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Ozzie_Isaac
Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
edited January 2015 in Pork
Well, I received an XL as a present from my father (Jeepster47), so a big thank you goes out to him.

Truth is he wasn't being nice so much as he was embarrassed he had a family member cooking on Webers :)  I have a WSM and a 22.5" OTG I love.  He got got an egg in September and was convinced I needed to step up my game.

I have to say I have been very impressed.  My first cook was a short burn in followed by two chickens at 350.  The chickens were cheap regular fair, but they came out as good as the organic chickens on my Weber.

My next cook was a set of St. Louis Style ribs that I rubbed the night before.  I started later than I wanted so I went 325 for 2 hrs, wrapped for 1 hr, then unwrapped and sauced every 30 minutes with KC masterpiece (cheating I know, but dang that is a tasty sauce).  I also used a mix of hickory and cherry with Nature Glow lump.  They were some of the best ribs I have ever made.  They had a better smoke ring than I can get on my WSM.  I was sold on the BGE after that cook. Especially like the 24" grate so I didn't have to trim or roll my ribs. (Sorry for the blurry pic, but from lurking it seems this board requires proof of cooks ;)

image

My next cook was a 9lb pork shoulder with Oak Ridge Secret Weapon.  I did it at 350 with cherry.  Used the Texas crutch at the 4hr mark because the bark was just like I like.  Checked it at 195, but still probed tough, hit 205 and it probed like butter.  Let it rest in a cooler for an hour and It pulled beautiful didn't crumble so eve at 205 it wasn't over done.  I was satisfied.  Holy cow, was it good.  I had a bunch of neighbors over and they devoured it.  I also warmed up an 8lb smoked ham right next to the shoulder for the last 3hrs of the cook.  I had no grate space left!  Glad I went XL.  No proof on this cook :(

I followed this cook up by some cedar plank salmon.  Simple cook, with a baste made from some homemade mayonnaise and mustard, would have liked to add dill, but didn't remember I ran out.  The salmon came out great.  Another win.

My last cook was a 4.5lb pork loin.  I used a homemade rosemary, garlic, and pepper paste.  I butterflied the loin, cut in some pockets and spread the paste in the pockets.  I then tied it back together and used the rest of the paste over the outside.  I let it marinade over night.  Cooked it at 350 today with some cherry.  It was excellent.  Perfect addition to some homemade corn bread and black eyed peas I made for New Years Day.

image 

image

Sorry for the long first post, but I had some catching up to do.  The short version of the post is, I am the proud owner of an XL and very impressed with the quality of the BGE.  It has been easy to control and honestly helped my Q'ing a lot.
A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS

Comments

  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    Welcome to the forum, you've been busy. Nice cooks.
  • Froman
    Froman Posts: 201
    Nice cooks!! The best ribs I've ever had sold me on an egg too. :smile:
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    Welcome to the forum, you've been busy. Nice cooks.
    Thanks!  I got the XL on December 20th.  I get itchy if I don't grill/smoke something for more than 3 days.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • stemc33
    stemc33 Posts: 3,567
    Welcome to the forum and congrats on the XLBGE. Your dad hooked you up.
    Steven
    Mini Max with Woo stone combo, LBGE, iGrill 2, Plate Setter, 
    two cotton pot holders to handle PS
    Banner, Wyoming
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Welcome and a great start. @Jeepster47‌ is a great Dad. Can I join the family?
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    @stemc33‌

    He sure did!

    @Tjcoley‌

    I gotta sister. Might have to bump her husband off.

    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • tulocay
    tulocay Posts: 1,737
    Welcome
    LBGE, Marietta, GA
  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    @Tjcoley‌ I gotta sister. Might have to bump her husband off.

    =)) =))
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    I can help cook.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Welcome! Glad to see ya already killing it.
    Awesome your Pops @Jeepster47‌ gotcha the egg! Great looking bunch of food Pr0N.
    I already told my wife when our boy gets married (hopefully not too soon) I want us to get them an egg as a wedding gift. It's a hellava lot more practical than crystal stemware, a toaster, Keurig coffee maker, etc,etc.
    Enjoy it. :)
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • FarmerTom
    FarmerTom Posts: 685

    Your brother in law better start watching his back if your dad is giving away XLs to his kids.  There'll be a line of suitors trying to catch your sisters eye.  Heck, I might be one of em.  I'm drooling for an XL to add to my M.

