Big Green Egg

[Too Tall]

It begins.
I've been waiting all summer long to score an lightly used Big Green Egg from a local "eggfest" and will take delivery tommorrow. This is going to get ugly.
Who has experience with these ceramic cookers and suggestions for various tools of the trade. I *think I'm set for charcoal, Cowboy is working well for me.

[Shoogs]

Subscribed.

I'm very intrigued by the BGE...

[robin3mj]

I am still getting the hang of mine but the big thing I have learned is to not let it get too hot to begin with, if you are going slow and low. I was originally coming from the mindset of lighting an old kettle grill, you let the charcoals get hot hot hot and then tamper down. But the egg holds heat so well, it takes years to cool down if you let it roar out of the gate.

For spare ribs (~5hr on 225F), light it and leave the vents open until it gets to maybe 450, then put in the stone and grate, close vents and take it down to 250ish.

I'm still on the first jumbo bag of BGE branded charcoal but have heard good things about Cowboy and will try that next.

Gonna try a couple birds this weekend- duck and chicken.

[atw]

The BGE is a wonderful thing. Some of our best days have started with a ride int he morning and bbq and a few beers in the afternoon.

That said we have a large egg and have used it for a couple of years. I agree with robin, if you a re going to go low and slow it does take a long time to get back down to 250 once it is up to temp. Lighting is preety quick using one of those tubes that you put newspaer into the bottom. Lighting luids or the lighting blocks tend to leave a bit of residual flavor.

You may also want to get a spare seal, this comes in a roll and takes about 10 minutes to insatll. I usually change the seal once a year. After a few months the existing seal tends to get brittle and break off in small pieces. This results in more air getting in and temperature control using the dampers is less effective. I also clean all the ash out of the bottom before each use, otherwise airflow through the grate tends to be poor and temperature control is less effective.

If you are doing ribs get the rib rack and the porcelain plate otherwise they will burn with direct exposure to the coals. I am still experimenting with different types of wood chips for smoking, these can have a big impact on flavour.

Make lots, the neighbours always seem to come by when they can smell the real charcoal and wood smoke.

Have fun

Tom

[Ken C]

No experience with the BGE, but I would suggest using Wicked Good Charcoal Lump over Cowboy. I use it in my Webber, I think it is superior to Cowboy in all respects. If you can't find it locally, you can purchase it and they will ship it to you.

For a complete list of Charcoal reviews

The Lump Charcoal Database -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking

[WadePatton]

lots of egg users over at bbq brethren.

i'm not one...besides, i'm working on this rice thing.

[maunahaole]

I have been watching the Bobby Flay show BBQ addict on food channel - he uses a BGE pretty frequently on that show - in which he makes a bunch of killer looking grub. Worth a watch if you get a chance. My neighbor has a kamodo [sp?] which is a traditional japanese version of that. He has done chickens on that, in sort of a slow smoked style and they come out great - nice smoky flavor and super moist, a great way to do chickens.

[Rico]

Hi Josh:
Been cooking with BGE for years. I encountered it on an offshore fishing trip. The boat had a BGE mounted on the rear fishing deck and all meaks were cooked on it as we cruised from spot to spot.

Here are some general observations:
1.Get a cast iron grill. It is great for grill marks and works much better than the plated rod grill.
2.Pay careful attention to the grill plate for charcoal. At high heat they warp, drop down into the throat of the the fire box and eventually crack it. It (fire box) can be repaired with furnance cement. BGE forums have advice on this.
I fabricated my own grate using a Lodge cast iron trivet . I used some stainless rod and nuts etc from HD and made legs that keep it up off the fire box.
Here's a picture of the trivet:
Lodge L8DOT3 8 Inch Trivet/Meat Rack

BAssPro usually have them in stock.

[Rico]

Here's an even better fire grate and also some replacement gasket material.
http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Char...owViewpoints=1

[Greg Costello]

just got one this summer - amazing piece of cooking hardware. One thing I'm struggling with is low and slow, like for brisket at 210 degrees for 14 hours - I need to reload charcoal much more than pundits would have me believe. Maybe its me or the charcoal, not sure. Maybe that fancy grate listed above will help!

[Too Tall]

I am still getting the hang of mine but the big thing I have learned is to not let it get too hot to begin with, if you are going slow and low. I was originally coming from the mindset of lighting an old kettle grill, you let the charcoals get hot hot hot and then tamper down. But the egg holds heat so well, it takes years to cool down if you let it roar out of the gate.

For spare ribs (~5hr on 225F), light it and leave the vents open until it gets to maybe 450, then put in the stone and grate, close vents and take it down to 250ish.

I'm still on the first jumbo bag of BGE branded charcoal but have heard good things about Cowboy and will try that next.

Gonna try a couple birds this weekend- duck and chicken.

Skip the cowboy charcoal. I started with it and the stuff is cotton candy compared to the BGE brand.
I got mine setup a few days ago and made pizza for Queen. It did not go well. The folks who assembled it did not align the firebox properly with the lower vent and I could not get it over 350F booo.
Next day I disassembled the firebox and made all right than fired it up to over 700F holy cow.
To secure my man card for one more day I covered a nice fresh organic chicken with my own garam masala mix and put that ontop of the BGE "sitting bird" holder with an entire dark beer poured in + more spice.
The cooking temp was rock solid at 325. I used the plate setter legs up and set the bird right on top. Terrific bird served with 1/2 1/2 mixture of Quinoa and green beans.
I'm going to like this BGE.

*Tell me about the duck. I've owe a pal ONE crisp duck in payment for a bet I lost.

Rico, great tip. I'm going to replace the grate asap since pizza is my stock and trade.

