Is the BGE really a good grill?

Jeff · November 2006

I bought a grill that I am totally unhappy with based on the recommendation of friends. The name of the grill begins with "H". There is absolutely nothing wrong with the grill. I do not like the way it cooks with no temp regulation. Is the BGE better than a gas grill with a regulating device to control heat? I want to slow roast or scorch on demand. Will the BGE do this?

Pharmeggist · November 2006

Jeff ,
Check out this website about Grilling Steaks if this doesn't convince you about the Big Green Egg I don't know what will will. I love my Large BGE... I stil have a Weber Gasser just now it is collecting dust! [p]Best Regards, Pharmeggist
[ul][li]http://www.nakedwhiz.com/trexsteak.htm[/ul]

ronbeaux · November 2006

Jeff ,
Short answer, YES. Come on eggers, post all of the pictures of your gasser out by the curb. I personnaly have a Weber Silver Genesis that hasn't been used in 12 months. I guess the only reason I haven't gotten rid of it was the price I paid for it, but it is just a matter of time.

Unknown · November 2006

Jeff ,[p]To answer your questions, yes, yes, yes. [p]Got really disappointed with my Weber gasser over the years cause I couldn't get good grilled flavor or smoke flavor from it. I also have a Brinkman electric smoker that I became very disenchanted with.[p]I have never had a problem controlling temp with egg. I'm a relative newbie to egging (less than 6 months). But it was well worth the investment. My wife was totally against me spending so much money for a grill but now she is hooked on the great tasting entres I make on the egg.[p]Don't hold back get one. You won't be sorry.

Nature Boy · November 2006

Jeff ,
If you buy an egg you have the potential to be all-powerful.
Low/slow with hardly any fuel, or hot as you would care to get. And anything in between. Combine your new egg with daily reading of this forum, and you will blow a lot of people's minds with the food you serve.
Just one opinion. [p]Have a cold beer while you ponder your decision. It is a big one.
Chris

Metalhead · November 2006

Jeff ,
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It is about the best purchase I have made. The sheer thought of spending that kind of money had my mind boggeled for months....what a waste of precious BGE cooking time. I am so proud of my Egg and the cuisine she produces

Unknown · November 2006

Jeff ,[p]I agree with Chris that this is a big decision as the egg will slow cook and sear very well but you're working with lump charcoal so it's a little more work and patience in getting the hang of it......it ain't turning a dial to get more gas......but I turned in my Weber 3 yrs ago for a large egg pretty much for the same reasons. I was never able to get a good sear on a steak or get a good taste with the Weber. With the egg my freezer usually has something BBQed just waiting to be reheated for a rainy day or when I get the "urge" for BBQ.[p]Howard

Pharmeggist · November 2006

Jeff ,
I forgot to give you a link to the authority on Ceramic Cooking particularly the Big Green Egg. I looked at this site extensively before purchasing my Big Green Egg. I am so glad I did![p]Best Regards, Pharmeggist

[ul][li]http://www,nakedwhiz.com[/ul]

Pharmeggist · November 2006

Sorry about the hyperlink not working above. Second Attempt should work.
[ul][li]http://www.nakedwhiz.com/[/ul]

Unknown · November 2006

Jeff ,[p]I have a large and it's great for cooking at temps less than 500. In my opinion, nothing beats a kettle for high temp searing and grilling. I'm talking steaks and burgers. I know lots of folks get their egg up to high temp to sear and grill, I just think a kettle is better for that is all. Just my opinion (opinions are allowed here, right?).

