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The Mistakes We’ve Made

JohnInCarolina
JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,867
edited May 2018 in EggHead Forum
Thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread.  Post the mistakes you’ve made on the Egg, and hopefully - learned from.  I’ll go first:

Trying to cook store-bought pizza dough at 800+ degrees (all it does is burn).  Sadly tried this more than once.  

Drinking too much beer while Egging.  Yes it is possible.

Going to bed with an Egg I thought was stabilized at 250, only to wake up in the morning and find it at 350.  Oops.

Putting chicken wings on before the bad smoke had really cleared out.  Yikes.

Doing a brisket flat, following the Travis method.  Go ahead, try to tell me you didn’t try it at least once.

Believing @cazzy when he told me that @Eggcelsior was a lesbian.  True story.  

Soaking wood chips.  

Not drinking enough beer while Egging.  Only once.

Starting a new thread to call the mods a-holes.  

Injecting brisket.  I know some of you swear by this technique, and that’s great, you’re just wrong.  

Royally effing up a Thanksgiving turkey.  To this day I have no idea what I did wrong, it was just rubbery af, so much so that even my parents commented on it.  Not good.

Not burping the Egg.  Only once.




"I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
«1345

Comments

  • Hoster05
    Hoster05 Posts: 312
    I tried making a brisket flat with one of my first cooks,  the sole of my boot was more tender then this thing.  I think my wife thought “you better figure this thing out for what it costs us”

    thanks to the forum and lots of research my cooks have become drastically different in a good way.  
    Mankato, MN - LBGE
  • SoCalSooner
    SoCalSooner Posts: 52
    Buying BGE lump 
    Yes. Plus Mapp gas starting the egg too close to patio furniture and children. Embers flying around and putting holes in cushions and burning kids isn’t really that cool with the wife. 
    2 Large Eggs    Oklahoma City,OK
  • mlc2013
    mlc2013 Posts: 988
    i did a whole turkey for my moms bday last year bottom half was undercooked and top half was overcooked never use a deep pan to set turkey in just use shallow for now on
    Long Island NY    
    1 XL BGE 12/17, 1 LG BGE 3/18, 1 MM BGE 3/18
  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    edited May 2018
    Great idea @JohnInCarolina , to many to remember, wished I had pictures....all alcohol related . 

    Put a prime brisket on, prepped everything sober. Lit fire put brisket on , set Stoker to 225 Grate, insert food probes off to bed....awaken to a very Done Smell a couple hours later....forgot to put the Pit Probe on, fan stoked that fire to " who the heck knows how hot"  burned almost a full load of fuel....pretty well ruined the brisket
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • TEXASBGE2018
    TEXASBGE2018 Posts: 3,831
    edited May 2018
    Tried cooking my 1st pizza with half a fire box full of charcoal. Charcoal lasted about 10minutes before it was gone. Kept wondering why I couldn’t get temps to 600


    Rockwall, Tx    LBGE, Minimax, 22" Blackstone, Pizza Party Bollore. Cast Iron Hoarder.

  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    First pizza experiments when I meticulously stabilized a good pizza set up at 500 and then put on a pie made with a 00 crust.  No bueno.  AND it was with BGE lump.  Double trouble.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • ColtsFan
    ColtsFan Posts: 6,310
    My first butt was raised direct. The bottom 3" was so damn dry and tough that I couldn't cut through it.
    ~ John - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, KJ Jr, PK Original, Ardore Pizza Oven, King Disc 
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    And no John, never tried Travis’s brisket.  Some threads are self explanatory  B)
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    I have never had such issues.

    Sorry, I had to try and type that without laughing my asz off.

    There is nothing anyone can post, that I have not done wrong at least twice.

    My biggest mistake.....doing shrimp on the XL, and drinking almost too much. I crispy crittered those bad boys in ways that people today, still ask me, not to cook shrimp.

    I have since overcome most of their objections, however, people have a long memory, and love to remind me how bad our neighborhood smelled, a couple days after the cook.

    @JohnInCarolina ha! I laugh at you. Brisket injected is better than brisket not injected. At least according to all the winners at competitions across the country.

    Just kidding. It works out well with costco prime.....
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    I will load up comments here independent of the memory provided by day/night drinking adult supervisory beverages. I know there are many but as I run the calendar they are fading into the sunset.  
    That said, the truly first epiphany was the dome to grate off-set temperature-wise.  How come this friggin cook is not there yet-(yes a thermo finish temp believer)??  
    But the dang near most phquing screw up was the SRF gold brisket grease fire that coulda trashed my first gold cook.  All systems go all night. The following AM SRF Gold on the program for National Brisket Day (May 28th, 2017).  Desired eat time is 1-2 PM so that's the over-night cook.  Fire up the BGE a few hours before loading the protein-everything is stable.  Load it up, no issues.  Hit the rack.  Around 6 am nature calls-give the BGE a check, cruising around 270*F, cow at about 170 and smelling good.  Didn't really get back to sleep so I'm up and about.  BGE dome thermo easily visible from my desk.  Around 7:30 AM or so the BGE temp starts to take off-WTF?  Clearing 300*F and not slowing down.  Time to sort this out.  Now passing 310*F and no end-point in sight.
    Run with a PSWOO-2.  Pull everything out and have a nice grease fire going at about the 2 O'clock position.  Grab around a dozen ice cubes and toss on the fire.  Get it throttled.  Reload the BGE and continue on-all's well that end's well.  What a treat after the near heart attack.
    Upon instant assessment, turns out I had lined my air-gapped 14" drip with HDAF and created a channel where the excessive fat renderings flowed down into the lump.  Once the fire got there-away it went.  That's more than I need to recall as the stars are aligning for a repeat cook/set-up this month.

