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Eggless

Jstroke
Jstroke Posts: 2,600
Eggless Newbie, Just an intro and say hi. Learning tons while i save pennies. Friday, i had the push off moment. You know the one where you decide to jump in.. I went to my local dealer for a side by side comparison. I took zucc, portabello mushroom chicken breast and porterhouse, i cooked on an egg, a regular gasser and a sear gasser. I used olive oil and kosher salt, thats it. First one to go was the sear gasser, very off flavor, dry, --no love. The egg and regular gasser were closer but it was the chick breast and the zucc that was the clincher. The zucc tasted off in the gasser, not a lot but some. The chicken breast though was really what did it. Moisture, even later on the cutting board when i was cleaning up and nibbling the last half a breast. Now for you old laying hens, i know you know, but for me that was the moment. Tell me, what was your moment of truth when you decided
Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
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Comments

  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,482
    I had wanted one for around 20 years and finally got one when my old Gasser died. It wasn't much more then a good gas grill like a Weber. My wife loves the flavor of the food and that I do all the cooking now. It doesn't take much longer to get going then a gas grill to me. I went with the XL so i can cook a lot of things, my neighbor went with the large. Everything taste good on the Egg and it can do a lot of different things, besides grill and smoke.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
  • jhl192
    jhl192 Posts: 1,006
    I had a Weber Kettle grill and invited friends over for Pulled Pork.  When they got there I explained that I had been adding and subtracting briquettes all day, chasing the temperature to keep it in an acceptable range.  A true labor of love.  My buddy said, "why don't you get a Big Green Egg.  You let the temperature settle in and it will stay there for hours upon hours".  I then GOOGLED big green egg and the rest is history.  Next to the women I married, the best decision I've made.  I love the prep, the cooking, the food that comes off it and the forum.  
    XL BGE; Medium BGE; L BGE 
  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    John, i completely understand, im nervous as heck i will never use it.
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
  • Searat
    Searat Posts: 80
    Fathers day a few years ago and the gaser had been giving me problems. My wife wanted to replace it and offered a BGE or something else. Seemed expensive. We went to the store and looked at what she was offering (she and my son had already recon the store previously). I looked at my choices and thought about how I used the replacement. The ability to go back to my roots in NC and start smoking meat again like my dad and relatives did was "the point". I haven't looked back. The different meats, types of smoke, breads and pizzas, and gadgets have made it a fun journey so far. Lots of cooks and lessons, because we're always learning, to go. Keep BGEing.
  • johnkitchens
    johnkitchens Posts: 5,227
    @Jstroke you will love it. This forum is a HUGE resource of information, ideas, advice, and friendship. 

    If you can't find an answer by using the search feature ask your question. You will get help. Don't be intimidated by the egg. If you screw up a cook (we all have) learn from it. 

    Also if you don't have a Thermapen I highly recommend getting one. Before I cooked until "it looks done". Now I know exactly what I am doing concerning temp. I know what temp I am cooking to and can achieve it. 

    It is life changing! 

    Welcome to the club. You will love it. Remember pics or it didn't happen! 

    Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's
  • Angus1978
    Angus1978 Posts: 390
    I was "sold" when my double barrel charbroil w/ side smoker began to rust.  I did all the research on grills and was really impressed with the longevity, plus the ability to no longer chase the temperature like I had been.  It's almost the best money ever spent.  

    This Friday my friends took us out to Babe's Chicken Dinner House.  My wife had the smoked chicken....she ate one piece made a face (it was dry and the flavor lacked) and said "Yours is better, if it weren't this special occasion tonight, I'll be find if we never eat here again".   Just makes you feel good to make good food!  I'll never look back...............added bonus, since I've taken on the duties of cooking, she's doing the dishes :D
    LBGE and Primo XL Plano TX All right all right alllll riight
  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    That is reason enough right there. I do the suds and she cooks and i admit she needs a break. Plus i like more protein in my diet
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
  • Thatgrimguy
    Thatgrimguy Posts: 4,723
    edited July 2014
    I watched my Dad buy a new $500-$1k gasser every 5 years and it still suck. Then he got an egg when I was in high school. 15 or so years later his Egg is still working great.  

    Took me longer than it should have. I just didn't grill that much on my weber in my tiny backyard at my old townhouse. Then I got my place on the river, I knew I'd be spending a LOT more time outdoors. Easy decision!  
    XL, Small, Mini & Mini Max Green Egg, Shirley Fab Trailer, 6 gal and 2.5 gal Cajun Fryers, BlueStar 60" Range, 48" Lonestar Grillz Santa Maria, Alto Shaam 1200s, Gozney Dome, Gateway 55g Drum
  • llrickman
    llrickman Posts: 654
    Jstroke said:
    John, i completely understand, im nervous as heck i will never use it.
    What wont get used is your Stove , your oven , your gasser if you have one etc....

