Pit cooker Vs. Lrg. EGG

Unknown · March 2007

I am interested in the Lrg. EGG. I am also interested in a pit cooker. Why the egg & why not a pit cooker.[p]Be kind, I am just beginning to look!

BBQBluesStringer · March 2007

Lee,[p]Generally, unless you are willing to pony up a few thousand dollars for a good backyard pit, the egg is far superior. Temperature control is what it's all about. The egg can hold anything steady from 160F to 900F+. That makes it a cold smoker, a low-n-slow pit, an oven, a pizza oven, and an incinerator for searing steaks. For low-n-slows, you load it with lump once and forget it for as much as 24 hours. No feeding the fire every hour or so. It's so well insulated that weather is seldom a factor. Food tends to stay much moister in the egg so there's not much reason for mops and bastes.[p]On the other side, offset stick burners look so much more sexy in your driveway...

Unknown · March 2007

Here is the best basic response you'll probably get back all day:[p]
"Its the Quality of the Cooker that does the Cooking"[p]
take that from the eggsperts at the Big Green Egg!!!!!!!!!!

Celtic Wolf · March 2007

Lee,[p] Those in the BBQ world will tell you it's the cook and not the cooker. I will tell you if the cook does not have the proper tools then no matter how good he is he will fail.[p]Pit's have there place. You can't do a whole hog on an Egg, unless it's under 40 pounds. [p]Not sure price is a real factor. I have 5 eggs and all totaled I could have bought a towable pit. Would I be happy with a Klose or Lang. Probably. Would my food be good? Probably..[p]Would I have the support like I have with my Eggs? Probably NOT. The BGE staff and this forum are worth the price of the eggs alone.[p]But you feel free to go with what you want.. [p][p][p]

Unknown · March 2007

Lee,I have had four Char-Broil model 960's over the last 40+ years which can be used as a pit smoker. I would put the fire at one end with a dutch oven over it with liquid and put the food at the other end. I bought a Large Green Egg this year and use no liquid and there is no comparison. Big Green Egg hands down. Also I live in Sarasota, FL and the salt air is tough on a Char-Broil but not the Egg. In cool windy conditions the Char-Broil suffered but not the Egg. Once you get it ajusted it holds it's temperature like no other grill I have ever used.

Car Wash Mike · March 2007

Lee,
During my learning process. I was informed that the offset I was looking at would hold a temp of 250 for 4-5 hours with 10lbs. of lump. Easily double that for a BGE.
Granted you can get more on a pit. Steel gets cold, it has to have a impact in the cold. Ceramic just holds heat better.[p]Mike

Sigmore · March 2007

Celtic Wolf, Why would you want to total all 5 of your Eggs??

Celtic Wolf · March 2007

sigmore,[p] I wouldn't want to deliberately hurt my Eggs.. [p]Price wise I figured I could have easily bought a Lang 84, but if I did I still wouldn't get any sleep tending to the thing.[p]I like sleep..[p]

Hamilton · March 2007

Lee, I have an off-set...don't use it anymore since I bought an Egg, they use too much charcoal. I'm gonna sell that off-set and get another Egg.[p]Second reason, I think food tastes better when some of the fat juice drips on the coals, but that's just me.[p][p]

Shoe · March 2007

Lee,[p]Here's my pit. It is four courses of concrete block, an expanded metal coal frame, and an expanded metal cooking frame. The cooking frame is at the third course of block, with one inch paving tiles cut to fit around the poles that hold it at that level. The white lid you see raised to the right is 1/4" hardiboard, with a thermometer through the center.[p][p]Here you see the pit in action. Note that four blocks are replaced by a wooden door. You can't tell from this picture, but the pit side of that door is flashed with aluminum flashing to prevent it from smoking into the pit.[p][p]Here is where I get my coals. I burn apple wood down to coals in the truck wheel, then shovel the burning coals into the corners of the pit.[p][p]Now to answer your question... why a BGE and not a pit? Because a pit takes a lot of time and attention. I cooked 10 pork picnic shoulders for a party last summer, all at one time, on that pit. Started at midnight, done at noon. They were great, and I was exhausted. Kept going until 11:30 that night, then hit the wall from exhaustion.[p]Love that pit, but unless I'm cooking more than 30 pounds of pork, I'll use the BGE.

Revolution · March 2007

Shoe,[p]Enough said!

mike · March 2007

Smokey5760,

Try the Rocks Bar-B-Que Stoker, set the temperature and forget it. It controls the cooking within plus or minus 10 degrees. I sit in my living room on my laptop and can watch the whole process, raise or lower the cooking tempature if needed, and monitor the meat temperature. Its a great creation. They have fittings for the Egg

Bobby-Q · March 2007

Lee,
I knew that these guys could answer you better than I did. I did enjoy talking with you about all your cool hobbies though.[p]Like I mentioned to you...you will make an Eggcelent addition to the Big Green Egg family.

Poppasam · March 2007

Lee,How many folks you gonna cook for? We use four to do contests with. I tell folks you can cook anything that you can cook on a stick burner but a whole hog. We have used several cookers from a pit dug in the ground, various factory and home built jobs. I have a new small stick burner that I bought about the same time I started Eggin' and it has never had a fire built in it. Once you learn the Egg you will have folks look at you strange when you tell them what it will do and how little lump you use. Hope we have helped you in your decision.[p]Poppasam

Pit cooker Vs. Lrg. EGG

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