Adjusting cooking times

Eggonaut

After years of using the Weber kettle and an off-set smoker I have purchase my first large BGE. There are a number of recipes that I want to try on the BGE but the cooking times for these recipes are based on using the kettle or a smoker. Since the BGE is more efficient is there a way to determine how much I should adjust the cooking times?

BabyBoomBBQ

Eggonaut,[p]It's probably cooking temperature that's more of the key. If memory serves, most of those recipes are written with "High, Medium High, Medium and low" temperatures. If that's so, I'd use the following as a guide to grid cooking temperatures when converting:[p]High Temp = 650-450
Medium High = 400
Medium = 325-350
Medium low = 300
low 225 to 250[p]From Steve Raichlen's "How To Grill" page 20.[p]Also, ask questions here or search the archives before trying one of the old recipes. You'll find lots of good advice.

The Naked Whiz

Eggonaut,
Efficiency has more to do with the amount of charcoal that you will burn to maintain a particular temperature for a particular time. If you need to cook a piece of fish 1 hour at 350 in a metal cooker, you will still need to cook that same piece of fish for 1 hour at 350 in the Egg. It's just in the Egg, you'll use less charcoal to do it.
TNW

Morro Bay Rich

Eggonaut,
The advantage of the BGE is the temp control, just like an oven. There-in lies the answer. All cookbooks list times for cooking at "xxx" degrees in an oven.

Dos Huevos

The Naked Whiz,[p]Reminds me of an episode of Cheers where Carla is playing a game with Woody and asks "Which weighs more: A pound of Cliff Clavin's head or a pound of dead flies?"[p]Woody's reply: "It's a trick question. A pound is a pound is a pound. Go ahead Carla. Ask me another Cliff's brain question." [p]And shame on Stike for not drawing the same parallel. Of course, he's probably still drunk from lunch. [p]Tee hee.

The Naked Whiz

Dos Huevos,
A Hummer and a Prius both take 1 hour to drive 60 miles at 60 mph, although the Prius does it a lot more efficiently.
TNW

Dos Huevos

The Naked Whiz,[p]And if it's that hummer belonging to a friend of Nature Boy, it'll take a LOT longer to make the 60 mile trek. Especially on its roof.[p]LOL

fishlessman

Eggonaut,
the hardest thing will be getting the egg to the same temps that you had before. i never used a temp gage in my kettle, just put my hand a few inches over the grill until i got the temp i felt was right, and on my smoker it just had an area that the needle pointed to that i believe just said bbq. if you did monitor the temps, put you temp sensor in approxamatly the same area that you had in your other cooker and it will be close time wise.

Eggonaut

The Naked Whiz,
Thanks for trashing the new guy! Just referring to page 100 of the Egg manuel where it says "you will need to adjust for the shorter cooking times of your BGE"

stike

The Naked Whiz,
though it's a toss-up as to which makes the driver look like a bigger dinkus.[p]not really, it's the hummer

stike

Dos Huevos,
while you were hanging with the frat boys watching cheers re-runs in college, i was out with chicks.[p]no i wasn't, who the heck am i kidding? i was studying....[p]what a nerd i was.
coke and a glass of water for lunch, by the way.
with a hawaiian pizza.[p]what'd you have? another box of ring dings and a two liter bottle of 'diet' coke.?
diet coke is for fat people.[p]
i'm so hurt now, i'm gonna go have a beer.

Dos Huevos

stike,[p]You owe me an LCD. That was good stuff. And actually, I hardly watched any tv in college what for all of the chicks in front of it. [p]Wait. Scratch that. me staring thru the window at the aerobics studio doesn't count. Actually, we just drank alot in college. I watched after college a lot, and watch re-runs whenever I can to this day.[p]As for lunch, smoked turkey and swiss on multigrain bread with mustard only and a bottle of water. Oh, and for snacks today I've had a kashi bar and a cup of pistachios. [p]Yay.[p]I hate diet coke. I hate diet anything. And I hate ring dings too. [p]However, those little reese's easter egg shaped snacks are gonna be tough to pass.[p]I'm going home to drink right now too...

stike

Dos Huevos,
those easter egg things are pretty easy to pass. for one, the shape just slips thru your balloon knot. and, bein chocolate, it's mostly melted anyway by the time it sees daylight again.[p]are you unwrapping them? could be the tinfoil snagging on the way out.[p]anyway... spiiting food at your monitor is a recurring theme. you need a sneezeguard for that thing.

BabyBoomBBQ

Eggonaut,[p]Oh, that thing. Don't take this wrong but send in the registration card and use the rest of it to light lump. It is seriously off base in several places and you'll get better recipes here on the forum.[p]I really hope you don't feel trashed. I'm sure no one intended for you to feel that way. :-)[p]BTW, there's an Eggfest coming up at Lake Travis. I suggest attending. Lots of experienced eggers in your area!

stike

Eggonaut,
that's what we do to let you know you're one of us. we mock and deride you.[p]you'll know you're an outcast when no one responds at all....[p]seriously, though, the only thing relevant in that manual is the registration card.[p]for times/temps, ask these forum regulars. that's where we newbies learn(ed) everything. then, in a year or two, you can do like me, start spouting advice as if you actually own an egg. i eat everything heated up in my microwave. i hope to buy an egg in the next 2 to 3 years. my diet consists of instant oatmeal and microwave popcorn.[p]but i have read so many posts on cooking butts, i could answer the question like a real old-timer!

The Naked Whiz

Eggonaut,
Oh lordy! You didn't read that thing did you? Sorry, we have been neglecting your Eggucation. There is a lot of things in that book which are relatively useless. Some folks suggest its best use is for starting charcoal. But in general, I rely more on the recipes I see here, trial and error, common sense, experience with cooking in an oven, etc. If you are looking for recipes/cookbooks/Egg Info, you might like to take a look at all the recipe and cookbook information I have on my website, most of it from Bill Wise (Wise One):[p]TNW
[ul][li]Egg recipes/cookbooks/etc.[/ul]

Eggonaut

The Naked Whiz,
Thanks for the link.I think I'll be using it often. It's just that I'm very comfortable using the Weber kettle. I know the time and tempertures needed for our favorite foods and the BGE is like starting over. Actually, I'm looking forward to the experience.