Foodies behold: The Big Green Egg
October 29, 2011 4:01 PM   Subscribe

The Big Green Egg is the foodies' version of a... "barbecue grill". More accurately, the BGE is a Kamado cooker, a ceramic design developed by the Japanese centuries ago. This ain't no Weber. The versatility of the design allows for very high-temperature cooking (up to 1000 F or more), low-and-slow "smoking" (250 F and below), and everything in between.

This means you can make just about anything on it -- not just traditional grill food like steaks and hamburgers, but pizza, breads, deserts, stir fry, pulled pork, even the Thanksgiving turkey.

While there are fancier and more expensive versions, for whatever reason the BGE has developed a large cult following known as Eggheads. Eggheads turn into proselytizers, and I unapologetically admit that I am one. (Other than being a happy customer, I have no connection to the company; and as noted, there are other brands.)
posted by mikeand1 (32 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: This really reads more like an ad than a FPP and is picking up a lot of static. -- restless_nomad



 
I want it and can't afford it.

And I really, really want to cold smoke some meat, which is damned near impossible on a kettle grill.

You enjoy that thing. Someday, I'll jury rig something together out of a box, a thermocouple, and an arduino, and then fail, and then I'll wish I had a big green egg.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:09 PM on October 29, 2011


For those on a budget with a DIY bent, a similar cooker can be made from a terra cotta pot. With digital control (for temperature), they can even be on the internets (some even Tweet).
posted by exogenous at 4:12 PM on October 29, 2011 [3 favorites]


There used to be a local place that tried to make a go of selling these, as well as having a catering business and a restaurant next door (to demonstrate the end product). Unfortunately they didn't last long, probably due to a combination of people in the area having no taste for good BBQ as well as no spare cash.

I like the DIY terra cotta project though. Seems like on a windy day lots of insulation would be desirable (yes, I like to cook outdoors in 35 mph gusts, what of it?)
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 4:21 PM on October 29, 2011


Someday, I'll jury rig something together out of a box, a thermocouple, and an arduino, and then fail, and then I'll wish I had a big green egg.

My grandfather made a smoker out of a big wooden box. It was shaped like an outhouse, about 6 feet tall. He used screen from a screen door stapled into the sides as shelves. He put an old hot plate in the bottom, set on an old cast iron frying pan filled with wood chips. He set it in the middle of his backyard and ran a 50 foot extension cord to the house.

We turned it on and soon enough smoke was pouring out between the boards. My grandmother saw the smoke from the house and stuck her head out the window and yelled "Phil, you netter turn that thing off, it is going to catch on fire" he replied that he had done this hundreds of times and she should mind her own business.

Some time in the middle of the night I saw strange light though the window and smelled a terrible plastic burning smell. Looked out the window and saw the thing was burning. The flames must have been 20-30 feet high.

For years he though my grandmother set it on fire just to prove him wrong. Who know, maybe she did.

His next attempt was a 50 gallon oil drum. We had no way to cut it so he had me trying to punch holes though it with splitting wedges and a sledge hammer. That was no fun at all.
posted by Ad hominem at 4:26 PM on October 29, 2011 [6 favorites]


America's Test Kitchen prefers the Weber Smokey Mountain grill, which is much cheaper. They said it has much better temp control than the egg, which has no vents at the bottom. $250 at amazon. I got a good deal on a Cobb grill, which, if you fill the moat with water and use large chunks of charcoal, can maintain about 300 degrees. I smoked a butterflied chicken on there and it was killer. $60.00 on sale.
posted by Huck500 at 4:27 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]


"But can it keep your Pepsi Blue chilled?"

Sorry if it comes off like a commercial. The other brands may be just as good, I have no idea, not having used them.

If you're building you're own, I'd think the following elements are essential:

(1) Some kind of ceramic or clay shell;
(2) At least three levels:

(a) the bottom level, containing an adjustable opening, which sits empty for air flow;
(b) the second level up, holding wood lump (not charcoal);
(c) a third level, with the grill holding the fuel.

A fourth level would consist of another layer holding a stone or ceramic disk on legs (what is called the "platesetter" in Egg-speak. This allows you to cook foods indirectly -- e.g., without direct exposure to the fire. This also works for putting a pan of water or cider under the food, to maintain moistness.

