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Things no one tells the Noobies
Thatgrimguy
Posts: 4,738
I was thinking of some stuff I have figured out in the last couple years that I never remember reading on here. Add any other tips you can think of that a new egger needs to know that isn't regularly covered.
1.) The amount of meat on the Egg will greatly effect how long it takes to finish at a given temp. IE 1 8lb butt may be done in 8 hours. Put 6 in a XL and it will take more like 12+ hours. (I tried to cook a brisket and 3 racks of ribs the other day and didn't account for the time difference, we ended up eating dinner at 9pm instead of 6pm.)
2.) You want as open of an exhaust as possible. If at all possible, close down the vent at the bottom before closing the vent at the top. If you could run without the top at all that would be best. More airflow=better flavor.
3.) The smoke you want to cook with isn't the smoke you see. Load your charcoal, mix some smoking wood into the lump and let it rip. Don't come back mid cook and try to add more wood. It's not necessary and is doing more harm than good. A layer of VOCs on your butt isn't the goal. Look up "thin blue smoke" for more info.
4.) Even though this one is covered all over the forum it's worth mentioning again. The platesetter (conveggtor) and a thermapen are the two most important accessories money can buy. Get them and learn to use the egg and you will find it's the most versatile cooker in any backyard.
1.) The amount of meat on the Egg will greatly effect how long it takes to finish at a given temp. IE 1 8lb butt may be done in 8 hours. Put 6 in a XL and it will take more like 12+ hours. (I tried to cook a brisket and 3 racks of ribs the other day and didn't account for the time difference, we ended up eating dinner at 9pm instead of 6pm.)
2.) You want as open of an exhaust as possible. If at all possible, close down the vent at the bottom before closing the vent at the top. If you could run without the top at all that would be best. More airflow=better flavor.
3.) The smoke you want to cook with isn't the smoke you see. Load your charcoal, mix some smoking wood into the lump and let it rip. Don't come back mid cook and try to add more wood. It's not necessary and is doing more harm than good. A layer of VOCs on your butt isn't the goal. Look up "thin blue smoke" for more info.
4.) Even though this one is covered all over the forum it's worth mentioning again. The platesetter (conveggtor) and a thermapen are the two most important accessories money can buy. Get them and learn to use the egg and you will find it's the most versatile cooker in any backyard.
XL, Small, Mini & Mini Max Green Egg, Shirley Fab Trailer, 6 gal and 2.5 gal Cajun Fryers, BlueStar 60" Range, 48" Lonestar Grillz Santa Maria, Alto Shaam 1200s, Gozney Dome, Gateway 55g Drum
Comments
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Awesome. I am doing my second cook tonight and these simple tips help. It's kind of over whelming trying to sort through all of the info on these things.St Johns, FL 1 lbge
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Interesting observations. I've found that as long as they are not touching each other (allowing at least 1" of airflow around each one) two 8# butts cook in pretty much the same time as one 8# butt. If you stack them against each other, they cook much more like a 12# butt and do take longer.
For low and slow cooking I do use the top vent as, IMO, airflow is airflow - what goes out must come in as nature abours a vacuum. Airflow through the egg is determined by the smaller of the vent settings, it really doesn't matter which one is used for control - I like the DFMT as I don't have to bend over to adjust it - hence I don't spill my drink as often....Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad! -
Worthy of a bookmark! Thus forum and its active members have been an invaluable resource to me since I purchased my Egg five years ago.IL
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Don't overthink things. Everyone has an opinion about how to cook something - it can get overwhelming. Find someone who's opinion you find trustworthy and use their method first. Keep it simple for a while and get used to the fine tuning and nuances of your egg with simple cooks that are more forgiving like pork, steak and chicken.
I also like to take notes in a journal. You think it'll be easy to remember exactly how you cooked something "last time" but those memory pathways aren't always that easy to access next time. Especially when mind altering substances are involved.
