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Big Green Egg

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P parcivalMember
Sean . . . I have the large. I have used it several times a month for the past 6 months when I first got it.

Overall, I love it. It is a very different animal than a gas grill (obviously) but even very different from a typical charcoal briquette grill. I thought it was going to completely replace my gas grill, but it has not. I have learned over times that there are certain distinct reasons for me to use the BGE vs. gas. Below are some thoughts after a very active 6 months of use

Here are some PROS and CONS

PROS:
1) Amazing temperature stability ONCE you get the temperature stabilized. I once cooked a brisket at 250 for 14 hours. There was quite a bit of effort involved in getting that 250 temp, but once I got it, the thing was rock stable. And beyond that low-temp cooking, you really can set the temp at any point
2) lump hardwood charcoal adds fantastic flavor to all kinds of meats, vegetables, and even some seafood (not a fan of the smokiness in many seafood dishes but fun to play with)
3) The high temps you can reach (>800 degrees though the temp gauge does not even go that high) makes this a great Neapolitan pizza oven. I've cooked pizzas in ~3-4 minutes. Again, not a huge fan of the smoky flavor on a pizza unless doing a bbq chicken pizza, but being able to cook at that high a temp is amazing for an at-home tool

CONS (really considerations and not true CONS):
1) it's a labor of love! You'll need to spend some quality time with this getting to know its quirks and how quantity of fuel (wood), quantity of wood used for specific smoke flavors (e.g., apple wood; mesquite chunks), airflow and distance of the grate from the heat source will affect cooking times, meat textures . . . Let's just say it can get as involved as you want it which is a big part of the fun
2) TIME: again, not a down side per say but you need to commit some time to getting the BGE going and stable at the temp you want. In general, plan on 30-60 minutes prep time and sometimes more depending on what you're doing. For low-temp cooking (<300), prep time can be 1 hour to make sure I have a stable temp and it doesn't get away from me. ~450 temp can take 30-45 minutes. >750 takes no time at all! Just set the fire, open the top and bottom airflows and you're golden!

That's a long answer, but in short I think this is a fantastic cooking tool. But largely for convenience reasons (and sometimes an interest in avoid smokey flavors) I still use my gas grill quite a bit. Use BGE 30-40% of time and gas grill for nights when I get home and my family wants to eat within 45-60 minutes

If you do buy, there, I would recommend the following accessories:
1) Placesetter for indirect cooking (generally comes with the BGE from most vendors)
2) Pizza stone if you plan to do pizza
3) cast iron cooking grid (great for steaks)

I would vote against the half height fire ring (have it, used it once, but don't see the purpose)

Also, for other opinions and ideas, check out the BGE forums -- spectacular source of info
S seanr7Member
quote:
Originally posted by Parcival:
Sean . . . I have the large. I have used it several times a month for the past 6 months when I first got it.

Overall, I love it. It is a very different animal than a gas grill (obviously) but even very different from a typical charcoal briquette grill. I thought it was going to completely replace my gas grill, but it has not. I have learned over times that there are certain distinct reasons for me to use the BGE vs. gas. Below are some thoughts after a very active 6 months of use

Here are some PROS and CONS

PROS:
1) Amazing temperature stability ONCE you get the temperature stabilized. I once cooked a brisket at 250 for 14 hours. There was quite a bit of effort involved in getting that 250 temp, but once I got it, the thing was rock stable. And beyond that low-temp cooking, you really can set the temp at any point
2) lump hardwood charcoal adds fantastic flavor to all kinds of meats, vegetables, and even some seafood (not a fan of the smokiness in many seafood dishes but fun to play with)
3) The high temps you can reach (>800 degrees though the temp gauge does not even go that high) makes this a great Neapolitan pizza oven. I've cooked pizzas in ~3-4 minutes. Again, not a huge fan of the smoky flavor on a pizza unless doing a bbq chicken pizza, but being able to cook at that high a temp is amazing for an at-home tool

CONS (really considerations and not true CONS):
1) it's a labor of love! You'll need to spend some quality time with this getting to know its quirks and how quantity of fuel (wood), quantity of wood used for specific smoke flavors (e.g., apple wood; mesquite chunks), airflow and distance of the grate from the heat source will affect cooking times, meat textures . . . Let's just say it can get as involved as you want it which is a big part of the fun
2) TIME: again, not a down side per say but you need to commit some time to getting the BGE going and stable at the temp you want. In general, plan on 30-60 minutes prep time and sometimes more depending on what you're doing. For low-temp cooking (<300), prep time can be 1 hour to make sure I have a stable temp and it doesn't get away from me. ~450 temp can take 30-45 minutes. >750 takes no time at all! Just set the fire, open the top and bottom airflows and you're golden!

