Any Big Green Egg users? Looking at getting the x-Large Egg to replace a worn and weary offset firebox smoker. Any thoughts on the Big Green Egg?
Big Green Egg
- Thread starter AggieCJ
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the green egg has high reviews, for what it does, one of the drawbacks is small cooking surface, one of the growing in popularity Q's is one I may get is the Mak Grill, a little pricy but it can sear a steak to slow smoke a turkey. at one time I had 12 smoker/grills in my back yard, almost as bad as camera disease. :biggrin:
My husband has a Primo - similar to Big Green Egg. It is oval shaped and he prefers that for cooking ribs, etc. We've had it for 6 or 7 years now. He loves it. Cooks with it all year.
Here is a pork butt he cooked when it was 16F out.
This is what it looks like
Here is a pork butt he cooked when it was 16F out.
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This is what it looks like
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I love my Egg! Very, very versatile. You can control and maintain the temperature from <200 to 600 deg F allowing you to cook just about anything. Nothing like a slow-cooked pork roast, a beautifully seared steak, or a crispy crusted pizza. All possible on an Egg! Though a little on the expensive side, IMHO it's worth every cent. The other big advantage is that I think it will last forever! I tried many different models of gas grills and even though many came with a lifetime warranty they never seemed to last more than two years before rusting out. I've had my Egg for around 3 years now and it's still as good as new!
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Does it use bottled gas or briquettes?
Lump charcoal is recommended. You could use briquettes.
My grandfather and uncle have each had one for about a decade or so....when I have the space for one I will be following suit. I really like it. They are expensive, but hold up well and seem to control temperature very well.
I had an 1st generation BGE that lasted me over ten years. Unlike the new ones, it was made of a type of baked clay. They wore out periodically and you could replace the inner parts. Now they are a type of porcelain and reportedly never wear out (heat eventually deteriorated the fire box in the old ones). You can also get the newer ones to extremely high temps (the old ones weren't supposed to get over 600° or the body might crack).
The biggest BGE that I'm aware of has a 28' surface. That's about the size of the big Weber which I currently cook on. The Primo is larger than that, and basically an oval BGE. I think BGE may make something similar these days, but not sure.
All that said, I will eventually get another BGE. It is, by a large margin, the best grill and smoker I've ever used. Now that they have the ability to get hot enough to properly sear a steak, I can't see any weakness in the system. The biggest problem with the Weber is it's a true pita to low cook in. I've done a few eight hour smokes and it's a constant job keeping the temp consistent. Literally. I had to check it and adjust every 10-20 minutes. That makes for an exhausting long day. With the BGE, while it wasn't "set it and forget it", it required adjusting every hour or so.
Also, re briquettes - just don't do it. They don't smoke as well, many have additives, and they take longer to prep. Since I found a better alternative to a chimney and electric starter, using lump charcoal is a no-brainer. I use biomass starters. They look like little pieces of compressed wood (like particle board) and the ones I use are all natural. They light quickly and burn for a little less than ten minutes. Four of those strategically placed gets the charcoal going just fine with no need for anything else.
Get a BGE (or Primo, Kamado, et al) and you'll never need or want anything else!
The biggest BGE that I'm aware of has a 28' surface. That's about the size of the big Weber which I currently cook on. The Primo is larger than that, and basically an oval BGE. I think BGE may make something similar these days, but not sure.
All that said, I will eventually get another BGE. It is, by a large margin, the best grill and smoker I've ever used. Now that they have the ability to get hot enough to properly sear a steak, I can't see any weakness in the system. The biggest problem with the Weber is it's a true pita to low cook in. I've done a few eight hour smokes and it's a constant job keeping the temp consistent. Literally. I had to check it and adjust every 10-20 minutes. That makes for an exhausting long day. With the BGE, while it wasn't "set it and forget it", it required adjusting every hour or so.
Also, re briquettes - just don't do it. They don't smoke as well, many have additives, and they take longer to prep. Since I found a better alternative to a chimney and electric starter, using lump charcoal is a no-brainer. I use biomass starters. They look like little pieces of compressed wood (like particle board) and the ones I use are all natural. They light quickly and burn for a little less than ten minutes. Four of those strategically placed gets the charcoal going just fine with no need for anything else.
