Question about Green Egg and equipment

WannabeEgghead · March 2009

Good morning all,

I have been debating on purchasing a Green Egg for over a month, and I have only heard great things about it.

However, I do have some questions and I thought this would be a great place to ask and look around. So, here are some of my questions.

1.) When you purchase the egg, what does it come with, if anything?
2.) I am a novice griller/BBQ'er, does the egg come with any explanation as to what temps you really want to cook all your foods?
3.) I will be cooking for 2, most of the time. However, I will be hosting a party for up to 12-20 people, approx 2-4 times a year, would a large egg be sufficient?
4.) Is the grill easy to clean, maintain, etc.?
5.) What do you use with your grill, the table or the egg nest? Is one prefered over the other, are there pro's and con's for either?

Ok, I think those are all my questions at this time. If there is a FAQ section that I overlooked, please provide a link.

Thanks, Wannabe. :evil:

Coacher · March 2009

1. Mine didn't come with anything except the egg and a grate. I purchased all the tools/accessories separate. Your dealer may throw in something small here or there.

2. It actually comes with a helpful DVD to get you started. Also, there is a wealth of information on this forum.

3. The large seems like it would be sufficient, though I often have XL envy. I own a large, but I may get a small to go with it.

4. Very easy to clean.

5. I use a nest because it takes up less space in my garage, but I envision a day when I have a fancy table setup on my back porch.

Hope that helped,

Coacher

Fidel · March 2009

1. You'll have to ask the dealer. Some include a wide array of tools, a bag of lump, starter cubes, etc. Others sell the egg only.

2. The egg doesn't come with cooking instructions, but this forum sure does. Anything you want to cook just ask here and you'll get plenty of answers and opinion.

3. The large is plenty big to cook for 12-20 people.

4. yes

5. Table. You'll appreciate the extra work space.

AZRP · March 2009

1. It comes with enough to use it but hang around here awhile and we'll have you buying more toys than you ever dreamed of.
2. It does, but you will get better information here.
3. Large will be perfect.
4. Yes.
5. Personal preference, I use the nest with the mates.

gdenby · March 2009

A few years ago, some dealers were still offering the "daisy wheel" as an option, but I don't recall anyone recently saying they had to pay extra for it. Otherwise, platesetters, grill-extenders, etc. etc. are extra. They are desirable, but there are a number of fairly cheap work-arounds to get much the same result.

The Egg comes with a pretty good instruction DVD, showing a number of different things to cook. However, hang out here, and you will learn a lot more. While temperature control may take you a lit bit to learn, it is vastly easier (in my experience, anyway) than with any other cooker.

The amount of food you can cook depends a little on what you are cooking. A large will do many pounds of pork shoulder, for instance. I believe some folks here have done around 32 lbs at once. A large is supposed to do 12 burgers at a time, but with a raised grill, you might do 24 with a bit of fuss. For 2 people, you will have quite a surplus of cooking space. And, as many folks here will report, the ideal combination in terms of versatility and quantity is a large/small combo.

The interior of the Egg is cleaned by an occasional high temperature burn. Your grates, grills and other accessories can be washed just like those of any cooker.

I have my Eggs in nests, sitting next to a bench. Works O.K., but a table may be in the future.

Big Hairy Dawg · March 2009

My dealer put a package together that included the plate setter, pizza stone, ash tool, billy bar, etc.

If I had it to do over again, I would probably have gone with the plate setter for indirect cooking and then waited awhile to see what else I needed.

When I purchased the egg, I was a novice with charcoal cooking but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. As others have mentioned, this forum is great resource for tips and recipes.

For overnight cooks, you cannot beat the BBQ guru. It is expensive and some would argue not necessary, but I cooked two pork shoulders last weekend for 20+ hours and it rained the whole night. I did not even have to open the egg the entire cook. I just looked out the window occasionally to verify that I was at 225 degrees rock solid.

My dad and I built a table using the plans on the Naked Whiz site. It is not as elegant as many have done, but it was less than $100 in materials and I really like the extra work space.

Another tip would be to check out the Big Green Academy on the main BGE site. They have cooking classes for the egg. I will be there in April for the pizza class!

Regards,
BHD

BUILDER · March 2009

First of all, welcome.

Large is fine, easy to clean and there are plenty of good peeps here to help you get started.

I have a nest but will be building a nice table when my financial situation improves.

Good luck and post back with any questions, everyone here was new to the BGE at one time or another.

[Deleted User] · March 2009

I agree with what they said.
but re: FAQ you should look here:

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm

What have you been cooking on (charcoal or gas?)

I also recommend reading this first if you are coming from a gas background:
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2004/02/introduction-to-barbecuing.html

Re: Question #2, there are two temps you need to pay attention to, 1) the cooking temp and 2) the temp of the meat to know when it's done. If you're interested, e-mail me and I can send you a bunch of info that won't overwhelm you but will be more than enough to get you started.

WannabeEgghead · March 2009

Thank you all for the quick responses.

I will lurk around and read up on more things before I go out and buy. Once I do buy, I will try to get some stuff thrown in, if I can that is.

Anyway, thanks again.

Eggmoramus · March 2009

First of all welcome. I am a new egger as well, about 2 months. Maybe I can give you a little different viewpoint than some of the pros. My answers would be as follows:

1. My egg did not come with anything other than the egg. Me being me I bought about every accessory available. What I have actually used is the cast iron grate, the plate setter, the Billy stick. I have the pizza stone and that is going to be my next undertaking.

2. As others have noted, the Egg comes with a DVD but I have learned far more from reading what these guys have to say then I learned from the DVD.

3. I cook for 2 as well. I have the large Egg and I find that it is a good place to start. I am presently looking at getting a small because sometimes I think there are times that it would serve my purposes just fine but I am glad I bought the large first.

4. I have found the Egg to be very user friendly and easy to clean. I may do it a little differently than others. I have found that the easiest way to completely clean the ash is to take all of the insides out and use a small Oxo dust pan and broom. This isn't something you will do very oftenas there is very little residue.

5. I originally bought the nest but after one day I took it back and exchanged it for the cypress table and I am much happier with the table.

I do not think you can possibly go wrong with the Egg or the forum. They are both terrific.

Question about Green Egg and equipment

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