First smoke on BGE. Lookin' for advice.

[Deanr]

Don't worry about the fire burning in the middle. That's where you want it.
I use a paper towel drizzled with oil and start mine in the middle. I wait a few minutes and then close the dome. Then let it burn a little with the bottom open and the top off. Don't let it get too hot. Once the temp starts climbing toward 200 I adjust my bottom vent. Almost closed for low and slow and open a bit for hotter cooks. Always adjust it to move up, its too late if you overshoot your temp. Also when adjusting the bottom also adjust the top accordingly.
It will take a bit of practice. Sometimes the flames from the original light will cause the temp gage to spike and give a high reading. Then when the airflow is chocked and the flames subside (vents adjusted) you will get the true reading. Don't leave the egg unattended during starting when the vents are open. It can get away from you in a hurry and then it is hard to get back down.
If using a platesttter it is good to get it in and then let the temp stabilize to where you want to cook. Once it is stable you can add your food and don't adjust for at least 30 minutes. The egg should heat back up to the stabilized temp.

 

[Badgeman]

Great table! Likewise, after 3 years with a BGE I've gone over to the dark side and started using a DigiQ. I would agree that where long cooks are concerned, that costly little fella is worth his weight in gold. I just tell my wife, "some guys spend that much betting on one game of football."

 

[Deanr]

One other suggestion. If you plan on doing pork butts, I wouldn't do an overnighter and leave the egg unattended for hours at a stretch. Instead I would get up real early on a Saturday, get the egg started and throw the butts on. Kepp the egg at 250 and they should be done later in the evening.
Much more peace of mind during your initial cooks until you get the temp control figured out.

Also if you have lump left over that you will be re-using for another cook, be sure to stir it good to get the ashes to fall thru the grate. Then clean out the ashes from the bottom and tap the grate from below to get the rest of the ashes. Then load your new lump on top. It's all about air flow.

 

[Stoke&Smoke]

I use Ron's method of lighting the coals in the center with a MAPP torch if doing a slow smoke, or in 5 or 6 spots if doing high heat.

One thing, as others have alluded to, is to trust the egg. Your temp will naturally drop when you open the lid, but will recover quickly once you close it again. Just be careful not to leave it open too long, or you may find your temps spiking. And once the heat is up, it's hard to get back down!

My gasket it pretty worn after 5 or 6 years, but the egg still works fine, so I haven't replaced it. I am considering a TruTemp thermo though, as I no longer really trust my original BGE thermo.
If doing an overnight cook, I just set my Maverick ET-73 (or 732) to alarm if I go over or under my desired temp, and I usually sleep just fine

Your table, and the ribs, are both beautiful! BTW

 

[fingerlickin']

So the first smoke is in the books. Overall pretty successful. I need to work on keeping the temps steady but I'm sure that will come with time.

More pron never hurts right?

Baby Backs done.

I know it's sinful but I didn't even eat any of these ribs yet. I smoked 10 racks, 6 BB and 4 Spares that are headed for the freezer until next week where they will be devoured by family on our beach vacation. I did eat some of the fatty though (sorry no pron).

The spares are a little darker I guess it's because I rubbed them with Simply Marvelous Cherry. The BB's got some yardbird.

 

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Since easy temperature control is a strong point of the egg, I wonder how you had the dampers set and the type of charcoal you used?

 

[fingerlickin']

Since easy temperature control is a strong point of the egg, I wonder how you had the dampers set and the type of charcoal you used?

I used wicked good weekend warrior blend. I read a little bit about placing the larger lumps on the bottom and then medium and small on top but I was in a hurry to get the ribs on (first mistake) so I just dumped the lump into the firebox. I did try to nestle the larger pieces a bit toward the bottom though.

I used starter squares to light the fire. The guy at Fred's Music who sold them to me told me to make a teepee light 2 cubes and throw one on each side, once it's lit spread the coals out from there. I lit two fire starter squares and put them towards the center but not quite in the middle more like one on each side. At that point I wasn't sure if I should shut the lid or wait until the flames from the starter cubes subsided before closing the lid. I decided to let the lid open for a while until the flames stopped and the coals started burning a little bit(maybe 2nd mistake). Once the coals were lit I did try to spread them out a little bit (maybe my 3rd mistake). I'm not blaming him, I think my teepee might not have been high enough or burning long enough though because it didn't spread well. Do I need a teepee or to spread the coals out at all? Intake was wide open at this point and the lid was open.

Then I closed the lid and put on the cast iron top with the slider closed and the holes in the daisy wheel open. Closed the intake down to about 1/3 open. The fire then got up around 350* or so at that point. I closed all the vents for a little bit to get the fire back down around 210*. Once that happened I opened the daisy wheel holes again and the intake to about 1/4. This seemed to stabilize the temp around 250* for a little while. I think that's when I put in my plate setter and after a while it was back around 255*. I'm thinking at that point I should've left everything alone. After I put the spares and the fatty on I probably didn't wait long enough for the temp to re-stabilize. I'm pretty sure I messed with the vents again at that point. Then the the temps went back up to around 300*, messed with vents again. You can see where this is going. I basically spent all night making very small adjustments to the daisy wheel and the intake.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Porky]

When you do the butt keep in mind that butt is very forgiving because of the fat content. When I do butts, they go on at about 6-7pm and they go through the night and are off after about 14 hours at 250ish(195-200 int. temp). Then they are double wrapped in foil and into the cooler with towels filling in the vacant space.

As far as getting up in the middle of the night, I usually get up 2 to whiz so that is when I go check everything out, use my wiggle rod to shake the ash down and then back to sleep. remember that the temp of the meat will stall in the 160 area for a good couple of hours or more**don't be tempted to raise the temps**, the collagen will breakdown and you will have some real good eats.

 

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Try using the minion method where tou only light 10-15 coals on the top of the charcoal. I use a weed burner to do so, but used a lightly oiled paper towel wadded down into the top of the charcoal before I got the weed burner. Put the plate setter on right after you light the coals so it comes up to temp with the egg.

Also, try keeping the daisy wheel wide open and regulate the temp with the intake damper. You will only need to crack the bottom slide vent open about the thichness of a nickel for low and slow smoking.

I start out with this vent set up and let it settle in for around an hour before putting the meat in. Unless the wind changes dramatically, there is little or no adjusting needed along the way.

I use Royal Oak, but I understand that Wicked Good is, well, wicked good

Give this a try next time and I bet you will be very happy.