Need tips on becoming a cook instead of just a smoker

SaintJohnsEgger

For frying I'll use the side burner on my gasser.  If that gets to be too much I'll get a separate fryer..

whldch

Meathead's Book and website should be very helpful, especially his chapters on "Zen of...." charcoal, wood, meat, etc. Outstanding material that will help you define the kind of cooking, grilling, smoking you want to master.

Theophan

SaintJohnsEgger said:

...I want to do more "cooking" instead of just "smoking" as I have been doing on my large.

I'm looking for tips on what you cook as well as on tools etc  that will help. I figure on getting more CI pots/pages and maybe even a CI grate.

Has anyone got any stories on how they transitioned from smoking to cooking?

I'm sort of the reverse.  I've loved cooking ever since 1969 when I bought my first cookbook (about pasta, which was a great way to begin cooking).  I love good food, and once I started cooking, there was no looking back.  I know some people hate to cook, but I don't get it, I just don't.  And as part of that I also did a little grilling, first on the "hibachi" charcoal grills they used to sell, and then a Weber kettle.  And I tried smoking stuff in the Weber kettle, but it never really went very well for me.  But that stuff was the sideline -- most of my cooking I did in the kitchen.

Then my wife bought me my first Big Green Egg, and I was HOOKED!  I'd never in my life loved grilling and smoking foods so much!  Just love it!  But unlike a lot of folks, here, I cook less outside that inside.  I can grill in the rain, for example, but I don't enjoy it.  And again unlike a lot of people here, I don't really "get" how cooking in a skillet on a BGE is really very different than cooking in a skillet on my stove.  All I use my Eggs for is grilling and smoking, and I LOVE them!  I very much DO feel like I'm "cooking" on my Eggs.  Smoking is part of that, but I usually don't add wood when roasting a chicken in my BGE, for example.  So I'm not "smoking" it and I'm not grilling it, either.

For myself, I'm not very interested, really, in cooking in skillets and dutch ovens in my Eggs.  I've made pulled beef using a dutch oven in my Egg, and it was good, will probably do it again.  But at long last, like others have said, above, I think what really matters isn't whether you define something as "cooking" or "smoking" or "grilling," the Egg is just one of many tools we can use in cooking WONDERFUL food.  The key thing is simply what do YOU, personally, enjoy eating, so what would YOU, personally, enjoy cooking, then?

I'm not the expert many others, here, are, but just looking at things I cook, I don't see a simple spatchcock chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper, as "smoking" at all, much less "just smoking."  I don't see cooking jerk chicken as "just smoking," even though I do usually use some wood for smoke with jerk, because making the hand-made jerk marinade and marinating the chicken is most definitely part of "cooking."  I've made some shrimp ("Gulf Coast Shrimp") that were better than any shrimp I've ever had in a restaurant, and I don't see that as "just grilling."  People LOVE meatloaf cooked in the BGE, and I don't see that as "just smoking."  I like bulgogi, and that doesn't seem like "just grilling" to me.  My wife's favorite grilled chicken is SO different than "just" grilling pieces of chicken -- the hand-made rub is part of "cooking" to me, and MAKES the dish.  Making the bourbon BBQ sauce that has become by far my favorite for spare ribs is "cooking," not just smoking.  A Korean-style marinated chicken strip recipe similarly is "cooking," not just grilling some plain chicken.

Again, the bottom line isn't defining what's "cooking" and what is "just grilling" or "just smoking," it's what do YOU want to cook?  Forget the pots and pans or tools, think first about what YOU would like to eat!  There are thousands and thousands of recipes on this forum!  Poke through them and see what YOU want to cook!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

SciAggie said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Read this. it is the best "how to cook' book I've read. Has recipes but they are just to reinforce the process of using Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat to cook better food. I read it all last weekend. I knew a lot of it but learned a ton as well, Highly recommended if you want to learn to cook everything better.

Cool! I didn't know about that one.

It came out last friday. I had it pre-ordered. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

SaintJohnsEgger said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Read this. it is the best "how to cook' book I've read. Has recipes but they are just to reinforce the process of using Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat to cook better food. I read it all last weekend. I knew a lot of it but learned a ton as well, Highly recommended if you want to learn to cook everything better.

That sounds like an interesting book. In your view, does it translate well to cooking on the egg?

Very much so. She only cooks over
live wood coals so there is a lot on grilling in the "heat" section. She loves live fore cooking. 

