Big Green Egg

[maunahaole]

TT: tell me about this remote thermometer - is it an iGrill? Looks like a nice product, but I would like to just get the $18 probes and not the $100 receiver.

[Too Tall]

TT: tell me about this remote thermometer - is it an iGrill? Looks like a nice product, but I would like to just get the $18 probes and not the $100 receiver.

$60 from Amazon. Maverick Wireless BBQ Thermometer Set - Maverick ET732
Works like a charm. Nothing to hate about it and seems to transmit quite a long distance. Two probes, one hangs in the grill for the general inside temp and other is for food.

[jscottyk]

$60 from Amazon. Maverick Wireless BBQ Thermometer Set - Maverick ET732
Works like a charm. Nothing to hate about it and seems to transmit quite a long distance. Two probes, one hangs in the grill for the general inside temp and other is for food.

A remote thermometer is the cat's PJs for a BGE. Do it. As TT says, nothing to hate about it.

[Joel Benjamin L]

What exact model do you own?
Are you all talking about the ceramic cookers that cost about 1,000 USD?

Just trying to do my own research in order to follow the discussion....

Thank you.

[Too Tall]

What exact model do you own?
Are you all talking about the ceramic cookers that cost about 1,000 USD?

Just trying to do my own research in order to follow the discussion....

Thank you.

Here you go buster: Big Green Egg, The Ultimate Cooking Experience
The price is breathtaking I won't lie. My was had via a yearly "eggfest" where these eggs are used for BBQ competitions than sold off used.

I just knocked out a cast iron pan / cheesey corn bread and used the left over embers to grill turkey sausage. Remote thermometer was the cats meow. Let the cooker settle down to 425, set the alarm to 460 and go play fetch with the guard poodle.

Life is good.

[protege55]

My 2 cents (it's worth much less, though):

BGE is really fantastic as a do-everything cooker. Bake, broil, grill, steam, smoke - grab a stone and it makes incredible bread/pizza/cookies, really anything...it also holds temperature to a tee - really, more or less, idiot proof.

Saying that, it weighs as much as a tank, doesn't have a huge cooking area (if you are looking to smoke, for instance you'd only be able to do one, or maybe two shoulders at most - one ideal, two if you can fit 'em) unless you buy the mack daddy XXXXXL egg, which is way through a grand. The other issue for smoking food for a long period of time (for instance a pork shoulder can take up to 20 hours if done low and slow to proper NC BBQ "pulled" standards) is that it's very difficult to change out charcoal without disrupting everything in the cooker - you have to remove virtually all of the innerds to get to the charcoal, unless you want to put in new coals one by one from the small opening on the bottom.

If you are looking to smoke food, I'd recommend looking at a dedicated smoker - I use the Weber Smokey Mountain, which has plenty of room to smoke food - and quite a bit of it. If you're looking for an all-arounder, the egg is hard to beat - I own one, but find myself using the weber more than the egg, and it was 10% of the cost...

For those doing a lot of smoking/low temp cooking, check out www.rocksbarbque.com - it's a wifi-ready automatic stoker system that feeds off data from probes (dome temp, food temp, etc) to keep the coals in your (insert egg, weber, grill, etc.) burning at the right temperature with very litte effort - thing has changed the way I cook...not cheap, but if you're looking at the egg, etc., this thing is really invaluable!

[Too Tall]

Good comments protege55. Actually you can not add charcoal thru the vent which is located below the fire grate and is just that...an ash pit.

Do you ride a recumbent? kidding ;)

[summilux]

BGE is a fantastic appliance. Best thing on the planet to grill steaks and to do pulled pork.

Don't cheap out on the charcoal. Buy the Green Egg branded kind (Cowboy Charcoal comes from the same factory but I've found that is has more big pieces in it). It's more expensive but the good charcoal burns longer with much less ash.

If you are cooking slow, let the BGE come up to full temp first, with the gray ash covering ALL the charcoal, before you close up the vents to drop the temp. It takes longer, plan on about 1 hour for this, but it makes it much easier to hold a consistent low temp over a long period smoke. It also gives you a good excuse to sit outside for an extra hour and drink beer. This is, in fact, the true purpose of a BGE. You must tell your spouse that the BGE needs CONSTANT attention during the 6-8h that it takes to turn a pork butt into the mouthwatering creation called pulled pork. When the pork is smoking you are absolutely unable to vacuum the living room, clean the bathroom or do laundry. It is possible, however, to set up a portable work stand next to the BGE and wrench.