    And yes I did grab a bottle of Allegro (Travis, but no boil) when all I could find were flats-no injection but I did the foil wrap.  Only recollection of the outcome-too salty.
    Never mind the load of ABT's cooked and consumed w/o any recollection until the reminder events the following AM.

    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.
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    Don't drive over it
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Or tie your dog to it =)
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    That would be devastating!  Even with sugar gliders for redemption- ;)
    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.
  • jabam
    jabam Posts: 1,829
    Trying to cook anything, while self medicating and perusing the Friday night posts! I seem to always lose track of time. 
    Central Valley CA     One large egg One chocolate lab "Halle" two chiuahuas "Skittles and PeeWee"
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,867
    Oh - one other thing I've done - gotten the temp on the Egg up so high the dome thermo wrapped around.  All happened while I was inside.  Came out and wondered how in the world the temp was still below 200F.  Nope.  
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
    Boneless chicken breasts thrown on before smoke cleared. Damn things tasted like Kingsford. 
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,125
    Oh - one other thing I've done - gotten the temp on the Egg up so high the dome thermo wrapped around.  All happened while I was inside.  Came out and wondered how in the world the temp was still below 200F.  Nope.  
    Yup. I toasted a Smokeware thermometer 
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    GrillSgt said:
    Boneless chicken breasts thrown on before smoke cleared. Damn things tasted like Kingsford. 
    You should’ve used RW, not Kingsford  ;)
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,867
    bgebrent said:
    Or tie your dog to it =)
    We could probably have another thread on mistakes other people have made that you couldn’t believe.  There are some doozies.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • CTMike
    CTMike Posts: 3,247
    Thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread.  Post the mistakes you’ve made on the Egg, and hopefully - learned from.  I’ll go first:

    Trying to cook store-bought pizza dough at 800+ degrees (all it does is burn).  Sadly tried this more than once.  

    Drinking too much beer while Egging.  Yes it is possible.

    Going to bed with an Egg I thought was stabilized at 250, only to wake up in the morning and find it at 350.  Oops.

    Putting chicken wings on before the bad smoke had really cleared out.  Yikes.

    Doing a brisket flat, following the Travis method.  Go ahead, try to tell me you didn’t try it at least once.

    Believing @cazzy when he told me that @Eggcelsior was a lesbian.  True story.  

    Soaking wood chips.  

    Not drinking enough beer while Egging.  Only once.

    Starting a new thread to call the mods a-holes.  

    Injecting brisket.  I know some of you swear by this technique, and that’s great, you’re just wrong.  

    Royally effing up a Thanksgiving turkey.  To this day I have no idea what I did wrong, it was just rubbery af, so much so that even my parents commented on it.  Not good.

    Not burping the Egg.  Only once.




    I think you overlooked your biggest mistake of all - Thinking that @travisstrick was an African American. 
    MMBGE / Large BGE / XL BGE (Craigslist Find) / SF30x80 cabinet trailer - "Ol' Mortimer" / Outdoor kitchen in progress.  

    RECOVERING BUBBLEHEAD
    Southeastern CT. 
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    WeberWho said:
    Don't drive over it
    Been there done that, not an egg, but a campground grill.

    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

  • jabam
    jabam Posts: 1,829
    edited May 2018
    CTMike said:
    Thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread.  Post the mistakes you’ve made on the Egg, and hopefully - learned from.  I’ll go first:

    Trying to cook store-bought pizza dough at 800+ degrees (all it does is burn).  Sadly tried this more than once.  

    Drinking too much beer while Egging.  Yes it is possible.

    Going to bed with an Egg I thought was stabilized at 250, only to wake up in the morning and find it at 350.  Oops.

    Putting chicken wings on before the bad smoke had really cleared out.  Yikes.

    Doing a brisket flat, following the Travis method.  Go ahead, try to tell me you didn’t try it at least once.

    Believing @cazzy when he told me that @Eggcelsior was a lesbian.  True story.  

    Soaking wood chips.  

    Not drinking enough beer while Egging.  Only once.

    Starting a new thread to call the mods a-holes.  

    Injecting brisket.  I know some of you swear by this technique, and that’s great, you’re just wrong.  

    Royally effing up a Thanksgiving turkey.  To this day I have no idea what I did wrong, it was just rubbery af, so much so that even my parents commented on it.  Not good.

    Not burping the Egg.  Only once.




