New Addition to the Family - Big Green Egg: Tips and Tricks Appreciated

[HarveyBoulevard]

As the title suggests, I was the recipient of a new addition to the family, a big green egg. I have no idea how to use this, but will spend some time on YouTube and learn. I would be happy to hear any of our more experienced members for any tips and tricks. 

[Fuzz AI]

Looks like you've already seasoned it.

Just remember, don't try to ramp up temps quick, you can crack the firebox or the shell. Use only lump charcoal, as briquettes create too much ash and can clog the air vents.

[Fuzz AI]

Oh and one more thing.... where are the wheels for your kamado?

 

[rcarlson]

Congrats!  You're part of a brotherhood.  I got a Kamado Joe a year or so ago and use it 3-4 time per month when the weather's good.  I have a prime rib cooking right now.

Got some good tips from the fellas here when I was a newb.  HT @Rhinoww

Youtube will give you all the info on how to set it up and get going. 

For starters, make sure you have a remote thermometer for ambient grill temp and food.  I'm using a 4 input Therm Pro.  Relatively cheap, good range, accurate, maybe $35 - $50.  Yeah, there's a therm on the lid.  But you can't peacefully drink and smoke anxiety free without having a digital display to stare at for hours as you slide into a stupor pretending you're actually doing something.

When heating it up, don't overshoot.  Ease into desired temp like applying brakes as you approach a red light.  Very hard to lower temp when the ceramics are heat soaked.  By contrast, raising temp gently to the target is easy.

Start with something easy then experiment.  Try Boston Butt or spatchcock chicken before going for brisket or expensive meats.

Get an assortment of rubs.  I'm a fan of Meat Church -- and many others.  But you'll need to have them on hand.

Stock up on brown liquor.  It's essential while you're working your ass off sitting and smoking as things cook.     

 

[Nevrknow]

9 minutes ago, rcarlson said:

Congrats!  You're part of a brotherhood.  I got a Kamado Joe a year or so ago and use it 3-4 time per month when the weather's good.  I have a prime rib cooking right now.

Got some good tips from the fellas here when I was a newb.  HT @Rhinoww

Youtube will give you all the info on how to set it up and get going. 

For starters, make sure you have a remote thermometer for ambient grill temp and food.  I'm using a 4 input Therm Pro.  Relatively cheap, good range, accurate, maybe $35 - $50.  Yeah, there's a therm on the lid.  But you can't peacefully drink and smoke without anxiety without having a digital display to stare at for hours as you slide into a stupor pretending you're actually doing something.

When heating it up, don't overshoot.  Ease into desired temp like applying brakes as you approach a red light.  Very hard to lower temp when the ceramics are heat soaked.  By contrast, raising temp gently to the target is easy.

Start with something easy then experiment.  Try Boston Butt or spatchcock chicken before going for brisket or expensive meats.

Get an assortment of rubs.  I'm a fan of Meat Church -- and many others.  But you'll need to have them on hand.

Stock up on brown liquor.  It's essential while you're working your ass off sitting and smoking as things cook.     

 

Hey! I resemble those remarks! It takes a lot out of you when you're "working " on a brisket, a bottle and a Lusi all at the same time!

Thats a hard 10 hrs of "work"!

😂🔥😁😎👍🏻🍹

[ChangBang]

Congrats!  I have a little joe jr that I use for my grill.  Couple tips - don't use lighter fluid, get a chimney or just get those wax cubes or similar fire starter.  If more extreme, get a propane torch haha. 

Not really a ceramic specific tip but look up methods to arrange charcoal especially if you're trying to do a longer smoke - I like the minion method.

When you make a change to the vents, wait like 10min for the temp to catch up.  I'm still not great at fine tuning but can get the 300 somewhat easily because I have practice.  It'll take time!

[Fuzz AI]

20 minutes ago, rcarlson said:

When heating it up, don't overshoot.  Ease into desired temp like applying brakes as you approach a red light.  Very hard to lower temp when the ceramics are heat soaked. 
 

It's worse with the steel kamados like the Chargriller Acorn. Those things retain heat for ages.

