Newbie keeps effing up

When I start a fire I make sure that the bottom is wide open and the top is also. Make sure that your firebox, the bottom, is lined up with the bottom door. You will get it figured out soon. Also keep an eye on the temp as you do not want to overshoot the temperature goal. If using a plate setter, I insert it in the beginning so that it is hot when the desired temp is reached. Let sit at desired temp 20 minutes or so to burn off the bad guys from new charcoal and you should be good to go.

I use weber starter cubes, after lighting the cube I place a few pieces of lump over the top of it, kind of T pee style. Bottom vent wide open, no daisy wheel on the dome and I Leave the dome open till the starter cube is burned out and some lump is started.

I close the dome and wait for the temp to start climbing, when within 50 degrees of my target temp I put my daisy wheel on and start closing the vent to what I think they should be and/or the temp slows down from the climb up.

It's a learning curve for sure, try not to let the temp overshoot your target temp.

Now, how did you start your Egg???

Good Luck,
Bordello

What are you using to light the egg? firestarters, electric, other?

anyhow, with a firestick/starter, light the firestarter and let it go for at least 5 to 7 mins. ex: For 250 degrees..you start shutting things down more quickly - once the coals are burning then shut the dome.. No Cap and wide open on the bottom. If trying to get the 250-275 for low and slow, start closing down the vents by 200 degrees.. Stay on it because it can get there quickly.

For higher cooks, let it go longer but it will get up there quickly with the dome shut but wide open.

You will learn how much the openings should be for what temp with time. You will be able to dial it in within 25 degrees easily without having to touch the vents.

I use an electric I bought from Lowes for $9.00. Has it ready to shut the dome in 5 minutes and up to 750 plus degrees within 15...

yup paper towels/oil works well BUT you obviously are shutting the dome to quickly.. Leave it open until the coals start burning.

oh, and My $9 electric actually works well too and I have had it for years... lol. there is no right way or wrong..

wasting olive oil on the light is silly though

you don't need to take the daisy off. something else is going on....

are you stirring the ash from the previous cooks? if you had a great fire the first couple times, but not the past couple, i'm guessing you are just dumping in new lump without stirring the ash

I'm also a newbie...also effing up most of the time, but I think you have the answer in your original post. You are probably just shutting the dome too soon.

This is what has worked for me:

Make sure you push the starters down in the coals a little. I know your starters are oiled napkins...but should work the same. Build a little "tepee" of lump around the lit portion so that it can still get air. Wait until the starters are out completely, then blow on the coals like you are building a camp fire. They should glow a bit. If they are glowing, close the dome with no daisy wheel. Put your hand a few inches above the top of the dome and you will know in about 30 seconds if it is "building" or "choking". If it is building, that is when the magic happens and if you look down through the top in a couple minutes you will see some lovely red hot magma.

If the fire chokes out when you close the dome, or if you never really see any glowing coals after the starters go out...help it along with another starter.

Good luck! You will get it.

witcha on the napkin, before that I used cubes (till I couldn't get them anymore), but I've always used them all in conjunction with a chimney. The below rusty, nasty, beat-a** chimney has probably lit the egg 8000 times, never had one go out, as soon as the napkin is lit well, shut the dome & go back inside to chop some food, come out 15ish minutes later & the flames are shoot'n out of the top)

Twist the paper towel or napkin, dip in oil, & jam in the grid in the shape of a horseshoe



hold a match under it for about 5 seconds till it's good & lit, then move the chimney on top



once its centered, shut the dome, a nice, windproof environment

i've used vegetable oil, olive oil, walnut oil, peanut oil... whatever is at hand.







that (above) is actually more than you need. just a drizzle. if it drips or is messy when you twist it, you are using too much oil.



light 'em...


and make a quick tee-pee over it.



clean fresh light lump (like cowboy) will be at 700 or so in 15 minutes if you don't set the vents for a lower temp

Thanks for the pics. I will not waste any more $$ on BGE starter sticks.

the starters are good. i used them for a long time, at least three or four years. but they can choke out from low airflow.

i turned to the napkin trick when i ran out of starters (or forget to bring them) on vacation. i remembered a guy here mentioning it, and gave it a shot.

you'll be surprised how much flame a pair of those will throw. and there's no ash to speak of that blows around like with newspaper.

That's awesome.

That’s preposterous, of course you need to take the daisy off, nothing else is going on, and you don’t have to stir the ash from previous cooks, that’s a myth. Just because he had a great fire the first couple times but not the past couple doesn’t mean he is dumping the new lump without stirring the ash, I really think you’re wrong

I get the chimney going outside with veggie oil. Once started, throw it into the BGE with charcoal. Control with draft to the temp I want, and take it from there.

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