Don't over smoke. 2-3 chunks of smoke wood are adequate for most cooks. It's better to err on the side of caution with this one IMHO. And they don't need to be soaked in water to be effective.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
-Umberto Eco
2 Large
Peachtree Corners, GA -
Thank you for taking the time to post this. I am a newbie, and easily get discussed when things don't go as planned. These tips really help the new guy.
i had to make a stencil at work to paint on the top of the lid handle to say " Burp" to remind me to burp before opening. I did not want to wear my bunker gear to BBQ . It's too damn hot for that. Lol"One Job at a Time, One Day at a Time"
" Stop and smell the Roses " Life is too Short -
and soon you will be burping everything, the gasser, the kitchen garbage can, the hood on your car.....safety training and one hair removing experience works!CDPlaya said:Thank you for taking the time to post this. I am a newbie, and easily get discussed when things don't go as planned. These tips really help the new guy.
i had to make a stencil at work to paint on the top of the lid handle to say " Burp" to remind me to burp before opening. I did not want to wear my bunker gear to BBQ . It's too damn hot for that. LolDelta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad! -
You've been holding out. Five years, 13 comments and no posted cooks? Let's see some pics! Share some of your ideas! Damn, I want to learn from you, I've only had an egg 2 years.LetsEat said:Worthy of a bookmark! Thus forum and its active members have been an invaluable resource to me since I purchased my Egg five years ago. -
lead melts just over 600 degrees but in the egg it takes an 850 degees dome temp to melt it
for some reason things in an egg can be cooked from low temps to high temps and still come out descent so theres lots of experimenting to do to find whats best for you, once you realize that exact temps dont matter that much you can have fun with it. i used the egg with no gages at all for over a year and never skipped a beat
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
Lmao , true... I am a volunteer firefighter, I know all about backdraft so and flash fires. I have total respect for them . I never burped my offset smoker, but I will from now on...Skiddymarker said:and soon you will be burping everything, the gasser, the kitchen garbage can, the hood on your car.....safety training and one hair removing experience works!
thanks for the post"One Job at a Time, One Day at a Time"
" Stop and smell the Roses " Life is too Short -
Stopped reading at #2, the exhaust being open. On all 3 of our Eggs if you leave the DW off you will end up with a slow but steady temperature climb. And no, none of them have any leaks. Few weeks ago experimented with the Large. Set it up to run 225*. Was hovering there for about 45 minutes. Took the DW off, checked it about an hour later and the grate temperature was at 325*. Engineer buddy tried to explain it, but it was a bit over my smarts level. Only thing I really remember is he said that the exhaust creates a venturi effect. The more open it is the more air it is suckling thru the intake...or something like that.
The directions that came with my Flameboss clearly stated to keep the DW almost shut...
But this topic is one of those Ford vs Chevy vs Mopar type of things so... -
Is it just me but the temp gauge is hard to read. Can they make it any smaller?"One Job at a Time, One Day at a Time"
" Stop and smell the Roses " Life is too Short -
Agree, went to a BGE Eggfest recently. A woman from BGE was saying you need to keep the daisey wheel on and as closed as possible - why? Because the egg cooks much like a convection oven, with air circulating 'round n round' ... exactly what the Kamado inventors had in mind.dougcrann said:Stopped reading at #2, the exhaust being open. On all 3 of our Eggs if you leave the DW off you will end up with a slow but steady temperature climb. And no, none of them have any leaks. Few weeks ago experimented with the Large. Set it up to run 225*. Was hovering there for about 45 minutes. Took the DW off, checked it about an hour later and the grate temperature was at 325*. Engineer buddy tried to explain it, but it was a bit over my smarts level. Only thing I really remember is he said that the exhaust creates a venturi effect. The more open it is the more air it is suckling thru the intake...or something like that.
The directions that came with my Flameboss clearly stated to keep the DW almost shut...
But this topic is one of those Ford vs Chevy vs Mopar type of things so...
She went to to say leaving the cap off or mostly open defeats the purpose you bought the egg in the first place, that you might as well cook on a Weber.
Other than #2 ... everything else was right on point.I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca. -
Switch away from the BGE charcoal early to a cleaner burning variety. Ask the dealer to give you a better charcoal for free instead, or keep the BGE for your high temp pizza cook.
