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First experiences with the egg

nicolaigj
nicolaigj Posts: 6
edited July 2017 in EggHead Forum
Hi!

First post on the forum! Been scavaging the forums for a couple of weeks now and I've learned a lot from you guys, thank you so much for all the info out there, and now it's time for me to share some of my cooks and experiences so far.

Got my BGE MiniMax a month ago, chose MiniMax because I have space limitations and no private garden where I currently live. Been doing some cooks on it and I'm more than pleased so far. I swapped my cellphone two weeks ago, so I don't currently have pictures from the first few cooks except the first one. As you might notice mostly of my cooks so far have been veggies and such, I like to eat a lot of vegetables, but I sure enjoy some good meat as well and have many cooks with meat planned.

I've never before thought about the quality of charcoal, but I quickly learned that there's difference between supermarket dust and good quality lump. Sadly good quality is not available around here so I had to order online and cooked for the first time with it today.

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings (first!)
I've done these in the oven before and wanted to test them out on the egg. Turned out great, loved the char I got from the egg.





Pulled pork
Oh my gosh. The meat was tender like hot butter. Did 130 celcius for 7 hours on a piece of pork shoulder (boneless). First meal I did pulled pork burgers with home made bbq sauce and buns, the leftovers I used for pulled pork tacos. No pics until I boot up my old phone to get the pictures.

Naan breads
Made some naan breads, couldn't get the egg quite as hot as I would've wished. The problem was that I used Weber Premium Express charcoal that burns out in 60 minutes, so the coal was practically burned out when I started baking.

Pizza
I nail it in my regular pizza oven, but have some adjustments to do on the egg, raise the grid a bit because the bottom got cooked before the toppings and use better charcoal. Better luck and charcoal next time.

Veggie burgers, baked sweetpotato and roasted veggies
My girlfriend makes some amazing veggie burgers and got more awesome on the egg. No pics :(

Salsa
Roasted some tomatoes, chili and garlic on the egg. Mixed with fresh onion, coriander and lime. Awesome!


Gyros marinated vegetables in pita with tsatziki and salsa
I marinated some eggplant, squash, mushrooms, peppers and onion in oil, lime juice and gyros spice mix. Baked some pita bread and had it with a salad and salsa (I know salsa isn't greek and used with gyros, but hey, I just made some and the combo tasted good).




Sorry about the long post, it took a couple of weeks before I was accepted as a member and able to post something, so this is somewhat a summary.

Cheers!
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Comments

  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
    Wow!  Great first post.  Welcome aboard and enjoy the ride.
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

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  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,656
    AMAZING looking stuff!!!  Super impressed -- great job!!!

    Never heard of cauliflower "wings" -- is there more to it than grilling them till tender and saucing with a Buffalo-style sauce?  Sounds and looks good!

    Are you in Europe somewhere?  (thinking about the Celsius)
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  • Eoin
    Eoin Posts: 4,304
    Cauli looks great. Grilled aubergine, courgette and peppers are a favourite with us as welĺ, make a great sandwich, as you demonstrated.
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 7,339
    I am guessing the UK based on the word "garden ". Some nice variety. Different from the usual run on here and that is a good thing. Hopefully your charcoal situation is sorted.
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  • EggNorth
    EggNorth Posts: 1,535
    edited July 2017
    Welcome to the forum, great looking cooks you have there.  I could never get the pizza I wanted off the MM, same problem as you with crust done before toppings.  

     I look forward to seeing more vegetable cooks, will have to try grilled cauliflower, buffalo sounds like a great idea.  Did you just grill them and then toss in hot sauce?

    Nice to see the Celcius temperatures also  :)
    Dave
    Cambridge, Ontario - Canada
    Large (2010), Mini Max (2015), Large garden pot (2018)
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,532
    You crushed it! Nicely done
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,813
    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.
    Great first post-nailed it.  Congrats.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • LindenEmry
    LindenEmry Posts: 48
    Welcome to the forums!  Your post and pictures were great.  I look forward to seeing your veggie recipes
    In cooking you have to have a what-the-hell attitude. The only real stumbling block is fear of failure.   ~Julia Child

    LBGE, 22" Traeger, and a  FireDisc deep in the heart of Texas

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  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 17,261
    Excellent presentation, beautiful pics and looked absolutely delicious. Very nicely done.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,896
    That's some impressive work right there! I have been wanting to try the buffalo cauliflower, so thank for the motivation.
    Stillwater, MN
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  • ewyllins
    ewyllins Posts: 461
    Great first post!! 
    O-Town, FL