That's a long answer, but in short I think this is a fantastic cooking tool. But largely for convenience reasons (and sometimes an interest in avoid smokey flavors) I still use my gas grill quite a bit. Use BGE 30-40% of time and gas grill for nights when I get home and my family wants to eat within 45-60 minutes

If you do buy, there, I would recommend the following accessories:
1) Placesetter for indirect cooking (generally comes with the BGE from most vendors)
2) Pizza stone if you plan to do pizza
3) cast iron cooking grid (great for steaks)

I would vote against the half height fire ring (have it, used it once, but don't see the purpose)

Also, for other opinions and ideas, check out the BGE forums -- spectacular source of info


Awesome write up. It seems to take you longer then what I've read to get ready to grill. Several things I read on the BGE forum said you coud start cooking within fifteen minutes.
P parcivalMember
Sean . . . no way you can start cooking in 15-minutes. That would be a challenge even with a gas grill. -- slight amendment . . . you could put things on the BGE at 15 minutes but definitely will not have a temp dialed in

To give you a recent snafu of an experience. I cooked two chickens (on a stand-up chicken rack). After ~25-30 minutes, I thought the temp. had stabilized at ~385 because it stayed there for about 5. I assumed 50-65 minutes of cook time and went to hand out with a neighbor for 30 min. Came back and had the nicest pair of chicken briquettes you ever saw. The wood went through a second "phase" of heating. With the air flow I allowed into the egg this second heat-up maxed the temp out. It was beyond the thermometer reading and I'm guessing well above 800 degrees.

Less learned - dialing the temp in just right takes some time with this puppy and there is no way around it.

I am on the BGE forums under this same name. If you do a quick search you'll see people's comments about my questions about both getting and setting both low and mid-range temp

Again though, I love this cooking tool. I just know I can only use it when I have sufficient time to spend with it. With time spent, you get fantastic results that cannot be matched on a gas grill. With too little time spent, you get food that is either completely ruined or just not up to snuff
E eyesintimeMember
I do not own one, but have had food from them. A friend of mine who lives in Chicago burbs loves it. I've been over to his place 3 times in the last year or two, and he has prepared all the meals on BGE. Last time we had pizza as appetizers and they were great (definitely get the pizza stone), and then he cooked a marinated pork tenderloin that was superb. I'm not sure how much fiddling he had to do between the two types of cooking as far as temp, though he wasn't gone for large chunks of time.

We also have one at work in our Live Fire Cooking "Theater." Space has five live fire cooking elments -- Rumford fireplace, clay pizza oven, fire "pit," an Aztec Grill, and the BGE. The donor whose brain child the space is insisted we have a BGE (he's part of an ownership group that owns the best BBQ restaurant in Columbus and quite a foodie proponent of live fire cooking -- has probably a 10-foot long cooking fireplace and a wood oven in his house). I've had some incredible dishes created by him on the BGE. One thing we did do to the BGE is build a wider base with wheels because it is wheeled in and out of a shed (over pavers) when needs to be used. It is fairly top heavy and could tip over and crack/break. But if you're keeping it in one place for the most part and/or careful when wheeling I don't think you'd have a problem. But he has known several people who have had mishaps. Otherwise will last a lifetime according to him.
C csmMember
I have the XL and I'll never have anything else. I absolutely love it. Truly the most versatile grill/smoker out there. Absolutely amazing customer service and lifetime warranty on the ceramic pieces (just had no firebox crack and it was replaced in 2 days even though the retailer I bought it from had gone out of business). Take the plunge and get it. You won't regret it.
vinoevelovinoeveloMember
pretty much echoing the above comments. I have 2 large BGE's and use them on average 3 times per week. Would never consider using any other type of grill/smoker/etc/etc for personal use. Everything i've ever done on my old gasser grill and then some when it comes to roasts, turkeys, pizzas, bread, + all the expected BBQ fare. Cant say enough good things about them.
C csmMember
quote:
Originally posted by Rothko:
If you want to throw a few steaks on a grill and eat in 25 minutes, then a gas grill would be the way to go.


I find the BGE takes maybe 10 more minutes to get ready than a gas grill does when it comes to cooking steaks. The higher heat and the better flavour from the charcoal is well worth that extra 10 minutes IMO.
K ksc02Member
quote:
Originally posted by vinoevelo:
pretty much echoing the above comments. I have 2 large BGE's and use them on average 3 times per week. Would never consider using any other type of grill/smoker/etc/etc for personal use. Everything i've ever done on my old gasser grill and then some when it comes to roasts, turkeys, pizzas, bread, + all the expected BBQ fare. Cant say enough good things about them.

