Can you be a good Egger even if you're a bad cook?

malligator · May 2015

Hello, all. I'm working toward getting my first BGE (notice I was smart enough to say 'first' as I'm sure it won't be my last). My worry is that I won't use it to its full potential because...let's get honest here for a sec people...I'm a bad cook. Oh, sure, I can throw some salt and pepper on pieces of chicken and throw them in a 350 degree oven long enough that I won't be hugging the porcelain throne all night with a case of salmonella poisoning. I can rip romaine lettuce into pieces and squirt Italian dressing out of a bottle onto it. I can put meat on a searing hot charcoal grill and keep it there until the outside is a beautiful crispy black soot and the inside is as brown and dry as an old barn. I've got the skills.

Okay, I'm not that bad, but I really am just a recipe follower with varying results...none of them being outstanding. Good, but not the quality of the stuff I see you all posting here.

I am a pretty dang good homebrewer, though, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Anyway, this is the paragraph where I blame everything but me. I've never had good tools. I've never had a decent stove. I don't even have a good knife or a meat thermometer. I'm hoping that changes with the BGE. It seems to be better than any grill, oven, or stove I've ever had. I realize I'll have to buy other tools like a good thermometer and assorted grill pans/racks/stones. I also realize I'll have to practice and learn new techniques, but I really think the BGE will motivate me to do that. A Kenmore glass-top residential electric stove just doesn't.

My ultimate goal is to do small nightly cooks where I cook the meat and hot sides on the BGE and my GF prepares salads and cold sides in the kitchen. My patio and kitchen are right next to each other so we can enjoy having our own work space while still being able to talk to each other. On weekends I want to do S&L cooks while we're outside brewing or just hanging by the pool.

So, what say you all? Can one go from cooking zero to cooking hero with a BGE?

Eggcelsior · May 2015

Yes. The Egg makes cooking easier due to it's consistency with temp regulation. Based on you overcooking meat, a thermometer would be one of your biggest assets. IT's amazing how much a thermometer fixes many cooking issues. Next up, Google recipes and add "BGE" to the search. There is a world of info online.

Fred19Flintstone · May 2015

Just get an egg and cook. You don't have to be Bobby Flay with it. Just be a good @malligator , learn from your experiences. Don't worry about failures because they are the best teachers. I follow a lot of recipes of things I don't usually cook. There's nothing wrong with that. It's all part of the journey. Enjoy it, my friend! And welcome here!

DMW · May 2015

Before I got my egg I rarely cooked. The egg and this place changed that.

jabam · May 2015

The egg will make you a much better cook. I am living proof, just ask my family!!

Ozzie_Isaac · May 2015

I got the egg because it makes it socially acceptable to start drinking at 9am.

As an aside the food is pretty great dispite me.

swordsmn · May 2015

Ditto, all Iknew before egg was "set cook time, 1:45, start & I got soup now I am a Baby Back Rib God to my wife. If I can, you can, Toucan !!

malligator · May 2015

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I got the egg because it makes it socially acceptable to start drinking at 9am.

As an aside the food is pretty great dispite me.

I like the cut of your jib, Sir. Homebrewing already does that, but maybe starting slow and low cooks at 6am will make it acceptable even earlier?

GuitarEC · May 2015

Cooking is a constant affair of experimentation and learning. Some flavors mix well with other, and some - well, some shouldn't exist at all. Keep a journal - what seasonings you use (including WHEN you add them), what temp you cook at, how long, internal temp when you pull, and the outcome.

Eventually, you'll find patterns, and from there, you can start to flesh out your recipes and skills. Great building blocks to start with would be salt, pepper (black and white), garlic and onion powders, paprika, and chili powder. Once you get a working knowledge of their flavors, how the mix, and what they work best with, then you can add additional spices and flavors.

I've found, for me personally, learning how to cook is more fun that preparing a "tried and true" dish.

Just my $0.02,

Eric "GuitarEC"
Metro Atlanta Area

lkapigian · May 2015

Soon enough you will be able to BBQ on anything- when you master it you will find the apparatus is quite secondary..........I can play pretty mean drums on a 5 gallon bucket

SmokeyPitt · May 2015

I was horrible at grilling before I got my egg. Like others said the egg + tips from this forum and other sources will have you cooking great.

I know this gets repeated all the time, but + 1 on what @Eggcelsior said. Go ahead and get a good instant read thermometer like a Thermapen or a Thermopop.

Cooking pulled pork on an egg is practically idiot proof. Source: am an idiot.

luckyboy · May 2015

If it doesn't kill the family pets, your on your way.if the hearts in it the mind and body will follow. Just enjoy your self.

XC242 · May 2015

Don't worry about trying to learn everything at once or get great really fast. There are a lot of great cooks on here and the things you see and hear on the forum can be overwhelming. Just try to do a little bit better than last time and you'll be making much better food sooner than you thought possible. I'm the same as you, I need to follow recipes. You'll do fine. Welcome.

fishlessman · May 2015

the thermapen really stepped up my cooking in the beginning, that and this chart, you have to take mental notes with this chart, for me the pull temps are all 5 degrees too high except for the turkey
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/meat-doneness-chart/

Chubbs · May 2015

Echo-- thermometer. Cook to correct IT and you are golden. That and patience. If you are patient enough to brew your own brew you are patient enough to learn the intricacies of the egg. Welcome and let me know if you need someone to sample your beer

mahenryak · May 2015

What others are saying... you already have the main requirement, a sense of calling to the Egg -- lol. I think that's where I found myself. I was fascinated by the idea of owning an Egg and then one day I decided to take the plunge. I have no regrets whatsoever. I know that if I was at some sort of cook off with my fellow Eggers on this site I would not win, place or show. Still my wife likes what I cook, and so do I. And I get a little better as time goes by.

