Third smoke session on my BGE today

1911Man

This is the third time I've done the whole turkey breast section on my medium BGE (first time was on 9/23). I've been doing one of these each weekend. Last weekend, after the turkey was done (also put some beef on it to make chili with last Sunday) I also cooked a couple of chicken breasts for mom, and then some swordfish (she brought it over to have for dinner). I'm still figuring out the grilling method with it, but I think I've got the smoking side almost nailed.

The wood I use:

Just pulled it after about 5-1/2 to six hours.

I'm probably going to grill some chicken breasts tomorrow, or Monday night. I do at least a few at a time so that I can just reheat them and be GTG.

My first egg is a medium (in case you can't tell ). I will see how it works for me over the winter and then decide if I need to get a second, larger one. Since it's just me 99% of the time, I think the medium will do what I need.

I am planning to do a whole turkey on it next Saturday. I can get 12-14# birds at the local grocery store (fresh ones, not frozen) now. I only cook fresh turkey (breast sections or whole birds) since the frozen have a higher sodium content. Enough that I can taste the difference. Since I'm on a low sodium diet, that's an important factor for me. Not to mention, the fresh ones just taste great. Especially when smoked.

BTW, the wood I get (image above) has free shipping (UPS ground). It arrives where I am (in southern NH) the following day. I've placed orders early in the morning, they've shipped it by 1pm and it has arrived the next day for the past few times I've ordered. With the BGE, I am noticing that I'm using less charcoal and flavor wood than my previous smoked. Just means I get to cook more before getting more fuels.

TEXASBGE2018

Welcome to the craziness. Nice looking cook. Also nice avatar. You are gonna fit in on here just fine.  

1911Man

I'm waiting for my "Grand Master" badge to arrive... I already have clusters to apply to it.

I was using a smoker that I made with a friend, out of a couple of beer kegs. It got to the point where I was just too much work to get something really good out of it. Temperature control was difficult (at best). Not to mention limited space in the cook chamber. Great idea, but not practical. With the BGE, I have great temperature stability (I'll have reliable control soon enough) and ease of getting it going. No more using the chimney starter and then getting more charcoal on that to get what I need. Used some advice on these pages to get the egg up and running fast. Faster than I ever did with the old methods (and smoker/BBQ).

Tomorrow, or Monday, will be seeing if I can get it up to grilling temperatures, and then maintain them, for another cook. Once I can do that reliably, the gas grill will see much less use. I'm hoping that by the end of next spring, I won't be using it enough to warrant keeping it. I'll use the propane tanks for the forge.

DoubleEgger

Welcome. The medium is a great cooker. Being able to cook raised direct is a game charger with this particular sized egg. Check out the PS Woo at Ceramic Grill Store. 

Foghorn

Welcome aboard.

How are you determining when it's done?  I only ask because 5-6 hours seems like a long time for turkey breast.  I usually pull it at 155-160 meat temp and that's usually a 2-3 hour cook at about 275.

lousubcap

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.

Off to a great start, as you are aware, much of the skills you acquired with your kegger smoker are translatable. 

1911Man

Foghorn said:

Welcome aboard.

How are you determining when it's done?  I only ask because 5-6 hours seems like a long time for turkey breast.  I usually pull it at 155-160 meat temp and that's usually a 2-3 hour cook at about 275.

I was cooking in the 225 range. I leave the poppers in the turkey breasts since I've found them to be pretty reliable (to tell when it's done). Plus I don't have to try and get a remote probe in the correct spot (and depth) to get the accurate temperature reading. I've done plenty of these sections over the past two years (or so). With the old smoker I had issues with one side being done before the other (fault in the way the old one worked). With using the BGE, I keep it in the center of the grate and both sides are done the same. This lets me leave it the F alone for longer too. Basically, I'm only opening the egg up when I notice no smoke coming out of the top.

Guestimating charcoal use, I'd say I used about half of what I would have used with the old smoker. I also used less than 1/4 of the flavor wood. Add to that how the turkey came out just as dark (just how I like it) and it's a win-win in my book. Of course, in the old smoker, I'd sacrifice the remaining charcoal when the meat got pulled. Not so with the BGE (as I'm sure everyone else her knows). So that 1/2 amount is actually less since I still have a good amount left in the BGE to use next time.

lousubcap said:

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.

Off to a great start, as you are aware, much of the skills you acquired with your kegger smoker are translatable. 

I welded up the stand that it rested on. A friend, that's a welder by trade, TIG welded up the stainless. Mostly because I didn't have a TIG when I started the project and I've not had time to get really good at it. Top that off with not having a great TIG welder, and I have more difficulties getting a weld like he does. Of course, I think his TIG welder ran him over $15k at the time he bought it.

I'm much better at MIG welding (Lincoln 180C). I've welded brackets back onto AR500 plates for people (targets) and my welds have held up. The guy has a boat repair place stick weld another plate for him and it failed after not that many hits. Mine has lasted several times that (and continues to work). I simply took the advice of people who have welded a lot more than I have and it produced a solid result.

GATraveller

Welcome. Great post and pics. Now let's hear more about your forge!

1911Man

DoubleEgger said:

Welcome. The medium is a great cooker. Being able to cook raised direct is a game charger with this particular sized egg. Check out the PS Woo at Ceramic Grill Store. 

I've checked out what they have for the medium BGE... I'll bookmark the section and get back to it when I can put it into the budget. I have other things with a higher priority right now. Especially since the BGE works really well as it currently sits. I need to get a spray-on bed liner (LineX) for my truck before the snow starts this season. Plus a cover (makes cleaning up the snow easier). I had a bed full of snow last winter (22" deep) so this will make it so that I don't need to shovel out all 6-1/2' of the bed (full size truck).

I am going to look at the grocery store (later today) to see what size round aluminum/disposable foil pans they have. I'll measure the insert for my egg to see what size will fit well there and get some (if they have any). That should work better than the rectangular one I've been using (worked better in the keg-a-que).

I am tempted to try making a pizza in the BGE in the coming months. I'll have to make the dough since I'm on a diet with zero white flour in it. I'll have to see if I can find my old pizza dough recipe and tune it for my current needs. Shouldn't be an issue. Especially since I'm making 6 loaves of bread a month now. Actually making a sammich bread loaf today. It's what the turkey will go onto. 100% stoneground whole wheat that's epic.

1911Man

Not making another thread, for another cook on the egg...

Today was my first whole turkey on my BGE. I don't see HOW they can say it will cook an 18# bird since the 14.21# bird damn near filled the thing. When I looked into the top vent, I could see the top of the turkey was right there.

Progression pics.

Getting it ready to go on

Got smoke and at 250F

About 3 to 3-1/2 hours in

Almost 6 hours in

It is DONE!

I'm letting it rest some now before I pull the breast meat off as well as the wings and then break it down most of the way. I plan to keep at least some of the thigh meat and some of the drums for sammiches and maybe a dinner. The rest will go into a batch of smoked turkey soup I'm making tomorrow.

Next time I plan to watch it a bit more often towards the end. Total time on the egg was about 9 hours for this turkey.

GoooDawgs

9 hours is quite a long time for a Turkey.    Hopefully it wasn't like Christmas Vacation...

1911Man

I think it'll be good. I was checking it often enough towards the end. But I'll probably amend the schedule for the next one to check it more often in the last hour to hour and a half. Since the BGE is so damn temperature stable, that won't impact things like in the old smoker.

I'm still loving how little charcoal I'm using. Plus how little flavor wood. All to get the same level of flavor in the food. Not to mention how long it runs on far less charcoal than the old smoker. I probably used 1/4 of the charcoal and wood than I used to use in a much shorter cook time.

The long cook time was due to the lower cook temperature. 250F instead of the 'normal' 325F or 350F that most cook turkey at (at least in the oven). I simply prefer to smoke things at the 200-250F range. I'm thinking about trying to get it to hold at closer to 225F next time (next weekend).