If you can duplicate this structure, you can probably duplicate the Egg.
posted by mikeand1 at 4:30 PM on October 29, 2011


^^^ Arg -- "food", not "fuel".
posted by mikeand1 at 4:30 PM on October 29, 2011


Overpriced Foodie Blue
posted by Thorzdad at 4:31 PM on October 29, 2011


No, it ain't no Weber. It's for people who are happy to pay many times more than one might for, say, a Weber Smokey Mountain so they can produce results that aren't any different to, say, a Weber Smokey Mountain, and so they can say the word 'ceramic' a lot.

And I really, really want to cold smoke some meat, which is damned near impossible on a kettle grill.

You can't cold smoke on a Big Green Egg, either, without using an external heat source and ducting (or a soldering iron and a can of shavings), in which case you can use your kettle grill in exactly the same way.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:31 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]


My friend bought a Big Steel Keg instead and loves it.
posted by kdar at 4:33 PM on October 29, 2011


In these tough economic times I am grateful there is a product that can both cook ribs to perfection and melt gold.
posted by munchingzombie at 4:33 PM on October 29, 2011


"It's for people who are happy to pay many times more than one might for, say, a Weber Smokey Mountain so they can produce results that aren't any different to, say, a Weber Smokey Mountain..."

Not quite. Can you sear steaks @ 1000F on a Weber Smokey Mountain? How about pizza at 800 F? No, you cannot.

There's a good reason why there's a cult following for these things.
posted by mikeand1 at 4:37 PM on October 29, 2011


can you cook at a very high temperature for an extended time on an Egg? Would it make a passable tandoor?
posted by cogneuro at 4:38 PM on October 29, 2011


looks more like an avocado...
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:39 PM on October 29, 2011


Cold smoking on a BGE.
posted by mikeand1 at 4:39 PM on October 29, 2011


We've had a Kamado #5 for seven years now and it's been great. We grill a couple times a week and for whatever reason, everything just tastes better from it. Yeah, $700 seemed a lot for a grill, but I'm convinced that with the amount that we grill, we'd have gone through 2-3 of even the fancier Webbers in that time. The Kamodo Kamado's seem a bit over the top at ~$3k.
posted by mandro at 4:40 PM on October 29, 2011


"can you cook at a very high temperature for an extended time on an Egg?"


The only limitation is going to be the wood lump - how much you can get in the Egg, and how long it lasts. To be honest, I've never tried to see how long I could go, because high-temp cooking usually means the food cooks fast.

It probably also depends on the size of the Egg. On an extra-large egg, you can put in a ton of lump. You might be able to maintain a 800F fire for a couple hours or more, but I'm just guessing.

I don't know about using it as a tandoor though. Here's a recipe for tandoori chicken, but it doesn't look the same.
posted by mikeand1 at 4:45 PM on October 29, 2011


More on BGE as tandoor oven.
posted by mikeand1 at 4:47 PM on October 29, 2011


I think I'll avoid product links, since I don't want to be labeled a shill by people who aren't really contributing to this discussion; I'm not even an outdoor cook, but I obsess over certain things, and online BBQ forums are one of them. The Weber Smokey Mountain grill seems to be the gold standard for smoking. My brother cooks with a Big Steel Keg, mentioned above; it's much cheaper than the BGE, and really awesome for grilling, smoking, and baking (with a Pitmaster or DIY automatic temperature controller*, the temperature remains steadier than in non-convection high-end ovens like Viking el al).

Whatever you do, be sure to smoke a fattie. Paddles clear!

*the Pitmaster is basically a computer fan connected to a thermostat that you hook up to the air intake at the bottom of your grill, and it blows on the coals as necessary to maintain your coals at the right cooking temperature. Cool!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 5:01 PM on October 29, 2011


Weber Smokey Mountain

My stepfather has one, he makes some great smoked kielbasa.