Get a BGE (or Primo, Kamado, et al) and you'll never need or want anything else!
Right on! Well I went ahead and ordered the XL Big Green Egg. Pricey but like was said they seem to last. I too was going through grills faster than I care to admit. So I hope this does it.
Wendy that looks delicious.
My wife must think I am nuts, the grill won't be here until Wednesday but I already have this weekends meals drawn up. Going to go with some ribs on Saturday and maybe steaks on Sunday.
Anyone ever use a DigiQ Guru? Seems like a great unit for maintaining temps over long slow cooks.
Wendy that looks delicious.
My wife must think I am nuts, the grill won't be here until Wednesday but I already have this weekends meals drawn up. Going to go with some ribs on Saturday and maybe steaks on Sunday.
Anyone ever use a DigiQ Guru? Seems like a great unit for maintaining temps over long slow cooks.
Make sure you have a place ready to put it and some help getting it there. I was 24 when I got my first one. It weighed 225lbs and I managed to maneuver it around, but I'm wiser these days! Plus, when I do get the next one, it'll be the biggun' so I'll definitely bribe a buddy with some beer. I'm planning to get a stainless "equipment table" desgined for restaurant use. A 30X60 inch is about $300 on eBay and its 30 inches high. It'll hold about 500lbs and be a good working height. It'd cost that much to build something and a dedicated Green Egg table is MUCH more expensive.
Have fun and get to know it first. I'd probably save the ribs until you've cooked a few different things on it. It's pretty easy, but ribs come with their own learning curve...
Have fun and get to know it first. I'd probably save the ribs until you've cooked a few different things on it. It's pretty easy, but ribs come with their own learning curve...
My wife and I got the large BGE a few weeks ago, and I can't speak highly enough about it as a beginner. At this point we've mostly cooked easy stuff, taking advantage of the high temperatures for searing, then snuffing it down to cook steaks through. Finally got an insert for indirect cooking, and I'm looking forward to trying out some ribs and pork butt. I've never owned or used a grill up to this point in my life, and it couldn't be any easier to use and maintain.
Like vinman I use the biomass starters and lump coal. I was advised not to use briquettes for a variety of reasons. It takes 15-30 minutes for me to get it to 650 degrees, would probably be quicker if I was better about stirring the ash to the bottom. When I'm done, just cap the top and shut the vent at the bottom. The lump coal lasts a surprisingly long time and generates very little ash.
Like vinman I use the biomass starters and lump coal. I was advised not to use briquettes for a variety of reasons. It takes 15-30 minutes for me to get it to 650 degrees, would probably be quicker if I was better about stirring the ash to the bottom. When I'm done, just cap the top and shut the vent at the bottom. The lump coal lasts a surprisingly long time and generates very little ash.
My husband has some regulator thing that he uses. I'll have to find it and get the brand name. He has used it successfully for many years. He'll put meat on overnight, set the regulator and not check it again until the next morning. Seems to work great. Disclaimer - my only involvement is eating the results.
Great timing on this thread as we just finished building the rolling table with a concrete top and take delivery of our large size BGE this afternoon. We've been hearing about the BGE for a few years and finally decided to get one. Can't wait to make some pizza's!!!!
You have pics of your table? The place I bought mine had a cedar table with drawers and a cabinet. I wanted to get it but my patio is still just the 10x10 concrete slab that builders pour. We are planning on increasing the size and covering inside of the next couple years......then I will build the super table for it.....until then it is just the nest with the attached handler.
Love to know which unit he owns. I think that will be my birthday gift request. A Boston Butt slow cooked for 14-16 hours sounds pretty good right now.
It's the DigiQ Guru. Really helpful for the long cooks. Otherwise, you have to check your temp every couple hours.
yep - that's purty :biggrin:
Be purtier if I was at home with a rack of ribs on it and a beer in my hand. Instead had to settle for a pic of it sent by my wife. She thinks I am nuts......
not to worry, she'll understand soon enough!
I went with the standard dimensions for a large BGE listed on their website. I really wanted to do something different so I poured the concrete top. All I have is this Instagram link that I snapped this morning.
http://instagram.com/p/b3vxOfG85q/
Fired it yesterday evening and kept it at 350 as per the instructions. I guess now we're ready to go.
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