Grilling tips

nolabrew · September 2015

I haven't been getting the results I want when I use my LBGE to grill. It seems like it's not as hot on the grill surface as my regular old charcoal grill can get. Also, I've never been able to get the grill really hot, it just seems to plateau around 550F. Chicken always comes out tasting more like it was baked rather than grilled. I never get nice grill marks. Am I doing something wrong or is this just a limitation of the BGE that you've figured out how to work around?

SmokeyPitt · September 2015

I am guessing you may not be using enough lump. You should be able to get the grill to 900 degrees if you really want to. Fill it up with lump 1/2 way up the fire ring, light in a few places, and give it some time to get a full fire going.
For better grill marks you can get a cast iron grid. I have the older porcelain coated grid and I don't really get great grill marks.

tarheelmatt · September 2015

I'll add to SmokeyPitt....

1 - You may not be getting enough fuel (air). Clean the Egg out well, and start again. Make sure all holes are clear.

2 - Fill up with good, fresh lump, and light in several places as mentioned above.

You should have no issues with temp though.

Could you explain your process in more detail though? Like how you light, when you adjust drafts, etc.

Griffin · September 2015

If trouble with heat, check and make sure that the opening on the fire bowl is lined up with the bottom vent and that no charcoal is blocking the holes in the fire grate.

Theophan · September 2015

To add one more thing to the general idea that the problem almost certainly is that something is restricting your air flow: Sometimes the ash that falls into the ceramic holes in the fire box can build up between the firebox and the ceramic outer wall of the Egg, and even if the holes themselves are clear, there isn't good air flow because the space between the outer wall and the fire box is clogged with old ash.

You shouldn't need to do this very often at all, but it might not be a bad idea to give the Egg a very thorough cleaning by taking out the fire ring and the fire box, and making sure the whole Egg is empty of ash. Then put the fire box back, carefully making sure the big opening is properly aligned with the lower vent, then the fire ring and the rest of it. Then put larger pieces of lump in the bottom when you reload the lump, to help ensure that small pieces don't clog the holes in the bottom grate or in the fire ring, and fill up to the top of the fire box.

Then as the others said, light in several places, open the bottom vent wide, take off the top cap entirely, and WATCH CAREFULLY because pretty soon you'll be at 900 degrees plus!

Bottom line: I only have to watch out for the Egg getting hotter than I want it to be. If it won't get hot enough, I know something's wrong, and almost certainly it's with the air flow.

nolabrew · September 2015

tarheelmatt said:

I'll add to SmokeyPitt....

1 - You may not be getting enough fuel (air). Clean the Egg out well, and start again. Make sure all holes are clear.

2 - Fill up with good, fresh lump, and light in several places as mentioned above.

You should have no issues with temp though.

Could you explain your process in more detail though? Like how you light, when you adjust drafts, etc.

I use a chimney. I was using mapp gas, but I like the chimney because it gives me time to prep other stuff while it lights. I always just use a chimney full of lump, but I know that's subjective. It's enough to smoke a shoulder for 18 hours.

I keep the egg pretty clean. I remove the grate in the bottom of the fire box and suck all the ash out with a shop vac at least once a week.

How long does it take to get to 800F typically?

Theophan · September 2015

nolabrew said:
... I always just use a chimney full of lump, but I know that's subjective. It's enough to smoke a shoulder for 18 hours.

... How long does it take to get to 800F typically?

Holy Toledo! I think that's the problem. I don't know how much lump is in your chimney, but it's certainly not enough to get a really hot fire. Load the Egg pretty close to the top of the fire box next time, trying to get it so that when you scatter your chimney full of hot coals over the top, it'll be at the top of the fire ring. (Have the bottom vent wide open, and the top cap off.) THEN, at least the first time, check the dome temp every 10 minutes, and maybe even write down the temp each time for future reference. I don't use a chimney, so for me it'd take longer. And I don't generally go over 600 for any of my cooks, so I don't know how long it'd take me to get to 800, because I always try to stop it from getting that hot. But I'd guess that in less than half an hour, you'll be hot enough to do some blacksmithing.

