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Big Green Egg Grill (2 Viewers)

John Bender said:
Yeah heavy winds today.  I closed them all off for about 45 mins to try and bring it down.  Crazy thing is, the cook is only 3.5 hours in and I'm already close to getting max temp readings.  I might let it go beyond 190 because its definitely not tender yet

Im also worried the wood cooked off too fast, I dont get much smokiness from it
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Put a chair or something a few feet to break the wind. There is nfw it cooked that fast. I think you have a bad probe. 

Do you have a thermapen to check it with?

 
culdeus said:
Put a chair or something a few feet to break the wind. There is nfw it cooked that fast. I think you have a bad probe. 

Do you have a thermapen to check it with?
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Yeah, instant read pen.  Coming in the 170-175 range in different parts at the 4 hour mark.  It's only just less than 8 lbs.  Maybe thats not crazy

 
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CletiusMaximus said:
The one time something similar happened to me, I was still using the spring-loaded dome thermometer that came with my grill.  I put it in boiling water and it read less than 100.  I thought I was cooking low/slow, but was actually roasting on high temp.  I was not experienced enough to know from look/feel that my temp was probably at 500 or more.

If your meat is cooking that much faster than expected, the first potential explanation I would check is thermometer accuracy - both for the dome and the one in the meat.  If the meat is really already at 190, I would wrap it in foil and shut the temp down as low as you can hold it - 200 or so if possible - open another bottle of bourbon, and make alternate plans for dinner. You can still have nice brisket leftovers tomorrow, but it needs time in that 150-180 range to break everything down in the meat.  Many folks cook brisket to 205 or more. Alternatively, you could just pull it and finish in the oven where you know it will hold steady at 200 over time. There's not shame in that imo - its an expensive piece of meat and you don't want shoe leather.
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I like the oven idea actually.  I might do that.  Water tray on bottom rack, foil it and finish it at 200.  It gotten all the smokiness its likely to get by now I assume

 
I mean I would have the following feedback

  • I would check all your temp probes vs. boiling water.  I go so far as to make adjustments for altitude even to get it within .5 degrees.
  • Big temp flare ups can happen, but the root cause is usually a noob doesn't realize just how little air the fire needs.  If not using a blower and trying to keep at 200 you shouldn't even be able to get a finger in the hole (TWSS)
  • If you can catch wind then simply breaking the wind up with some furniture is ok.
  • Temp probe placement is pretty critical.  From your photo that is not usually how I would suggest.  I would find a place to get it in the grain moving to center mass.  I do this in the house and with some amount of precision.  Every 3-4 hrs check a few perimeter areas with a T-probe to see how your spot compares and consider rotating if it looks like you have a hot spot/cold spot.


On ceramic grills it isn't completely unheard of for when the stall breaks the entire temp of the chamber to pick up temp 20-30degrees.  These sort of frustrations usually have people running for a blower pretty fast.  

 
culdeus said:
That looks good. I mean fwiw doing a brisket hot isn't wrong. Lots of restaurants do this.  It just leaves very little margin for error. 

I also didnt realize you only got half the brisket. That changes things alot. 
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Exactly.  That's just the flat. There are a lot of stores around here that sell them that way and label them as whole briskets.

 
Welcome to the high heat method! So your temps spiked a bit on you and it cooked much faster. I smoke pretty much everything at 300. It's just what I do. Hell, Myron Mixon smoked his brisket at 350. 

As far at temp control, I try to control temps with the bottom vent leaving the top fairly open and just cracking the bottom vent. 

I think the only real problem here is not enough smoke. Chips just don't last very long, soaked or otherwise. Buy some wood chunks. I use this guy. Best smoke wood on the planet.

Otherwise, all you need is practice. Pork shoulder is your friend for practicing. Large margin of error, cheap, delicious!

 
So I think it is finally going to get nice enough out in NY for me to clean out the egg this weekend. My paint is chipping off and its time to stop the rain from getting in. So I ordered a new gasket and a cover. 

Also threw this into the cart since it will be perfect for smoking in misty rain and will not move when opening or closing the egg. Ill let you know how it is after the first smoke of the year.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00THO4J0C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 
AcerFC said:
So I think it is finally going to get nice enough out in NY for me to clean out the egg this weekend. My paint is chipping off and its time to stop the rain from getting in. So I ordered a new gasket and a cover. 

Also threw this into the cart since it will be perfect for smoking in misty rain and will not move when opening or closing the egg. Ill let you know how it is after the first smoke of the year.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00THO4J0C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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yeah i've been considering one of these for ages.  

 
Ribs today!

St Louis style. Removed the membrane, rubbed with coarse salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and some erythritol (natural sugar sub).

Smoking at 225 for 3 hours, wrapping them for 2 hours, then an hour where I baste them every 20 mins w no sugar BBQ sauce.

 
John Bender said:
Ribs today!

St Louis style. Removed the membrane, rubbed with coarse salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and some erythritol (natural sugar sub).

Smoking at 225 for 3 hours, wrapping them for 2 hours, then an hour where I baste them every 20 mins w no sugar BBQ sauce.
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awesome!

some comments

1) Add honey to the meat during the wrapping stage.

2) You are cooking with indirect heat, so you don't have to worry about sugar based bbq sauces burning when glazing, if you prefer.

3) Many of us have found 6 hours to be just a hair too long and the meat almost gets mushy.  If you want tender, but a little bite, cut back to 5-5.5 hour range.

 
I'm back with more annoying questions.

1. Do I need to wait for the charcoal to get white before adding my wood chunks?  In a shorter cook (5-6 hours), I added the chunks in with the initial pile of charcoal.  (I'm using large hunks of hickory, 4 or 5 pieces, unsoaked)

2. Am I adding too much charcoal? I just eye ball it about 1/4 up the bowl, add my wood chips and go, but there was a lot of charcoal left over from my last smoke of 10 hours and I again am having trouble getting this thing down to a smoking temperature. 

3. Do I need to re-add wood chunks at regular intervals?  I'm cooking indirect with the heat deflector.  I didn't think I did.  4 or 5 good ones should be plenty for a 5-6 hour cook I thought?

 
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NewlyRetired said:
awesome!

some comments

1) Add honey to the meat during the wrapping stage.

2) You are cooking with indirect heat, so you don't have to worry about sugar based bbq sauces burning when glazing, if you prefer.

3) Many of us have found 6 hours to be just a hair too long and the meat almost gets mushy.  If you want tender, but a little bite, cut back to 5-5.5 hour range.
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Nice!

I'm a Keto dieter so the no sugar thing is by choice on my end. I'm not even sure if I'm going to sauce them on the grill because I don't know how good a glaze I'll get without the sugar in the BBQ sauce.

So that's a no go on the honey too :(

One thing I'm learning, I need far more time to get this to a proper temp than I thought.  I started up the fire an hour ago and I'm still hovering at 300, I need 225 to do these correctly.  Brisket was a little tough because I flared up to 350 at times.

 
John Bender said:
One thing I'm learning, I need far more time to get this to a proper temp than I thought.  I started up the fire an hour ago and I'm still hovering at 300, I need 225 to do these correctly.  Brisket was a little tough because I flared up to 350 at times.
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you will get the hang of it.  Every fire is a little different from the last but you will still get a good feel on how to set the vent to get you close to target temp.  

 
John Bender said:
I'm back with more annoying questions.

1. Do I need to wait for the charcoal to get white before adding my wood chunks?  In a shorter cook (5-6 hours), I added the chunks in with the initial pile of charcoal.  (I'm using large hunks of hickory, 4 or 5 pieces, unsoaked)

2. Am I adding too much charcoal? I just eye ball it about 1/4 up the bowl, add my wood chips and go, but there was a lot of charcoal left over from my last smoke of 10 hours and I again am having trouble getting this thing down to a smoking temperature. 

3. Do I need to re-add wood chunks at regular intervals?  I'm cooking indirect with the heat deflector.  I didn't think I did.  4 or 5 good ones should be plenty for a 5-6 hour cook I thought?
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1) I add mine at the beginning of the fire, and place them in areas that I am not directly lighting.

