First Cook... Mistakes made

theyolksonyou

7:31


Luckily they hey didn't fall to the ground after I flipped my egg. 

Little Steven

Kjunbob said:

I appreciate all of the comments and helpful suggestions.  But what I don't understand is why my internal temp on the meat was not near 165 after over 4 hours when I see many recipes in these forums that indicate that the cooking time was around 2 hours for similar cooks.  I understand that the issue is to cook to temp, but you need to have somewhat of a sense in terms of how much time it will take to cook something to have it ready for mealtime.  And I did calibrate both my temp probe thermometer and the one on the dome.  Also, at this time, my budget prevents me from purchasing an expensive

I would love to cook at a higher temp, but since this is a new grill, the directions say to cook at lower temps for the first few cooks.  I am at a loss as to what to try next, given that the low cook temp is required.  Should I try a Spatchcock?  Pork?  I am tempted, but somewhat concerned.  Help please, and thanks.

Don't want to pop your BGE balloon but the "keeping the temps low for the first few cooks" is ridiculous. Maybe they want folks to torch the gasket on the fifth cook instead of the first. You will pooch the gasket anyway. Maybe put the recipe you followed up so we can help with the taste/doneness

Irbosnm8

I did some wings on the grill for my first cook.  Ran 325ish for abou an hour or so indirect.  Best wings I've had in a long time. Good luck, I to am searching for temp control on the first few cooks.  

theyolksonyou

Point is. Try something direct or raised direct. Abandon those long smoking cooks and see what happens. 

gmac

theyolksonyou said:

Point is. Try something direct or raised direct. Abandon those long smoking cooks and see what happens. 

Agreed. Pour the coal to it. 

blind99

theyolksonyou said:

Point is. Try something direct or raised direct. Abandon those long smoking cooks and see what happens. 

Agree. If you're cooking indirect, 250 dome may be 200 at the grid for quite awhile. When's the last time you roasted something in the oven at those temps?  Crank the temp up to 350, 400 and let it cook!  

Dont worry, play with the vents and learn to control the temp, it'll all be second nature soon. 

Teefus

A couple comments......

As a fairly new LBGE owner, I appreciate there's a bit of a learning curve. Don't get discouraged.

I've noticed a disparity between dome temp and grille temp on my egg. I usually run the dome temp about 25-50 degrees hotter than my target cooking temperature, except for really long cooks where it has plenty of time to even out.

I've found no value in "low and slow" for cooking chicken. You're not dealing with large amounts of fat that needs to render off, nor tough meat and connective tissue like you'll find in Brisket. Whether individual pieces, spatchcocked, or beer can style; I go indirect 350 to 375 until it's done (usually between 60 and 90 minutes depending on style of preparation. The only exception would be if I truly wanted to "smoke" the meat instead of cooking it. If that was my goal I'd go big on the wood, low on the heat, and long on the time. That said, chicken has never been a meat that I find very good if heavily smoked.

Kjunbob

Little Steven said:

 Maybe put the recipe you followed up so we can help with the taste/doneness

Thanks.. Here is the recipe.. I just used thighs  

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196027/low-and-slow-mopped-chicken  

Ladeback69

Kjunbob said:

Little Steven said:

 Maybe put the recipe you followed up so we can help with the taste/doneness

Thanks.. Here is the recipe.. I just used thighs  

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196027/low-and-slow-mopped-chicken  

I just read the thread.  Did you go raised indirect?  If not you are going to be at a lower temp then if you were raised, maybe 50 degrees.  By getting the chicken up higher in the dome you are closer to that 250 temp you are cooking at.  I start chicken at 250-275 and raise to 300 or over to finish when it get to over 130 so it will crisp up, but I have cooked it at 350 to 400 all the way through.

Now I was told when I got my egg to keep it below 400 for the first to cooks.  Try the chicken again but try to go at 275 to 300.  A

Another thing a Thermopen or ThermoPop is your best friend and highly recommend getting one or the other.  Water pans aren't needed, but drip pans help. 

