# Big Green Egg Help



## tikigriller (Sep 3, 2016)

So long story short......I bought a Green Mountain Grill, and was not thrilled with it.  I found a shop that sells Big Green Eggs and gives you a 30 day money back guarantee for any reason, so I pulled the trigger today  and bought one with the plan to do a lot of side by side comparisons over the next 21 days and then keep the grill I like better.  (return the BGE or sell the GMG-DB).

I want to get started off on the right foot however with the BGE, as I struggled with some issues with the GMG, so I was hoping to get some pointers here from some BGE Owners.

Plan to do some ribs tomorrow. One rack on the BGE and one on the GMG-DB.  For the BGE, any recommendations?  Racks already seasoned, plan to spritz with Apple Juice throughout cook, and sauce at the end.

Do I use the indirect plate thing legs up or down?  I see a lot of picture here and there with a drip tray, and some that seem to look like the plate is wrapped in foil.  I guess they call that plate a ConvEGGtor now?  Some recipes I see have people in direct for 3-1, and then direct for the last 1, so that means I need to go in and remove the ConvEGGtor?   That seems like it is going to be extremely hot.......

Any BGE tips would be greatly appreciated from any experience out there in search of successful cooks in a short period of time.  (I know there will be a learning curve, but I need to pick a grill and stick with it, as my wife is not going to l et me keep both!)

Thanks ahead of time!


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## tikigriller (Sep 4, 2016)

Well...,,,I went on my own, and each performed exceptionally well. 

First, GMG-DB












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Fall off the bone. Incredibly good. 

Big Green Egg












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Like I said, both really good. Cooked identical. 

250-265 for 3 hours, spritz with apple Juice every 30. Egg had apple juice in drip pan whole time as well. After three hours, sprayed heavily with Apple juice and foiled and cooked for another hour, same temp of 250-275, then removed from foil and brushed with BBQ Sauce for the last 45 minutes, then removed and eaten almost immediately. 

Each one had its own benefits and nobody could pick a favorite between the egg or the GMG. 

All signs pointing to keeping both!!!!  Yes!!!!!!!!!


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## smokingpiney (Sep 5, 2016)

Congrats on your BGE! I have an XL that sees lots of use and I love it. For ribs and all indirect cooks, I use the plate setter legs up, with a drip pan over it sitting on foil balls to provide an air gap. This way, the drippings don't burn when they they hit the pan. 

My go to method for ribs now is turbo - indirect with the Egg at 350 and cook until the ribs bend easy...takes about 2 hours. They're just as tender as a traditional low and slow cook. 

I foil my plate setter to make for easy cleanup and keep the burned on gunk on it from smoking and coloring the flavor. 

If you need to pull a hot plate setter, be advised it's EXTREMELY hot. Use good welding gloves and have the landing spot close so you can move fast.

The BGE is a very versatile cooker and will serve you proudly. The learning curve isn't really steep and it won't take you long to learn how to dial in and hold the temperature.

You're off to a good start. Your ribs look great!


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## tikigriller (Sep 5, 2016)

Thanks Smokingpiney-----it really was a pretty easy cook.  Much easier than my first cooks on the GMG, however, to be fair, I learned a lot on the GMG the last few weeks which helps with the BGE  I am sure.

The one thing I have found so far with the Egg, is getting it to COOL DOWN if the temp spikes past what you are looking for is a serious challenge.  The RIBS were done closer to 300 the whole time, as I could not get it to cool back down again.  Barely had the dial open on the top and barely had the vent open on the bottom and it still just stayed right there at 290-300.

I feel funny wrapping the Plate Setter in Foil....seems like it is changing the way the BGE is suppose to cook covering up that much ceramic.   I did set the drip tray on top of some bunched up foil---no I am not that smart, just saw it on a you tube video.  Never would have thought to do it, much less even use a drip tray if I had not watched some of those videos.  I love you tube.

I plan to do two spatchcock chickens now on Wednesday.  One on the GMG and one on the BGE.  I am NOT planning to brine them this time.  So far, every time I have brined anything from chickens to dry brining some filets, everything just comes out way too salty...unless you know any tricks besides "use less salt". 

I can't wait to get through these low temp slow cooks while it is breaking in.  I have two filets vacuumed and in the freezer just aching to hit the BGE at 600 degrees!


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## rogerwilco (Sep 6, 2016)

If you use foil to cover the plate setter you are not altering any design parameters.....you are just keeping glop off the ceramic.

 BGEs are made from a very thick ceramic. When heated to a temp, through-and-through, they will tend to stay close to that temperature for hours.....there is no "fast" cool down. They are designed to quickly bounce back to the set temperature because of the ceramic. This is why conventional wisdom dictates that one should "creep up" on an intended cooker temperature and try not to overshoot it, as lowering it can take a while if the ceramic is allowed to fully absorb this temperature.

  As for removing a hot plate setter, it is an exercise in speed. I frequently use either of two different objects on which to place the plate setter: a cast iron trivet, made by Lodge, and an empty metal bucket which has been inverted. As mentioned, keep these supports close by, have heavy gloves, and a place to set the cooking meat, or the cooking grid with the meat still resting on it. Restaurant pans work well for this.


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## smokingpiney (Sep 7, 2016)

Agree on letting the Egg creep up to temperature. Once you overshoot, it will take a while for the Egg to cool back down. I usually start closing the bottom vent and daisy wheel in increments when I get within 30 or so degrees from target. Just be patient and let the temperature stabilize.

Another important thing to do: BURP THE EGG WHEN OPENING IT....... especially if you're running high heat. If you don't, it can (and often will) flash over from the sudden influx of oxygen and it will burn you badly. I forgot to do this just once - and lost all of the hair on my left arm and most of my left eyebrow. I even burp my gasser now.


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