smoker/grill/barbecue

Charlie

I'm new to this site and have a question. I'm looking to purchase a barbecue and have been intrigued by the 'egg' for a long time. Its a nonconventional barbecue, the price is putting me off, and I'm definitely not rich enough to spend mucho denaro on a whim. At 700 bucks if it does not satisfy all my needs my wife will smoke me! I still like the egg. Its advertised as a smoker/grill/barbecue. Everything in the forum seems to be related to smoking/pork/ribs/wings and a little info on bread and calzones. It all sounds great, but, can this thing cook up plain old steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs and corn? And, how long does it take, from initial ignition to start cooking? Thanks! I look forward to the replies.

Unknown

Charlie,[p]All of the above......burgers, dogs.....it's awesome. Ignition is fast......sometime too fast and a beer is not completed before the food needt to go on!! Before you purchase an Egg, and you should......think about what you want to cook.....[p]I have a Large BGE and a Small BGE.....and I can cook a lot on the small (a whole chicken plus some veggies)....and lots on the Large......[p]I know you will get a lot of feedback from people here, and this is just my offering!! I would say, if you want to cook just burgers/dogs etc., a medium is a great idea. That way, when you start trying different things, you have more room for the full Turkey, or chicken and veggies....etc. [p]Enjoy the Egging!! Keep us posted!! [p]

Charlie

Tom,
Thanks for the info. I'll most likely go with a med or a Lg (if I go with an egg). Another question, when cooking the quick greasy foods (chicken, burgers) I'm sure there is a lot of dripping. On a conventional cooker the grease usually burns up creating more smoke and flavor. Does it work the same in an egg or must you use a drip pan before the fire is extinguished?

Sundown

Charlie,
My wife almost divorced me when I brought home Mr. Egg and I'm not joking! I got the large and after two+ years neither she nor I have looked back. We do all kinds of stuff from Pulled Pork to Stir Fry (I got a wok a year ago) Steaks, chops, chicken in all forms, turkey, fish and veggies. Hot dogs and hamburgers for the little kids too. It is worth the investment. Great warranty. I'm thinking of getting a Med. or a Sm. so when I have a long cook going on in Mr. Big we can still eat. Oh, the kids gave me a Mini for my birthday last year and that's fun for a quick little steak or chicken breasts.
The forum will be your best reference for all things Egg. Throw the book that comes with the Egg it's useless! Come here and assk your questions and you'll get your answer pretty quick as a rule.
Good luck and good eating!
Carey

Mike Oelrich

Charlie,[p] It all depends on how you do it. If you put the food right over the coals, the fat will drip down, sometimes causing quite a flare-up. If you use a drip pan, you'll catch the grease before it get to the coals. What you do will depend on what you're cooking and how you go about cooking it. I will say that on low and slow cooks that I've had the fire go out because of the drippings. With a bigger fire, I usually end up with more flames instead.[p]MikeO

Spring Chicken

Charlie,
The initial cost may scare you at first but you and your wife will quickly realize you made a good investment. As for cooking stuff, you can cook just about anything your little brain can think up. In fact, the Egg is perfect for the "creative" cook. But you asked about hamburgers and steaks, stuff most folks cook on the gas grills. Wait 'til you sink your teeth in your first steak. You will think you were eating a $30 steak at a fancy restaurant. And it only takes about two or three minutes a side. As for hamburgers, they are absolutely great on the Egg. I will be cooking me a hamburger for lunch today (I work from home). I will light the Egg about 11:30 AM or so, then get my patties ready. At about 11:50 the grill will be @ 600 degrees. At Noon I will be eating the most delicious hamburger in town. I will probably cook five or six and freeze them. They thaw well. A really nice feature of the Egg is that when I close the bottom vent and replace the snuffer cap on top, the fire goes out and saves the rest of the lump (charcoal) for the next cook. My hamburgers will have probably used up less than a double handful of lump. So a hotdog should be a piece of cake. Go on an take the plunge. You will soon be very proud of yourself. Good cooking...[p]Spring Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Kelly Keefe