NewBerlinEggprentice

I'm a new egger, been at it just a few months. I started with the same stuff I used to cook on my gasser. Burgers, steaks, pork chops. Same way. Direct. They were great confidence builders. I have made strides in my egging and a lot of that knowledge comes from reading on this site. Lots of bright folks, and mountains of infomation. Recipies are guides (unless your baking) and should be used as such as I see them. You mentioned "the recipe" in many of your comments.

One comment about your orignal post. You mentioned strange taste. Without wanting to start a lump battle, just make sure you let them coals burn a little while before putting the food on.

I agree with some of the later posters, get the temp up to 350-450 and grill some meat. Get some confidence and prepare to be amazed by this thing. You'll get there, friend. You'll get there.

JustineCaseyFeldown

Teefus said:

A couple comments......



I've found no value in "low and slow" for cooking chicken. You're not dealing with large amounts of fat that needs to render off, nor tough meat and connective tissue like you'll find in Brisket.

and so that must not be the reason for it.

"low and slow" does not always mean we are cooking something to break down connective tissue or render fat. 

sometimes, especially with roast beef for example, the idea is a longer gentler cook to even things out.  you could cook a roast to 130 in the center very very quickly at 2500 degrees, but you would get a tiny portion of medium rare in the center and a toasted exterior.

with chicken, 250 allows the skin to crisp (there are many way to get crisp chicken skin, this is just the lazy-man's way), keeps the breast moist and evenly cooked despite varying thickness (chicken breast is thin at the ass-end and very thick at the wishbone), and (if you like it) allows plenty of time for smoke and color.

forget calling it "low and slow"if that phrase conjurs images of pork butt and ribs or brisket. instead, call it "slow roasting". 

Downr@nge

Welcome aboard my friend!  Try this next time you cook thighs.  Before you put the chicken on the grates, try to aim for a grate temp between 300-350.  Also, make sure you have thin blue smoke coming out your daisy wheel.  At a temp of 300-350, your thighs should be done in a little over an hour and probe should read at least 190 or more.  

The way I do my chicken is i'll start the chicken off around 225 for about 30-40 minutes for some more smoke ring, then i'll crank up the temp to 325 for the remainder of the cook (usually 30-40 or so more minutes).  I will say that I hardly EVER use the dome temp as a reference.  I use a probe attached to the grate and go by that for temp.  Then I use a thermapen to probe the meat.

Kjunbob

Ladeback69 said:

Kjunbob said:

Little Steven said:

 Maybe put the recipe you followed up so we can help with the taste/doneness

Thanks.. Here is the recipe.. I just used thighs  

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196027/low-and-slow-mopped-chicken  

I just read the thread.  Did you go raised indirect?  If not you are going to be at a lower temp then if you were raised, maybe 50 degrees.  By getting the chicken up higher in the dome you are closer to that 250 temp you are cooking at.  I start chicken at 250-275 and raise to 300 or over to finish when it get to over 130 so it will crisp up, but I have cooked it at 350 to 400 all the way through.

Now I was told when I got my egg to keep it below 400 for the first to cooks.  Try the chicken again but try to go at 275 to 300.  A

Another thing a Thermopen or ThermoPop is your best friend and highly recommend getting one or the other.  Water pans aren't needed, but drip pans help. 

Good Points.. And no I didn't do Raised Indirect.  I completely missed that when I read the recipe.  And I just ordered a Thermopen today.  Thanks!

GregW

Welcome to forums. I can't offer any better advice than has already been said above.
I can say the you will get better over time with your cooks. There will be occasional setbacks when you try an new recipe, there will also be times of great success.
The important thing is to learn and have fun doing it.

Welcome aboard again......... 

Judy Mayberry

I have a very simple approach to chicken. Whatever it is, I cook it RAISED DIRECT at anywhere from 350° to 400°, depending on what the Egg wants to do and how thick the pieces are (and including spatchcock). If you haven't got the means for a raised set-up, I recommend you look into it, either making your own or getting a Woo or adjustable rig from Ceramic Grill Store. How often you raise the lid to check the temp or rearrange the pieces won't have a big effect on the cooking. That ceramic will go right back up to temp.