Unknown · November 2006

Jeff ,
About 12 years ago I purchased a Weber Genesis Gas grill. I used it for 10 years with pretty good success and overall was happy with my purchase. Two years ago I was into the Charcoal nostalgia and purchased a Weber Performer Charcoal grill and a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. I wanted to see if I could get better flavor with Charcoal (Like Kingsford Boasts) and wanted to try smoking.
I had fun using charcoal but there was a definite learning curve. I made more than a few scorched and dry meals. The Weber Smokey Mountain cooker was neat to fool with but took forever to cook pork butt or brisket and was a hell of a mess to clean up. The temperature must be monitored and vents adjusted semi frequently to maintain temperature. The water pan is messy and God forbid you over fill it, What a Mess!!! My resultant meals were OK in general but had varying results. Both of these metal grills had issues in the winter with heat loss, and were hard to get down to 225 deg in the hot summer.
Last May my I talked my wife into attending Eggfest in Waldorf MD. We purchased our Large Egg there along with a ton of accessories. My total investment was around $1200 but you don't need to buy everything at once. The Eggfest was great because you will eat excellent food, and people will give you tips on how to cook properly on the Egg.
My gas grill and my Smokey Mountain cooker are both at my mothers house on her back porch. I still have the Weber Performer on the deck but have only used it once since the Egg came home. The ceramic construction of this thing are what make it superior to any metal grill. There is very little heat loss, and food retains its moisture. Temperature control is excellent and does not matter if it is summer or winter. It does not require a water pan and cleans itself like a self cleaning oven. Granted you have to scrape ash out of the bottom from time to time, but there is no greassy mess and sludge to contend with.
I rarely get invited over to my friends houses anymore because they all want to eat at my house. I do the meal, they bring a side or a desert if they want and the booze.
I have cooked on this across a very broad range of temps. Steak searing at 700-800 degrees is a snap. The sear and the flavor you will get is phenomenal. Medium temperatures 350-450 are great for a variety of things like sausage, chicken, pizza etc. Low and slow BBQ around 225 can be maintained for extended periods of time without much hassle at all. I was most impressed with its ability to maintain temperature once you get it set.
If I could quit my job tomorrow and cook food on this thing for a living I would do it. I hope to be cooking at Waldorf this year and turning on new people to the best cooker in the world. If you can scrape the money together it will be well worth your investment.

AZRP · November 2006

ronbeaux,
Shoot, I have a $4800 ProFire stainless that serves as a locker for my Egg stuff. -RP

Unknown · November 2006

I bought a Weber genesis silver NG in late Sept '05. Returned it three weeks later well used because it just couldn't sear a steak to my liking. Pondered all winter and hemmed and hawed about the cost of an egg (even more up here in the Great White North). Couldn't resist any more in March and dug a path 40 feet thru 3 feet of snow and ice to get a new XL round back to my patio. Been grinning like a fool while grilling and q-ing ever since.[p]There's a learning curve to the egg because it's much more versitile than a gas grill. But the curve is short and you'd have to really botch a cook to get results that make a gasser look good in comparison.[p]My 3 cents - it's worth every penny, nothing beats cooking on real wood charcoal, and there's no replacement for displacement (sorry large fans, I just HAD to!).[p]Cheers - John

Bobby-Q · November 2006

Jeff ,
I think this might be what you are talking about. Spent about 2.5 hours in the 250° range and then in about 10 minutes it was upt to 700° to do the sear at the end.[p][p]Tasted pretty good too.

BENTE · November 2006

Jeff ,
the real reason is this most of all is this
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and this
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and this
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it is the people you meet also the food you cook gets ALOT better!!!! like this
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and this
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but what you may learn is that sometimes there are times when a sight may bring a tear to your eyelike this
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i'm sure you will make the right decesion{(sp) you will also figure out that some of can cook but can't spell}
hope you make the right choice
happy eggin
tb

ChefRD · November 2006

Jeff ,
This is a joke right? If you have read any posts on this site your question would have been answered by the folks who post here, correct?
later,
ChefRD

Jeff · November 2006

ChefRD,
No, not a joke. There are very many proponents of the Holland Grill. There are sites dedicated to that companies virtues as well and as I mentioned and two of its proponents led me astray. I failed to check out the product on line as I am doing now. I went with the opinion of some people that I thought knew what they were talking about. Upon reading all the company I am leaning toward the purchase of a BGE. My hesitation rests on why is it better than a thermostatically controlled gas grill. thanx