[MasterOMayhem]

Hi Looking at a BGE What are the sizes you have is an XL really too big? does anyone have the XL?

[MasterOMayhem]

also what is a decent price for a used large or xl?

[Too Tall]

also what is a decent price for a used large or xl?

BGEs don't go on sale much however you can get them from "eggfests" at a discount.
The XL is huge and way to big for my needs.
Go look at a few.

[MasterOMayhem]

thanks for the reply Josh when you say its too big for your needs are you saying you only cook for lets say 2 people? or to cook a couple burgers its over kill. I will have to go look at it although after researching these, the primo ovals have the insert than can split the fire box. thanks for the input.

[Rico]

thanks for the reply Josh when you say its too big for your needs are you saying you only cook for lets say 2 people? or to cook a couple burgers its over kill. I will have to go look at it although after researching these, the primo ovals have the insert than can split the fire box. thanks for the input.

On a Large BGE you can cooke eoght steaks, four to six birds, etc. It will cook a 10" pizza every 10 - 15 minutes. So basically you can cook for upt 6 - 8 people.
The XL is REALLY REALY heavy also.

There a re a number of "knock-offs" now. BGE didn't invent the design, but make sure not to make one in Green as they are pretty protective of the color.

Kamado Joe's are a nice knock off.

I got introduced to the BGE years ago on an offshore boat. It was a big 65' boot and the rear deck had a large BGE mounted and just about everything was cooked on it as the boat ran from spot to spot.

[gearguywb]

Looked at a few this weekend. The large is certainly big enough for anything that I woul duse it for. Also stopped by a dealer that had the Kamado Joe's. Seemed to be very similar to the egg. Lowe's is also carrying an overseas made one as well...although I have no idea where the egg is made.

[Too Tall]

FWIIW On our large BGE with a very full load of charcoal burning at nuclear levels I can make large pizzas until the coals give out!
My "pizza" stone is a large square ceramic tile I got yrs. ago from Williams and Sonoma. I put that onto the upright plate setter.

The pizzas I make are as large as a std. wood peel....maybe 15"?
Keep the toppings sparse and they will cook in 6-7 mins. with the BGE holding 650F.
When I open the BGE to take out the finished pizzas it takes about 4 mins. to come back to 650F max sometimes faster.

Do NOT use BGE to cook store bought pizzas from Whole Foods. Ask me how I know. YUCK.

[shanerpvt]

Sorry if this has been said, but when I want a good pizza on the fast & cheep, I run by Papa Murphy's (they make it fresh/you cook it at home) and pick some up and CRUSH them on the egg.

I have tried to cook all kinds of stuff ont that thing. There is a place in Austin named Stuffed that does crawfish & dirty rice stuffed chicken that is fantastic on the egg. While I'm there I usually pick up a stuffed pork chop, shrip or crawfish stuffed shrooms, or a cream cheese stuffed pork tenderloin.

no wonder i'm fat and slow.....................

I would be conservitive on the size. The smaller it is the less fuel and the quicker it will get up to temp. before next spring I will buy a cast iron grill insert. I bet the beef sear is FANTASTIC.....................anyone have one?


cheers,
shaner

[summilux]

Thinks I have cooked on a large:
-18lb turkey. The bird came out moist and tasty but I didn't really like the combination of the smoky flavour and turkey.
-3 medium sized pork butts, around 16lb in total.
-2 chickens, halved. Great way to cook chicken.

My local BGE dealer has all sizes, from the XL down to the "portable" XS sized one. Four a family of 4, the L works best for me. XL is way too big. M would work most of the time, but would be too small for those 1-2 times a year that I'll have a party.

[MasterOMayhem]

I just picked up a used large with nest off CL. The guy even gave me a few pounds of left over BGE charoal along with the trash can he kept it in. it was Brutally heavy. heavy is an understatement. Anyway i grabbed a plate setter, and another bag of charcoal. going to fire it up tomorrow for a maiden run of steaks etc. Turkey Thursday/ .

[Too Tall]

I just picked up a used large with nest off CL. The guy even gave me a few pounds of left over BGE charoal along with the trash can he kept it in. it was Brutally heavy. heavy is an understatement. Anyway i grabbed a plate setter, and another bag of charcoal. going to fire it up tomorrow for a maiden run of steaks etc. Turkey Thursday/ .

Congratulations. Great find.

[WFO]

Lots on BGE info [search] and just a bit of BBQ info here.

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