Charlie,[p]I agree with you - the "sticker shock" does seem high. But consider the following:[p]1. Lifetime warranty (you won't be having to keep replacing burnt out grills).
2. Ability to cook in ALL weather conditions. Try cooking on a conventional grill in 4" of snow!
3. Versatility. It's pretty hard to make pizza on a habachi![p]I've had my large since the beginning of summer. I cook on it 3-4 times a week and I love it. I'll admit for "simpler" things like burgers and dogs it's sort of like shooting flies with a .45 but the burgers taste better off an Egg than any I did on a Weber. Same is true with steaks, ribs, etc.[p]One other intangible, even if you don't get an Egg keep coming back to the forum. These people are some of the most knowledgeable, friendly people I've ever "met". I honestly believe that in the last few months I've not only become a better barbequer, but have gained enormously in how I look at food in general. Sometimes the stuff they dream up seems "wierd" to me but it always, always gets me thinking. Thanks to everyone![p]I don't think you'll regret getting an Egg. I certainly haven't. If you want any more endorsements or have questions about what accessories you might want to consider, drop me an email![p]Kelly Keefe
Jefferson City, MO

Smokey

Charlie,[p]I think the Egg is the perfect answer. I had purchased an expensive gass grill a few months before I bought my egg. Food cooked on the expensive gas grill tasted just like the old cheap gas grill. Food on the egg tastes better and I can now cook as hot as 700-800 degrees (for seared steaks) down to about 180-200 for ribs, pulled pork or brisket.[p]Smokey

Earl

Charlie,
May i recommend reading the guest book, all input has been entered by present egg owners who have nothing to gain but the enjoyment of cooking good food. Yes the price tag is a major shock, but that will go away after a few cooks.
Read & enjoy[p]Earl
[ul][li]http://BigGreenEgg.com/guestbook/guestbook.html[/ul]

Trout Bum

Charlie,
Makes the best steak, burgers and corn you'll ever eat.My family would never eat grilled corn until the egg. The corn cooked in the hust is absolutely incredible.
Just follow the recipes here on the forum and ask for help when you need it.
I was skeptical also till I bought my first egg a large and then 3 months later bought a small one.
B D

Shelby

Charlie,
A friend of mine showed me an egg in Dec.,2000. He wanted one but knew his wife would kill him. When I told my wife of the price she said, "it's an outdoor appliance" and go for it. So, fortunately, the friend and I both came into a little extra cash from a sideline job and we both bought one. Best investment I've ever made.
You'll be able to cook anything you want on it. I guess cooking some of the more regular meals doesn't make the forum and we all like to let others know how creative we can get. One of my favorites...meatloaf. But steaks are awesome. Funny thing...I hardly ever cook just plain burgers.
Simple answer...if you like cooking and like cooking outside, the egg will replace all your other grills and will be the last one you buy. Well, except for another egg.
Oh, be sure and show your wife all the positive comments.

Jim R.

Charlie,
I have what has been said to be one of the best smoker,
grill etc.called a Holland Grill.I loved it!!Now it stores
my "egg" tools and keep things warm.The large "green egg"
has been the best money I have ever spent.There is a
learning curve but all the support in the world on this
forum.

sdbelt

Charlie,[p]I think you are just a bit unlucky in the "snapshot" that can be found as the current threads.[p]I've cooked, with great success:[p] o burgers
o steaks
o ribs
o pork shoulders
o pizza
o baked potatoes
o corn on the cob
o chicken (whole and cut)
o turkey
o brisket
o jerky[p]I'm sure there are things I'm missing. I've cooked from temps as low as 175 to temps as high as 750. This cooker has a very impressive range of versatility that will amaze and impress you very, very quickly.[p]Enjoy![p]--sdb[p]PS- I bought mine primarily to make jerky...and that's the thing I've done the poorest job of cooking. If you decide to get one, I think it's highly likely you are going to enjoy the food.

sdbelt

Charlie,[p]Chicken and burgers both cook fine directly over the fire. Especially burgers. They cook so fast, and at such a hot temp that very little juice is rendered and its affect on the fire is pretty minimal. Also, more of the flavor of the cook comes from the smoking wood you chose, than from the burning drippings. This is primarily how the BGE differs from a gasser. The gasser really needs something burning other than petroleum to impart a "grilled" flavour. The difference is found in a pink smoke ring in nearly every thing you cook on a BGE. This is on the outside of the meat, which can be a bit disturbing the first couple of cooks, as you wonder if the food is still raw (especially since you cooked it so fast), but trust me, it's cooked and delicious. My two little girls love anything that comes off the Egg that's pink. At times they are even a bit finicky about it: "No I don't want that bite of chicken, I want the pink!"[p]I don't find my chickens render much fat at all. Most often I cook bone on, skinless chicken breasts, which don't give me any trouble directly over the fire. I've also found a whole chicken, cooked vertically, doesn't need a drip pan, though I can imagine it would taste pretty good to do that indirect with a drip pan.[p]I find a drip pan useful for things that really need to cook for a long time (over an hour), like pulled pork, or brisket, or a turkey. Or things that are really, really juicy. You get the idea.[p]Enjoy![p]--sdb

