Indirect Cooking for the Complete Novice...please help me

Unknown

Hi -- I've been reading all over your and other websites and everybody talks about indirect heat but I can't find complete directions on how to do it start to finish. I want to cook a pork loin roast and a rib roast tomorrow. A local store is holding a plate setter for me which I'll get tonight -- but I've never seen one so am unclear on exactly where it goes and where to put the coal (and I sincerely hope this is not a dumb question!) and the overall order of things. From various recipes (mostly written for folks very familiar with cooking on the BGE) and FAQs I take it for indirect cooking, you fill up the fire box with coal to the top edge and somehow get the fire going (I haven't had a lot of luck with that so far). THEN you place the plate setter legs-up on the fire box edge. The grill rack then sits on top of the upturned plate setter legs and you put a disposable drip pan with V-rack in it to hold the roast (at least for the rib roast -- I take it the pork loin goes right on the grill rack with a drip pan sitting under it on the upturned plate setter -- is that right?). I understand with this method you don't need to turn either roast during cooking. From there it's 15 mins/pound for the beef roast -- unless it's 28 mins/pound as some recipes say....I think I have a thermometer at least an instant one. [p]If anyone has a start-to-finish set of instructions for the novice that I am, I'd appreciate it!
Thanks
Cindy

WessB

cindy stroup,
You should be able to get some good pointers from some of the indirect cooks picumentaries in the cooks section of my website...there may be something in the tips section also...If you got the dvd wuth your egg you NEED to watch it....it answers most all newbie questions,,the rest you can get here...[p]Wess
[ul][li]WessB`s[/ul]

Unknown

You are right on the money with a few suggestions. First of all you put the charcoal just above the air holes on the fire box. Let the charcoal burn until there is very little smoke. That lets the properties in new charcoal to burn off. Please the plate setter, legs up, on the ring using gloves that will insulate your hands. Then put the grill on top of the plate setter. Drip pan next and roasting rack on top of that. You're right. You don't need to turn anyting. Put the lid down with the top damper off the egg and the bottom damper wide open but with the sieve in place to keep any coals from falling out. Keep a close eye on the temperature and when it reaches or is close to the temp you want begin by closing the bottom damper about an inch at a time at first. Wait between adjustments. This is a somewhat delicate operation. Try putting the top damper in place, first with the whole thing wide open and then with fine adjustments. You'll discover that once you get the temperature where you want it, you can open the lid and the close it with little ill effect. The heat retention properties of the ceramic will help keep the temperature constant. I your desired temperature is much over 300 degrees "burp" the egg by lifting the lid an inch or so for two or three seconds before raising it up all the way. I didn't last night and burned my eyebrows and some of my hair.

WessB

Dr. Jim,
Most, if not all others put the platesetter in when lighting the egg....it allows everything to heat up evenly and doesn`t run the risk of any thermal shock...and 95% of the time you want to fill the firebox with lump all the way to the fire ring, and some even fill up into the fire ring...and I personally put my drip pan on the platesetter and then put the cooking grid on, this allows better air/heat circulation around whatever you are cooking....just my $.02[p]Wess

