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Trouble getting it up

I'm a new egger and did pizzas for the first time yesterday.  I ended up with a lot more dough than I inteneded so we made six pizzas and each got a little better as I learned how long to cook them.  Anyway when I first fired up I had intententions of getting the fire up really hot for the cook but the hottest I could get was 550 degrees.  I'm using a large egg and I had a place setter legs up, an adjustable rig from CGS and my pizza stone on the top notch of the rig.  I had a good sized fire and I let it burn wide open for around 30 minutes but still couldn't get it real hot.  Any ideas?

 

The good news is that it held really well between 500 and 550 so I just adjusted my cook times and ended up with good food.

 

Thanks
Session

Comments

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Fire box clogged? Sounds like no air.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • henapple said:
    Fire box clogged? Sounds like no air.
    or a personal issue <:-P How much lump are you putting in?

    XL BGE with adj rig & woo2

  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
    I think henapple and damned hooligan are narrowing it down pretty good. Sounds like either airflow, available fuel, or both.
    Cheers!
    Chris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
    Twitter: @dizzypigbbq
    Facebook: Dizzy Pig Seasonings
    Instagram: @DizzyPigBBQ
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    I think it helps to light in 3 or 4 places if you want a really hot fire also.
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • Sessionh
    Sessionh Posts: 6
    It's definately a personal issue.  :)  I had some lump left in the egg after my last cook and I thought that I had cleared all the little pieces and had all the vent holes cleared but that could be part of the issue for sure.  I put more lump than ususal because I knew I was going to be doing multiple pies.  I only lite it in two places.  Thanks for the suggestions.  i bet some of the smaller stuff from my last cook clogged up my air flow.  I ordered one of those replacement grates from HighQue which should help with that.  It arrives tomorrow. 
  • BakerMan
    BakerMan Posts: 159
    edited April 2013
    Before adding the new lump I stir the old stuff and knock all the ash through the grate. When I do a pizza cook I fill the firebox to the mid point on fire ring. I cook pizza at 650. The only way I can get to that temp is platesetter legs down and the top cap off. Start bottom vent half way open until lump is burning well.

    Monitor temp or you will get to 900 before you know it. Burp the egg before opening and watch out for flashback.

    BakerMan - Purcellville, VA "When its smokin' its cookin', when its black its done"
  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
    BakerMan said:
    Before adding the new lump I stir the old stuff and knock all the ash through the grate. When I do a pizza cook I fill the firebox to the mid point on fire ring. I cook pizza at 650. The only way I can get to that temp is platesetter legs down and the top cap off. Start bottom vent half way open until lump is burning well. Monitor temp or you will get to 900 before you know it. Burp the egg before opening and watch out for flashback.
     
    But do you remove the ash from under the fire grate?

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    No no no! This is the Big Green Egg Forum. The Viagra forum is down the hall to the left.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Sessionh
    Sessionh Posts: 6

    I did remove the ash from under the grate. 

     

    Down the hall???  I thought this was a one stop shop to get all lifes questions answered.  :)

     

     

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Could it be your thermometer? It is rarely anything but airflow issues. Does the opening in the firebox line up with the lower vent? Did you take the daisy off? You may need to take the firering and firebox out and clean behind them as ash can build up there.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Down the hall? Thanks for the dir... Nevermind.
    Flint, Michigan
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    How did I know you would jump in right there.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    En français, pouvez-vous dire à double entrendre
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Lay off the Jack while cooking, dude. It's totally Whiskey Dic... uhhh, perhaps see your MD. @Little_Steven was right. It's the 3rd door on the left. We have a 3 bedroom forum here. You definitely don't want to go into the first door. That's for the Canadian Bieber fans.
  • MO_Eggin
    MO_Eggin Posts: 282
    How much charcoal is "more lump than usual"?  For 600+ any period of time in my LBGE for pizza (and thus the extra mass of plate setter and stone), I need lump above the fire box, part way up the fire ring.  Also, fresh lump should burn hotter than used stuff.
    LBGE - St. Louis, MO; MM & LBGE - around 8100' somewhere in the CO Front Range
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817

    Pas en français que vous diriez à double sens

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON