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New BGE owner - inherited

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Ramblinreck
Ramblinreck Posts: 11
in EggHead Forum
My GF's father recently passed away.  She and I had to clear out one of the houses that he owned in Gunnison, CO.  No one in the immediate family took dibs on the XL Big Green Egg, so we brought it back with us to Atlanta.  I enjoy grilling on my Weber Genesis and also have smoked many hunks of meat in my small electric smoker made in the US (Oklahoma) by Cookshack.

I have always lusted after the ability to smoke meat and to get the classic mahogany color and smoke ring from a proper smoking rig.  The electric smoker turns out tasty meat, but I have never been able to get a smoke ring on a brisket (my favorite piece of meat to smoke).  My crust turns out too dark - almost black.  I suspect the small cavity and direct heat from below is the cause.  I have been smoking my briskets at 250 - 260.

Inheriting through my GF an XL BGE in a custom made cart by her father (solid black walnut wood) hopefully will allow me to up my smoking game.

I need to perform some deferred maintenance on the egg - the gaskets are shot - and I am thinking the older style hinge assembly is partly to blame for the gasket issues since the egg dome clearly was misaligned.  I also need to sand and re-oil the walnut cart - the wood is looking aged.

I have ordered a Nomex gasket kit and will install later this week.  I will try and re-attach the hinge and bands to see if I can get the dome to fit better.  I already bought a BGE XL cover that fits the cart/egg.

I want to smoke a brisket as my first cook.  Will need to get an aluminum pan for drippings (to keep off the plate setter) and will use some form of spacer under the pan.  The plate setter with my egg does not have tall "legs" like others I have seen.  Is this the way XL models are?  Doesn't look like I will be able to get a very thick drip pan between the plate setter and grill rack.  Will post a pic tomorrow when it is light out.

Anyhoo, long first post.  Looking forward to learning how to use the egg.
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Comments

  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,025
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    Welcome and sorry to hear about your girlfriends dad. 

    If this is your first rodeo with the BGE I'd suggest something simple for your first cook that might be a little more forgiving. That way you don't have to worry about a more expensive chunk of beef. My suggestion would be chicken.  There is a slight learning curve with the BGE. 

    I'd light the egg and just play around with the temperature and see where you can keep things stable. 

    I'm glad you found the forum. All kinds of awesome people here to answer your questions. Ask away with any questions big or small. Always someone willing to help you out.
    "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
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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,832
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    Welcome aboard.  Post pics and enjoy the forum.  Don't get caught up in the political BS that occasionally pops up.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,170
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    Welcome and THWG 
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  • Ramblinreck
    Ramblinreck Posts: 11
    edited March 2020
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    DoubleEgger said:
    Welcome and THWG 

    Hey, I am sorely missing sports with all the craziness going on.  Braves season ticket holder and March/April are pretty special with baseball starting up, March Madness and the Masters and Spring.  Do also like the Fall with college football - even when Tech gets to lose to the Athens team almost every year.

    I will post pics of my egg and seek advice from others who have an XL egg.
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  • frazzdaddy
    frazzdaddy Posts: 2,617
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    Welcome aboard! I have a xl and a large. I like the xl better. Post some pics of the plate setter and we can figure it out. 
    Xl bge ,LG bge, two 4' crusher cone fire pits. Weber Genisis gasser and 
    Two rusty Weber kettles. 

    Two Rivers Farm
    Moncure N.C.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    Sad way to get an Egg, but congrats on the Egg.
    Make sure you oil the pivot joints on the band hinges or it will bind and misalign again. 
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,357
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    Can't wait to see it.  So when are you gonna pop the question?
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
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  • bradleya123
    bradleya123 Posts: 466
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    Welcome Aboard!!  Have fun!  I just replaced my gasket with a Rutland and I'm delighted!!  Easy to install and only goes on the bottom.  Did a clean burn yesterday zero leaks and I have the old hinge.  


    Retired Navy, LBGE
    Pinehurst, NC

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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,332
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    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.  
    Plenty of people here willing to help with most any subject, well beyond BGE employment.  
    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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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    Welcome. Temp management on an egg is different than the devices you have been using.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to fire up the egg and play with temp settings without any food.  Get a feel for the vent openings/temp. Change the settings and watch the changes (especially the delay).   The mass of ceramic you are heating causes a much slower temp response than most cookers.  Temp response to vent settings was the biggest change I had to get used when I first got my egg.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
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    Hard way to come about that big boy. Here is to making lemonade. 
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
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  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
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    Welcome!!  Enjoy your new toy.  There's a ton of info here and YouTube is a great source as well.  I'd spend some quality down time reading/watching.  You'll be glad you did.


    "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
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,296
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    That is one interesting dowry.
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  • rifrench
    rifrench Posts: 469
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    Enjoy your BGE!
     1 LBGE, 1 SBGE, 1 KBQ and a 26" Blackstone near Blackstone, Virginia
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  • Ramblinreck
    Ramblinreck Posts: 11
    edited March 2020
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    Here are pics of my XL egg and cart.  So far, I have purchased an XL Cover for the egg and cart (will be outside on my deck), a highly needed Table Nest (the pic below shows the new table nest but the pic doesn't show the slightly charred wood from the egg resting directly on the wood), and a Nomex gasket from Smokeware.  I will add a paver stone between the egg and table for further protection.

    To the Forum members, the plate setter has very small "legs" the provides only an inch or so of room between the setter and the grill rack.  Would I need to purchase the correct BGE convEGGtor 401052 and remove the Fire Ring for proper set up?  Help me on this.  My primary use for the egg to start will be low and slow smoking.

    Will heating the egg up to 500+ burn off some of the accumulated black on the sides of the bottom egg half/fire box/fire ring/dome?  The white ash on the fire ring was from regular charcoal briquettes that had been used in the egg.  I won't be making that mistake.

    Thanks.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    Looking good. Just needs a little TLC.
    Using regular briquettes is not a big deal. They just produce a lot of ash.
    Some types of lump will also leave a white ash. A good clean burn will leave the entire inside of Egg white ash.

    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,832
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    It seems that one of the legs of your platesetter may have broken off - and the others were trimmed to match?

    You CAN fit a shallow "pan" (folded foil) in that space above it and below the grate.  That doesn't mean that is your best option.

    Most folks here would suggest that you consider the ceramic grill store rather than invest in another platesetter.

    https://ceramicgrillstore.com/collections/big-green-egg-xl-accessories-by-ceramic-grill-store


    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    The plate setter with my egg does not have tall "legs" like others I have seen.  Is this the way XL models are?  
    It looks like the fire ring is an older style with the small dimples and not the larger notches.  It is possible the short legs on the plate setter are a dyi fix to adjust for this. 
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • Ramblinreck
    Ramblinreck Posts: 11
    edited March 2020
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    Just looked again at my plate setter and the legs are not modified or broken.

    The distance from the top of the fire box lowest section to the top edge of the lower egg bowl is 6.5".  The distance from the top of the fire ring to the top edge of the lower bowl is 2.5" - this indicates the fire ring is 4" tall.  My firebox lower section is 10" tall.  Total from the bottom of the egg to the top of the lower egg bowl is 16.5".  My top grill grate is 24" in diameter.

    Maybe someone with an XL egg can check their measurements to see the differences.
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  • CornfedMA
    CornfedMA Posts: 491
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    jtcBoynton said:
    Welcome. Temp management on an egg is different than the devices you have been using.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to fire up the egg and play with temp settings without any food.  Get a feel for the vent openings/temp. Change the settings and watch the changes (especially the delay).   The mass of ceramic you are heating causes a much slower temp response than most cookers.  Temp response to vent settings was the biggest change I had to get used when I first got my egg.
    Excellent point here. Adjusting temps on the egg, particularly the XL is like steering the Titanic, not a speed boat. When starting, make a single change at a time and take note of what happens and how long it takes for the temp to move, bad smoke to clear, etc. 
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  • craigsotheregg
    craigsotheregg Posts: 54
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    Welcome! Sorry for your loss. I took some pictures of mine. Yours looks good to me. Enjoy!



    XL BGE
    Malden, MA
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  • frazzdaddy
    frazzdaddy Posts: 2,617
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    jtcBoynton said:
    The plate setter with my egg does not have tall "legs" like others I have seen.  Is this the way XL models are?  
    It looks like the fire ring is an older style with the small dimples and not the larger notches.  It is possible the short legs on the plate setter are a dyi fix to adjust for this. 
    I agree on the fire ring. I think my notches in the ring are deeper. I will check  when I am home tomorrow.
    Xl bge ,LG bge, two 4' crusher cone fire pits. Weber Genisis gasser and 
    Two rusty Weber kettles. 

    Two Rivers Farm
    Moncure N.C.
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  • Ramblinreck
    Ramblinreck Posts: 11
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    The gaskets on this egg had never been replaced.  The lower bowl gasket was a b$%tch to clean off.  Total time spent removing/cleaning the top and bottom about 4 hours.  This maintenance is now done!



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  • alaskanassasin
    alaskanassasin Posts: 7,646
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    However you got there it looks great.
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


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  • Ramblinreck
    Ramblinreck Posts: 11
    edited March 2020
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    I talked a sales rep at a local BGE dealer in Atlanta and talked about my fire ring and plate setter.  I understand BGE sells a 2" version of the XL fire ring.  That plus the plate setter with the normal 2" legs should fix my dilemma of the small gap between my current plate setter and the grill grid.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    The original Plate Setter for the XL had very short legs.
    BGE later changed the design by making the legs longer and shortening the fire box and later adding notches to the fire ring to drop the plate setter more if needed. The XL had many mods in a fairly short time span.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    edited March 2020
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    Ramblinreck said:
    I talked a sales rep at a local BGE dealer in Atlanta and talked about my fire ring and plate setter.  I understand BGE sells a 2" version of the XL fire ring.  That plus the plate setter with the normal 2" legs should fix my dilemma of the small gap between my current plate setter and the grill grid.
    Call Tom at Ceramic Grill Store and skip the whole Plate Setter situation.
    Look at the Adjustable Rig.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Ramblinreck
    Ramblinreck Posts: 11
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    Ok, my XL Egg I think is ready for my first cook.

    Added a table nest, cover, new fire ring, new plate setter, new felt, Woo ring, lump charcoal, drip pans and high temp gloves.  $500 invested to get this inherited rig ready for cooking.

    All I need now is a nice hunk of meat to cook this weekend.  Pic of the egg ready for action.

    Wish me luck on my first cook.  Probably will be a forgiving butt.
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,467
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    Congrats, and Welcome!
     
    Just one note to your original post: the perfect Brisket is always nearly black.  And a smoke ring means little (I might get some flak for that...)  I had no problem with the briskets I got out of my water smoker, for over a decade.  
    _____________

    Remember when teachers used to say 'You won't have a calculator everywhere you go'?  Well, we showed them.


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