Oh, and watch the burp when you open a closed kamado. Many an overeager barbequer has lost their eyebrows from the resulting fireball.

[Nevrknow]

Just now, ChangBang said:

Congrats!  I have a little joe jr that I use for my grill.  Couple tips - don't use lighter fluid, get a chimney or just get those wax cubes or similar fire starter.  If more extreme, get a propane torch haha. 

Nailed it on this one.

Don't buy lighter fluid.

Ever!   For any reason! Just say no.  Under no circumstances will you ever want it. Unless you want your meat to have an orange peel flavor. 🤷 And " well I waited before I lit it" is BS. 😂

[Rhinoww]

@rcarlson speaks the truth. 
 

Slow and easy is key. YouTube has a ton of great resources-find someone you like and dive away. There are also Facebook groups for Kamodo Joe and BGE with lots of tips and recipes. They also point out sales on higher quality lump. 
Start with some of the easier things like ribs and pork shoulder. Satisfying and hard to screw up too much. 
research reverse sear. Thank me later. You can make steakhouse steaks now when that thing gets hot. 
Definitely get some good meat/heat sensors, including a separate quick probe. You will soon mail steaks dead on. 
9 guys coming on Friday for cigars, NCAA tourney and Ribeyes on Friday. Gas grill is next to my KJ. Gasser will make the baked potatoes. 
Enjoy the new toy. 
 

[ChangBang]

Oh yea just ordered 80lbs of charcoal.  Good charcoal at a good price.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/B-B-Charcoal-20lb-Oak-Lump-Charcoal/194790557

I hear memorial day sales at Ace's can be pretty good too, but I'm completely out and the price is good enough for me.

[Rhinoww]

10 hours ago, ChangBang said:

Oh yea just ordered 80lbs of charcoal.  Good charcoal at a good price.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/B-B-Charcoal-20lb-Oak-Lump-Charcoal/194790557

I hear memorial day sales at Ace's can be pretty good too, but I'm completely out and the price is good enough for me.

Also speaks truth. 
 

if you have the space, it’s nice to have a few bags on site. You never know when you will get a bag of smaller stuff and really want some logs for an overnight cook

[JY0]

I've tried many different brands of lump charcoal for my BGE over the years. I always come back to the BGE brand for the best results.

 

I use a torch for lighting. 

This is awesome for low and slow cooks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KKNYTTR?tag=smbbre-20

[El Hoze]

I have a Komodo Kamado that I cook on nearly every night when I’m home in Florida. Lots of good info here and one could go on forever in terms of the world of kamado cooking (part of the fun). A few personal additional thoughts: 

-I pay alot of attention to the charcoal I use as the flavor from the charcoal is meaningful and can vary. I’ll even vary the type/size of charcoal to what I’m cooking. Find the best you can get and experiment. 

-Wood. Also can be used but is important to use it wisely. Generally, err on the side of putting less. A little goes a long way and the people you’re cooking for will want less smoke flavor if my experience is any guide. Learn how different types of wood impact flavor. I have bags of every kind of wood I can find. 

-To that end, I also err on the side of using less seasoning and default to salt and pepper in many cases….let whatever you’re cooking and the charcoal/wood shine. Steak, salt, charcoal, pepper after…done! 

 One suggestion I’d have for beginners (or anyone) is chicken wings. Take some good wings, salt them, bring them to room temp, pat them down so they’re not damp, pepper. Cook them on the top rack (in the dome) of a well-heated kamado at about 400 degrees for an hour, flip once or twice but not too much (if you’re lookin you ain’t cookin). You can use some lighter woods like a pecan but I most times just use a good charcoal and serve with mustardy/vinegary sauces or an ivory BBQ but obviously whatever floats your boat. 

Wings are good as they’ll let you practice in smaller quantities, practice controlling the temp and it’s relatively quick but not a sear job. Nothing like spending all day cooking something to find out you f’d it up. I make wings all the time, easy crowd pleaser. People are often shocked how good they are. 

