2 weeks with my egg, here are my first 4 cooks PICS

WiltOnTilt

My first cook was actually burgers and brats but I didn't take any pics of those, but here are my first "real" cooks.  I'm a Weber Smokey Mountain convert so I'm trying to adjust to the intricacies of the egg.

First cook: Pork Butt and Baby Back Ribs.  The butt took around 16 hours total, which is what I'm used to coming from my WSM  background. I do think this turned out more moist than usual however I feel there was less smoke flavor than I'm used to.  It was still good.  I didn't notice the amount of temp control that I had been reading about... my temp fluctuated a lot throughout the night.  I am guessing this is because I had a good amount of chips and chunks in the firebox, so I'm assuming that caused it to get hotter/cooler as the wood ignited. I was shooting for 250 dome and checked it 3 times over about 8 hours (after the initial stabilization) and saw anywhere from 200 to 265.  Not unmanageable but a little surprising. 

The ribs I did roughly 3-2-1 method although it was probably more like 3-1.5-.75 but whatever.  They turned out good, about on par with what I'm used to.

Second cook: Pizza.  I actually used this pretty versatile bread dough that my wife originally bought for a calzone/pizza roll type thing but we decided to try pizza instead.  I was a bit nervous about either the top or bottom cooking too fast but it turned out great.  I used the pizza stone and also put a couple bricks on top of the grate (under the stone) to get it higher in the dome.  Surprisingly good flavor.

Third cook: Spatchcock chicken.  I had never heard of this until I read about it on this forum.  To be honest I was a bit skeptical about how everyone was raving about the juicy/moistness of the chicken but holy cow they were right!  I have literally never had juicier chicken in my life. I followed some of the posts here suggesting olive oil and rub on the outside.  I didn't have time to  dry out the skin in the fridge but I will do that next time.  My only complaint here is that I didn't get enough rub on the actual meat.  Next time I will try to brine the chicken and I will cut more holes in the skin so my fingers can get more actual spice on the meat itself.  I think that plus the already juicy chicken will be a solid winner/favorite.

Fourth cook: Steak.  I got some KC strip steaks on sale.  They were nothing fancy and probably less than an inch thick, but I still figured I'd give it a shot using the cast iron grate. I had 4 and decided to do one at a time to try to not ruin the whole batch if I screwed it up.  With the egg between 650 and 700 dome, the proper time on these skinny steaks is probably something like 45 seconds, 1/4th turn, 45 seconds, flip and repeat. I overcooked these a bit but not bad for first shot.

This is a great community and I've definitely learned a lot.  Thanks!

Chubbs

Damn, great start. I like you already. Well done =D>

hapster

Nice start! So what are you storing in the WSM now that its been rendered to a second class existance?

Have fun and enjoy!!! Welcome.

six_egg

Nice job starting out. The temperature control will come in time for low and slows. Once I finally got it down I got a digiq. Now I can take the wife shopping for hours and come home to a perfectly cooked butt.

Solson005

Welcome to your next obsession. Everything looks great!

Keep the posts coming! 

lousubcap

Welcome aboard-nothing like getting after it right out of the gate.  Great cooks!  As you are aware, it is a game changer.  Don't worry, the Kool-Aid is a self-prescription

Scottborasjr

Great looking cooks!!! Keep the pics coming and welcome to the most addictive thing in the world!

Aviator

Nice. Those chicken look good.

SmokinDAWG82

Good start, everything looks great

Charlie tuna

You have done GOOD !!!  And i have to try that "olive oil" on my next spatchcock chicken, man they look great, and i agree with you about "brining" the chicken!!  Thanks for the great food photos and welcome aboard, keep the tips coming !!! ]

WiltOnTilt

Thanks everyone!