Intervention Request

FanOfFanboys

THEBuckeye said:

@mick7607
SNAP THE F OUT OF IT!

If you need help, post a dirty fork. 

Smokinpig

Hope we can talk you off the ledge.

 I think you just have to experiment more and give it more time. Six weeks in I still struggled, sometimes found it cumbersome dealing with lump getting it locked in on temp etc. Now over a year later I have my procedures in place, get things lit quickly, know when I need more lump or not, setting my vents to be where I want to be temp wise. I have tried many varieties of lump, types of wood, cuts of meat. 

Even with my past experience some of it is relearning what you already know and adjusting it for the egg. You will get there.

THEBuckeye

It all comes down to Spatchcock. 

Spatchcock is typically the first think to rock the New Egger's world. If you didn't have a successful first Spatchcock there has to be a technical reason for you "meh" opinion. 

If it's the time involved, cut out 30 minutes (approx.) per cook and buy the High Que Grate to quickly get to temp. 

You could also have a face to face with your dealer and get their thoughts. 

There has to be a simple reason for your lack of satisfaction.  Don't give in and don't EVER post dirty forks. 

NPHuskerFL

Winners never quit... Quitters never win
6 weeks is barely scraping the surface. But, hey you gave it your best shot. Loading up the trailer and making a quick withdraw at the ATM.   

Seriously don't give up just yet. 

THEBuckeye

Note:

Check out the Clemson helmet and logo in the original post pics. Gamecocks may just @mick7607 jump. 

mick7607

THEBuckeye said:

It all comes down to Spatchcock. 

Spatchcock is typically the first think to rock the New Egger's world. If you didn't have a successful first Spatchcock there has to be a technical reason for you "meh" opinion. 

If it's the time involved, cut out 30 minutes (approx.) per cook and buy the High Que Grate to quickly get to temp. 

You could also have a face to face with your dealer and get their thoughts. 

There has to be a simple reason for your lack of satisfaction.  Don't give in and don't EVER post dirty forks. 

I've actually done two separate Spatchcocks for this very reason. The first I did indirect, rubbed with Dizzy, at an average of 250 Dome until IT done temp reached. The second I did direct at an average of 375 for an hour PRECISELY to recipe on Naked Whiz' page. Both were no better than that chicken sittin' on a beer can on any other grill.

NPHuskerFL

@mick7607 on Spatchcock I like raised direct 400℉ or if indirect is what you prefer I go 400℉ indirect at standard grid level or raised indirect (depending on what else I'm cooking). 

mick7607

THEBuckeye said:

Note:

Check out the Clemson helmet and logo in the original post pics. Gamecocks may just @mick7607 jump. 
We handle Buckeyes as well as we handle Gameroosters.

Biggreenpharmacist

I would sell it. A message board full of strangers isn't gonna convince you. sounds to me you made up your mind anyway. 

FlashkaBob

The way I see it is this. I realise that I am generalizing here but, it is my opinion that very few if any eggheads here were born into egging. At some point in their lives, most eggheads on this forum probably started out doing the occasional burgers and once in a while a steak on their cheap ass gasers. As time marched on, some people wanted more and eventually discovered the Big Green Egg. The food produced was so far beyond anything they had previously experienced in the past,  (Myself included.) We noticed that chicken was a lot moister, steaks were done more accurately to our liking. They became massive egg enthusiasts. We became more adventuresome and started to do roasts and pork butts and briskets and attempted to emulate some of the finer food that was produced by professionals. After BBQing for 30 years, I am sure that you became fairly experienced at what you were doing with your WSM and similar units. You probably discovered what you needed to do to keep your food moist and cooked properly. The switch over for you was most likely not as dramatic as it was for many of the people on the forum. There is nothing special or magic about the BGE over any other ceramic cooker. I just know that it has done a damned wonderful job for me and has made me a way better cook than I would have been otherwise and I can do it winter and summer which I think you may find difficult with a WSM.

mick7607

To be strangers, most are being very nice and supportive.

dstearn

I had WSM for many years, even won a local rib contest with it. But after having smoked ribs on the egg there is no comparison. One of the things I had to learn was temperature control, especially when starting the egg up. Once I learned how to control the temp everything else fell into place. I would have never smoked a brisket on the WSM, not that you could not do it. It would have been a lot more work adding charcoal and trying to maintain the temp. 

caliking

Everything is not for everyone. If you're not happy with it, then get rid of it, and go back to cooking the way that you like. That's all that really matters.

However, if you feel like you want to give it a chance, then ask specific questions about specific issues and the help will roll in. E.g. pizza crust was burnt, but toppings did not cook (not saying that's what happened to you). If you tell us more about what result you want, folks here can help figure out how to get your there.

theyolksonyou

mick7607 said:

To be strangers, most are being very nice and supportive.

That's one of the big reasons I love this forum. We all want to help each other get better. 

FanOfFanboys

Offer to come up weekend stands if you opt to take it. 