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  • SSQUAL612
    SSQUAL612 Posts: 1,186
    Welcome Aboard!  Thanks for sharing and I'm definitely going to try the Buffalo Cauliflower someday.
    Tyler, TX   XL BGE 2016, KJ Classic 2019,  MES, 18.5 WSM,  Akorn Jr,  36"&17" Black Stone, Adj Rig, Woo, Grill Grates, SS Smokeware Cap, KAB,  FB 300, Thermapen 
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  • YEMTrey
    YEMTrey Posts: 6,835
    Everything looks great AND healthy.   Thanks for sharing.
    Steve 
    XL, Mini Max, and a 22" Blackstone in Cincinnati, Ohio
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  • tonkaegger
    tonkaegger Posts: 35
    Looking good!
    Twin Cities, Minn. XL BGE, cheap barrel smoker and old Weber kettle

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  • nicolaigj
    nicolaigj Posts: 6
    Thank you all for the warm welcome :) Today I'll be doing baked sweet potato texmex-style with salsa, guacamole, quick pickled red onion and some beans.

    Theophan said:
    AMAZING looking stuff!!!  Super impressed -- great job!!!

    Never heard of cauliflower "wings" -- is there more to it than grilling them till tender and saucing with a Buffalo-style sauce?  Sounds and looks good!

    Are you in Europe somewhere?  (thinking about the Celsius)
    Grill for 20 minutes, batter them, grill again and then sauce and grill on direct. I'll probably try and skip the first step next time and batter directly, see what it does.

    Yes Europe, Norway more specifically :)

    EggNorth said:
    Welcome to the forum, great looking cooks you have there.  I could never get the pizza I wanted off the MM, same problem as you with crust done before toppings.  

     I look forward to seeing more vegetable cooks, will have to try grilled cauliflower, buffalo sounds like a great idea.  Did you just grill them and then toss in hot sauce?

    Nice to see the Celcius temperatures also  :)
    Yeah, but part of it with batter :)

    StillH2OEgger said:
    That's some impressive work right there! I have been wanting to try the buffalo cauliflower, so thank for the motivation.
    Do it! Made  a blue cheese dressing to dip them in, very tasty.

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  • nicolaigj
    nicolaigj Posts: 6
    Gulfcoastguy said:
    I am guessing the UK based on the word "garden ". Some nice variety. Different from the usual run on here and that is a good thing. Hopefully your charcoal situation is sorted.
    Yep! Got two bags yesterday, I'll be trying a couple of different brands before I land on my go to charcoal.


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  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,387
    You had a stellar entry into the fray.   I look forward to more great cooks from you.  
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP PitBoss Navigator 850G 11/25
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
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  • Wolfie51sb
    Wolfie51sb Posts: 267
    Very nice

    Rob

    Columbus, Ohio

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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 10,227
    Welcome aboard.   I hadn't heard of Buffalo cauliflower until about 2 nights ago when I saw it on the menu at a California Pizza Kitchen (US chain).  I didn't get any that night but I started thinking that I might need to make some.

    Great first post.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • WDE86
    WDE86 Posts: 69
    I envy your creativity and willingness to go the heavy veggie route. I'm all about the meat. I could probably stand to learn a thing or 12 from you. Keep up the great work. 
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  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,656
    nicolaigj said:
    Thank you all for the warm welcome :) ... Yes Europe, Norway more specifically :)
    Whoa, that is so cool!  I've never been to Norway, but from pictures and TV shows it's one of the most gorgeous places on the planet!  Do you live in the southern parts, or way up there?  Near or on the coast?

    And I don't know what it was about him, but decades ago, back in the '80s, I think, I saw a TV show about Edvard Munch, and I wasn't a huge art guy, but something about his paintings just grabbed me!  I have several books of and about him and his works, and I've often thought of going to Norway partly so I could see some of them in person.

