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Wood fire in an egg?

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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    @DocWonmug, your thread has slipped off track as many here do, still great entertainment and interesting, what a good question. Years ago at my parents summer place we had a huge natural stone BBQ pit. Starting at 2 in the afternoon we would load up the fire box with mostly Ash, Hickory and Oak - by 6 we had a great bed of coals suitable for shoeing horses or grilling T-bones. Best tasting steaks and chrome (foil wrapped) plated potatoes ever. I understand why you want to try this. 
    Even if you followed @ratcheer and burned "the logs in a separate container first, then remove the burning embers into the cooking vessel. I do not know that this would be practical with a BGE." I think the problem might be the amount of "juice" still left in the wood if you cooked with the dome closed. Even a bed of coals has a fair amount of creosote. You could grill with the lid open, but then why use the egg. A topic in search of more research!
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • SoCal_Griller
    SoCal_Griller Posts: 516
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    I used to burn wood in my old barrel smoker.  Food turned out good most of the time.  The one fail that stands out the most was when I used Mesquite chunks.  The taste was harsh and bitter, but I think that was due to the Mesquite.  I have wondered about using straight wood in the egg, I used to be in the "Cook with wood only" camp, looking down on gassers and lump burners.  After using the egg, I have had much better success.   Let us know how it goes.


    Simi Valley, California
    LBGE, PBC, Annova, SMOBot
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  • thailandjohn
    thailandjohn Posts: 952
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    Just something to thing about........ Most of the big names in BBQ use what is called "Stick Burners", fire at one end using logs I still have one of my "Stick Burners" made by Pitts & Spitts and when I want to do what I call BBQ with the real Q flavor, I use my "Stick Burner" however, I use my XL Egg and Stoker for all the long overnight slow cooks because I am done with checking a fire all night. When I do ribs and have the time to work the "Pit", I always use my Pitts & Spitts using Almond logs I have worked with different methods on the Egg to get the real Q flavor I am looking for, and now I am close and satisfied With all this being said......I own 5 BBQ's......Stick Burner, 55 Gal Drum, 48" Webber style, 36" x 60" Grill that raises and lowers and my XL Egg with Stoker Each one of my BBQ units has it's purpose but when people ask me which one I like best.....I tell them, if I could only have one, it would be the XL Egg with plate setter and ALL the Ceramic Grill Store accessories for the XL.....and last, but not least, the Stoker for temp control and monitoring


    http://jvp.smugmug.com/Barbeque




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  • SamFerrise
    SamFerrise Posts: 556
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    A buddy of mine has one of those screened fire pits that looks like a giant wok with a good size screen dome.  He fires up his wood chunks and gets them going for about 45-60 minutes.  Then he transports the coals to his Egg and there is no excess smoke issue.  People have been cooking over burning wood for centuries.  It is nothing new.  I have had some great steaks cooked over a camp fire.  BTW the fire from the burning wood coals is extremely hot. 700 degrees is not a problem, but who needs it that high 95% of the time.  I rarely find it necessary to go beyond 600, but that is my style of cooking.  Some of you guys like the blast furnace heat.  Hey, go for it!

    Simple ingredients, amazing results!
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  • tillerman7
    tillerman7 Posts: 18
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    Seems like you would have an issue with flame height as well.  
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  • tillerman7
    tillerman7 Posts: 18
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    Seems like you would have an issue with flame height as well.  
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  • DocWonmug
    DocWonmug Posts: 300
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    THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Those hot coals. No ash, no creosote. I just want to make the coals in the egg, then put the meat on.
    LBGE
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  • cssmd27
    cssmd27 Posts: 345
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    How does this compare to using a bunch of chunks of wood for smoking?  Seems like those would give off just a little less creosote, but the same principle.  We do that all the time.  Just trying to see the difference here?  Volume?
    Dallas (University Park), Texas
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    cssmd27 said:
    How does this compare to using a bunch of chunks of wood for smoking?  Seems like those would give off just a little less creosote, but the same principle.  We do that all the time.  Just trying to see the difference here?  Volume?
    No difference at all.  Couple hand fulls of chips or a couple chunks to "add smoke" versus a whole firebox of chunks.  We like creosote - tastes good.  But in moderation.  The guys that use real wood to low-n-slow pre-burn it - frequently in a drum with sticks.  When it burns down enough the coals break up and fall through the sticks to the bottom, they shovel the burning embers into their pit.  At that point, they burn much cleaner than green wood.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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