WeberWho

I came from a generic WSM before the egg. The egg is really a night and day difference for me.  No water pan to fill up, wind and weather to worry about, cleaning the grill after each use, fluctuating temps, etc.  The egg eliminated almost every part of my dislikes with the WSM.  I'm not saying the egg is the perfect grill but fits most of my needs.  The egg becomes easier the more you use it.  I've owned my egg the past 5 years and still constantly learning something new from a cook or on egg forum's.  I completely agree with @SmokeyPitt about you knowing the in's and out of the WSM and not getting the results you want.  Give it some more time. They are two completely different grills.  They both will have their differences.  Keep grilling away on the egg.  Once you find some good results go back to the WSM and compare between the two.  

My wife also says I hate everything. I'll hate a cook and have a friend over that will tell me it's the best meal he's had all year.  I'll go to my mom's house and she'll hate the meal but I'll inhale it!  Different strokes for different folks.  Keep plugging away.  Ask any little or big questions. Someone will always lend a hand when needed!

FlashkaBob

mick7607 said:

To be strangers, most are being very nice and supportive.

That is generally the way it is on this forum.

ksmyrl

100% agree with @johnkitchens . I was, shall we say, underwhelmed with my first several cooks using the free lump in the BGE bag. My new best friend/helpful hardware man at my local Ace Hardware said, here try this bag of Rockwood. He knew what he was doing because I now buy Rockwood exclusively from him 6 or 7 bags at a time. The Rockwood lump totally upped my game and made me a believer in the BGE, and I had been BBQ'ing for nearly 20 years on a Weber Kettle and getting good results. There are several good lumps out there that are very neutral and produce little if any smoke. It's worth trying one of these $25 bags of charcoal before you dump your entire investment and hard work. I promise, there is a difference in good vs. bad lump. Best of luck, hoping for a happy ending.

buzd504

I was a pretty good cook before I got the egg (if I do say so myself), and I read so much about the egg before I got it that there really wasn't much of a learning curve at all.

The thing that changed for me is the convenience of it all.  Relighting charcoal, less ash, etc just makes it so much easier for me.  I went from firing up the grill every month or two (and certainly never in the cold or rain) to cooking on the egg several times a week.  And that convenience (as others have noted) have allowed me to try different things and get better at making them because I spend a lot less time fiddling with the fire on the grill.  This is especially true with any longer cooks (pork butt, ribs, etc) where I would have to add coal and wood to my old grill.  The egg is just about set it and forget it.

It's made a huge difference in our day to day cooking.

mick7607

caliking said:

Everything is not for everyone. If you're not happy with it, then get rid of it, and go back to cooking the way that you like. That's all that really matters.

However, if you feel like you want to give it a chance, then ask specific questions about specific issues and the help will roll in. E.g. pizza crust was burnt, but toppings did not cook (not saying that's what happened to you). If you tell us more about what result you want, folks here can help figure out how to get your there.

Its really hard to pinpoint exact issues (although you nailed it with the pizza). My finished product just doesn't have me saying "Wow! That's better than I ever did on the WSM (or any other apparatus)". Several other helpful posters have made me realize that I may have set my own personal expectations in unrealistic fashion.

Mickey

Man get to an EggFest. You will learn more in a few hours than a year + on your own. 

THEBuckeye

@mick7607
Try another Spatchcock. Try some Dizzy Dust or another chicken rub of choice. Raised direct at 375ish for approx 50 minutes or breasts at 160, thighs at 185. Thrown in some applewood chips for smoke. 

Beer Can, while "fun", is more of a pain that Spatch. I only did Beer Can twice - too much mess and clean up. It didn't discourage me from the Egg though. 

Nanook

OK. I'll throw my 2 cents in. I agree with @THEBuckeye. Try another spatchcock. Personally I Egg mine 400° indirect high in the dome with some sort of Dizzy Pig rub or Mickeys. Takes about 50min +/- to 155° breast, 180° thigh. Make sure and let it sit for at least five min after you take it off. Always turns out super juicy and skin is crispy. I use black cherry or Apple, and a little pecan wood for smoke.

caliking

@mick7607 - well, if that's what indeed  happened with your pizza (it is a common occurrence), let's start with that.

I suggest that you start a thread titled "What happened to my pizza??" and tell us how you set things up (dough recipe, egg setup, etc) and tell us what you did not like about it. I guarantee you will get all the info you need to bang out some terrific pizzas. Then cook something else and let us know what you did or do not like about it. Rinse and repeat with other cooks.

I'm not trying to be snarky at all, just trying to figure out how you can get some helpful info if you want to keep egging

Sea2Ski

I think several comments made, are possible issues you are running into. But I think @FlashkaBob nailed it.

Biggreenpharmacist

With all your experience, your expectations were probably high. The thing about the egg in my opinion is the versatility. Its the ease of setting and maintaining temps and efficiency of the charcoal usage. As long as your food hasn't been sub-par compared to your otger cookers, you should give it a better shot. Hell I would have more than 6 weeks in that table if it were me. Surely the egg deserves more time. 

But whatever you decide, don't let @johnkitchens near your house. He's bad news. 

johnkitchens

Biggreenpharmacist said:

But whatever you decide, don't let @johnkitchens near your house. He's bad news. 

As long as he is insured it will probably be ok. Probably. 

Biggreenpharmacist

You just wanna beat him
up and steal his egg and table. 

mick7607

I am insured and ALL of you are welcome at my house. Anytime.

mick7607

Except Gamecocks.