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Ok so I've prepped a lot for this one. The results were great, still some room for improvement but great nonetheless.

A bit of context - here in the UK all meat is primarily grass fed, there are other things in their diets but they mostly fed by grazing. My local butchers meat is rare breed short horn cattle who roam on the local Howgill hills.

This grass fed meat tastes amazing, but lacks some of the marbelling you get in your normal US meat. A long smoke will really dry it out, it's normally rolled and roasted at a higher temperature for maybe four hours max.

So I've been researching and planning techniques to make a juicy, wobbly brisket.

I started with a 2kg point end brisket from my butchers. Couldn't get a full packer joint, and besides I'm on my own this weekend so no chance I'd eat it all! There's only so much room in the freezer...

The key thing I tried this time was to inject the beef. Ideally I would have used beef broth and beef dripping mixed together, but I only had chicken stock and pork fat. I used this injector
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018BGKUE?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

I filled it about three times, injecting every inch or so across the meat. You squeeze the plunger as you withdraw the needle. Look out, it can squirt!

Then I patted the surface of the meat dry so the rub didn't go sloppy.

I rubbed it with my normal mix, 3tbsp salt, 3tbsp pepper, 2tbsp paprika, 1tbsp garlic granules (i was out of onion granules that normally also feature). After seeing it online I tried something new too and added a tbsp of ground coffee beans. I could take it or leave it.

I got the big green egg up to 240f (that's about 115c, but I always use f because all the recipes and guidelines are American).

I used hickory chunks, they're big pieces that I have to break up with a hand axe, so not much need to soak them.

Annoyingly, I placed them poorly so only a few of them really smoked. I thought the heat would spread out further and give smoke for longer, but many of the chunks were still around at the end of the cook.

For the first time I used a Bluetooth monitoring thermometer with multiple probes. I love it! It alerts me when the bbq gets too low or high, and you can sit there in crushing desperation as the internal temperature stays the same for hours during the stall!!

The internal temperature increased steadily for the first several hours then stopped at 150. I thought that was odd, because the stall is supposed to come at 160-170. I can only assume that it's a difference with these grass fed joints. It could be the size of this piece too? I think I waited too long to wrap the joint, thinking I needed that 160f on the gauge.

I finally wrapped at 4.30, 5.5 hours into the cook. At this point, once the grill had equalised after the disruption of opening and closing it, the internal temperature started to rise almost immediately.

I also injected again when I wrapped. I wrapped in pink butchers paper. Foil keeps more moisture in but softens the bark and can stew the meat. It's a fine balance. I think the paper is better and it also looks great.

It was still a slow crawl! The temperature slowly increased over the next six hours. I finally pulled it off when the thick end had reached 195 internal temperature. It was eleven o clock! I knew I was in for a long haul, and it's just me this weekend so it was nice to be able to relax and let the meat do its thing with no pressure.

It was worth the wait though, much juicer meat than ever before, great taste if lacking a smoke ring.

Lessons learned:

• Wrap grass fed meat at 150f, don't wait for 160
  
• Wrapping earlier potentially would have reduced the time and given me an even juicer joint. This could be the key to everything.
  
• keep the wood chunks in the middle of the fire! (D'oh)
  
• injection works great for getting the necessary moisture into the meat
  
• you really need the probes for the internal temperature, you've got to know what's going inside that meat.
  
  I hope that helps some of you guys from the UK emulate the American style brisket, I'll try again with these lessons and come back but probably not for a few months!
  
  
  
  
  
  

Congratulations, you are now an Egghead. Be prepared to make the best grilled and BBQ'd meat you have ever had.

Preface- The Egg is a very versatile piece of equipment. You can sear steaks at 800 degrees, cook pizza and bread like a brick oven or smoke meats at 250 degrees for 18 hours. While the /r/biggreenegg community is not very active, there are several sites out there where eggheads congregate.

First- Learn how to light a fire and keep the temp controlled. There are many options here.
-Oiled napkin is messy and I don't like it.
-Using a propane torch is dangerous and I don't like it
-Using a propane weed burner is a little better
-Charcoal starters are ok and seem to work for some.
-Electric starters like the BGE one or the Looftlighter are good
-I use a chimney starter and the propane side burner of my grill.
I may buy one of these soon

-Temp control is all about the upper a lower vent positions. Change them slowly and you will get good enough to move the temp a few degrees at a time.
-You will do 95% of your cooking with the top down. Learn to burp the egg or you will lose some forearm hair.



Second- Find a place to get good quality hardwood charcoal, don't use briquettes and NEVER use lighter fluid. Check out the NakedWhiz Lump database for more info. I like the Wicked Good Weekend Warrior Blend.