stike · November 2006

Jeff ,
you can control the temp on an egg easily. 200,250,275,325...800
whatever you want you can dial in. if you have some stones, you can dial it in and go to bed, too, waking with pulled pork nearly done in the morning, finishing for game time.[p]but the egg is not for everyone. my neighbor loves the smell of mine, always asks what i'm cooking, always rolls his eyes when i show him, raves about the ribs, etc. he has said many times "i need to get one of them things"[p]he comes out with chicken thighs, opens the gasser, pushes a clicker, on go the legs to a cold grate, shuts the lid and goes inside. he comes out when the chicken is flaring, flips and, and heads back in. he calls it convenience.[p]a microwave is convenient, and cooks food too. the reason we don't like microwaves for anything but popcorn is that it doesn't ADD anything to the food.[p]so the gasser too is convenient, but it doesn't add anything to the food. a charcoal fire in the egg isn't there to merely cook, it is there to help transform it. same for the thickness of the ceramic. a chicken roasted in the egg versus one in the oven (or metal grill), with the same prep and spices, will taste better, and be far moister. [p]what the egg really does that folks don't ever talk about is make you think entirely different about food. you may not grow to 400 pounds, but you WILL become a food-freak.[p]frankly, it's alot more convenient for me to make the best steaks i've ever had than it is to drive to chicago. and even though i'm a scrawny yankee with a nasal twang, i'm thankful that the barbecue i'm cooking saves me a trip to memphis or the carolinas when i want REAL ribs and PP.
that's convenience. not flavorless chicken in 20 minutes.[p]when you are doing pork butts at 225 for 24 hours, the last thing on your list of criteria is 'convenience'. but if you want the best food you have ever made, the egg is a damn good option.

Unknown · November 2006

Well said!

Sundown · November 2006

Nature Boy,[p]If he can be all powerful do we have to tell him about the secret handshake?

Celtic Wolf · November 2006

stike,[p] That made me cry <snif!!>[p]

Celtic Wolf · November 2006

Sundown,[p] Or give him that unspecified alcoholic beverages..[p]

Celtic Wolf · November 2006

Nature Boy,[p] If he becomes all powerful does that mean that the Leesville Turnpike will get named Jeff Rd..[p] Dizzy Pig Freeway sound soo much better..

Sundown · November 2006

Celtic Wolf,
Damn! Don't mention that on a public forum, you'll have every knucklehead in the world posting. ;>)

Sundown · November 2006

stike,[p]Hummmmmm. Seems Ol' Stike has forgotten where the shift key is for the CAPITOL LETTERS. Poor ol' fella, we should give him more beer. What nasal twang?

mad max beyond eggdome · November 2006

stike,
ok, what did you do with the real stike?? . . .he could never have been this eloquent! . . .heeee

Celtic Wolf · November 2006

Jeff ,[p] If you are looking for convenience then go with the gasser. If you simply want the best food you have ever tasted then get the BGE.[p] I have been cooking on open flames since I was a wee lad. My Eggs (yes I said EGGS) are by far the best investment in cooking I have ever made. Once you master this thing you will do nothing but agree with us.[p] Does it have faults Yes, but the quality of food that come soff it out ways those faults.

Celtic Wolf · November 2006

grip it was the rum that made me do it I tell ya it was the rum.

Unknown · November 2006

Jeff,[p]My wife and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this past August. I asked her what restaurant she would like to go out to, and she asked if I'd mind cooking dinner in the Egg.
Her birthday is the 22nd of this month and last night, when I asked where she'd like me to make dinner reservations, she asked if I'd cook dinner in the Egg.
In the past year, the only time we've been out to dinner was while we were visiting her parents in Texas.
We recently had guests over for dinner. As typically happens, while we were eating, the wife leaned near her husband and quietly asked him, “Can we cook something like this on our (gas) grill at home?” His response was also typical, “No.”
We have been invited to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving. I asked if I could help cook; maybe a couple side dishes. I was told, very politely, to just bring some wine. The last time I was asked to bring cooked side dishes to a dinner, my sides received more comment than the host’s prime rib (which was very good).

Unknown · November 2006

scole,[p]I won't argue. (This time) This past weekend I used the Weber kettle, which sits next to my large Egg, to sear a couple strip steaks. After a quick sear they went into the Egg, right between the asparagus spears and the shrimp kabobs, to finish off at 225*.

Unknown · November 2006

Jeff ,[p]Besides the ambrosia that comes out of the Egg, how about safety?
Have any kids? Or host backyard parties? Ever worry about someone touching your gasser and getting burned? You can lean on the Egg while you’re baking or roasting in it. It will be very warm, but it won’t burn you.

Is the BGE really a good grill?

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