Indirect, drip pans, and plate setters

JB

Guys, I need some advice...

First some background...
I have been cooking on a Weber Performance Grill with Kingsford charcoal for several years. What I've really enjoyed on this as I've cooked numerous rounds of ribs and pork shoulders, is the ease of replenishing charcoal and wood chips to keep things going. With the 2 baskets, 1 on each end, it was easy to cook indirectly because all you had to do was put the drip pan right in the middle. It was also easy to replenish the wood during the cooking process.

I finally broke down and got the XL BGE 2 weeks ago, and I'm about to try my first set of ribs on it. I bought the plate setter because it was highly recommended for indirect cooking, but I'm wondering if I got a pizza stone instead. The plate setters I've seen in pictures have what appears to have 3, 2-3" legs on them, thus making it easy to invert to set in a drip pan. The one I have has 3 legs, but they aren't even an inch making it impossible to set in a drip pan. When I discussed this with the store they affirmed that I bought a plate setter.

Questions:
1) How the heck do you use this thing without having the grate literally sitting on the drip pan (bad idea)? Wouldn't it be better to use no plate setter, and put the drip pan right in between the (lump) charcoal like old times?
2) I've been told to use wood chunks instead of chips for smoking so you don't have to keep lifting off everything (the meat, grate, plate setter, and drip pan - are you serious?) to replenish the wood. Is this really what you have to do to keep this thing going? It seems like a lot of extra work to replenish wood for a device that's supposed to be a smoker/grill.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you experts out there! I'm really excited about this grill, but need to make the adjustment.

JB

Unknown

you missed the whole point of having an egg.....you don't have to add lump during the cook.!!!! set it up right and it will keep temp for your whole cook on one load of lump... add your wood chunks in the beginnig stabilize the temp add the meat close the lid walk away . there are eggers here who have kept their egg going 18 hrs or more with one load of lump
i have a large so so i cannot answer xl set up questions
welcome and be sure to read the bge stuff and watch the dvd that came with then go to

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/
about everything you need to know is here

Michael B

I’m not an XL owner, but I can get you started here. I’m sure an XL expert will pony up shortly.

1:
The plate setter for the XL does have much shorter legs than the one for the large. It has a lot to do with the dome height.
You can compensate for the short legs by placing the plate setter between the fire box and the fire ring.

2:
You don’t have to replace chips, chunks, or lump.
Well, not unless you are doing some kind of super marathon cook. Your XL will coast along at BBQ temps for longer than it will take to cook just about anything you can get inside it. (I’ve gone 30+ hours on one load of lump in my large.)
When you lay the coal bed, either mix in plenty of chips, lay the chips in a heavy spiral (like on the DVD that came with the Egg) or bury a few decent size chunks where the fire will reach them during the cook.

JB

I understand that the charcoal doesn't need replacing, but I am concerned when I was told by a frequent user of an egg, that to replenish the wood, you have to remove everything off the grill! If you do the "layer method" of wood chips, charcoal, repeat, does that keep things smoking for the 3-5 hours you need to adequately smoke? Thanks bill.

JB

JB

I guess it's all part of the learning process. It seems hard to imagine that one round of chips will suffice for several hours of smoking, etc.

Thanks for the tips. I know I made the right choice with the BGE, but it's hard breaking old habits!

JB

lowercasebill

i am not familiar with your past smoker cause i have only smoked with an egg. most of use will use 2 or three fist sized pieces of smoke wood for a cook. more than that and your meat will be over smoked and bitter. my first smoke was to double smoke some store bought bacon. i tossed in a 2 big handfuls of golf ball sized hickory chunks .......and thru out the bacon
the recommended layer method will give you all the flavor you need. you will get the hang of it and be amazed. now that i think about it i have never heard a complaint on the forum about 'underrsmoked' most of us have oversmoked at least once.
do visit the naked whiz and third~eyes site "playing with fire and smoke"

Michael B

Yes, it is.

AND - I don’t know about ‘layering’ chips and lump.

While the cookbook that came with the BGE is best used to start the fire, the DVD is actually very good. I think watching that will help you with your concerns. Reading through TNW's site will help A LOT too.

Smoking wood –
Dump in your lump and then add as much smoking wood as you think you’ll need for the whole cook. Keep in mind that a 3 to 5 hour cook is not going to burn through the entire stock of lump available.

Chips –
Watch the DVD!

Chunks –
Bury one very close to where you start the fire.
Add a couple more where the fire will pick them up during the cook.


A comparison.
For low & slow with your kettle, you could start with a drip pan in the center and a small coal bed on each side. As the coal beds burned down, you add briquettes and chips.
Another method with the kettle is to lay the briquettes in a line around the perimeter of the kettle, add chips on top of the briquettes, and light one end of the line. If you overlapped the briquettes properly, the fire will progress from one briquette to the next until they, and the chips, are all consumed. (MUCH less tending this way.)
This is similar to how the fire in a BGE progresses at BBQ temps; from one piece of lump to the next through out the cook.

JB

Thanks Bill. I will go in with some renewed confidence that one batch is plenty on all accounts. I'll post the results of my ribs if I remember to take pictures (and not drink too much beer while cooking them). That is the best part about grilling, isn't it?

JB

JB

Michael B, one final question...

Do you recommend the plate setter for ribs, or do you feel that because you can contol the temp so well on the BGE that it really isn't necessary?

Also, any favorite rubs for ribs that you use? I usually make up my own, but in a pinch, Adam's Rib Rub is pretty darn good with some Bone Suckin' Sauce!

I've also subscribed to the smoke, foil, and sear method for quite sometime. The searing at the end puts a nice crisp on the outside without losing the tenderness inside from the foil.

JB

Michael B

The best part is when friends get "that look" and then say; "This is the best ____ I've ever eaten."
The only thing better is when you take your wife out to a fancy restaurant and she says; "You know, this is better when you cook it in your Egg."

Cookinegger

Most folks here seem to use indirect heat when doing ribs. Search the forum for 3-1-1 ribs. These are done indirect. It works great.

JB

Agreed!

Michael B

Small steps Grasshopper; don’t try to remake the world all at one time.

You’ve been pretty happy with your method in the past. I’d stick with it, at least the first couple times, with the Egg.
You said indirect, that’s with the plate setter.
Rubs, sauces, etc. I’d leave all the same.

You didn’t mention what temp you used with your kettle. That’s okay, most people who cook with a kettle don’t know. I also don’t see that you specified BBs or spares.
For either, go with 250* dome.

3-2-1 explanation

Unknown

Two cooking layers with a drip pan.

Mahi-Mahi

I have a XL and did not buy a placesetter becasuse it pretty useless becasuse it only about three inches tall.
Check out this web site


They have a hanger that allows you to use a stone and a few rods so that your pizza stone is your indirect shield and the two rods hold up the drip pan. Their is four different ways you can sit up the XL package and it makes the xl a really nice grill. They have some really nice pictures of different setups. I like 2 a
http://www.eggaccessories.com/xl.html