Your first cook- Start off with something easy like steak or burgers. When you are ready to do some smoking, make sure you have the platesetter and start with a pork shoulder.
-Get your pork shoulder, rub it with yellow mustard, then a rub with brown sugar and spices (there are many recipes around). Put it on the egg at 250 degrees and let it go for 1.5-2 hours per pound until the meat is 195 degrees internal temp. take it off, let it cool and shred for sandwiches.

Some good links-
Big Green Egg corporate Look at the getting started area, recipes and the forums

Greeneggers.com Forum Great place for finding information and recipes.

Smoking Meat Forums

AmazingRibs.com This is a GREAT site for information on smoking all types of meat.

Ceramic Grill Store lots of good accessories

Sounds really good. Cooking around the egg when having others over is always the best! I’ve never made Smashburgers on the egg before but i bet they are great. Take pictures next time and make us hungry and jealous!

I’m still needing to get a plancha for the egg. I’ve been looking at getting a different style of plancha though. Haven’t committed yet though. Thinking about getting this: Amazon Link
It doesn’t have any reviews yet so I’m skeptical. Anyway, glad everything went well and everyone ate good! Cheers!

I left some comments on the imgur album, but overall it was a great success. It was my first time making pizza and learned couple things along the way.

• Bricks are great in a pinch, but if you have small spacers like these (or get some from here). It'll allow more heat distribution by having an air gap.
  
• Too low in BGE = scorch the bottom of the pizza; Too High in BGE = scorch the top of the pizza
  
• Less toppings/sauce = higher temp (dome ~700F/ plate ~450F) = low cook time (Neapolitan style)
  
• More toppings/sauce = lower temp (dome ~500F/ plate ~300F) = long cook time (american style)
  
• Cornmeal is key to getting pizza on and off.
  
• As temperature goes down, each pizza took longer to make. 1st pizza was around ~4min, 2nd pizza was around 6 minute, so on. I had to refuel to get it back up to 700F after 4th pizza.
  
  Specs:
  
  
• Medium Big Green Egg
  
• 12.5'' pizza stone
  
• ~8 inch personal pizzas
  
  Pizza stone I used
  
  Infrared Thermometer
  
  Can't wait to try it again next weekend! Send me some more tips!

Do you use the plate setter as your pizza stone? If you do, might be wise to invest in a pizza stone to help distribute the heat, rather than the crust being right on it.

I have sprinkled some cornmeal on the bottom of my crusts and that prevents it a lot of the time. I also sometimes use pizza screens that you can get on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/New-Star-50974-Commercial-Seamless/dp/B00EAXW1VY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421680595&sr=8-3&keywords=pizza+screens.

Not only do they help prevent the burning, they make the ease of getting the pizza on/off waaaaaay easier.

Hope this helps!

This will probably have a lot of people up in arms, but here it goes. If you’re running low on time and energy to roll and prep a pizza, and have the Papa Murphy’s take and bake chain in your location, their large thin crust pizzas turn out amazing on the egg. Bonus, at least in my area, they sell them for $5 every Friday. For anyone unfamiliar with Papa Murphy’s, they are made to order pizzas, but you pick them up uncooked.

I use this modern wonder to take them off the cardboard thing they come on and transfer them to the stone in my egg.

EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel Pizza Peel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGOOM6K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VpfrDbMK956CK

The Smokeware plate setter (sorry conveggtor is a dumb word lol) lifter is pretty cool: https://www.amazon.com/SmokeWare-PN-401-Smokeware-Setter/dp/B00XYZ3NUM


Also a huge face temperature gauge is pretty handy. Makes it a little easier to read the temps from across the patio with a beer in hand. :)

And you should. Figure out how to get to 250F for hours before spending money on anything but coal. :)

Then, pork roasts are cheap.

Also, I like to recommend this cap which works better than that cast iron thingy.

Those look nice but it’s a lot of money for a battery with some connectors on it, and way more power than you need. I’d go with a battery like this one:

Universal Power Group UB1280 12V 8Ah Home Alarm Security System Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BSEJWCO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_e23SDbFTAV44Y

A trickle charger like this one:

Foval Automatic Trickle Battery Charger 12V 1000mA Smart Battery Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074Z2NFWW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_H53SDb9A8HMNC

And I’d get some blade connectors like this:

Hilitchi 100pcs 16-14 Gauge Fully Insulated Male Female Spade Quick Splice Wire Terminals Wire Crimp Connectors Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9CJ11O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-53SDbYEPR6G4

Congrats man! Here are a couple great websites I use regularly for recipes:

• http://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes
  
• http://biggreenegg.com/recipes/
  
  I also cannot recommend this book enough. Really great stuff on how to use, maintain, clean, and cook on the egg:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Green-Ceramic-Cookers-Team--/dp/162414098X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466607517&sr=8-1&keywords=big+green+egg+recipes
  
  Please send us pics!
  
  edit: I suck at formatting

Buy this book. It has some great guidance for a newbie on the egg and some great recipes. Love making my own rubs based on the ones in here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/162414098X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466653579&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=smoke+it+like+a+pro+on+the+big+green+egg&dpPl=1&dpID=618Thc1yWTL&ref=plSrch

Definitely build the heatermeter if you are into electronics. For accessories, I replaced the fire grate with a grid version(amazon) and bought the PSWoo3 and the cast iron grid for the small to use for searing steaks, it makes it a little easier to move the plate setter around also. I'd recommend those accessories, they aren't first day necessities though. I bought the nomex but it's also still on my shelf after almost 3 years, I wouldn't worry too much about the gasket.

