Another good piece of info!

DocWonmug

Fairly new also. The BGE firestarter cubes work first time every time for me. One member here uses oil soaked paper towels.

On the pork butts, I too cooked to just over 190 and it was perfection itself. Shredded perfectly. But everybody else here says 200. Guess we are the young turks....so to speak.

racer944

Those are definitely great ideas, thanks for the information!