2) I keep my Egg full of charcoal.  Amount of charcoal does not directly relate to temp, it is air flow that drives a fire temp.  If you are having problems keeping the temp down, air is getting in some where.

3) I have never re-added chunks.  Meat can only absorb so much smoke before it can become a negative affect.  Chunks in the beginning should be fine for most cooks.

Note that you do not want to put the meat on the smoker until the smoke has transformed from heavy white to a very light blue in color.

 
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Thanks Newly - it's a learning process.  Only my 2nd cook, but I'm a quick learner.  I also gotta learn to not run outside every 5 damn mins to check the temp.  It's a porcelain smoker, heat takes a lot longer to go up and down than I give it credit for.  I can pour a glass of whiskey and not be outside every 5 mins babying the thing.  I'm gonna force myself to only check every 30 mins from now on.

 
John Bender said:
Thanks Newly - it's a learning process.  Only my 2nd cook, but I'm a quick learner.  I also gotta learn to not run outside every 5 damn mins to check the temp.  It's a porcelain smoker, heat takes a lot longer to go up and down than I give it credit for.  I can pour a glass of whiskey and not be outside every 5 mins babying the thing.  I'm gonna force myself to only check every 30 mins from now on.
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you can also buy wireless temp monitors.  That way you can just check the temp on your phone and stay inside and check it as much as you like.

One warning though, a ceramic grill can spike in temp VERY quickly once a fire feels a good flow of air.

It is in the cooling direction that ceramics move very slowly.

 
I'm gonna try to do a rack of beef short ribs tomorrow. Been hit or miss for me in the past. Gonna just wrap at 2hrs. 

 
I think I either overcooked or oversalted the ribs.

I used heavy amount of coarse salt in my rub like I did with the brisket.  They did not hold up to them well.  WAY too soggy.

Ribs weren't juicy at all either, but the bones were literally breaking in half when handling them - a sign it was way over done I assume.

Gonna have to re-tinker and try again.  

I also may not sauce them until after they're done from now on.  The sugar free BBQ sauce doesn't glaze well.  Or I'll mix it with some water next time.

 
I'm going to try pizza on the egg for the first time ever.  From my brief online research it sounds like Conveggtor legs down, a spacer like a few bricks, then the pizza stone.  Sound correct?  Any other tips?

 
John Bender said:
I think I either overcooked or oversalted the ribs.

I used heavy amount of coarse salt in my rub like I did with the brisket.  They did not hold up to them well.  WAY too soggy.

Ribs weren't juicy at all either, but the bones were literally breaking in half when handling them - a sign it was way over done I assume.

Gonna have to re-tinker and try again.  

I also may not sauce them until after they're done from now on.  The sugar free BBQ sauce doesn't glaze well.  Or I'll mix it with some water next time.
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Overcooked.  Ribs are tricky. It becomes a feel thing.  

 
John Bender said:
I think I either overcooked or oversalted the ribs.

I used heavy amount of coarse salt in my rub like I did with the brisket.  They did not hold up to them well.  WAY too soggy.

Ribs weren't juicy at all either, but the bones were literally breaking in half when handling them - a sign it was way over done I assume.

Gonna have to re-tinker and try again.  

I also may not sauce them until after they're done from now on.  The sugar free BBQ sauce doesn't glaze well.  Or I'll mix it with some water next time.
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I mentioned earlier that the 6 hours can sometimes lead to mushy ribs.  I think this is what happened and you over cooked them.  Try scaling back to 5 hours (you can still use the same open/wrap/glaze method, just adjust all times so that you come in closer to 5 hours.

Also, just in case, did you test your grills thermometer in boiling water just to make sure it is accurate?  There is an off chance you are cooking at a higher temp then maybe you think.

 
Punxsutawney Phil said:
I'm going to try pizza on the egg for the first time ever.  From my brief online research it sounds like Conveggtor legs down, a spacer like a few bricks, then the pizza stone.  Sound correct?  Any other tips?
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make sure it is well preheated(more than usual).  You want the pizza stone fully up to what ever temp you are using when you put the dough on it.