Chuck

<p />Charlie, [p]I too thought $700.00 was a ton of money to spend on another grill. I had bought a $550.00 gas grill less than a year before. I finally broke down and bought a large BGE mainly for the smoker part of "smoker/grill/barbecue". Well that was almost a year and 2 more eggs ago. I just sold the gasser for $300.00 (poor guy) to make room for a multiple egg table I'll be building. Everything from jerkey and almonds to pulled pork and brisket with a lot of burgers,chicken, steaks, ribs, corn potatos and many other thing in between all are done to perfection on an egg. Bottom line is DO IT MAN, DO IT NOW, you won't be dissapointed. [p]As to the next question, "what size" as you can see I prefer the larges with a mini for the quick lunch. No real downside to the large(except a few more $$) and more space that you will put to good use. [p]Good luck with your decision. Have a great day.[p]Chuck <><

Bordello

Shelby,
Just curious, is your friend still enjoying his egg and how does his wife feel about it now.
Thanks,
New Bob[p]P.S. Had leftover stuffed pork tenderloin with my scrambled eggs this morning. Great.

sdbelt

Forgot salmon. That was a wonderful cook. Darn I'm hungry...where's that stuffed pork tenderloin[p]Enjoy![p]--sdb

Unknown

Chuck, what is the tube coming from the mini egg>> is that for cold smoking
sixpack

Unknown

Charlie,[p]I am fairly new to the BGE myself. I know what you are going through ... it is not cheap [p]I bought the large one after going through just about every BBQ out there... with the exception of a firebox type smoker..didn't want one of those frankly.. and this is my experience grin.. [p]It is just the most wonderful cooker ... I have no regrets For example... over this last weekend I did two large pork butts on a 20 hour overnight cook. There is no way I would have even attempted a cook like that on the other BBQ's and smokers I had. It just would have been too much work to control the temp. and feed all the fuel. [p]With the BGE... I just filled it with lump charcoal.. started the fire... put the meat on and went to bed. The next morning it was humming along at 200 deg. just perfect.[p]The meat was done "to Perfection" with very little work. [p]I can not praise it enough. Wonderful cooker and worth every penny in my honest opinion. I use it for almost everything and hardly even use the stove/oven/broiler at all anymore.... it is that good and easy to use. [p]Happy Egging... BB

Jethro

Chuck,[p]I've seen that picture a few times and wante to tell you it looks great. Every time I see it, it relaxes me. Very soothing view.[p]Can you hear the stream in the back ground?[p]Jethro

Chuck

Jethro,[p]Thanks for the comments. The view relaxes me too, it's soooo nice to come home at nights. Unfortunately I can't here running water, it is actually the end of a cove on a 35 acre lake that you see. Most of the water that runs does so underground except at a very high water table. To solve that problem we have a small fountain on the deck that runs spring, summer and fall and a fish pond not far away. Love that sound of running water. [p]Have a great day.[p]Chuck <><

Chuck

sixpack,[p]That is exactly what it it for. I have only used it a few times trying cheese with mixed results. First batch tasted like a fireplace, almost threw the tube away and did throw the cheese away. 2nd and third times were better, but not great....yet. I may try some fish and whatever else comes to mind before long. [p]Have a great day.[p]Chuck <><

MAC

Chuck,
How does the cold smoke work with the mini? What have you don so far?I wanted to try it but haven't yet. did try the pan of ice in the small to do smoked eggs and it worked well.

Gretl

Charlie,
The only thing I use the indoor oven for is baking cookies. I much prefer the Egg for just about everything. I have two Eggs; a large and a small. Good luck!
cheers,
g

Shelby

New Bob,[p]He enjoys his egg but he doesn't use it as much as I do. His wife is ok with it especailly if she doesn't have to cook.