    Tommy 

    Middle of Nowhere, Northern Kentucky
       1 M, 1 XL, a BlackStone,1 old Webber, a Border Collie, a German Shepherd and 3 of her pups, and 2 Yorkies

  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 6,545
    Welcome.... Nice way to disguise that salad with a strip of bacon  ;)...Solid cooks and once again welcome..
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
  • AUCE
    AUCE Posts: 890
    Welcome im an xl owner as well.....
    Love it

    I would much rather be able to say I was glad I did than wished I had........

    XL owner and purveyor of pallette perfection...

    Homosassa....Mecca of Florida

  • jcaspary
    jcaspary Posts: 1,479
    Welcome nice cooks and nice gift from your dad.
    XL BGE, LG BGE, and a hunger to grill everything in sight!!!
    Joe- Strongsville, OH
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Now that is a great gift.  And way to jump in.  You have obviously transitioned from your Webers with ease.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • boochsr71
    boochsr71 Posts: 267
    Welcome aboard!! Awesome gift, one that will be well used

    Booch- from Medina, Ohio

  • bluebird66
    bluebird66 Posts: 2,717
    Welcome aboard and some nice cooks!
    Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket and various Weber's
    Floyd Va

  • grege345
    grege345 Posts: 3,515
    Welcome. Very impressive cooks. Looking forward to future posts.
    LBGE& SBGE———————————————•———————– Pennsylvania / poconos

  • cook861
    cook861 Posts: 872
    welcome nice starter cooks
    Trenton ON 1 mbge for now
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    Thank you all for the warm welcome. The transition from the weber and Kingsford Blue Bag has been pretty easy. I had to learn to ramp into the temp. If you get it to hot it takes a long time to cool. The webers you overshoot, put meat on, then drop temp to what you want.

    The lump also seems to burn a bit uneven. I notice occasional temp spikes of 20 deg or at the grate when cooking indirect. If I let it ride it will settle down back to the right temp.

    All in all I am very excited to move over to the darkside ;)
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    ...  All in all I am very excited to move over to the darkside ;)
    Ah, excuse me!  It's called the enlightened side.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,951
    edited January 2015
    Welcome. Are you guys currently adopting 46 year old males with questionable drinking habits? i would like to submit an application if you are.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    No adoptions ...

    He got the egg 'cuz he was embarrassing his mother and me with his Weber cooking.  It was sad watching him cook on it in cold weather.  The grill looked like a homeless person covered up with old clothes trying to stay warm ... oh that, and the 20# bag of briquettes that he kept burning up to cook a hotdog.  We were afraid that he'd go broke and try to move back home.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

  • No adoptions ...

    He got the egg 'cuz he was embarrassing his mother and me with his Weber cooking.  It was sad watching him cook on it in cold weather.  The grill looked like a homeless person covered up with old clothes trying to stay warm ... oh that, and the 20# bag of briquettes that he kept burning up to cook a hotdog.  We were afraid that he'd go broke and try to move back home.

    Fair enough. My Drinking habits are widely known to be well beyond questionable and I'm not sure I would want to be a member of a family with whom I passed a background check anyway. :).

    Great gift and funny story of the hobo webber all dressed up trying to keep warm.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    edited January 2015


    Great gift and funny story of the hobo webber all dressed up trying to keep warm.

    He is not kidding. Cooked a few chickens when it was 20 degrees out and wind was blowing at 20mph. The WSM struggled to keep 300. Used about 6lbs of KBB and still had to finish on the gasser. Charcoal burned out about 5 degrees short of my done temp. :confounded:

    Btw, 6lbs in the summer is enough for a 12hr butt. The chickens where on for less than 1.5hrs .

    That has not been an issue with the BGE!!
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Welcome!  How did the pork loin turn out?
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    Welcome!  How did the pork loin turn out?
    Thanks for the warm welcome!  Pork loin eas phenominal.  Need to try it again soon.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS