New egg questions. Total noob!

[Katodude]

If you paid to get this installed then its not done right and insist on them getting it right.

First question before I answer the rest of your questions is what are you planning on cooking.

 

[Katodude]

Also the cooking set up is fine.

Take out the wood chunks when you light. Also remove the indirect stuff (Platesetter). Light and keep dome open and bottom vent all the way open. It needs to get burning and then you start shutting down the temp. When you re insert the platesetter it will drop the temp about 50 degrees as it absorbs the heat.

Depending on what you are cooking you will probably need more lump charcoal .

 

[Floater22]

All looks pretty good.

Would add more charcoal, though. Keep in mind that when you shut all the vents when you’re done, it extinguishes the fire and you can reuse lump.

I would ditch the water pan. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I try not to use crutches like wrapping or water pans. The Kamado style of the egg is meant to hold heat better than anything else, and cook with convection.it doesn’t need modification. At least try it both ways.

For slow cooks, yes aim low to start. Bottom vent should be 1/4 inch open (not 1/4 open) for ~225, and the top how you had it (but I’m not familiar with the newer style cap you have).

 

[jimim]

If you paid to get this installed then its not done right and insist on them getting it right.

First question before I answer the rest of your questions is what are you planning on cooking.

rack of ribs that's it

 

[jimim]

ok so lid open and open door all the way. get it hot. close lid and close down openings. botton one 1/4 open like i have it give or take to get me going and then close down the top one like my pic.


more wood chunks though you think?

her if this is a disaster so be it. i'm learning. but i think you guys got me going in the right direction!

 

[Katodude]

Its less about getting it hot than burning off some of the smelly stuff in the charcoal. When you start the fire you dont want the wood chunks in there. You want to put the food in when the smoke is clear. You will notice that you get a lot of white smoke when you first light it. That will impart a bad flavor on the food.

Once you see the fire spread out nice and evenly you can start closing things down to get the temp down. Then I occasionally open the egg to dump the bad smoke. Keep it a little hotter than you want at this point. When the smoke starts to clear up put wood chunks and (you have plenty of wood chunks in that picture) the plate setter in (get some leather or silicone fire gloves).

You will get the hang of it pretty quickly. Also add a little more charcoal I fill mine to the top of the firebox.

 

[jimim]

Its less about getting it hot than burning off some of the smelly stuff in the charcoal. When you start the fire you dont want the wood chunks in there. You want to put the food in when the smoke is clear. You will notice that you get a lot of white smoke when you first light it. That will impart a bad flavor on the food.

Once you see the fire spread out nice and evenly you can start closing things down to get the temp down. Then I occasionally open the egg to dump the bad smoke. Keep it a little hotter than you want at this point. When the smoke starts to clear up put wood chunks and (you have plenty of wood chunks in that picture) the plate setter in (get some leather or silicone fire gloves).

You will get the hang of it pretty quickly. Also add a little more charcoal I fill mine to the top of the firebox.

i thought it was at the top? that first line is the end of the firebox i thought?

ok so light without wood. keep open get it hot. close down let smoke clear up add wood and go. i got to get gloves. i don't have any. i might have to do a quick ace run. darn i have oven hits only. totally forgot about that.

 

[Katodude]

The first line is the fire box. The picture is not clear but you should be good. Oven mitts will work fine for today, dont stress. Just order a set from Amazon, they are less than $20.

Also allow yourself time for the fire to settle. It takes me about 45 minutes at least to get the fire right. I usually light at least an hour before cooking.

 

[jimim]

ok i figured that. cool man. i appreciate it so much.

wednesday they are going to come and fix my lid. it seals so i'm using it. cosmetic at this point.

 

[mjlinss]

ok i figured that. cool man. i appreciate it so much.

wednesday they are going to come and fix my lid. it seals so i'm using it. cosmetic at this point.

