New Egger

ferndchamp · June 2015

Hello everyone, I just received my new XL from the dealer. It is a pleasure to be part of this new group. I have been reading these forums for the last couple of weeks and this forum seems very knowledable and very informative. This is one of the small reasons i decided to get a Green egg instead of other ceramic grills. I did receive free shipping and installation on my new Green Egg. The thermometer was fairly accurate and did hover around the 212 mark when i put it in boiling water. There was two problems I encountered. The first was that the gasket around the egg was either not placed on correctly or some bolts need to be tightened up. The front part passed the dollar bill test. The sides on the green egg did not. When i looked more carefully, i could see a gap from one end to the other. The gap was small but you could see daylight from one side to the other. The next problem i encountered was the gasket on the so called chimmeney on the egg. That is the part where you put the temp setter on. Does a gasket need to be put on this part? The installer put it on, but i was in a rush to burn some charcoal so when i lifted the temp setter the gasket was pulled off as well. How long do you suggest i let the gasket's glue get a proper drying. I hope my problems are resolved because i could not get the temps below 250, and i am thinking it was because of the lid being not properly being able to close because of the gaskets and the slit in the egg. Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advanced. Does anyone have any other suggestions i do to my new green egg? I cant wait to cook my first meal on it!

avibug · June 2015

Welcome.
I don't have a gasket on my chimney, and don't think you need one there.

dmirish1 · June 2015

I do have the one on the chimney and it holds the daisy wheel and ceramic top pretty nicely.

Jeepster47 · June 2015

Welcome to the forum.

A see through gap at the hinge line will work against you getting to the lower temps. Plus, it will allow the seal to burn up that much faster. Get your dealer to adjust the dome ... or learn to do it yourself. According to my dealer, the XL takes a little more futzing to get it right than the other egg sizes.

You also might be working your way along the learning curve. Getting the dome temp below 250 degrees doesn't take much more than a promise of an opening in the bottom vent. It just doesn't seem right ... you're positive the fire will go out at that setting.

Many folks don't use a gasket on the daisy wheel. If you want to use it, just leave the daisy wheel on for the first few cooks ... it should be set by then. The egg will shut down with the daisy wheel closed ... maybe a little slower, but not that much slower.

TexanOfTheNorth · June 2015

Welcome to the forum and the lifestyle.

No top gasket on my egg either; however, I do not use anything on the top when cooking.

If you have a gap sounds like the hinges may not be properly aligned.

theyolksonyou · June 2015

Welcome.

Next step. Cook, pics, post!

blasting · June 2015

Welcome to the forum.

lousubcap · June 2015

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey. No chimney gasket here. And do heed the above advice and get the dome and base to sit flush.

Since it's Friday-what follows are some links and info that may be of use:
Here’s a link to all things ceramic-chances are if you have a question the answer is within this site somewhere. Check out the recipe section for some great ideas. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/nwindex.htm
For additional links to cooking/recipe sites; here are two very good ones, depending what you are cooking: This site contains a wealth of the science behind Q cooking along with info on about every type of meat cook you would attempt: http://amazingribs.com/ Here’s the second one: http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/

After-market toys- With the BGE there are three basic styles of cooking; “direct”-where the cooking grid is on top of the fire ring; “raised direct”-where the grid is elevated at least to the gasket-line (this setup requires after-market stuff-easiest is to get another grid and then use three fire bricks (or three empty aluminum beer cans) and place them on the grid at the fire ring and then put the second grid on top. The third is “indirect” where there is a heat deflector (platesetter or some other type stone) between the burning lump and the cooking grid. This is the setup for low&slow long duration cooks. I would get comfortable playing around with the BGE before any major after-market investments. Will save you $$ in the long run.

When adjusting the vent(s) to change temperature, the feedback loop can take some time. Changes in air-flow are reflected in the dome thermo temp. Don’t chase temperature; +/- 10-15*F is close enough.

“Stable temperature” is a relative term. Means you haven’t moved the vents and the temperature is steady for anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

That's more than enough for now.

Griffin · June 2015

Welcome aboard. Quick question about you getting temps down to 250...how high were you at before you started to try and get it down? And how long? The Egg holds temp extremely well. If you overshot 250, you might have a hard time gettingit back down. Best to catch the temp on the way up, and start shutting the vents down so you don't overshoot it.

ferndchamp · June 2015

Thanks for your replies, now I'm glad I bought the BGE. The dealer should be here soon and I will learn how to adjust the hinges from him. I did get the temps high and tried to lower them down. I could only get them to 250 but I was in a rush as well because I was tillin my dirt. I just started the charcoal to play around with the temps. What is the lowest temps that you'll have gotten the egg to at consistent temperatures?

TexanOfTheNorth · June 2015

around 225 is about the lowest I go; for extended cooks. I've done lower, when smoking sausages, but that's with just a small amount of lump in the fire box.