 
Cleaned the egg today. New gasket put on. Set it up for my new topper also. 

I have always done my ribs for 5-6 hours. But how does a quicker cook for ribs go. What temp, how long. Lets say I get home at 3:30. Any chance I can have them ready for dinner. 

 
AcerFC said:
Cleaned the egg today. New gasket put on. Set it up for my new topper also. 

I have always done my ribs for 5-6 hours. But how does a quicker cook for ribs go. What temp, how long. Lets say I get home at 3:30. Any chance I can have them ready for dinner. 
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Myron Mixon is a guru at BBQ and he cooks at higher temps than most others and they seem to come out great from all the awards he has won.

That being said, 3:30 is really late though, especially if you factor in you need to pre heat the egg.  At best you are looking at 4:00pm to start the ribs so even if you cook at a higher temo (325ish) you are probably still looking at 3.5-4 hours at least until you can eat.

 
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NewlyRetired said:
Myron Mixon is a guru at BBQ and he cooks at higher temps than most others and they seem to come out great from all the awards he has won.

That being said, 3:30 is really late though, especially if you factor in you need to pre heat the egg.  At best you are looking at 4:00pm to start the ribs so even if you cook at a higher temo (325ish) you are probably still looking at 3.5-4 hours at least until you can eat.
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Wrap after 45 min and it works. However if going that route you may as well just ####### boil them. 

 
John Bender said:
One thing I'm learning, I need far more time to get this to a proper temp than I thought.  I started up the fire an hour ago and I'm still hovering at 300, I need 225 to do these correctly.  Brisket was a little tough because I flared up to 350 at times.
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I smoke my ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, pretty much everything at 275-325. You can make amazing ribs/brisket/whatever at much higher temps than 225. Myron Mixon smokes his brisket at 350. 

 
Let's talk about the 3-2-1 method. Anything you put into foil for 2 hours to steam in its own juices will be way overdone. If I foil ribs, I never foil for more than an hour. Usually only about 45 minutes. A more accurate ratio should be something like 2-1-1 or even 2-1-.5 method, but that doesn't have the same ring as 3-2-1. 

I don't foil very often because I like the bark better on my ribs if I do not foil. I put BBR's on a 300F grill for 2 hours (never flipping or turning) and spares for about 2.5 hours. The only time I foil is when the in laws are over for ribs. they like them fall off the bone, so their ribs go on the cooker an hour before my mine do and they get foil for at least 90 minutes. 

 
TheFanatic said:
Let's talk about the 3-2-1 method. Anything you put into foil for 2 hours to steam in its own juices will be way overdone. If I foil ribs, I never foil for more than an hour. Usually only about 45 minutes. A more accurate ratio should be something like 2-1-1 or even 2-1-.5 method, but that doesn't have the same ring as 3-2-1. 

I don't foil very often because I like the bark better on my ribs if I do not foil. I put BBR's on a 300F grill for 2 hours (never flipping or turning) and spares for about 2.5 hours. The only time I foil is when the in laws are over for ribs. they like them fall off the bone, so their ribs go on the cooker an hour before my mine do and they get foil for at least 90 minutes. 
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You are a much much better BBQ master than I will ever be. But, the bolded is just not true. Since the beginning I have done 3-2-1 and I have never had over done ribs. I only cook St Louis style so i can not comment on BBR

 
AcerFC said:
You are a much much better BBQ master than I will ever be. But, the bolded is just not true. Since the beginning I have done 3-2-1 and I have never had over done ribs. I only cook St Louis style so i can not comment on BBR
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Does the meat fall off the bone?

 
TheFanatic said:
Let's talk about the 3-2-1 method. Anything you put into foil for 2 hours to steam in its own juices will be way overdone. If I foil ribs, I never foil for more than an hour. Usually only about 45 minutes. A more accurate ratio should be something like 2-1-1 or even 2-1-.5 method, but that doesn't have the same ring as 3-2-1. 