I have noticed many new eggers (me included) didn't heat up long enough to clear the smoke to a good (almost odorless/tasteless state) before cooking. The BGE charcoal being a particularly smokey type has turned off many a new taster I'm sure before this lesson is learned. It would be better to start with clean charcoal and clean smoke from the first light up.
Toronto, Canada
Large BGE, Small BGE
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Don't chase the temp. +/-25 is close enough most of the time.
Relax and have fun!
and post your cooks and participate here -
not sure about number 2. you can't let out more air than has been let in.
i control my egg from the lower vent for most cooks. let's say i am happy with 'x' airflow. if i open the top a bit more to "let out more smoke", i may get some stack effect which will suck more air through the egg, sure, but this also increases temp, which means i would close the lower vent if the temp crept up, and i'm back at 'x' airflow.
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
Once you learn temperature doesn't really matter much except for the outside of what you're cooking and the time it takes to cook it, you'll be light years ahead.fishlessman said:lonce you realize that exact temps dont matter that much you can have fun with it. i used the egg with no gages at all for over a year and never skipped a beat
If you're fretting about the temp being 50 degrees high or low and worrying about your cook failing, you, my friend, are OCD and that takes the fun out of this. Plus it is for naught.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
I add wood during the cooking process with no ill effects...lucky?XL, Medium BGE & Blackstone I XAR-Woo2 & Rig-BO I Flameboss 500St. Louis, MO
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Here ya go:CDPlaya said:Is it just me but the temp gauge is hard to read. Can they make it any smaller?
http://www.amazon.com/Big-Green-Egg-Replacement-Temperature/dp/B00Q7VQE1K
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
-Umberto Eco
2 Large
Peachtree Corners, GA -
I unit I measure time by while egging is "beer". For example, it takes a couple of beers for VOCs to burn off and achieve good smoke.Flint, Michigan
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+1 for Fred
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im curious what VOCs stands for?
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I kinda disagree with some of this. If you are doing a low and slow you never have good smoke from the egg with wood in it. The wood is smoldering at that temp and is bad smoke thats why you can only use so much without getting that bad flavor. If the wood isn't on fire its bad smoke and at 250 the wood isn't on fire.
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I am a newbie, I have a large BGE and I learned something about temp control the other day. I got the grill started and set at 225 so I could do some ribs. I went inside and did a few things and came out and the grill was still set perfectly on 225. I put on my ribs and headed off to run some errands. When I got back the grill was almost 400 (I think the DW moved when I opened the lid) and had been cooking the ribs for a couple of hours. I just foiled them for a bit then went and checked them a little later and they were almost done (bend test) so I took them out and sauced them. My wife didn't like ribs until we got the egg, these were so good that my wife ordered another rack for the next day! Moral of the story, like several have said, don't sweat it. If the temp creeps up it isn't gonna hurt it. Learn how to tell when things are done. It is that easy.
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I break the "if you're looking you ain't cooking" rule if I lit the lump in more than one spot, for medium or long cooks.... once the cooking is underway, if I feel a significant hot spot on the dome, chances are one spot is blazing while the other(s) are dying, I would remove the food and stir to redistribute the lump. In my noob days I was afraid to open the dome during a low and slow
canuckland -
"if you're a-lookin', it's still cookin'"
If continues to cook when you pull it off the grill, why should it stop when you open the lid (and the temperature rises?
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
Better to know what's going on then have a Schrodinger's cat situation with quantum grill physics.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
one thing ive learned long ago here is that some things preached here are wrong and it would be very difficult to get everyone on the same page
there is just so many lies preached by bbqr's as truths/half truths, your going to have to sort these things out on your own how many posts did it take people to see something wrong written here or something they did not agree with 
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
Regarding the temperature gauge-just rotate the gauge so the target temp is at 12 o'clock. That way a casual look and you know how the cook is going. Just make sure you pull out on the thermo before rotating (if you have clip installed) so you don't impact the calibration.Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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My cooks are all disasters and perfection as long as the lid is closed...nolaegghead said:Better to know what's going on then have a Schrodinger's cat situation with quantum grill physics.Coleman, Texas
Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
"Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
YukonRon
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