Big Green Egg & Other Ceramic Grills All Encompassing Thread

[Buzzrock 14785]

I froze my egg shut once because I let it get really hot which melted the gasket a little and then it froze overnight. Mine popped open with a screwdriver between the lid and the base.

[BigDHornfan 6512]

I’m getting a green egg in a couple weeks. What would be the best piece of meat for the first cook?

Butt is a good first cook. I think I did a spatchcock chicken for my first one.

[Lurch 5916]

Got my Primo XL out of storage where its been sitting for nearly 2 years. Replaced the thermostat and gasket and ran it at high heat for an hour or so to clean it up a bit.

Jacksonville BBQ sucks ass, so I’ve been looking forward to a proper brisket for a year+. Happy to discover our Costco had prime packers for $3/lb so I grabbed a 14lber to smoke tonight when I get home from poker.

Couldn’t find B&B so I got some cheap Royal Oak for grilling and also one I’ve not heard of called FOGO that I’ll use tonight. I also grabbed some bags of hickory and mesquite but prob won’t use them tonight. Thoughts?

I think in previous cooks I used the divider and just put coals on one side. Is this right or does it take the full box for a ~15 hr cook at 225-250?

I recall I want to keep the fire small so I’m not choking it. Assuming I fill the whole box, where do you suggest lighting it? Center or one side? High in the coal, middle or buried under it all?

Thanks for the help in advance

[Lurch 5916]

Using a drip pan as a water pan is a great idea. I always wrapped the shields in foil but it was still a mess.

[Jerry Callo 8631]

Picked up some Prime beef short ribs at Costco this morning - $4.99/lb.  The beef ribs I did a few weeks ago from HEB were Select and they were probably $3/lb. They were really good, but I have no doubt the Prime will be better.  Planning on smoking salmon tomorrow morning - most of which will be vacuum sealed and saved for later.  One more practice run with the last slab of Select beef ribs for dinner tomorrow.

If anyone is planning for the holidays, both Costco and HEB has Prime brisket for $2.99/lb.  Costco has fresh Butterball turkeys for .99/lb.

[pops 6959]

PSA... Home Depot has their vision ceramic on sale today for $560. That's a pretty good deal for that cooker. 

[Uncle Nate 2097]

Kroger had rib roasts on sale for $4.77/lb., so I bought 2 of them today (each is just over 6 lbs.)  Do you think I can cook both of them in a Large BGE?  Or am I going to have them too close to the edges and the heat spots?

[Buzzrock 14785]

I think you can probably do it. You can lay in some foil as needed for a heat shield, the air will move around it.

[Slacks 6723]

Just dropped 11 pounds brisket onto the Akorn... See yall tonight.

[Slacks 6723]

Pics didn't come through... So...

[luke duke 6361]

Nice clean fire you’ve got there.

[Mortimer 88]

I'm smoking a spatchcock chicken indirect today on a large BGE I bought used from a family friend.

I'm having a hell of a time getting the temp stable. Trying to hit 350-375 for an hour or so. Have both external and internal probes set up (Smoke).

Bottom vent wide open. Top cap wide open. Can only reach about 320 or so before ambient temp stalls. When I take cap off temp soars fairly easily, but can't hit my temp goal.

Cooking with fresh lump and some oak chips I threw in there. Started off with a completely cleaned out set up. Zero ash/debris when I lit the fire.

Any advice on stabalizing at 350-375 with this set up?

Not sure where I'm goimg wrong. Funny thing is, it's nice and dry outside with a good breeze hitting that bottom vent. I'm guessing there's an airflow problem between bottom vent and top cap.

[DDD Dad 14078]

Might have too much lump in there.

[Chewbacca 7629]

With a bge, your problem is either air flow or not enough fuel.

[Mortimer 88]

Might have too much lump in there.

You gave me too much credit.

I figured out what I was doing wrong...using only tiny openings of top cap while ignoring the feature that allows one to slide the cap from side to side for max ventillation.

Didn't figure this out until I fortuitously threw some dogs and sausage on the grill. I lowered the dome down after checking the links and noticed that the cap can slide. Learning moment.

On a side note, my dad -- who I texted several times during the ordeal -- was shocked by my idiocy. Again.

Thanks!

[Mortimer 88]

With a bge, your problem is either air flow or not enough fuel.

The cap outsmarted me. Thank you all the same.

[Longhornlax 58]

This is the after pic of my first cook. Did the double smoked ham and it was damn good.

[Lurch 5916]

I smoked a prime rib on Christmas. 120* then pulled it and wrapped it til 130*. Brought the primo up to 550*, reversed the grill to get it close to fire and attempted a reverse sear. Within 2-3 mins the flames were eating it up. Burned myself taking it out well before the 9 mins planned. Not sure WTF happened. Meat didn’t burn, fortunately, but I don’t think I’ll try that again.

[DDD Dad 14078]

Bought a trimmed and split brisket today at Tom Thumb.

The packers were too big. Hoping it wasn’t a big mistake.

Anyway going to smoke it tomorrow or Tuesday. Will try to post pics.