SaintJohnsEgger

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

SaintJohnsEgger said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Read this. it is the best "how to cook' book I've read. Has recipes but they are just to reinforce the process of using Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat to cook better food. I read it all last weekend. I knew a lot of it but learned a ton as well, Highly recommended if you want to learn to cook everything better.

That sounds like an interesting book. In your view, does it translate well to cooking on the egg?

Very much so. She only cooks over
live wood coals so there is a lot on grilling in the "heat" section. She loves live fore cooking. 

I noticed that in the video.  So it sounds like it will translate very well to cooking on the egg

Focker

I've seen Samin, on Victory Garden's Edible Feast.

dcc

My wife started subscribing to the Martha Stewart "Meal in a Box" service a few months back.  We would never have thought to cook some of this stuff.  It has all been very tasty and not too difficult to prepare.  Pretty heavy on chopping veggies though.  Most of the recipes can be adapted to cook outdoors.  A little pricy, but it has been lots of fun.  There are several companies providing box meals.  Pick one and give it a try.  If you don't mind spending a little extra cash, it's a simple way to broaden your cooking horizons.

NPHuskerFL

It's a matter of transitioning from cooking on a range or oven to the egg. Not being a smart @ss but, it's really that simple. No need to reinvent the wheel. Now, if you can't "cook" to begin with, you may want to start at basics. Knife skills etc. All these things play a roll in the outcome of said cook.  

HeavyG

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Read this. it is the best "how to cook' book I've read. Has recipes but they are just to reinforce the process of using Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat to cook better food. I read it all last weekend. I knew a lot of it but learned a ton as well, Highly recommended if you want to learn to cook everything better.

I just got that a couple days ago myself. Haven't read it yet tho but does look interesting.

FatTrout

Great Question: I think the answer lies in gaining experience in using your Egg as an oven rather than with a BBQ / Smoker mind set. Your Egg is essentially an outdoor convection oven capable of cooking pretty much anything you can cook in your kitchen oven, it is not limited to the BBQ classics. My advice is to start with family  recipes you normally cook in the kitchen and adapt them to the Egg. This includes breads, pies, etc. One thing I did, was to find a standard non BBQ cookbook. I like Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine so I got some good cook books with that focus. I use a cookbook from a Greek restaurant called Kokkari, and one called Jerusalem by a chef named Ottolenghi. I have been cooking from these sources for well over a year now. To say it has expanded what I cook on my Egg, is to put it only mildly. According to my wife, my cooks have greatly  improved and gone to a level far more varied than classic BBQ. That's not to say, I don't through on a butt, brisket, or burger, from time to time. Another great resource I found is a Greek cooking web site called Kalofagas, it has some amazing recipes. Best of luck on your journey and happy cooking. 

Hans61

 My advice is just to try new recipes anything you would cook in the oven cook in your eggs!

wok cooking in your egg could be a game changer! Happy egging my friend! 

Hub

SaintJohnsEgger said:

One reason for getting the MM was I want to do more "cooking" instead of just "smoking" as I have been doing on my large.

I'm looking for tips on what you cook as well as on tools etc  that will help. I figure on getting more CI pots/pages and maybe even a CI grate.

Has anyone got any stories on how they transitioned from smoking to cooking?

Thanks. 

My advice to you, is to start drinking heavily.

thetrim

Step one, buy a floppy white hat.    Step two, get a Sous vide cooker.  Step three watch the movie "BURNT",   You'll get there before you know.  I always think one sign of a great cook esp one in FL is being able to do seafood well a d make multiple types of sauces to go w all different kinds of seafoood.  I don't have a go to seafood cookbook but have a few different New Orleans, Cajun, Creole books.   

bgebrent

Funny, but +1 on SV cooking.

gdenby

dcc said:

...It has all been very tasty and not too difficult to prepare.  Pretty heavy on chopping veggies though. ...

That's why the knife topic comes up a lot. I considered it a big step forward when I learned to dice a large onion in less than a minute, and the knife was sharp enough I didn't shed a tear.

Eoin

Hans61 said:

 My advice is just to try new recipes anything you would cook in the oven cook in your eggs!

wok cooking in your egg could be a game changer! Happy egging my friend! 

The wok works so well on the egg.  Even with a wok burner on a gas hob, there's not enough heat energy and it's not spread enough to make a big wok hot all over (rather too hot in some places and not hot enough in others).  You just need really good gloves!