    Best $1000 i have ever spent and now im wanting a mini max to go with my LBGE
    2 LBGE
    Digi Q
    green Thermapen
    AR

    Albuquerque, NM
  • EGGjlmh
    EGGjlmh Posts: 816
    Buy one sooner rather than later, my biggest regret with the Egg(s) is that I didn't get one sooner

    1MBGE 2006, 1LBGE 2010, 1 Mini Max, Fathers Day 2015

  • timekpr1
    timekpr1 Posts: 151
    edited July 2014
    When my wife told me I wanted one!  Now I have two.
    Mama always said, Grilling was like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna get.
  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    Well i feel the same way and i dont have one yet, but very soon. SWMBO said ok last night so green light it is
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    edited July 2014
    Jstroke said:
    That is reason enough right there. I do the suds and she cooks and i admit she needs a break. Plus i like more protein in my diet
    @Jstroke That should be the least of your concerns. I think 90-95% of the cooking in our household is now done on eggs. If our oven gave out I don't think we would notice until I made loaf bread again (egg doesn't seem to add much to that). Last night I was making tostadas out of leftover chicken and my wife looked at me funny when I went out to fire up the egg. She said why not just use the oven? I told her I would need to turn the AC back on if we used the oven. :)

    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    And see that is another reason in the summer we hate heating the house up with long cooks. She sees the benefits of that alone.
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    I had a gasser, it was my second BBQ, and I had scraped my $500 together for it. 3 years after getting it I was back in the market for a grill, and I was pissed. America's test kitchen had had a review of BBQs and they had an egg - it was my first exposure.

    I was interested in smoking, searing, and just getting into cooking. I purchased a medium egg, and 2 years later an XL.

  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    edited July 2014
    @Jstroke‌
    Welcome. Let me say get the egg. At one time or another I have owned or at least cooked on about everything out there. For everyday home use one would be hard pressed to do any better than the egg. It is a excellent "all around" cooker. It easily covers most cooking applications in spades. I own several other cookers. Some of them are specialized units no doubt. But nonetheless the egg gets used about 95 percent of the time. It does most all things exceedingly well in my opinion. You can't go wrong with the ceramic style cookers. Especially the green ones. ;)

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • stemc33
    stemc33 Posts: 3,567
    jhl192 said:
    I had a Weber Kettle grill and invited friends over for Pulled Pork.  When they got there I explained that I had been adding and subtracting briquettes all day, chasing the temperature to keep it in an acceptable range.  A true labor of love.  My buddy said, "why don't you get a Big Green Egg.  You let the temperature settle in and it will stay there for hours upon hours".  I then GOOGLED big green egg and the rest is history.  Next to the women I married, the best decision I've made.  I love the prep, the cooking, the food that comes off it and the forum.  

    Women. Are you from Utah @jhl192‌ ? :D

    @Jstroke‌ I've always liked grilling. I've used gassers and mostly Weber Kettles. Horrible luck with gassers and okay luck with Weber Kettles. Talking basic hotdogs, burgers, and boneless chicken breast stuff. Came across a few articles about ceramic cookers and I thought the concept was cool.
    Went to an Ace Hardware one day and they had the KJ's. Well we know what happens when we see something we like. The mind starts going crazy and we start searching stuff on the WWW. When that happens we go into buying mode.
    Anyway, my moment of truth came after I started researching and I came across this forum. Somehow the people on this site Eggvinced/brainwashed me into Eggland. Well a few weeks had passed, when I noticed a sign in front of a store that read "now selling Big Green Eggs". That was it, I thought that sign was a sign. He rest is history. Oh yeah, and my luck grilling has improved greatly with the BGE
    Sounds like you've made up your mind. Nothing to do, but to do it. It's Eggin' time. No more :-@
    Steven
    Mini Max with Woo stone combo, LBGE, iGrill 2, Plate Setter, 
    two cotton pot holders to handle PS
    Banner, Wyoming
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    My gasser is over 12 years old, Broil King Regal, H burner with spit and side burner. I'm on the third burner assembly (<$20 on line for OEM) and the second Flavour-wave shield (<$15 on line). The rest is all still working except the igniter. Still have the original cover - which I Armor All every couple of years. Living in the temperate rain forest must agree with gassers. I don't understand how any $500 gasser can be toast in less than 5 years.