Grandpas Grub

cindy stroup,[p]The following is long but I hope helpful.[p]I am somewhat of a newbie too and hopefully the following will help you. If I am wrong be sure someone will shortly jump in and correct my comments.[p]Where to start… Indirect cooking is putting some type of barrier between the heat source and the item being cooked. That barrier can be a plate setter, water pan, fire bricks or any other type of thermal barrier available.[p]You are going to use the plate setter. Legs up or legs down on the fire ring (the ring where your cooking grid/grill goes). I have tried both legs up and legs down and I really don’t think it matters one way or the other. With that said, I do not use the plate setter to cook on, some people do. [p]Legs up… this gives you an area the height of the legs to put a drip pan then you would put your grid, then food or V rack and then meat.[p]Legs down… this will generally place your cooking item higher in the dome. Setter legs down, drip pan grid (resting on drip pan) then food. Or possibly setter, v rack and food.[p]The reason for a drip pan (or cupped up foil) is to keep the meat juices/fat from getting to the coals and burning thus putting a burnt flavor in the food. Also, some people put water or juice or something to offer more flavor and or moisture to the items being cooked. I have not seen a need to use water inside the egg. In the future I will try some other type of liquid in the drip pan. Of course one could save the mead drippings for gravy or a mop/sop of some kind. If you are going to retain the drippings it is a good idea to keep the drip pan off the setter with something. Thus avoiding or trying to avoid scorching the drippings.[p]There is no ‘exact’ way to do all this assembly of the items in the egg. It is a matter of preference. The egg is such an efficient cooking tool once temps are stabilized everything will be the same temp and radiating heat to the item(s) being cooked. I am sure others will have their opinions on this also.[p]So if you want your food higher in the dome use legs down. If you want food lower in the egg legs up.[p]You mentioned you are not good at getting the fire going. I strongly suggest you visit The Naked Whiz Web Site. There are great instructions with pictures on many basic and very advanced uses of the egg. Make sure you read starting fire/FLASHBACK and for there anything that interests you. It is a good idea to bookmark the site. www.nakedwhiz.com[p]Your fire, this is a very simple process with many ways of accomplishing. Make sure your firebox is installed correctly and aligned with the lower air vent. The black drain cover needs to be in place.[p]For now make sure you have some BGE fire starters, if you don’t have any then pick some up. Put your lump in the egg. Largest pieces in the bottom, medium then small. The height you fill the lump is entirely up to you. If you are going to do a very long cook, 15 to 20 hours then the lump should be high in the fire ring (top ring). I don’t think I have ever put lump lower than an inch or two above the round air holes in the fire box (lower ring).[p]Your lump is now level in the egg. Make a small channel in the lump dead center. Place a square of starter in the channel and light the starter. I hold the starter square in some tongs and light top and bottom and get a good flame on the starter and then place in the channel. The reason is it gets the lump started quicker if it is fully burning, but this is not necessary. Once the starter cube is in the coals and burning I move some lump in and over the fire path. (again not completely necessary). Close the lid with no top vent in place at this time. The bottom vent is wide open with the screen closed some people leave the screen open also as it provides more air to the fire.[p]DO NOT leave the egg at this point as the following will not take too long. If you leave the egg you can end up with a way overheated egg. Just don’t take a chance.[p]Watch the temp as it climbs. Do not let the dome temp go over your cooking temp as it is difficult to lower temps in the egg in any short amount of time (do not use water or any liquid to cool the temps – ever). Experience will teach you this, but for now, when the dome temp is about 50° below your desired cook temp then it is time to close down vents. My experience is with a large egg so for me. When cooking at 350 to 450° dome, I close the bottom vent to the width of a quarter about 1/8 inch. The top vent, from experience, I close the large round and leave the peddles about 80% open. I then watch the temp and adjust the top vent only until I reach my cooking temp.[p]From my experience larger changes in temp is done from the bottom vent and smaller temp changes is done at the dome vent.[p]ALWAYS climb to cooking temp. Don’t go over then try to cool down as you will continually have to keep adjusting and waiting. When I cook at 400° dome temp which is about 375° grid temp (once the egg is completely stabilized), my vents are about ¼ inch open on the bottom the top vent has a small crescent on the large round and the peddles are full open.[p]Back to building your fire. Your dome is now climbing to where you want to cook at. Open the dome and put the setter in the egg, legs up or down, your choice. I put in my drip pan and grid (and or V rack) at this time. I then make sure the egg temp is stabilized at or close to my cook temp. Vents are now adjusted and the egg is holding temp.[p]The smoke coming out of the dome is an indicator that your coals are burning correctly. A large white smoke is not good and the fire is still growing or getting to where is should be. The smoke will change from white to a clear or slightly blue color – at that point your fire is doing great. If I am using flavor wood I put it in the fire when I put in the plate setter. I usually place it away from the active burning coals but I want it smoking when I put the food on. The flavor wood, chunks or chips, will cause a white smoke so take that into consideration when judging your fire.[p]It is time to put your prepared meat on the egg.[p]The time per pound is a guide. If you want good tasting food then cook to temperature.[p] Make sure you have a meat thermometer, you will get a hundred opinions here too. The general consensus of the people on the forum here will suggest a Thermapen instant read. It costs about $90. It is very nice and it reads quickly and accurate. The hotter you cook the more you will want the expensive, fast read, thermometer. There are others that are great and less expensive. Thermapen is the best.[p]Maverick ET 73 or ET 7’s are great dual read remote cooking thermometers they can be found at about $37.[p]If you have not done so then…[p]1. Make sure you read the manual that came with your egg
2. Watch the entire video that came with your egg
3. To The Naked Whiz website and watch: "Flashback”; starting a fire; anything else you are interested in on the site

