Got an Egg first overnight problems

[wormdunker]

Hey all I got a BGE yesterday from Eggfest! We are really excited. So excited we decided to go deep on night one.....Overnight pork shoulder. I lighted coals and let them sit for about 30 minutes, maybe a bit more. Put it on at 9:30 pm. I had a good constant temp at 225 for 5 hours. The meat had a great color at 1:45 when I went to bed. I did not take the temp because I was pretty confident I was only 1/4 of the way through the cook.

I awoke at 7:30am to find the egg had extinguished. I am sure that is my fault I did not layer the coals, I pretty much dumped the coal in to the edge of the fire box.

So having not taken a temp I don't know what state it was in when I went to bed. If I do the estimated math, I am going to guess I got at least 3 additional hours of cook after I fell asleep, I had a very consistent temp of 225 while I was awake (pretty proud of that by the way) and a good amount of coal remaining. So near as I can tell somewhere between 4:30 and 6:30 the egg began to cool. I woke up and re-lit the coals just to try and save it.

I am at a loss here. I am thinking scrap it but I feel pretty good about my process and progress made.

hmmmmmm?

[goblueM]

well what was the temp of the meat when you woke up? it might still be safe

and did you have a drip pan? coals may have been extinguished by meat juice, either that or they weren't getting enough 02. i'm not a BGE expert, so maybe some others can chime in

[wormdunker]

Yes I did have a drip pan. but eh grill is not perfectly level yet so some missed the pan and dipped down the side of the ring. IT has now been cooking again for 3.5 hours and it is over 165.

[Walleyehooker]

Im sure the meat is still fine but you will probably have to cut into it or cut it in half to see how done it is. From there I would wrap it in foil and cook it till done either in the BGE or in your oven.

[wormdunker]

Well we kept it and it tasted great. Now we will find out in a the next day f it was a bad idea or not .

[MuleShack]

Worm, what size did you get?

We were looking at them at the state fair and almost pulled the pin on the large.

Yea, I dont think the meat would spoil in that short of time.

[wormdunker]

I go the large, I cooked 2 pork shoulders at the same time. We are a family of 4, I don't foresee any size issues. Additionally, I understand the large to be the most efficient cooker. Good thing you didnt buy at the fair. The prices I saw were pretty high.

[MuleShack]

What did you get yours for? (pm me if you dont want to post it) I think he was asking either $900 or $1100 cant remember.

[wormdunker]

PM sent Muleshak.

[wormdunker]

Two days clear of the potential for Whew. I am sure I got very lucky but DANG was that pork awesome.

[LightningBG]

Warners' Stellian has the large for $800. Not sure if that is good or not.

[MuleShack]

That is a good price for a new one.

[wormdunker]

IF you wait for the Warners winter closeout. You will find some good prices. Last year they were selling a table with stainlees steel top and a Large Egg for $500. It was the middle of winter however.

[thirdeye]

Good save..... I hate to see those "help, my fire went out" posts. The good thing about ceramic cookers is that they store heat well, which works in your advantage in a low fire or loss of fire situation.

In your post you mentioned the charcoal to the rim of the firebox.... you need to load it almost to the top of the fire ring for a long cook... Always use more lump than you think you need (besides any unused can be re-lit the next time you cook)

One thing most folks overlook in a dead fire situation is their oven. You can move your stuff into the oven while getting the fire going again. Then after it has established itself, you can put the meat back on the cooker.

The one gadget you need to make is a wiggle rod. Take a piece of wire and put a 3" L bend in one end. Whenever you have fire issues sneak the rod into the lower vent, and up through the charcoal vent holes and gently move it from side to side. This wiggle motion will knock off some ash, and allow the airflow to increase.

[wormdunker]

Thirdeye, I want to personally thank you for all the great information you provide to the world of BBQing, Grilling, Smoking and Egging. Without the resources you and a couple others provide I am not sure I would have pulled the trigger on this type of grill.

Since I purchased the Egg I have cooked Wings (twice- wow), Burgers (overcooked but still excellent), 2 Pork Shoulders (big save) and a pizza (was caught off guard by this finished product it was excellent).

Last night my wife brought home 4 LARGE Turkey legs. I have half a mind that says my wife let me get this grill because she would have increased opportunities to kick her heels up while I cook.....Could it be?? I think maybe. Anyway she and the boys are enjoying the Egg completely.

The resources available online make it very easy to become a backyard egger almost immediately. So many great people contributing their experiences online have allowed me to cook food to respectable levels immediately without many pitfalls. I have found that even when you do not get the food to turn out exactly as you would like, it is still good.

One thing that is never mentioned when considering the overall cost.....We are a family on the go. Unfortunately we have a tendancy to eat out a bit too much. I would venture to guess half of the meals listed above would have been pruchased from a restaurant if we did not buy the egg. The math is easy,4 people out to dine about $50-60+ each meal on average, $240 total.

I see two benefits from this alone, a cost savings everytime we DO NOT go to the restaurant and we spend more time at home together rather than in a car running around. Quality time before winter sets in is good.