    Neighbour had a KJ, one of the first maybe 8 years ago, had some experience cooking on it and that convinced me to buy an egg three years ago. MBGE, only the two of us for most cooks so with the little Weber, gasser and egg I have a reasonable grill/BBQ arsenal. 

    @Jstroke - good on you to do the comparison cook. The sear gasser does a nice job to finish sous vide steaks, maybe if my old BK ever dies, I might get a sear grill. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • aem
    aem Posts: 146
    Ah, the moment of decision.  I was a proud member of the Weber Nation - A Smokey Mountain and a Genesis Silver.  Loved that combination, but still searching for more.  I read an article on how Eggheads were the only group more fanatical than Weber owners and knew I had to look.  Five years later my brother has the WSM and I finally sold the Genesis ($250, not bad for a 10 year old gasser). 

    I have nothing bad to say about Webers.  They make a good product.  I learned how to smoke on the WSM and how to grill on the Genesis.  The Egg is just better.
  • bbqlearner
    bbqlearner Posts: 760
    Always wanted a smoker for the past few years. Researched all type of smokers for about a year after my gas grill died on me. From all of the choices I was looking for, my wife was the one that suggested that I should get the egg for all the benefits that I've been sharing with her. Next thing I know, I'm buying one.

    Houston, TX - Buddy LBGE, Don SBGE, Tiny Mini & Shiny Momma Pitts n Spitts

  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    I appreciate all the responses. I have made highly emotional and completely irrational decision. I am buying the xl for no other reason than i can--and SWMBO has said yes
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    Jstroke said:
    I appreciate all the responses. I have made highly emotional and completely irrational decision. I am buying the xl for no other reason than i can--and SWMBO has said yes
    +1 Nice!
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • bigguy136
    bigguy136 Posts: 1,362
    I might offend a few here but I never knew what a BGE was. My dad bought this green thing and he cooked a chicken on it (lit, 5 minutes later threw a chicken on I and burned it at the end). It sat in his garage for several years and I thought why not. I've been in love since. My dad loved everything I made and was happy to see the egg putting out great food. My dad passed away this winter and I think of him every time I use his egg.

    Big Lake, Minnesota

    2X Large BGE, 1 Mini Max, Stokers, Adjustable Rig

  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    Bigguy, that is one of the best i have heard. Its incredible he didnt try to figure it out or worse, throw it out. Good for you, im sure you do him proud
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
  • EGGjlmh
    EGGjlmh Posts: 816
    Jstroke said:
    Bigguy, that is one of the best i have heard. Its incredible he didnt try to figure it out or worse, throw it out. Good for you, im sure you do him proud

    Agreed

    1MBGE 2006, 1LBGE 2010, 1 Mini Max, Fathers Day 2015

  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    bigguy136
    What a legacy your father left you and it was great that you could enjoy it with him before his time came. If you have a child teach them "The Way of the Egg" and tell them the story of how you got yours.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    Jstroke said:
    Eggless Newbie, Now for you old laying hens, i know you know, but for me that was the moment. Tell me, what was your moment of truth when you decided
    Also new here, and just got a large egg a few weeks ago. Previously, had a weber gas grill and a weber kettle. You can do anything with them. My impression of what makes the egg unique is the level of engagement. A gas grill fires up fast and holds a temp perfectly, but no charcoal flavor and not very engaging to cook with. Great for a quick Tuesday night meal. The weber kettle can do two zones, great charcoal flavor, etc but way too much work to do a long slow cook. I'm loving the egg for falling in between. It lights quick, has great charcoal flavor. Low slow cooks are much easier than with the kettle. But I still have to keep an eye on it, with a nice chilled beer, of course!
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • grill4us
    grill4us Posts: 100
    I came home from Mexico with a parasite that laid me up for about 5 days.  During that time, I was fine as long as I didn't eat or get out of bed.  So I did a lot of searching the web.  I really liked the brick oven pizza I had in Mexico.  The web lead me to the egg for that.  I started stalking the forum and gathering a ton of information.  I missed grilling - we had thrown away our gasser years before.  I was intrigued that one unit could be an oven, grill, smoker and could possibly outlive me.  It took me a year to finally purchase one at an eggfest.  That was this past May.  I have the large and I love it.  Use it whenever I get the chance.  It's quickly becoming a member of the family!
  • mcmac
    mcmac Posts: 496
    There are some good stories here about how you came to buy your eggs.
    Mine story is boring by comparison... I just liked BBQ and was looking for a better
    cooker. However, the end result is the same... were all cooking on great cookers.
    XL BGE -  Med BGE - Mini BGE - Traeger Pellet Grills

     Hillsboro OR