There are many websites being offered by the great folks here on this forum. Visit them all as each one has very valuable information helping each of us get the best our of our eggs.[p]Welcome to the egg world, Kent

Unknown

Dr. Jim,
THANK YOU -- I appreciate the input -- very much. Good idea to re-watch the BGE DVD -- I had forgotten about it but I know just where it is. I have had a lot of trouble getting the fire going and keeping it going egg so had kinda quit using the egg this summer. I'm cooking for company tomorrow so I want to try it again and really need it to work this time! Maybe I'll toss the old coals in case there's something wrong with them...
THANKS
Cindy

Unknown

WessB,
Thanks for the tips -- if you fill the coal all the way up to the fire ring then the plate setter must be right on the coals...so I assume you have to get the fire going first -- not sure how you'd put it in before the fire starts? If you put the drip pan on the plate setter, do you then put the V-rack on the grill rack or do you have another pan under the V-rack?
Thanks
Cindy

Cindy

Grandpas Grub,
Thank you very much -- I appreciate your time. I actually had searched the nakenwhiz site but hadn't found a complete set of instructions -- but I will go back and try again as I must not have been searching very effectively since I couldn't find it yesterday or this morning.
THANKS
Cindy

WessB

cindy stroup
The platesetter goes on top of the fire ring ( except on an XL ) not on top of the firebox....I light a starter cube top and lower vents wide open..put in the platesetter and drip pan the cooking grid...once "stabilized" at desired temp add your meat, you can put it in a v rack or right on the grid...look at some of my low temp cooks and you will see exactly what I am talking about...ie: pulled pork, ribs, brisket....[p]Wess

DynaGreaseball

cindy stroup,[p]The hardest thing for me too, was to learn how to regulate and stabilize the temperature. I still don't get it exactly right, but I'm getting better and better at it. [p]What did it for me was when they advised me to approach the final temperature on the way up, and begin to close everything down at about 50° below it, instead of over-shooting it. Good luck with your feast.

Smokin' Lady

cindy stroup, I see you've already got lots of good advice about getting your fire going and the indirect setup. Just wanted to let you know that I started out using the firestarting cubes, and sometimes had better luck than others, but I recently got an electric firestarter from my BGE dealer, and I just love it. After removing the grill and filling the firebox with lump to just over the air holes, I put the firestarter in, place a few lumps on top of the ring, and plug it in. I set a timer for 8 minutes because you're not supposed to leave it in longer than that, but I find it's usually got a good fire going in about 5 min. After unplugging and removing it, I let the fire get going for about another 5 minutes, then put in the plate setter. Be aware that once the plate setter is in, no matter what method you used to start your fire, it's going to take longer to get up to temp, so be patient. Hope this helps - don't be discouraged, it is so worth it once you get the hang of it. It only takes a few cooks to get more comfortable with lighting your fire and seeing how the temp. works.