I think I was looking for a hobby that suited me and I found one. You will have no regrets if you get one, I'm pretty sure of this.

Foghorn · May 2015

As above.

Egg plus Thermopen = much better results.

It's like having a Porsche and a great GPS. With enough practice you actually get to where you can work without one or the other - or both. If you know where you are going you can get there with a riding mower - it's just not as much fun.

Last weekend I cooked the best steak I have eaten in a long time on a friend's gas grill without a thermometer. But, it was my time here and on my egg that got me to the point where I could pull that off.

DoubleEgger · May 2015

If you are meticulous enough to brew beer, you'll be fine. Just find some recipes and follow them verbatim the first time around and modify to your liking the next time you make it.

TN_Sister_State · May 2015

Ive found that having the right tools makes any job or task more enjoyable and the egg is the best tool for cooking. It makes you want to try new things and recipes. You will become a better cook just by using it. Dont be intimidated and jump right in.

Northarrow · May 2015

You say you're a home brewer, so you obviously know the importance of maintaining proper temperatures for your mash and fermenting activity. That skill should allow you to learn quickly that temperature is important in cooking too. Like folks have mentioned, get a thermopen and have fun. Drinking my home brew while grilling is the ultimate in self sufficiency, IMO.

RiverRatSkier · May 2015

Now if I could just get pulled pork and brisket on tap like my beer....

ibanda · May 2015

Getting an egg + this forum + a thermopen (or a thermopop) will raise your game considerably. So many recipes say cook till done. Well I wasn't an experienced enough cook pre-thermopen tqn egg to know when it was done. Now I nail the perfect steak, chicken, etc. everytime.

Read this forum, experiment, get to an egg fest or two and you will have people complimenting you on your cooking in a few months. The next thing that happened to me and was a suprise was to go to restaurants and realize my home cooking was better!

malligator · May 2015

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement and advice. Now I just need to get a BGE...and a thermopen. I should have one of those for brewing anyway.

gdenby · May 2015

An Egg is a great enabler. Sort of like buying a fine piano. Just because you have a Steinway doesn't mean you will be performing a concert without lots practice. But even "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" will sound really good w. just a little effort. Makes it easier to keep up the practice.

hapster · May 2015

Always been a decent cook or chef... that said, the best way to improve is to practice, practice, practice,,, The egg will def up your cooking game. Watch some food network to get some ideas, read cook books, don't be afraid of failure or experimentation...

Most of all; have fun.. as long as you follow basic food safety, you can't hurt anyone

And take pics... always take pics

SmokingPiney · May 2015

Read this forum. I've been an outdoor cook for long time, but I've learned tons just reading through this forum.

Don't tackle complex cooks right out of the gate. Start with simple cooks that you can manage without stressing out. Do good preparation for your cooks - have everything prepped and ready, and walk yourself through the cook before you light your Egg.

The BGE is the Rolls Royce of outdoor cookware. With proper preparation, it will do you proud every time you use it.

Almost forgot - Have fun!

malligator · May 2015

Having never had it, I have to ask, what does brisket in the BGE taste like? I've had real Texas brisket in Dallas, Austin, and Lockhart. Around here (Phoenix, AZ) the brisket is more like pot roast--overcooked, monotone color, flaky instead of moist and tender, and no smoke ring. Is brisket smoked in the BGE the real deal?

Ozzie_Isaac · May 2015

malligator said:

Having never had it, I have to ask, what does brisket in the BGE taste like? I've had real Texas brisket in Dallas, Austin, and Lockhart. Around here (Phoenix, AZ) the brisket is more like pot roast--overcooked, monotone color, flaky instead of moist and tender, and no smoke ring. Is brisket smoked in the BGE the real deal?

Never had brisket from Texas. First time I shared some with my neighbors their son asked why mine was so tender, moist, and full of flavor. He said he always got it at a local bbq place but I ruined that for him.

TN_Sister_State · May 2015

Brisket is king on the bge. I'm from Texas originally and have eaten tons of brisket from there.

pgprescott · May 2015

I know this sounds corney, but as a retailer of the egg, we have ample opportunity to get feed back from our customers and receive plenty. The egg is the single greatest product my father has had the pleasure of selling in nearly sixty years of retail sales. We have actually had many customers tell us their purchase of the egg has been a life changing experience. You won't be sorry.

Sookie · May 2015

pgprescott said:

I know this sounds corney, but as a retailer of the egg, we have ample opportunity to get feed back from our customers and receive plenty. The egg is the single greatest product my father has had the pleasure of selling in nearly sixty years of retail sales. We have actually had many customers tell us their purchase of the egg has been a life changing experience. You won't be sorry.

I agree. It is one of the higher priced items that I have never looked back and thought "I could have spent that money more wisely". If someone stole it off my patio today I would buy another tomorrow. Earlier this week my husband texted me the day after I made some chops on the grill about how good they were. You will be surprised what you can do.

Can you be a good Egger even if you're a bad cook?

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