1911Man

Made turkey soup from the whole carcass last Sunday.

Today was another full breast section. Done after about 5.5-6 hours on the egg. Used my remote (Blutooth) BBQ thermometer unit this time. More to get a better idea as to when it was done. I didn't have the probe in deep enough, but 15 minutes later the popper popped. So it came off.

Earlier in the cook:

Then after I pulled it...

I decided to leave the skin on this time. More to see how much of a difference it will make. I suspect it will be much better for juice level. I'm just hoping the flavor level is where I like it. If not, then next time I'll use more flavor wood. I ended up using all of four chunks for the entire cook time. There was little smoke for the last 1-1.5 hours, but I think it did pretty good.

I'll be pulling the meat off the bones in a bit. I'll also save the bones for the next batch of soup. I plan to actually try out that soup tomorrow for dinner. I expect it to be good. The smoke aroma was strong when it started cooking. But it mellowed out a lot before it came off the heat.

Looking to do another whole turkey next Saturday since we're having a 'dry run' of Thanksgiving (dinner) on next Sunday. I want to bring some smoked turkey for others to try. Or, if nothing else, for me to enjoy.

sancho65

@1911Man How do you like the black and red gloves shown in the first picture? I think they are the 932 degree gloves! I was thinking of getting some, Thanks 

1911Man

Yes they are... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4H02W8

I've used them to man-handle the cooking grate as well as insert (so I can smoke in the egg) without any issue. I have yet to feel any heat/warmth through them when using. Makes things really easy. To the point that I've not grabbed anything else to remove the cooking grate. Even when using the egg as a charcoal grill.

I went with the longer ones so that I'd have less to worry about. If I was to get them again, I might go with the shorter ones. Although, IMO, these would work with any size BGE.

sancho65

@1911Man Thanks for the quick reply! I think I will order some. Thanks Again 

bluebird66

Welcome!

1911Man

Today's turkey... Even with the weather predicts for a 'noreaster' I took a chance. Just light/steady rain with some wind, so nothing worth NOT using the BGE over... Had one flare-up early on, but got that under control fast. Pulled when it hit 165F on the remote probe thermometer. I'll let it rest before carving it up. Going to try part of one wing with dinner though (about to make dinner). Total time on the egg was about four hours. That includes time to get it up to 300-325 for this session. I wanted to try it closer to the temp you would do in the oven. Used the same amount of flavor wood. Also looks like I used more charcoal (as expected) than the previous time. Still, good looking bird.

GrateEggspectations

Medium is the best performer in the lineup, IMO. I currently have a MM, MBGE and LBGE in my lineup and the MBGE is by far the best-mannered of the three. 

1911Man

Good to hear... My only 'complaint' is the fact that the actual turkey size limit in it isn't the 18# bird they claim. I did a 14# bird the first time (the other weekend) and that really was the limit. It was also tricky getting the probe to not hit the inside of the lid, or get driven through the bird.

I carved this one up less than a half hour ago now. Damn juicy and done perfectly. I need to get a new remote thermometer setup with all stainless probes. I've already found a couple on Amazon. One of them comes with two probes, but I can get another four (can take up to six probes at a time). I already put the carcass into the chest freezer. I kept all of the skin with it since that will all go into the next batch of soup.

One wing, on one side, was a bit crispy due to the earlier flare-up. But it was still good. Not dry, which was a pleasant surprise.

I only added a little more charcoal before adding the flavor wood. It just looked a little low to me. 2 chunks, each, of sugar maple and black cherry at the start. One more of each at about 1 to 1-1/2 hours left. Still amazes me how efficient this thing is. I believe I've gotten at least 5 cooks/smoking sessions out of one bag of charcoal.

With my next cook on it, I'll start keeping track of how many hours, at what temps, it's going and how much charcoal it uses. More for my own reference than anything else.