Old 07-31-2017, 10:46   #1
craigepo
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Big Green Egg

I just bought one of these, and used it for two cooks this weekend. 1st time I had an issue with getting the heat right, 2nd time was a little better.

Anybody have any experience with these cookers, heat maintenance, recipes, installation in an outdoor kitchen (which I will be doing in the near future), etc?

Thanks
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Old 07-31-2017, 10:50   #2
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Originally Posted by craigepo View Post
I just bought one of these, and used it for two cooks this weekend. 1st time I had an issue with getting the heat right, 2nd time was a little better.

Anybody have any experience with these cookers, heat maintenance, recipes, installation in an outdoor kitchen (which I will be doing in the near future), etc?

Thanks
One tip, always keep one side clear of coals and use it to cook over.

Maintaining exact heat is tough to do, you'll have to act like a pit master and keep constant watch on the grill. I'd use it for long term cooking and otherwise as a regular grill.

And........ the only way you get better is practice practice Let me know when you're practicing ribeyes and I'll bring the beer.
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Old 07-31-2017, 12:23   #3
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If smoking / indirect cooking..

Have not used a BGE for cooking or smoking. But fuel (along with airflow) are the major components of heat regulation. For indirect cooking and/or smoking google the "snake method" . This is an effective method for maintaining a constant charcoal burn / smoke over an extended period. If I'm not trying to do a whole lot of meat at one time, I get 1st class results on my regular Weber kettle grill using this method, and can hold 250 with very little variation or need to add more coals etc. for 5-6 hrs, I could probably go longer if I looked at the meat less or I played around with the size of the "snake"

ALso it goes without saying that you need accurate temperatures. the thermo on the top of the BGE is... well, at the top and not at the level of the food. It is also of unknown accuracy. Get an oven thermo , calibrate it, and sit it on the food grate and note the difference. Get a wireless thermo to monitor internal meat temp in addition if you really want to go all out.

Practice is essential. Think of it like zeroing your rifle. Make notes each time and adjust from there.
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Old 07-31-2017, 16:03   #4
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Originally Posted by abc_123 View Post
ALso it goes without saying that you need accurate temperatures. the thermo on the top of the BGE is... well, at the top and not at the level of the food. It is also of unknown accuracy. Get an oven thermo , calibrate it, and sit it on the food grate and note the difference. Get a wireless thermo to monitor internal meat temp in addition if you really want to go all out.

Practice is essential. Think of it like zeroing your rifle. Make notes each time and adjust from there.
Great advice on getting accurate thermometer. I bought a ThermoWorks Thermapen and the quality of my cooking improved drastically. No more dry overcooked meat! ThermoWorks also has thermo/timers with probes to really get you accurate info. Nope, I'm not an employee of the company either.
http://www.thermoworks.com/
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Old 08-01-2017, 20:42   #5
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I miss my Little Green Egg and will definitely grab it next time back to NC. The thermostat was sub par as said but through trial and error I became more than satisfied. I can't say I was all that scientific about it and cooking something like brisket was challenging however between the hardwoods in the forest ( Oak and hickory), maple, apple woods and hardwood charcoal I got results I was happy with. Meats were always moist inside even though I probably cooked in excessive heat.

I see that the design has changed some and I don't see the small version now. The weak points for me in the rain forest were the metal hardware parts...the hinge mechanism, the draft closure, the stand and after years of use the internal clay pieces cracked so if using in an outdoor kitchen having a cover when not in use would be an advantage.

A good BBQ in Colombia...was using cherry and pecan wood in a little place that's front was a gas station and had a wonderful flair with the sides using different vinegar's in things like floating salads and slaws. Looking forward to stopping there again!! http://comosmokeandfire.com/
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Old 08-02-2017, 10:11   #6
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Having to use lump charcoal is a little different. I tried using their starter sticks, and never did really get the fire hot enough on my first cook of chicken. The 2nd cook I used my old charcoal chimney, which worked really well.

I think I have figured out a few things, like getting the egg to temperature, then loading it. Also, the conveggtor plate, which turns the egg into a convection cooker, really limits the air flow.

The 2nd cook I did was a tri-tip. I was planning on reverse-searing, but the tri-tip was done in 45 minutes! The taste was wonderful, even without using any smoke chips.

My wife took some cooking classes while she was stationed in Naples, and I bought a pizza stone for the egg. So, next on deck is going to be pizza.

One thing I found interesting: when I got home with the egg from the store, two ceramic rings were cracked. I called the store, they said the company stands behind everything, so I just took the rings back and they replaced them free of charge.
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Thomas Babington Macaulay


"One man with courage makes a majority." Andrew Jackson

"Well Mr. Carpetbagger. We got something in this territory called the Missouri boat ride."
Josey Wales

Last edited by craigepo; 08-02-2017 at 10:13.
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Old 08-02-2017, 17:08   #7
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It's very important to season your smoker before you start cooking food in it.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech...our_grill.html

http://www.slapyodaddybbq.com/2014/0...-mountain-pit/

These articles are just a couple of examples.
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