    I think you overlooked your biggest mistake of all - Thinking that @travisstrick was an African American. 
    He’s not?
    Central Valley CA     One large egg One chocolate lab "Halle" two chiuahuas "Skittles and PeeWee"
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    jabam said:
    CTMike said:
    Thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread.  Post the mistakes you’ve made on the Egg, and hopefully - learned from.  I’ll go first:

    Trying to cook store-bought pizza dough at 800+ degrees (all it does is burn).  Sadly tried this more than once.  

    Drinking too much beer while Egging.  Yes it is possible.

    Going to bed with an Egg I thought was stabilized at 250, only to wake up in the morning and find it at 350.  Oops.

    Putting chicken wings on before the bad smoke had really cleared out.  Yikes.

    Doing a brisket flat, following the Travis method.  Go ahead, try to tell me you didn’t try it at least once.

    Believing @cazzy when he told me that @Eggcelsior was a lesbian.  True story.  

    Soaking wood chips.  

    Not drinking enough beer while Egging.  Only once.

    Starting a new thread to call the mods a-holes.  

    Injecting brisket.  I know some of you swear by this technique, and that’s great, you’re just wrong.  

    Royally effing up a Thanksgiving turkey.  To this day I have no idea what I did wrong, it was just rubbery af, so much so that even my parents commented on it.  Not good.

    Not burping the Egg.  Only once.




    I think you overlooked your biggest mistake of all - Thinking that @travisstrick was an African American. 
    He’s not?
    Coastal FL honkey cat.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    I can't seem to remember to put on one of my long bbq gloves BEFORE opening the dome when cooking some foods (like paillards that have been marinating overnight) that produce a lot of steam.

    Already been painfully scalded twice so far this year.

    I'm pretty good tho at remembering to put one on before the second and third times I open the dome. :)
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,867
    CTMike said:
    Thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread.  Post the mistakes you’ve made on the Egg, and hopefully - learned from.  I’ll go first:

    Trying to cook store-bought pizza dough at 800+ degrees (all it does is burn).  Sadly tried this more than once.  

    Drinking too much beer while Egging.  Yes it is possible.

    Going to bed with an Egg I thought was stabilized at 250, only to wake up in the morning and find it at 350.  Oops.

    Putting chicken wings on before the bad smoke had really cleared out.  Yikes.

    Doing a brisket flat, following the Travis method.  Go ahead, try to tell me you didn’t try it at least once.

    Believing @cazzy when he told me that @Eggcelsior was a lesbian.  True story.  

    Soaking wood chips.  

    Not drinking enough beer while Egging.  Only once.

    Starting a new thread to call the mods a-holes.  

    Injecting brisket.  I know some of you swear by this technique, and that’s great, you’re just wrong.  

    Royally effing up a Thanksgiving turkey.  To this day I have no idea what I did wrong, it was just rubbery af, so much so that even my parents commented on it.  Not good.

    Not burping the Egg.  Only once.




    I think you overlooked your biggest mistake of all - Thinking that @travisstrick was an African American. 
    Haha.  That was a joke.  One of my better ones (I think).
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    CTMike said:
    Thought this would be an interesting idea for a thread.  Post the mistakes you’ve made on the Egg, and hopefully - learned from.  I’ll go first:

    Trying to cook store-bought pizza dough at 800+ degrees (all it does is burn).  Sadly tried this more than once.  

    Drinking too much beer while Egging.  Yes it is possible.

    Going to bed with an Egg I thought was stabilized at 250, only to wake up in the morning and find it at 350.  Oops.

    Putting chicken wings on before the bad smoke had really cleared out.  Yikes.

    Doing a brisket flat, following the Travis method.  Go ahead, try to tell me you didn’t try it at least once.

    Believing @cazzy when he told me that @Eggcelsior was a lesbian.  True story.  

    Soaking wood chips.  

    Not drinking enough beer while Egging.  Only once.

    Starting a new thread to call the mods a-holes.  

    Injecting brisket.  I know some of you swear by this technique, and that’s great, you’re just wrong.  

    Royally effing up a Thanksgiving turkey.  To this day I have no idea what I did wrong, it was just rubbery af, so much so that even my parents commented on it.  Not good.

    Not burping the Egg.  Only once.




    I think you overlooked your biggest mistake of all - Thinking that @travisstrick was an African American. 
    Haha.  That was a joke.  One of my better ones (I think).
    Almost as good as the Airport trolling. :o
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,286
    Botch said:
    I never liked using the Ash Tool to clean out the bottom of the bowl through the Intake, even on my large but especially the Small.  I got the bright idea that my leaf blower would not only clean out the bottom of the bowl, but behind the bowl too, eliminating disassembly to clean forever!  
    It worked, and very quickly, too!  
    I couldn't see that it worked, however, for at least 15 minutes, and that was after I (barely) was able to resume breathing.  I had to strip off my shoes, socks, pants and shirt, shake them out, then take them directly to the washing machine.  Then I had to clean the porch.  
    No alcohol was involved.  And if it was, I'da probably had to dump it out, too.  
    oof-dah.  
    That is how I clean mine out. I turn the blower on low and start from a distance walking up to it. I quickly raise the nozzle to blow the cloud toward the pesky neighbors and then lower it. Lather, rinse, and repeat. I works like a champ with a medium and now my aunt with the XL does it too.