Cook some ribs this weekend and then try a boston butt pulled pork cook next weekend. That's what I did when I first got it. Smoked chicken wings are fun and easy to make after work. Let them sit in the fridge uncovered for at least an hour to dry and they won't come out rubbery, I just learned that one last week.

These are the gloves I use. Best value for the money that I’ve found. These don’t last long on amazon. They’ve been out for a few months. Act fast if you need a pair.

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves (Pair) - SR8038

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007ZGURU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zQgyCbXX1EPF7

Meathead rarely disappoints. He's got a good book I've enjoyed looking at. Also his [website] (http://www.amazingribs.com) has plenty of good stuff as well.

I hope you got a receipt from the dealer.

I was told at the show when I got mine to cook a pork tenderloin. Bring the egg to 400 degrees and get it stable. Grill the tenderloin for 5 minutes per side. There should be three sides. Let it rest for 10 minutes, slice and enjoy.

This book was recommended to me, on Reddit i believe. His technique for temperature control has worked superbly for me. I highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Green-Ceramic-Cookers-Team/dp/162414098X

I have a separate maverick dual temp wireless sensor that I had purchased before the auber. So I used that at first to remotely monitor. My last two cooks I didnt even use it the wireless part of it. Only used the one probe to monitor internal meat temp.

When I first bought the auber I did have some problems with my first cook which I am pretty sure was caused by me putting too much wet wood on the coals- it just would not reach temperature. Since then I quit soaking my wood and haven't had any problems.

The other item that I purchased that I really like is the high que fire grate. It found the factory grate holes to be too small and would frequently become clogged during long cooks and I was always poking them to try and unclog them them in order to keep the temps stable- prior to using auber. With the high que grate, you do go though a little more charcoal since smaller pieces fall through but you never have to worry about having to unclog them or temps dropping 8 hrs into the cook. There is also improved airflow so I get up to 225 quicker.... Usually in about 10-15 mins with the use of a hairdryer on top.

Yours didn't come with the platesetter?? I just assumed it did because my XL bought last year came with it. The only addition I have made that totally rocked was a Smokeware SS Vented Chimney Cap. Bought from Amazon here! Controlling the temp is so much more precise, and you don't have to re-adjust after opening the lid. I also invested in a thermometer kit, iGrill 4 probe system with a surface probe and 3 meat probes. Works just off the base unit or via bluetooth. Really cool to be able to check the grill and not leave the easy chair. Enjoy, post lots of pics. We are all grill junkies here.

I love my Lavatools Javelin Pro Duo.

https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-Javelin-Ambidextrous-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B01F59K0KA/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1543507488&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=lavatools+javelin&psc=1

For me, electric charcoal starter works great.

This is the one I bought.

https://www.amazon.com/KamadoJoe-KJ-ES-Electric-Starter-Charcoal/dp/B00L89GTZM/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=electric+charcoal+starter&qid=1562098182&s=gateway&sr=8-5

This was an awkward title on my front page before I saw what group it was in.

I'm a big fan of kinda that sweet spicy taste. I use this stuff on any meat I want that flavor on.

https://www.amazon.com/John-Henrys-Jalapeno-Rub-11-5/dp/B007MEW5N2

​

I replaced my daisy wheel with one of these years ago. I think it works better than the daisy wheel, in general, and I don't worry about rain at all anymore (or snow, as I'm in NH).

http://www.amazon.com/SmokeWare-Vented-Chimney-Cap-Green/dp/B00THO4J0C

Stopped by to say the same thing.
He has a book...
Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling https://www.amazon.com/dp/054401846X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AX3QzbGVD8240

Just light the coal in one spot, or if you use a chimney, light just a few coals. (I use an electric starter but anything will work. Just don't use lighter fluid!) This allows the fire to spread slowly and gives you a nice gradual start with loads of time to adjust.

Once the fire is for sure going, assemble your plate setter and grill, then close it all up but leave the vents wide open. Once it hits about 100, start closing the vents. For mine, 220F has the top and bottom vents open only a sliver, but this will depend on a variety of factors.

Hey man, I lived in Oregon and had to deal with the same thing. I eventually got one of the stainless caps made by smokeware. I couldn’t recommend it enough for rainy climates.

https://www.amazon.com/Smokeware-Vented-Chimney-Cap-Green/dp/B00THO4J0C

Smokeware Chimney Cap