fishlessman · September 2015

the egg tops off around 500 if you dont take the daisy off the egg. an egg full of new lump, clean of ash, bottom vent fully open, daisy taken off the egg, will hit 1200 dome. most fill the egg half way up the fire ring with lump when they want a hot fire

SmokeyPitt · September 2015

fishlessman said:

the egg tops off around 500 if you dont take the daisy off the egg. an egg full of new lump, clean of ash, bottom vent fully open, daisy taken off the egg, will hit 1200 dome. most fill the egg half way up the fire ring with lump when they want a hot fire

Great point- daisy wheel off.

tarheelmatt · September 2015

nolabrew said:

tarheelmatt said:

I'll add to SmokeyPitt....

1 - You may not be getting enough fuel (air). Clean the Egg out well, and start again. Make sure all holes are clear.

2 - Fill up with good, fresh lump, and light in several places as mentioned above.

You should have no issues with temp though.

Could you explain your process in more detail though? Like how you light, when you adjust drafts, etc.

I use a chimney. I was using mapp gas, but I like the chimney because it gives me time to prep other stuff while it lights. I always just use a chimney full of lump, but I know that's subjective. It's enough to smoke a shoulder for 18 hours.

I keep the egg pretty clean. I remove the grate in the bottom of the fire box and suck all the ash out with a shop vac at least once a week.

How long does it take to get to 800F typically?

Still need more detail. As the fellas mentioned above, everything should be wide open, daisy wheel off, bottom vent open.

I light my stuff with a weed torch. Blast the lump for about a min, close the lid, and go back in the house for about 5-7 min. I better be checking because it could get out of control quick. It'll get up 500's-600's in no time.

May be a good idea to check your thermometer too (but you did say you're not getting a sear either, but couldn't hurt).

I try to make sure the fire box has an equal gap between it and the outside of Egg too.

I really think the culprit if you're doing the above right with clean Egg and all vents open is the chimney.

nolabrew · September 2015

Cool. Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try it again tomorrow night and report back.

One last thing; is it really true that "if you're looking, you ain't cooking"? Seems like a roaring flame several inches from the food would be cooking it whether the dome is closed or not.

SmokeyPitt · September 2015

nolabrew said:

Cool. Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try it again tomorrow night and report back.

One last thing; is it really true that "if you're looking, you ain't cooking"? Seems like a roaring flame several inches from the food would be cooking it whether the dome is closed or not.

I agree- this is not true when cooking over direct heat. I think this expression came about in regards to slow and low, indirect cooking.

mshump · September 2015

The whole idea of keeping the lid closed is to allow the hot air to circulate and cook the food also. Every time you open the lid you lose some of that and also the ceramic (especially the lid) will cool down some.

mshump · September 2015

nolabrew said:

I haven't been getting the results I want when I use my LBGE to grill. It seems like it's not as hot on the grill surface as my regular old charcoal grill can get. Also, I've never been able to get the grill really hot, it just seems to plateau around 550F. Chicken always comes out tasting more like it was baked rather than grilled. I never get nice grill marks. Am I doing something wrong or is this just a limitation of the BGE that you've figured out how to work around?

If you are not getting grill marks, then you most likely are putting the food on too early. Get the Egg up to a good temp then put on the food. If you are doing a L&S with the place setter then you most likely won't get grill marks.since your temps are 2-300 usually. If you want more smoke flavor then add some wood chunks or chips to your lump.

nolaegghead · September 2015

nolabrew said:

Cool. Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try it again tomorrow night and report back.

One last thing; is it really true that "if you're looking, you ain't cooking"? Seems like a roaring flame several inches from the food would be cooking it whether the dome is closed or not.

That's BS. Look as often as you like both direct and indirect.

See you at brisket camp!

Carolina Q · September 2015

nolaegghead said:

nolabrew said:

Cool. Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try it again tomorrow night and report back.

One last thing; is it really true that "if you're looking, you ain't cooking"? Seems like a roaring flame several inches from the food would be cooking it whether the dome is closed or not.

That's BS. Look as often as you like both direct and indirect.