You are making it very difficult to resist the urge to acquire, vinovelo.
(must...resist until present grill needs replacing) Smile
vinoevelovinoeveloMember
quote:
Originally posted by KSC02:
quote:
Originally posted by vinoevelo:
pretty much echoing the above comments. I have 2 large BGE's and use them on average 3 times per week. Would never consider using any other type of grill/smoker/etc/etc for personal use. Everything i've ever done on my old gasser grill and then some when it comes to roasts, turkeys, pizzas, bread, + all the expected BBQ fare. Cant say enough good things about them.

You are making it very difficult to resist the urge to acquire, vinovelo.
(must...resist until present grill needs replacing) Smile


why wait? its not a replacement for your grill. its a change in lifestyle. you look at the world differently. spend hours lying awake wondering "what novelty cut of meat can i render into amazingness this weekend?" or "what if i put the beans under the ribs, so they smoke and catch the drippings?" "why haven't i baked a loaf of bread in it yet?"

My wife says it's my religion as i spend most sunday's kneeling in front of it.
R RothkoMember
quote:
Originally posted by CSM:
quote:
Originally posted by Rothko:
If you want to throw a few steaks on a grill and eat in 25 minutes, then a gas grill would be the way to go.


I find the BGE takes maybe 10 more minutes to get ready than a gas grill does when it comes to cooking steaks. The higher heat and the better flavour from the charcoal is well worth that extra 10 minutes IMO.


Clearly the BGE is superior in flavor than a gas grill. Frankly, almost any wood or charcoal burning grill is better.

It is a little pet-peeve of mine, spending the time to build a great bed of coals to grill, grilling the steaks (or whatever) in a few short minutes, and then having to leave that great bed of coals to just die out - when it could be used for much more grilling.
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by Rothko:
quote:
Originally posted by CSM:
quote:
Originally posted by Rothko:
If you want to throw a few steaks on a grill and eat in 25 minutes, then a gas grill would be the way to go.


I find the BGE takes maybe 10 more minutes to get ready than a gas grill does when it comes to cooking steaks. The higher heat and the better flavour from the charcoal is well worth that extra 10 minutes IMO.


Clearly the BGE is superior in flavor than a gas grill. Frankly, almost any wood or charcoal burning grill is better.

It is a little pet-peeve of mine, spending the time to build a great bed of coals to grill, grilling the steaks (or whatever) in a few short minutes, and then having to leave that great bed of coals to just die out - when it could be used for much more grilling.


i always have some brined chicken on the side

cuz grill chicken goes to the fridge well and can be used as base ingredients for other dishes
K ksc02Member
quote:
Originally posted by vinoevelo:
quote:
Originally posted by KSC02:
(must...resist until present grill needs replacing) Smile


why wait? its not a replacement for your grill. its a change in lifestyle. you look at the world differently.

You should get commissions from BGE Big Grin

My wife says it's my religion as i spend most sunday's kneeling in front of it.
Devilish

I've spent the last hour reviewing the BGE website....considering seriously
vinoevelovinoeveloMember
quote:
Originally posted by KSC02:
quote:
Originally posted by vinoevelo:
quote:
Originally posted by KSC02:
(must...resist until present grill needs replacing) Smile


why wait? its not a replacement for your grill. its a change in lifestyle. you look at the world differently.

You should get commissions from BGE Big Grin

My wife says it's my religion as i spend most sunday's kneeling in front of it.
Devilish

I've spent the last hour reviewing the BGE website....considering seriously


ahh yes... the courtship... if done properly is usually followed by infatuation and a lifetime of bliss.

Wink
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by seanr7:
So I bought an XL and had it delivered yesterday! After one cook on it my better half loves it I think more than I do. Best Chicken I have ever made! I think I will get my money back on money saved eating out


did you use the platesetter for that chicken, or cook direct?

It is a fantastic cooking instrument and the BGE forums offer a great wealth of info and advice
P parcivalMember
quote:
Originally posted by seanr7:
I cooked direct, I am going to stay away from the Place setter and either get the WOO or the Adjustable rig


This is why I love the BGE . . . you learn something new everyday about this. Have been cooking with this for almost 1 year now and never knew what the WOO could add until I saw this and looked it up
A aphillaMember
quote:
Originally posted by CSM:
No skin, so no cracklins, but I did get a really nice bark. I've finally come around to cutting off a lot of the fat so I get a nice bark when smoking a pork butt.


OK. It's a bit difficult to find a pork butt with a nice layer of fat for cracklings, so maybe what is being sold commonly would be good for smoking.

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