[CooterBrown 17762]

An ad for the Arteflame Grill insert has been popping up for me. Intrigued, I am.  I've been using a round cast iron griddle but I like the design of this allowing you to get the meat over the flame if you want while cooking. 

[Jerry Callo 8631]

Planning on smoking some beef cheeks today and beef ribs tomorrow.

[DDD Dad 14078]

On 12/14/2018 at 8:31 PM, Lurch said:

Using a drip pan as a water pan is a great idea. I always wrapped the shields in foil but it was still a mess.
 

I use a drip pan often and will put beer/coke/Dr Pepper in there depending on what I have around.

[Chewbacca 7629]

Doing a 2.5 lb prime rib tonight. Anyone have any idea how long it will take to cook at 325-350? I haven't done one in a while.

[Lurch 5916]

Why so hot? 225-250* is most recommend from my Christmas research

 

I’d guess 25-30 mins per pound at 350*

[Chewbacca 7629]

Why so hot? 225-250* is most recommend from my Christmas research
 
I’d guess 25-30 mins per pound at 350*

Because i never cook it? I can't eat beef, so i rarely cook it. Temp dropped to 275. Don't think i can wait long enough to drop it farther.

[Lurch 5916]

Because i never cook it? I can't eat beef, so i rarely cook it. Temp dropped to 275. Don't think i can wait long enough to drop it farther.

 

Key is to pull it out at 120* and it will rise to 130* while resting ~30 mins.

 

Lightly tent in foil to rest, not tight like brisket

[DDD Dad 14078]

 

Brisket on the egg at 9am.

 

 

Poured what was left of Double Barrel Big Bad Baptist from the other night in the drip pan.

[Lurch 5916]

Nice! Curious if you’ll taste it. I’ve just been using apple juice

Put mine in right at midnight and just pulled it off, 10 hrs later wo wrap. Tried to hold 225* but couldn’t stop the creep to 235* about halfway in. Resting 90 mins in foil/towel/oven before lunch

[DDD Dad 14078]

I think it comes through in the bark. Have used beer, coke, and Dr Pepper from time to time in the past.

[DDD Dad 14078]

4 hours in.

[DDD Dad 14078]

Wrapped at 160.

Going to put some sausages on soon.

[Jerry Callo 8631]

Six hours at 275.

[Lurch 5916]

How much are beef ribs going for these days? That looks like $100 of meat!

[Jerry Callo 8631]

How much are beef ribs going for these days? That looks like $100 of meat!

$4.99 a pound for prime at Costco. That's about $45-50.

[DDD Dad 14078]

Brisket stalled even with the wrap. Flat at 190 and point 181

[DDD Dad 14078]

Glad i put on the sausages or there wouldn’t have been a dinner.

[DDD Dad 14078]

Pulled at 195. Turned out perfect.

Might have to consider buying trimmed briskets in the future.

[HouTex 1838]

Tomahawk ribeyes reverse seared on my BGE.

[Spur08 381]

4 hours in.

That's the weirdest looking brisket I've ever seen. Did you cut a whole in half?

[DDD Dad 14078]

That's the weirdest looking brisket I've ever seen. Did you cut a whole in half?

It wasn’t a whole packer but it had a flat and point. Had been trimmed by the store. I mentioned up thread how I was worried how it would come out and wanted to experiment with a smaller piece of meat.

[strangulation! 1696]

which store?

[DDD Dad 14078]

which store?

Tom Thumb in Dallas (Mockingbird & Abrams).

I was trying to decide on that or a shoulder clod. The clod was way too small though.

[Buzzrock 14785]

An ad for the Arteflame Grill insert has been popping up for me. Intrigued, I am.  I've been using a round cast iron griddle but I like the design of this allowing you to get the meat over the flame if you want while cooking. 

I’m a sucker for accessories. That thing is interesting. Get one and tell us about it.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

I want to buy a digi q type device for my BGE.  Any reccos on the best one?  And price?

[Baboontyme 2772]

I've only used the standalone remote thermometer once, but I like it a lot. Buddy that rec'd it to me has the fan kit and he loves it for his Primo XL. Looks like the fan is an additional $60 and then you need to buy a cable connector for $80ish. 

https://www.fireboard.com/shop/

[DDD Dad 14078]

I want to buy a digi q type device for my BGE.  Any reccos on the best one?  And price?

I have the one you can see in my pics above. I think it was around $200. Well spent. You can even connect it to your iPhone and computer via WiFi but I’ve not tried to set it up.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

40 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

I have the one you can see in my pics above. I think it was around $200. Well spent. You can even connect it to your iPhone and computer via WiFi but I’ve not tried to set it up.

Does it have the fan to regulate the temperature?   Thanks.  

[DDD Dad 14078]

Does it have the fan to regulate the temperature?   Thanks.  

Yes.

Set and forget. Makes life much easier.

[Tailgate 2981]

I have a large BGE. Can someone please link or tell me the product that makes getting the ash out of the bottom easier than using the small too that came with it? Thanks! \m/

[NBMisha 224]

I use that small tool between cooks, then about every few months take all the components out and remove all the ash with spoons, scoops, whatever.  Takes about 10-15 minutes.