Big green egg question

slowcooker

I just sold my offset smoker and I am thinking about buying a BGE. My question is when slow cooking/smoking on the BGE how do you add wood chips to the fire without removing the meat?

Thanks

Little Steven

slowcooker,

Happy Victoria Day. Seriously, you can set up your cook without having to add anything. Build the fire, put your wood in. Set it and forget it.

STeve

NJ-GrEGG

Once I get the charcoal in the EGG stabilized at the temerature I want, I simply sprinkle the smoking chips through the grate. I let it go for about 30 minutes and then I put the meat in the EGG. After that I never need to add anymore charcoal or smoking chips.

slowcooker

Thanks for the reply. I am looking at the XL model.
Will the cooker hold enough wood chips to smoke a brisket for 18hrs? My experience with layering lump coal and wood chips is that you run out of wood before you are ready to remove the meat. I also like to use larger pieces of fruit woods when cooking. Is it possible to use larger pieces of wood with the BGE? Also does the BGE produce consistent smoke?

rsmdale

You would be better off using chunks instead of chips,I have used up to 4-6 inch pieces and have no problems.I have a XL and a large and you cannot go wrong with either.


GOOD EATS AND GOOD FRIENDS

DALE

Little Steven

slowcooker,

The large is the most versatile. Depends on how much you want to cook. If you are coming off steel cookers, you won't believe how long you can go with one load of lump. Either model will give you more time than anything you can cook. Wood chips or chunks will be a fraction of what you are used to.

Steve

Panhandle Smoker

I use the chunks. You will have plenty of smoke for your low and slow cooks. I didn't believe it when I started using the Egg. No water pan? No re-loading lump or chips? And the meat is juicier than it ever was with a vertical water smoker. I have done several low and slow cooks now with both chips and chunks. I will get the chunks when I can but fruit wood chunks are a little hard to find around here. I have had a 19.5 hour cook with my XL and still had enough lump to go a few more hours no problem.

slowcooker

Steven, which size to buy was the next question I had. What makes the large more versatile? I like to cook alot of food but most of the time I am cooking for 5 to 10 people. I cook alot of louis style ribs, briskets, chicken, and turkey on the smoker. I know nothing of the BGE so be easy on me. The XL was appealing to me because I think I can fit a small pig in it if I wanted to.

Little Steven

slowcooker,

The XL doesn't have the same dome geometry as the others. It is a great cooker for single layer cooks. Somebody will show you how much stuff you can fit on a large. You're talking four to five 8lb butts, a bunch of chickens and a lot of ribs. I just used an XL tonight, for the first time in a few years, and it is a rib machine but if you want versatility, go with the large.
Steve

AZRP

A guy did a 60 lb pig in a large in Atlanta last year. -RP

BigGreenDawg

One thing is for sure you will wonder why it took you so long to discover the BGE like me. I went into my dealer to get a Cajun Chef grill and he said that they Stopped carrying them and if I am a charcoal guy then I NEED an Egg, end of story.

Look forward to seeing some pics from you after you get started with it.

Little Steven

Teddy,

Haven't crossed paths in a while. Happy Victoria Day man. All my best to Chris. He beating you up on the cooking side yet?

Steve

Panhandle Smoker

Here are some more pics of loaded up Eggs. Mostly LGs and XL's
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m218/buxwheat/IMG_1840.jpg

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=634165&catid=1#

stike

40+ hours on a large no problem. and that is only because we did back to back cooks. you won't need to refuel, or add wood.

stike

no fair. that thing was spineless, like CW

AZRP

:laugh: -RP

Panhandle Smoker

It is still Impressive. I don't if I would have the grit to try. :laugh:

The Naked Whiz

If you are using wood chips or chunks, you can just distribute them throughout the charcoal when you build your fire. A full load of charcoal in a large Egg going low and slow will last about 30 hours, so there is no need to open the cooker and add anything to the fire. Good luck!

Grand Oeuf Vert

BGE came recommended to me from a Buddy. He has XL. However, it was Eggheads and Dealers alike that suggested if you want low and slow, go Large. You have lots of room for layers of racks which increases the amount of food you can cook. I've cooked for 14 with ease on the Large. As for wood, I layer the chips in a spiral on top of the lump and it works well. The BGE is so good, don't need as many chips to do long cooks.

YetiBob

I agree - I have done just over 30 hours on my Large. Of course that was when you could still get Weekend Warrior Lump. Now all I can find is Cowboy - it still works well.

slowcooker

So it seems that the large cooks better than the XL when it comes to smoking? I will be looking to buy a large then. Thanks

Panhandle Smoker

Grand Oeuf Vert wrote:

However, it was Eggheads and Dealers alike that suggested if you want low and slow, go Large..

I can't say I agree with that completely. While yes there are more configurations available for the large but with two levels on the XL there is a lot of landscape and you could easily make 3. I prefer the XL for large cuts like full brisket and ribs. I have the luxury of having both the XL and the Large. The performance is about equal but I prefer the XL for the low slow cooks. It just depends on what I am smoking. My .2¢

florida Nick

The XL works great when it comes to smoking as well. I purchased my XL a couple months ago, having previously used a propane water smoker, the difference in the food that comes off the egg and the temp control is amazing. Fill up the fire box with lump mixed with both chips and chunks and you don't have to worry about replenishing either pretty much no matter what your cooking and when your done just close the bottom draft and cap the top and the fire snuffs out and you can use the lump and wood again for your next cook. My propane smoker is now a home for the rats in my shed :laugh:
The large is the most popular egg size. Most people on here will try to talk you out of the XL and into getting a large or a combo of a large and a small. The large has the most accessories available but a member on here, tjv, makes some great accessories for the XL giving it much more versatility. You can also get multi-level racks for the XL giving you that much more cooking area. I have one and it works great, you can even flip it upside down to put the smaller grate just above the lump for some really high temp searing.
Both the large and the XL are great, i had the opportunity to cook with the large for a week before my XL came in. As I'm sure some people will show you, you can get pretty creative and really pack some food on the large in order to cook for large crowds. It really comes down to personal preference and the thickness of your wallet. Personally I enjoy the extra space the XL gives you to work with, with out having to get a little creative to make the space. But hey, maybe i'm just lazy.
Either way i'm sure you will be happy and amazed at what the egg can do.
Good Luck!
Nick

slowcooker

I went to look at the XL and large again. I now notice that the fire box on the large is much deeper.

Fire Walker

But the XLs fire box is much wider. If you want true grill realestate without stacking, the XL is your cooker and yes there is a sort of bias against XLs the Large owners always purport of their versatility, their versatility is due largly to the fact that the large has been out for a long time so many work arounds and devices have been manufactured to increase the cooking capacity of the large. The XL is big to start with and with the new XL cooking rigs coming on the market it will double an already giant copacity.
FireWalker

Frank from Houma

XL or L - you will be happy.

One Level


Two Levels


Three Levels


Four Levels :woohoo:


How many wings can you put on four levels?

Dancing Chicks


One butt would look kinda lonely

Three butts (cubano pork) with lots of real estate to spare


It's all about temp, smoke, time, and technique

Size doesn't matter that much. Geauxgetchuoneman - XL or L

SWOkla-Jerry

My 1st egg was an XL....liked it so much I then bought a LGE a few months later. I love both and both are exceptional cookers, smokers, griller.