[robin3mj]

For the duck…I was thinking as follows:

Plate setter legs up. Disposable aluminum tray on the setter. Grate, with the duck directly on it.
The idea behind the tray to catch the fat to keep on hand for cooking. However, I wonder if the aluminum being directly on the stone will just cause the fat to burn rather than pool, so maybe I ought to be putting my roasting pan (with turket grate) on the grill grate if it fits?

Not sure if I’m trying to accomplish too much at once? The goal being to have a nice slow cooked/smoked duck that will yield:
• Nice duck breast for dinner #1
• Shredded-style rest of the meat for dinner #2
• Fat for future cooking
• A nice carcass for stock

[clweed]

The key to low and slow is figuring out your bottom and top vent openings. For me it is about 1/8 - 3/16" top and bottom.

Be sure to remove all the ashes from the fire box, you need to remove the inside pieces periodically to clean around the holes.

Start a small fire in the center of the LUMP charcoal and forget about it, when the vents are set properly it will reach 245 degrees and cruise forever. I have had mine last 23 hours.

The EGG is a beatiful thing

[jscottyk]

The BGE!

I've been using one for about 5 years now and it's best piece of cooking gear I own. Chickens, turkeys, pork butt, pork loin, pork tenderloin, skirt steak, New York strip, brisket, pizza, veggies of all shapes and sizes. This thing does it all Heck, it even makes a frozen pizza taste good.

My favorite charcoal is a from the Texas grocer HEB; Central Market Mesquite Lump. Burn hot and the smoke has a MUCH better flavor than oak, IMO. Also use a stick of hickory every now and again. Green or aged that has been soaked for a couple of days.

Cooking steaks on the BGE is almost too easy and makes you look like hero.

[jscottyk]

The key to low and slow is figuring out your bottom and top vent openings. For me it is about 1/8 - 3/16" top and bottom.

Be sure to remove all the ashes from the fire box, you need to remove the inside pieces periodically to clean around the holes.

Start a small fire in the center of the LUMP charcoal and forget about it, when the vents are set properly it will reach 245 degrees and cruise forever. I have had mine last 23 hours.

The EGG is a beatiful thing

+1. I've been able to hold a steady 180 (for smoking a turkey) with just a tiny opening. Another key to low-and-slow on the BGE is to sneak up on temp. As soon as the fire gets going and the coals are just starting to glow, set you vent opening. You do not want to heat up the thermal mass beyond you target cooking temp.

[Too Tall]

I just knocked out two insanley good white pizzas for appetizers at 600F : oilve oil, chopped sundried tomato, fresh basil. cracked pepper, cayenne (alot).
Now the apple crumble with fresh berries is on while we watch the World Series.
After that dry aged rib eyes and jicama slaw.
That's one heck of a BBQ/Smoker/whatever it is I'm happy.

[robin3mj]

The duck came out great- here’s what I did.

Score the skin/fat with a sharp knife.
Rub with 5-spice.
Put a small onion (halved) and small lemon (halved) into the cavity.

Egg- 275 degrees, threw in a big handful of soaked mesquite chips.
Drip pan on the ceramic stone, and duck on the grate.
Cook for 3 hours, turn every half hour.

Everything but the breast itself was completely fork-tender, great smoky flavor. There was a bright pink layer in it- dunno if this is like the mythical ‘smoke ring’ they’re always talking about on Pitmasters?

I got a later start than I’d planned, so next time will probably go 4+ hours at 225F or so.
Also- the fat in the drip pan burned a bit, so we couldn’t really keep it. For that, I’d probably need to use a baster and remove the fat each time I flip the bird.

Dinner Saturday- duck breat/legs with broccolini and potato rosti.

Fork shredded the rest of the meat off the carcass and am having it with fresh green pepper sauce and couscous tonight.
Made stock from the bones.

Pics later on.

[Too Tall]

Good duck report! What if you were to put the drip pan on a pie cooling rack or trivet ontop the plate setter? Was the duck in a roasting rack?

Last eve. I made a quick Hickory Smoked Paprika chicken....I'm focused on one thing at a time ;) Heavy salt + a metric ton of good paprika on the bird than a pat with olive oil and roasted at 325 vertically.

I'm using an remote thermometer, you must own it. Wonderful.

Crisp bird done to perfection. Can't miss.

[itspeedmoore]

I have had mine for a couple of years and smoked bacon, boston butt, salmon, turkey, and chicken. My dad laughed at me when I got it and told him how much it cost... then he tried the bacon and the salmon. WOW!

For the chicken and turkey the key is to brine it for a day in advance. Then I try and maintain the temp around 225. Its great because I can play with the kids in the backyard and check on it every few hours.

[robin3mj]

Good duck report! What if you were to put the drip pan on a pie cooling rack or trivet ontop the plate setter? Was the duck in a roasting rack?

Last eve. I made a quick Hickory Smoked Paprika chicken....I'm focused on one thing at a time ;) Heavy salt + a metric ton of good paprika on the bird than a pat with olive oil and roasted at 325 vertically.

I'm using an remote thermometer, you must own it. Wonderful.

Crisp bird done to perfection. Can't miss.

Josh, I think getting the bottom of the drip pan off the stone is important. This time I went: stone->drip pan, and duck on grill grate just above.
Next time, may try: stone, grill grate, and put our oven roaster (with roasting rack) on the grill. This may put the bird too high up in the dome, not sure. But it will provide access to pour/siphon off the fat every hour or so.

I have a chicken brine recipe that I’ve been meaning to try out, but I need to get my act together during the week in order to make it happen.

No remote thermo yet- maybe an Xmas ask.