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WudEyeDoo

Just got my small egg to keep the large company. They seem happy together. I have cooked twice on the small now. Both times I have noticed the lump takes longer to get a good fire going in the small vs. the large. Also, it doesn't seem to get to those turbo-temps that the large does. Is this normal? If so, I just wanted to know what to expect. If not, do you have any tips or suggestions?[p]By the way, I calibrated the temp guage and made sure the opening in the fire box lines up with the opening on the door vent prior to starting.[p]Bob

DavidR

WudEyeDoo,[p]Texans 19, Cowboys 10. Yeahhhhh!!!!!![p]I'm sorry. Just couldn't help myself.

Nature Boy

Howdy Bob
The small takes longer to get to temp because of the much smaller opening. It'll get there, just takes time. I find that smaller loads of lump get cranking faster, and with the grate being so close to the coals, you really don't need much more than 500 to get a major sear.[p]What does a happy egg look like??
Cheers
Chris

WudEyeDoo

DavidR,
Couldn't have written the script better for our debut game, could we? Only thing better would've been to be there in person.[p]Go Texans!

WudEyeDoo

Hey Chris,
Thanks for the info. Now I know what to expect.[p]"What does a happy egg look like?" Hmmmm, you have a point. The more I think about it, the more I realize the Large isn't happy about this at all. As a matter of fact, he looks green with envy!

dublin

WudEyeDoo,[p]Ditto.
just got a small on saturday to keep my large company.
Did shrimp Saturday, and on Sunday did a steak, got it up to 650* this was the best steak i have ever had.
dublin

WudEyeDoo

dublin,
Congrats on your eggceptionally wise purchase! Do you remember about how long it took to crank up to 650?

Puj

WudEyeDoo,[p]Have had the small consistently reach temps greater than 750°F with no problems. Last night we grilled burgers and had to back it down from 600°F. This was with a 2:1 ratio of used lump to new lump. You shouldn't have any problems getting the temp up with the small.[p]Puj

dublin

WudEyeDoo,[p]At least 20 - 30 mins, but i did fill the fire box all the way up.
Would have been quicker with the large, but the steak was out of this world.[p]I'm a happy camper. lol
dublin

Spring Chicken

WudEyeDoo,
Now you got me want'n a small to go with my large. Mind me asking where you got yours? My local Barbeques Galore store no longer carries smalls, mediums, mini's or even accessories for that matter.[p]Spring Chicken
Spring Texas USA

WessB

WudEyeDoo,
NatureBoy hit the nail on the head as usual....you will prolly find you use the small more than the large, at least that has been my experience...just give it a couple extra minutes to heat up and you will find 500° is plenty...enjoy[p]Wess

WudEyeDoo

Howdy Spring Chicken,
I got mine at Chim-Chimney's down in League City (281-316-9077). Not too far from Spring...closer than Beaumont anyway! It's a family run small business. Real nice people. Good prices compared to some others and no shipping sure helps. They have some accessories too. For an egger, it beats BBQ Galore. Much smaller, but more of the stuff we would want. Tell Brenda the guy from Beaumont said Hi.[p]By the way, she said they are seriously considering having a Houston area Eggfest down there in the spring. I told her to put my name in the hat. You ought to give 'em a call.

TRex

WudEyeDoo,[p]I live in Sugar Land and have also been looking for a better Egg dealer in our area. Does Chim-Chimney's carry all of the sizes (I'm thinking about getting a mini) and do they carry a good selection of accessories? Thanks for the tip!

Jim R.

WudEyeDoo,
What made you decide on the small?Been having the "urge'but really haven't looked into options.
Have fun with the new toy!!

Spring Chicken

TRex,
I checked out their web site but there wasn't much there. Nothing about Big Green Eggs at all, but I'm sure they will tell us all about it if we call or visit. They are about 45 miles from where I live in Spring so I'll probably make a run down there sometime in the next few weeks. [p]I'm kinda curious about what WudEyeDoo said about holding an EggFest next Spring. I sure can't be tote'n my large down for something like that but a small might be portable enough for me to bring my apprentice-level cooking down for some Eggspert opinions.[p]Spring Chicken

Steve-O

WudEyeDoo,
My small also takes longer to heat up than my large - until about 450* or so, then it rockets up to 600+ pretty quickly. I have had no trouble reaching temps of 750* and higher - it just takes a bit longer to get over the hump. I haven't tried using less lump as was suggested by Nature Boy, but it makes sense.

WudEyeDoo

TRex,
When I was there, they had a medium and a large on display. They had some accessories but not the full contingent of BGE accessories. Certainly more than BBQ Galore! For example, they had metal grates. This is a small business that appears to be growing nicely. They are soon moving out of their current leased space to a much larger spot that should accomodate more inventory. The spot they are now in isn't the type of place I would go to just to browse, however they can order anything you want regarding BGE.[p]When I first called about a small, they informed me that they could order it. I'm thinking it might take quite a while to order, much like BBQ Galore. Not so, they had my small in 3 days! For us Houston area eggers, I think this is a potentially very good resource. Besides, wouldn't a local Eggfest be a blast?[p]Bob

TRex

Spring Chicken,[p]I'm completely up for the idea of a Houston Eggfest. I think it would be a lot of fun, and perhaps even heighten the interest around here. Like you, I would probably have to consider getting a small or at least a mini--steaks are still my favorite thing to cook, and I here you can do them great on the mini. Did y'all get a lot of rain this past weekend? We didn't get too much in Sugar Land.

WudEyeDoo

Jim R,
I decided to get the small for numerous reasons but the main 2 were: cooking veggies while the main course is on the large and for tailgating. I like the fact that it can be moved around so I can also take it with me when we go visit family.

Jim R.

WudEyeDoo,
Thanks!!