I don't foil very often because I like the bark better on my ribs if I do not foil. I put BBR's on a 300F grill for 2 hours (never flipping or turning) and spares for about 2.5 hours. The only time I foil is when the in laws are over for ribs. they like them fall off the bone, so their ribs go on the cooker an hour before my mine do and they get foil for at least 90 minutes. 
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I'm with you here, but I mean the method you describe is not crowd-pleasing.  Crowds expect extremely overcooked ribs.  So just because people happen to make ribs themselves, doesn't mean they automatically like competition style ribs.  

 
AcerFC said:
Not every time
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If you put ribs in foil for 2 hours, each and every time they will be fall off the bone. That's overdone. You've just made pulled pork which is a fraction of the cost. But as @culdeus said in the next comment, that's what most people prefer. I once did this catering gig for a family that owned a string of restaurants in St. Louis. One of the guys ate my competition style ribs and said, "These are so good, but we could never server them like this. People would send them back left and right. They want us to over cook them so the bones fall out."

 
If the intention is to wrap for a billion hours:

Honestly, I think people would do better to cook country style ribs which are just sectioned pork shoulder.  It's also like 70% cheaper than BBR and 50% cheaper than STL. 

I've also given up on being a rib snob and trying to convince people that fall off bone ribs are a defect and should be punished and shamed.  

 
culdeus said:
If the intention is to wrap for a billion hours:

Honestly, I think people would do better to cook country style ribs which are just sectioned pork shoulder.  It's also like 70% cheaper than BBR and 50% cheaper than STL. 

I've also given up on being a rib snob and trying to convince people that fall off bone ribs are a defect and should be punished and shamed.  
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I don't think fall off the bone ribs are terrible. I like them a lot, I just prefer them not so done. 

The way I put it is this, if the worst thing that happens to me in a day is I eat fall of the bone ribs, I've had a pretty phenomenal day. 

I'm not shaming anyone for eating FOTB ribs, but I am saying that two hours in the foil and they will be fall off the bone each and every time. 

 
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TheFanatic said:
If you put ribs in foil for 2 hours, each and every time they will be fall off the bone. That's overdone. You've just made pulled pork which is a fraction of the cost. But as @culdeus said in the next comment, that's what most people prefer. I once did this catering gig for a family that owned a string of restaurants in St. Louis. One of the guys ate my competition style ribs and said, "These are so good, but we could never server them like this. People would send them back left and right. They want us to over cook them so the bones fall out."
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If people like them like that, are they really the ones who are wrong? That screams arrogance. 

Ftr, I don’t cook mine like that at all, but it doesn’t mean I, or “competition bbq” (the worst) is correct. 

 
All I was trying to say is that 2 hours in the foil is going to be fall off the bone ribs every time. If that's how you like them, then go get the foil and have a blast. I wasn't trying to tell everyone that's wrong. I've eaten a ton of fall of the bone ribs in my life and will continue to do so. Heck, whenever I do ribs on a Live broadcast, I usually do them fall off the bone because it gets the most engagement. 

 
Capella said:
If people like them like that, are they really the ones who are wrong? That screams arrogance. 

Ftr, I don’t cook mine like that at all, but it doesn’t mean I, or “competition bbq” (the worst) is correct. 
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Pretty sure we all are in agreenece here. 

 
John Bender said:
Just picked up a 2lb tri tip with a good amount of fat on it. 

How would you guys do it? 
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Dry rub and Worcestershire sauce

cook indirect at 325 until meat hits 115-120 internal.

Remove stone and crank egg up until 500 or higher

Reverse sear steak until you see deep grill marks on both sides

Remove and let rest for ten minutes

Slice against the grain

 
NewlyRetired said:
Dry rub and Worcestershire sauce

cook indirect at 325 until meat hits 115-120 internal.

Remove stone and crank egg up until 500 or higher

Reverse sear steak until you see deep grill marks on both sides

Remove and let rest for ten minutes

Slice against the grain
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Perfect.  LEt the tri tip stay on while raising the temp or take it off?

Never reverse seared before.

Thanks goo bud.

 
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