Take a look at nibblemethis.com You will learn more than you ever wanted to about how to cook on an egg. He has great how to's on all the major meat and also wrote a book on nothing but cooking on Kamado's. I was brand new to Kamado's and picked it up very fast

 

[jimim]

Ok I’m letting it settle in. I’m making micro adjustment. I’m going to shoot for no higher than 250. Right now my windows are like this. I guess I’ll keep opening up to get it up a bit more. This is fun! Lol

 

[mjlinss]

Ok I’m letting it settle in. I’m making micro adjustment. I’m going to shoot for no higher than 250. Right now my windows are like this. I guess I’ll keep opening up to get it up a bit more. This is fun! LolView attachment 139035

That's the way to do it. The first time I fired it up I put no food in it, just spent about 3 hours making adjustments to the vents to see how it affects heat. I also marked my vents to show an approximate temp for each setting just as a general guide. Just make sure you give it time to let each vent adjustment settle in. Like said someone said earlier, it's like driving a boat vs a car. Small adjustments made early rather than like on a gas grill that reacts pretty quickly. Once you get it dialed in you'll love it!

 

[jimim]

Ok they r on.

This is where my temp was sitting right before. Hopefully I’m good. I did a dry rub 24 hrs ago with very very little vegetable oil to have it stick. I hate mustard. I know u can’t taste it after but I can when I have had it that way.
How am I looking?

 

[jimim]

Guys my temp dropped 20 degrees to 230 out of no where? That normal. Man U can’t even see the smoke it burns so clear. So I opened up the top the slightest. Is what I’m experiencing typical.

 

[mjlinss]

Guys my temp dropped 20 degrees to 230 out of no where? That normal. Man U can’t even see the smoke it burns so clear. So I opened up the top the slightest. Is what I’m experiencing typical.

How long had the temps been at 250 when they dropped? The indirect piece can act like a heat sink and as it absorbs heat cause the temp to drop a bit. Let it sit there for say 30 minutes or so and if it stablizes at 230 nudge the vent just a bit. Not much is needed for a 20 degree increase.

 

[Katodude]

It will drop when you put on the platesetter. It will drop when you put on a huge hunk of meat. Just tweak it a little and you will be fine. Resist the urge to open it once you start cooking. You are doing great, you will love it.

 

[jimim]

They r off and wrapped in a blanket. My buddy swears by it so thats where I’m at. They came off in 4 hrs. With the tongs they looked like they would snap but didn’t.
Ya I tapped the top a bit and got it back to 240-250 and it held like a champ. I can’t get over how it holds heat. I opened the lid once only!

 

[Katodude]

See, you are an old pro now. Just keep doing stuff you will learn its quirks.

If you want to make pizza on it, buy one of these.

Amazon.com: Baking Steel, 16" Round Steel: Kitchen & Dining

Shop Baking Steel at the Amazon Bakeware store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Everyday low prices, save up to 50%.

www.amazon.com

You then flip the platesetter upside down (legs pointed down). Crunch up 3 balls of aluminum foil. Rest the backing steel on the foil so it is slightly raised (to circulate air underneath it).

Voila run it at 500 degrees and you have an awesome pizza oven.

 

[jimim]

See, you are an old pro now. Just keep doing stuff you will learn its quirks.

If you want to make pizza on it, buy one of these.

Amazon.com: Baking Steel, 16" Round Steel: Kitchen & Dining

Shop Baking Steel at the Amazon Bakeware store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Everyday low prices, save up to 50%.

www.amazon.com

You then flip the platesetter upside down (legs pointed down). Crunch up 3 balls of aluminum foil. Rest the backing steel on the foil so it is slightly raised (to circulate air underneath it).

Voila run it at 500 degrees and you have an awesome pizza oven.

yo that's pretty cool. that will be a summer project. i want to do another rack this week cause i should have taken them out at 3 hours. they were really good but just a tad tad dry. 1 hr less and i would have been golden. i'll post some pics in a few. guys thanks so much for the coaching! this thing is awesome!

 

[jimim]