Another suggestion is beef kefta. The kamado is made for kefta in my opinion with the charcoal and refractory cooking. Kefta with tzatziki, cucumber, feta, good lavash. Man. I actually make my own lavash as I had to step it up the kefta were so good…again you can go down the rabbit hole! 

One gadget I’d recommend is the Meater….it is wireless probe thermometer that let’s you monitor internal/surface temp and it connects to your phone. Let’s you graph out temps, extrapolates cook times, etc. Pretty cool for longer cooks that need to be dialed in precisely like a brisket.

Enjoy the journey and welcome to the club!!!!

 

 

 

[rcarlson]

2 hours ago, El Hoze said:

One gadget I’d recommend is the Meater….it is wireless probe thermometer that let’s you monitor internal/surface temp and it connects to your phone. Let’s you graph out temps, extrapolates cook times, etc. Pretty cool for longer cooks that need to be dialed in precisely like a brisket.

I've had my eye the Meater.  Not cheap but seems to set the standard for true wireless.  Hoping for a set for birthday/Christmas. 

And you're right about charcoal and wood.  Makes all the difference, and it's easy to overdue the smoke.   

[Midas]

Had my eye on one of these for the last couple of years, always envious watching what people cook on them. Maybe this year but that’s what I always say 🥲


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[BigGuns]

Congrats and welcome to the club!  I echo all the things already said above. A couple extra notes:

I’ve tried a few different lump charcoals and although it is a little on the more expensive side, Jealous Devil is my #1 pick. Burns cleanly and evenly, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t spark. 

Firestarters are awesome. I just use the KJ brand. Shove it in the middle of the pile, light it up, and let it do its work. 

Give yourself more time than you think and let your guests know they’ll eat when it’s ready…getting the kamado up to temp sometimes takes a while. Cook times vary depending on weather, type of meat, etc. It is a patient man’s game and well worth the wait!

Meater is AWESOME. It has incredible range and the app is great. The time estimates are pretty spot on. I also have a 4-probe ThermPro that works well. It does help to know the internal temp at the grate level - remember your dome thermometer tells exactly that, temp at the dome. 

Happy cooking!

[HarveyBoulevard]

First, a big thanks to everyone who has chimed in.  It is very much appreciated.

A bit of background will answer a couple of above questions.  The egg belonged to my father-in-law who recently downsized to a condo so this was a gift from him.  He has been cooking on it for about 10 years I think so it is well seasoned and lost it wheels (if he ever had any) along the way.  The sealing gasket (mentioned above) does need to be replaced and I will look into some shelves for the sides (probably with the wheels) along a thermometer as referenced by several people above.

I've eaten a ton of meat off this thing so I know it works but I didn't cook it.  Looking forward to learning how to use it.  Thanks to everyone again.

Jeff

[Pantone151]

There's a lot of good info in the replies already.  I'll add that you can get a temperature controller that will keep your temperature steady.  I've been using the BBQ Guru for years but there are other brands that offer the same thing.  

 

Purists may scoff at the idea. It's still worthwhile learning how to manage your grill manually but sometimes you want to put some meat on while doing other things or leave a longer cook on overnight to be ready for the next day.

[Fuzz AI]

9 hours ago, HarveyBoulevard said:

First, a big thanks to everyone who has chimed in.  It is very much appreciated.

A bit of background will answer a couple of above questions.  The egg belonged to my father-in-law who recently downsized to a condo so this was a gift from him.  He has been cooking on it for about 10 years I think so it is well seasoned and lost it wheels (if he ever had any) along the way.  The sealing gasket (mentioned above) does need to be replaced and I will look into some shelves for the sides (probably with the wheels) along a thermometer as referenced by several people above.

I've eaten a ton of meat off this thing so I know it works but I didn't cook it.  Looking forward to learning how to use it.  Thanks to everyone again.

Jeff

Vision Grills have plenty of spare parts, or you could just get the wheeled bench. I'm not a big fan of thermoplastic side tables.

https://visiongrills.com/product-category/grill-parts-accessories/

As for the seal, instead of felt, have a look at nomex.