Especially with a ceramic cooker which retains heat very well. Once you close the dome, you'll be back to temp in no time. That said, it's a little scary to open her up at

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/dd/c07scuzjd5qy.jpg

nolabrew · September 2015

Carolina Q said:

nolaegghead said:

nolabrew said:

Cool. Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll try it again tomorrow night and report back.

One last thing; is it really true that "if you're looking, you ain't cooking"? Seems like a roaring flame several inches from the food would be cooking it whether the dome is closed or not.

That's BS. Look as often as you like both direct and indirect.

Especially with a ceramic cooker which retains heat very well. Once you close the dome, you'll be back to temp in no time. That said, it's a little scary to open her up at

Hey man, someone installed your thermometer upside down.

Carolina Q · September 2015

Nope, I always turn it so my target temp is at 12 o'clock. That way, I can tell at a glance if I'm on target, no matter how far away I am. Within reason of course.

Ladeback69 · September 2015

After doing a long low and slow for about 18 hours at 250 I opened up my XL to about 700 and did a clean burn to burn of the fat on the plate setter. Like this.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/x3/v6ggyfq4xvhv.jpg

blind99 · September 2015

With enough fuel and good airflow the egg will turn into a raging blast furnace. Grill marks should not be a problem! It gets so hot that you need to burp the egg to that you don't get burned by a huge flashback. Around 650 is where I typically max out. Steaks seared in a cast iron pan get a great crust. Haven't had a need to go hotter for pizzas either.

Carolina Q · September 2015

Ladeback69 said:

After doing a long low and slow for about 18 hours at 250 I opened up my XL to about 700 and did a clean burn to burn of the fat on the plate setter. Like this.

Man, that's what hdaf and a drip pan are for!

Jeepster47 · September 2015

If you're on a non-flammable surface, the final tweak is to open the bottom screen. It's amazing how restrictive the screen is to airflow ... especially if it has some gunk on it.

theyolksonyou · September 2015

Funny thing. I was wrestling with getting hot at a speed I was happy with just now. Came it, got distracted, back out and temp dropped. About to open the dome and thought to my self, "self it might be wrapped." Swapped thermos with the mm and sure enough, wrapped to 200. Glad I didn't open the dome.

Aussie · September 2015

Seems like a good spot to ask. So when you're grilling those burgers , does anybody grill with the lid open for the entire cook?

pgprescott · September 2015

Fill the firebox and light. I am not a proponent of the chimney for an egg. It is the hands down way to light a kettle. The egg is different. It is not required to light all the lump at once. Use a torch, electric lighter or other means and light a full firebox of lump. The lump wil burn at 1300+ degrees. Also, I would suggest that 500-700 is more than adequate to properly sear any protein. If you want more heat is is readily available.

Legume · September 2015

I use a chimney, works fine for me but I use it differently than if using briquettes and a kettle. I rarely fill the chimney more than 1/2 and I always light used lump. I just scoop some up, light with a paper towel quickly sprayed with oil and add new lump around it if needed. I never let it get fully engulfed, just get some of it going and dump. More if I want a hot fire so I can spread it around.

theyolksonyou · September 2015

@Aussie yes, but damper it down with the bottom vent to keep from having a raging inferno. Also do that with wok for stir fry or deep fry.

VooDuuChild · September 2015

I have an XL, and use a chimney every time. I'll poke and prod and take the biggest of the lump leftover inside the egg and put them in, then take it to about 2/3 full chimney with fresh. While that is starting, I'll spread the rest of the used lump evenly throughout the egg. Then add the chimney stuff once it's about 3/4 going and spread it out. Bottom vent open, top all the way open and it gets hot every time...no trouble. And I don't keep that much in my XL unless I'm going low and slow, then I do a pyramid stack of lump, lighting only at the top of the pyramid (with three Rutland starters), all airways wide open until it begins to get close. Possibly try a different kind of lump????

nolabrew · September 2015

Carolina Q said:

Nope, I always turn it so my target temp is at 12 o'clock. That way, I can tell at a glance if I'm on target, no matter how far away I am. Within reason of course.

Genius.

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