For the corn and potatoes I knew that I would need a different temperature than for the steaks. I decided on 350-375 based on the BGE DVD recipe. I soaked the corn for an hour prior to griling. For the potatoes I rubbed them with olive oil, salt and pepper then wrapped them in foil. I used a mixture of liquid smoke and worcestershire sauce as a marinade for the steaks. Once that was on, I loaded them with Montreal steak seasoning. I let them sit, at room temperature about 30 minutes prior to cooking
This was my first attempt at regulating temperature on the egg. I topped off the firebox with fresh lump (on top of what was left from my first experience), and dropped in a paraffin starter. To get the fire going, I opened the bottom vent all the way and lifted the top. In ten minutes I had a fire going so I shut the lid and worked on getting it to 375.
This was the hard part. I had to try out different settings of the bottom vent and top daisy wheel. I ended up finding a happy medium with the daisy wheel opened and the bottom vent open about 2 inches. Once the temperature was set I added the corn and potatoes.
I decided to sit outside, drink a beer and watch the temperature. I find that an ice cold beer helps when monitoring temperature. I chose a Newcastle which went perfectly with the 90 degree outdoor temperature.
Because this was only the second meal I made on my egg, I probably opened the egg too much. Every 15 minutes or so I opened the top and flipped. The temperature would drop each time I opened it which probably increased cooking time. After about an hour everything was ready so I moved on to the steaks.
Getting the BGE to maximum temperature is easy. Doing so without losing any arm hair is not, unless you take precaution. It is very easy to burn yourself without gloves and/or long tongs. Since I had just cooked with the bottom vent partially opened, I moved it to the fully opened position and opened the slider on the daisy wheel. In a matter of minutes the egg was at 750 degrees.
I seared the steaks with the top closed for one minute per side. Once both sides were seared, I flipped it again and shut the bottom vent and put the rain cap on top. I let the steaks sit for a minute and a half and removed them from the grill. The steaks were cooked rare to medium rare and were amazing. This cooker makes one hell of a steak.
The potatoes and corn was a great addition to this meal. You cannot beat corn or potatoes on the grill.
I should mention that once I was done cooking i shut the bottom vent and installed the rain cap. This puts the fire out, but because the egg is so efficient, it remains hot for hours. When we went to sleep two hours after dinner, the egg was still around 200 degrees and was hot to the touch.
After only the second try, I am in love with this cooker.
Next up...... BBQ chicken leg quarters
I maintained this temperature for about an hour while cooking the corn and potatoes.
The steaks are marinating. They aren't very thick, but were pre-packaged and on sale.
Temperature monitoring assistance.
Taken right before it reached the ideal searing temperature.
I need to remember to take more pictures.
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