    Somehow it feels very cool, but almost odd to know someone in NORWAY is cooking on a Big Green Egg!  Way cool!
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  • News2u
    News2u Posts: 335
    Well, now I'm convinced you can go vegan with the egg. Nice.
    Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.
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  • RockyTopDW
    RockyTopDW Posts: 338
    Welcome to your new addiction!  Glad to have you!
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 7,339
    Okay I was wrong about the country of origin but now we have an Egger from an entirely new country on the forum. Norway? Maybe you will do fish next or is that stereotyping? Search for Redfish on the Half Shell for a suggestion anyway welcome aboard.
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  • bluebird66
    bluebird66 Posts: 2,953
    Welcome aboard!!
    Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket, Minimax and various Weber's.
    Floyd Va

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  • georgia boy
    georgia boy Posts: 50
    Great post and keep the pictures coming!  Welcome aboard
    MBGE, LBGE since 2009.  Georgia Born, Nashville Made.
    ig: dewsouthbbq

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  • nicolaigj
    nicolaigj Posts: 6
    Theophan said:
    nicolaigj said:
    Thank you all for the warm welcome :) ... Yes Europe, Norway more specifically :)
    Whoa, that is so cool!  I've never been to Norway, but from pictures and TV shows it's one of the most gorgeous places on the planet!  Do you live in the southern parts, or way up there?  Near or on the coast?

    And I don't know what it was about him, but decades ago, back in the '80s, I think, I saw a TV show about Edvard Munch, and I wasn't a huge art guy, but something about his paintings just grabbed me!  I have several books of and about him and his works, and I've often thought of going to Norway partly so I could see some of them in person.

    Somehow it feels very cool, but almost odd to know someone in NORWAY is cooking on a Big Green Egg!  Way cool!
    On the coast in the western part of Norway, the city of Bergen, the second largest city.

    So cool that you like Munch, we have a permanent exhibition of him here in Bergen :)

    Gulfcoastguy said:
    Okay I was wrong about the country of origin but now we have an Egger from an entirely new country on the forum. Norway? Maybe you will do fish next or is that stereotyping? Search for Redfish on the Half Shell for a suggestion anyway welcome aboard.
    Yeah, my girlfriend wants me to cook some fish so I must get that going soon. Want to try smoking some mackerel, and grill other types of fish.

    There's actually a restaurant in Stavanger that's named "Egget" which translates to "The Egg" who cook on a BGE. Don't know if there's any Norwegians on the forum, but I'm most definitely not the first one who owns an egg.

    News2u said:
    Well, now I'm convinced you can go vegan with the egg. Nice.
    Yeah you can :) But I have no intentions of going full vegan, we just prefer a varied diet based mostly on vegetables. I've planned several cooks with meat, baking, cold smoking cheese and so on. Really looking forward to doing all those things!

    Baked sweet potatoes today and grilled some corn on the cob, served with salsa (charred, that I made yesterday), guacamole, pickled red onion and some grated cheese. Very tasty! Forgot to take any pics :(
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  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,656
    edited July 2017
    nicolaigj said:
    On the coast in the western part of Norway, the city of Bergen, the second largest city...

    ... I have no intentions of going full vegan, we just prefer a varied diet based mostly on vegetables....
    I had to look up Bergen to see where it was, and it looks WAY cool!



    And I eat a vegan diet in dribs and drabs about half the time, overall (long story), but I only seem to grill or smoke meat, not veggies.  In vegan times, my Eggs just sit, lonely.  Gotta change that.  Your photos are inspiring!  Keep posting, and say how you did them, and maybe I'll start grilling more vegetables.
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  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,656
    OK, I'm sorry, this is getting way off topic.  But by an interesting bit of synchronicity, a link came into my email inbox here in North Carolina, to an article in the New York Times today about a young chef right where you live in Bergen, Norway: North of Nordic: A Young Chef Invents ‘Neo-Fjordic’ Cuisine.

    Thought you might be interested.
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  • SamIAm2
    SamIAm2 Posts: 2,006
    nicolaigj said:
    On the coast in the western part of Norway, the city of Bergen, the second largest city.

    So cool that you like Munch, we have a permanent exhibition of him here in Bergen :)

    Great first post and nice pictures. Look forward to seeing more of your cooks on the minimax.

    We have watched several shows on Netflix which originate from Norway. The SLOW films are really interesting. Watched the 7 hour 14 minute Bergen to Oslo train ride with our grandson and followed along with Maps as the train moved north. Would pause the show and pick it up the next day or the next time he was with us. The first one we saw was the SLOW Boat trip which sadly is no longer available for viewing here. Scenery is fantastic. Glad you joined the madness.
    Ubi panis, ibi patria.
    Large - Roswell rig, MiniMax-PS Woo; Cocoa, Fl.
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