Best Wedding Present Ever - Taking a local class?

codydham

Well, i just got the best wedding present a man could get... A Large BGE. I guess that's why he was my best man. Now i'm so addicted to recipes and this forum. So may recipes and advice. I'm thinking about taking a local BGE class here in the Texas area. Has anyone done one of these? Its $125/person, so before i spend the money I was looking for some input.

shtgunal3

Haven't took a class but welcome aboard. Fire that egg up and learn as you go. Ask questions here and you will get multiple answers. All the answers will be correct. Have fun.

Mattman3969

I gotta agree with @shtgunal3 do some back reading and ask any question you have. There are people here that are willing to help 24/7. Take that $125 and put it towards some nice meat.

cazzy

Where you at?

shtgunal3

cazzy said:

Where you at?

Right here. Where are you?

codydham

good advice Matt.

Cazzy - I'm in Plano.

Ladeback69

Congrats on and welcome. WOW $125? I took an egg class at my dealer for $5, but I have taken other classes; like briskets & butts for $65, pizza for $45 and ribs & chicken for $75. Now part of that was for theestablishing and to pay the instructor. All well worth it, but if you don't need those to start out. I agree with the other's in just read some post, light it up and start cooking. The normal things to start with are chicken, burgers and low and slows. There are all kinds of You Tube videos on how to start it. I bet if your best man gave it to you, he nows a few things about the egg. Feel free to ask questions, we are here to help.

codydham

Thanks, Ladeback.... and rough night (WS).... sorry man...

Ladeback69

Yep, but it had to happen sometime. I'm just hope it doesn't happen if it goes to 7.

Ladeback69

And your welcome.

DMW

FWIW, (and that's probably not much, I've been drinking) if you take a class the methods you learn will be the "only" way to do something.

If you look around on here and just start trying some stuff you will learn fundamentals and figure out what methods you like. What rubs are right for you? How do you adapt to only having a small cooking window when the instructor told you it needed 5 hours? You get the idea. Save that money for proteins to practice on. And post your cooks and ask questions. Most everyone here is stuck up and won't answer anything, but there are a few that help out. 

)

ksmyrl

Personally I'm a trial and error fan. Not hatin the class, especially if you have the coin. But for me, a new owner since June, I love trying the recipes on here. I've had huge successes with breakfasts, steaks, stuffed meatloaf (@SGH), ribs and many others. And some epic fails with salmon and lean pork loins. I even cooked a piece of fish the dog wouldn't eat. I just love being outside with the smell of the grill rolling. My kids love it and my wife hardly cooks dinner any more. It's a win win. Good luck and WELCOME.

logchief

Welcome Cody. I just my egg a week ago and have gotten so much info here. I'm hooked!!! A couple of good sites to check out. Nakedwiz.com and amazingribs.com. Tons of good info there. But this's is the go to spot, lots of real great eggers here who love to help. Don't forget pics!

SGH

@codydham‌- Welcome aboard brother. The egg is actually very easy to figure out and cook on. I even hear that folks on here are more than willing to help with about anything if you ask. Unless they are offering a specialty class, I would recommend saving the money and investing it in meat. I have always got a answer and instructions on anything that I asked on here. Which ever route you decide to go, good luck and welcome aboard my friend.

YEMTrey

Agreed.  Watch a couple of youtube videos or a local egghead.  Eggheads are a very helpful group.  Somebody would probably swing by and help you out if necessary.

Another option would be attend an Eggfest.  I know Salado is coming up, not sure if there's anything earlier.

When I first got my Egg, I fired it up and messed with temp control for the first couple of hours.  Then threw some chicken wings on and ate dinner.

Either way, enjoy the ride!

tjv

Welcome to kamado cooking!  I'm wondering if your buddies rollled thru our store couple weeks ago.  We had folks buying for wedding gifts.  If you like, save the $175 and pop up and see me.  I'll spend some time with you and get you going in the right direction.

tom

Scott805

@codydham  Are you taking a class at Rusted Truck Ranch?

buzd504

I agree that you can learn more on this forum and trying things yourself in a few hours than you would in a class (though the class would be fun).

I'm curious - how long is the class?  Seeing as most low and slows on the egg can take anywhere from 4-24 hours (or so), unless it was a really long class, or they had stuff on the egg before you got there (which defeats the purpose), they're not going to really be able to show you that much.  They might be able to show you how to grill a burger or a steak, or maybe a pizza (or both), but that's really just a small part of what the egg can do.

theyolksonyou

@codydham‌ Welcome! I agree with all. I've been egging for 2 weeks and this site has been a godsend. You can get all the info you need to get started with some great cooks right here. I always just search the site and jump in. I haven't cooked anything inedible...yet. I'm sure it will come sometime. It's really not hard and learning (and eating) is what makes it so fun.

Ladeback69

The class I took on the egg that my dealer did was only $5 and it lasted 4 hours. They already had to large eggs when we started, but talked about how to light them and the different ways.The first thing on was chicken, then flank steak, pizza and finished with cookies. The talked about low & slow, brining, marinades and went over the basics. I was already a few months into being an egg owner so I knew the basics, but it was only $5 and it was fun. I got a lot of help from this forum and I still do. I have also taken other recipes and adapted them for the egg. That's not hard to do. The Egg is a great cooking vessel and can do a lot of things. They recommend not going over 400 for your first two cooks to seat the gasket. I did chicken and burgers. The main things that go higher for me are steaks right now. I have not tried pizza yet and some have troubles and others don't We will see what happens when i do it. The only thing that didn't come out real well was Tilapia. Again have fun and light that bad boy up.

buzd504

Ladeback69 said:

The class I took on the egg that my dealer did was only $5 and it lasted 4 hours.

Interesting.  Thanks for posting that info.

Ladeback69 said:

 The only thing that didn't come out real well was Tilapia. Again have fun and light that bad boy up.

Tilapia never comes out real well.  Yuck. 

lousubcap

Congrats on the great gift and welcome aboard.  Enjoy the journey.  What follows are excerpts from info I passed along to a NEO (New Egg Owner) a few months ago.  You may get something from it:

Here’s a link to all things ceramic-chances are if you have a question the answer is within this site somewhere.  Check out the recipe section for some great ideas. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/nwindex.htm

For additional links to cooking/recipe sites; here are two very good ones, depending what you are cooking:  This site contains a wealth of the science behind Q cooking along with info on about every type of meat cook you would attempt: http://amazingribs.com/

Here’s the second one:  http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/

After-market toys- With the BGE there are three basic styles of cooking;  “direct”-where the cooking grid is on top of the fire ring; “raised direct”-where the grid is elevated at least to the gasket-line (this setup requires after-market stuff-easiest is to get another grid and then use three fire bricks (or three empty aluminum beer cans) and place them on the grid at the fire ring and then put the second grid on top. The third is “indirect” where there is a heat deflector (platesetter or some other type stone) between the burning lump and the cooking grid.  This is the setup for low&slow long duration cooks.  I would get comfortable playing around with the BGE before any major after-market investments.  Will save you $$ in the long run.

Some observations-make sure you calibrate your dome thermo-boil some water, then insert the thermo and check the temp.  If not around 210*F, then note the off-set and use the nut on the back to correct.  Then recheck.

Temperature is a controlled by the volume of lump burning.  The volume is controlled by the air-flow thru the BGE.  In thru the bottom vent and out the top.  Make sure when you set it up that the fire box opening is aligned with the lower vent. 

When adjusting the vent(s) to change temperature, the feedback loop can take some time.  Changes in air-flow are reflected in the dome thermo temp.  Don’t chase temperature; +/- 10-15*F is close enough.

“Stable temperature” is a relative term.  Means you haven’t moved the vents and the temperature is steady for anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

 

More than enough for now.

codydham

thinks for all the good info guys. I think I'll stick with the "learn as you go" approach. Then if i have any major issues i'll have to find an egghead in the area.

For all that are wondering about the class, I have posted a link below.

@tjv, Where are you located?

http://www.premiergrilling.com/classes

tulocay

Welcome

WeberWho

Like others have mentioned save the money. You will learn/spend sooo much following Big Green Egg forums. It's an excellent tool. Ask away on any questions you might have. Definitely check out an eggfest. Great people and full of recipes/information

tjv

Ceramic Grill Store,  Corner Mayhill & Morse in Denton

We are the folks who fabricate the adjustable rig, spider, woo and such!

codydham said:

@tjv, Where are you located?