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Cook\'s Illustrate Magazine is dissin\' the BGE!

Ricklesss
Ricklesss Posts: 391
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Just got my C.I. Magazine yesterday, and in the article on "Memphis-Style Dry-Rub Ribs starting on page 19, there is an article on Comparison of smokers.
Not entirely dissed, with 2nd place, but still, they like and rated the friggin' "Webber Smokey Mountain Cooker" better??!!
Due to the "cramped cooking surface" (no raised rig)
and lack of a water tray which "yielded markedly drier results".

I guess, (slightly sheepishly)now; never having cooked true barbecue using a water tray, DOES t work a little better?
I usually go with C.I., so I am wondering a tiny bit...

There is slightly more, but the same rating, none-the less at:
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/results.asp?docid=25623

Comments

  • penfresh
    penfresh Posts: 103
    Man!!!!! I just sent them my thoughts on that review. Try controlling the temperature on that other smoker within 10 degrees. Love that magazine, have every one that was ever published but that is just flat-out wrong.
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    Not sure how they got a drier result, but I will be happy to teach them to cook
  • Ricklesss, I'm a longtime subscriber to C.I. myself and agree with most of the articles they write, however and you know this, they can be off their rocker with some of the recommendations they make for different things.

    Quite frankly, they are clean wrong on this article. I'm not sure they used the BGE correctly....KK
    When you have to shoot...shoot....don't talk!
  • Isn't that the same grill Harry Soo has to wrap with insulation in bar b q competitions because of inclement weather? Yeah thats temperature control!

    I'm sorry but maybe someone should send a picture of someone smoking 100+ lbs of meat. And how hard is it to add a pan of water to an inverted plate setter? I've tried it but didn't notice and significant difference from cooks without water pan, both cooks where tremendously tender and juicy.

    IF they where rating the best buy smokers I can see the smokey mountain cooker winning out. But in arguing which is the better performing cooking vessel and has the biggest number of attributes, the egg wins hands down.
  • Weekend Warrior
    Weekend Warrior Posts: 1,702
    They were comparing smokers, not grills or ovens or any of the other things BGEs do well. If I wanted JUST a smoker, for the money, I'd probably go with the Weber too. The "drier meats" comment did get me a little cranked though. Thats BS. Honestly, the BGE shouldn't have even been in that comparison.
  • Capt Frank
    Capt Frank Posts: 2,578
    I'm not familiar with this magazine but two things are likely:
    1. We all know that there is a learning curve to cooking on the egg. I would bet that they called the factory and got a free demo egg, set it up, probably didn't even look at the video, and cooked something which didn't turn out to well, and wrote an article, so much for responsible journalism. :sick:
    2. Weber buys advertising in their magazine. :whistle:

    Capt Frank
    Homosassa, FL
  • baychilla
    baychilla Posts: 387
    They also like using match light charcoal in their chimney starter as normal briquettes are too hard to light otherwise :blink: .

    Having both a WSM and LBGE I'd say if anything the edge goes to the egg. The WSM could come out dry if you didn't keep after the water pan (use a brinkmann bowl as a replacement for the Weber part). Also, "oops" when adding water at 0230 and somehow hitting the coals.
    Near San Francisco in California
  • hmm so not obviously the consumer reports of kitchen hardware! :ohmy:
  • Dust9000
    Dust9000 Posts: 26
    America’s Test Kitchen is a real 2,500 square foot test kitchen located just outside of Boston

    Just like if you have to disclose if you own a certain stock you are rating, people should have to disclose their location when they rate BBQ, except when your from Texas, no disclosure required.
  • eenie meenie
    eenie meenie Posts: 4,394
    How disappointing. CI is one of my cooking bibles.
    Hopefully one of our northeastern eggers will invite Christopher Kimball to the New Hampshire eggfest and show him a thing or two. Then they can publish a retraction.
  • Mainegg
    Mainegg Posts: 7,787
    That is a great suggestion Rebeca! someone should contact them and then they can do a retraction!!! :whistle::lol:
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Julie, I nominate Rebecca,,, you want to second it? :evil: :laugh:
  • Mainegg
    Mainegg Posts: 7,787
    seconded !! here here!! :side:
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Motion passed :woohoo: :woohoo:
    Rebecca is now our official CI ambassador ;);)
  • Capt Frank
    Capt Frank Posts: 2,578
    Kinda like electing Cindy Crawford to the Pork Producers Council :cheer: I love it :P

    Capt Frank
    Homosassa, FL
  • TampaQ
    TampaQ Posts: 40
    I would have to agree with Weekend Warrior...Doesn't bother me at all. Purely to smoke, probably the Webber but Just for the cost. Although I do keep my egg at 250 degrees for 13+ hrs without having to touch a thing.

    Did the article say what they had with the egg? platesetter etc? curious.

    Anyhow, try and T-rex a steak on the WSM!!! Nothing cooks a steak better than the egg.
  • eenie meenie
    eenie meenie Posts: 4,394
    Pat and Julie, I am so honored. :P For my first order of business, I hereby appoint Julie the CI Egg culinary attache and Pat the official CI taster of all things Egged. BTW, what is my pay?
  • elzbth
    elzbth Posts: 2,075
    I recently allowed my subscription to CI lapse. Over the years I've learned a lot from the articles, etc., however I got so many email solicitations from them pushing cookbooks - it just got old. To each his own, but I can't imagine choosing WSM over the Egg...
  • My wife used to work with someone whose husband was one of their chefs. He's not there anymore or I'd rip into him.

    I live about 5 miles from their location. I'd be happy to go teach them to use their Egg too.

    -John
  • For the record, Cook's Magazine does not publish advertisements.
  • tach18k
    tach18k Posts: 1,607
    The WSMC is also about 1/3 the cost, and money is the root of all reviews, you dont a see a $10K Klose unit in there do you? If the reviewer put in a hand full of lump and cooked, ya bad results for a first timer. It all reall doesnt matter, how many ads in the mag does Weber have and how many for BGE? Again it is all $$ driven
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    they just didnt understand that you can set up an egg just like a wsm with waterpan, racks etc and gain all the benefits that an egg offers as well like 1200 degree cooks, use in freezing weather, better heat control, ease of use with way less tending, lifetime warranty etc. if ceramics didnt exist there would be a wsm in my back yard, it is a descent cooker and is fairly versatile as a seasonal cooker for those of us up north. it still wouldnt get the use that my egg gets because i would be owning a kettle as well
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Cruzr
    Cruzr Posts: 91
    and the trend with the WSM has been to cook without water and use a flower pot saucer instead, to avoid the problems with water running out, spilling over, being dumped, etc. After trying the dry saucer, most people got rid of the water pan and never looked back. But you still have to worry about the sun coming out pushing up temps, running out of lump/charcoal, rain, windy days... but I'm preaching to the choir here...

    Cruzer