One of mikeand1's links mentions smoked cheeses, which for me would be reason enough to buy one of these if only I had a place to put it.
posted by Ad hominem at 5:06 PM on October 29, 2011


I can attest to how good the DIY smoker is that exogeneous mentions. I will point out a few 'buts', however:
- The only way to replace used-up wood chips during the cooking process is by removing the lid, food, and grill, which means it's a little trickier to keep a steady cooking temperature.
- Speaking of temperature, some DIY instructions don't mention that you really do want an external rheostat controller for the heating element. You'll be fiddling with it a bit.
- Yes, the insulation properties of bare terra-cotta may be somewhat lacking for cooking in extreme weather, but it's not really a big problem from, say, 50 to 90 degree ambient temps.
- It's not all that big - it'll fit a small whole chicken (~6lbs or less), a salmon filet (cut in half), or a single rack of ribs (again, cut in half), but that's about it. You won't get a whole brisket in there.

That last point is what finally caused me to upgrade...after about 4 years. Still, it does work and it's cheap.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:11 PM on October 29, 2011


"You might not work for the company, mikeand1, but you might as well."

Except that I have nothing to gain from it.

Hey, if it's good enough for the NY Times...
posted by mikeand1 at 5:16 PM on October 29, 2011


Here's another DIY version that duplicates the basic structure of the Egg a little more closely.
posted by mikeand1 at 5:19 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]


Not quite. Can you sear steaks @ 1000F on a Weber Smokey Mountain?

Yes. I build a direct fire on the second rack, then grill on the top rack. Of course, I can also sear steaks on the grill I made from a discarded washing machine drum. You know, for free.

How about pizza at 800 F? No, you cannot.

I haven't tried pizza in my WSM. I was perfectly happy with the pizza made in my Weber kettle, though (though the best was in my electric oven), and I've had mediocre pizza from a wood-fired oven. Guess there's more to getting pizza right than just heat, and more heat doesn't mean better pizza.

There's a good reason why there's a cult following for these things.

It's the same reason there's a cult following for anything - people are stupid, but their brain has all sorts of ego-cushioning defence mechanisms that convince them they've made The One True And Best Choice. These people get together, and they reinforce each others' delusions. The sure sign of mindless cult thinking is that one must destroy all outsiders, hence the average BGE owner taking being incapable of talking up their grill of choice without putting down Weber in the same breath. Like you did. Twice.

But whatevs. Yours cost more, it must be better. Enjoy your cult, bro!
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:23 PM on October 29, 2011 [3 favorites]


(For everybody who wants to DIY and achieve outstanding results on the cheap, your Google / Youtube phrase for the day is 'ugly drum smoker'. You don't have to leave your family, either.)
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:27 PM on October 29, 2011


But whatevs. Yours cost more, it must be better. Enjoy your cult, bro!

I have both.
One is not necessarily better than the other, but each do better at different tasks.

can you cook at a very high temperature for an extended time on an Egg? Would it make a passable tandoor?

What counts as very high? I can maintain 550F on the Egg for quite a while. Anything above 600F seems to consume fuel at a significantly faster rate. 700F and above only seems achievable for about 45 minutes before you're adding lump.
posted by madajb at 5:42 PM on October 29, 2011


I have the best value ceramic smokers made, a Primo Oval XL. I have a friend that owns a restaurant supply company and sells them. He owed me some money and I took it as payment and it was one of the best choices I have every made in my culinary life.
Made in America, bigger than a Green Egg and works just as good if not better. Green Egg needs to look over their shoulder at this company...
posted by analogtom at 5:43 PM on October 29, 2011


Alton Brown has used the following items to smoke meat:

- Terra cotta plant pot (mmm brisket)
- Cardboard box (used to smoke salmon)
- A set of gym lockers he found at a junkyard, some dryer hose, and a fan from a computer case. (Bacon.)

This tells me if your goal is to slow smoke meat for gen-u-ine BBQ (or pastrami! Or lox!) stupid-expensive grills and pricey smokers are not required.

That said, a well made tool is sometimes it's own reward, and all the Weber's I've ever known rust out in fairly short order, despite regular maintenance. A BGE will have at least three times the life of Alton's "Ol' Fireball", which can make up for its cost if you're a "grill three times a week, no matter the season" type of family. (Ours is. Steak and chicken and chops from a pan? Pizza from the oven? Crazy talk.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:54 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]


What I want is a thing on which I can grill meats, smoke stuff and bake artisanal breads as cheaply as possible. BGE looks like a Leica of outdoor cooking. What's the next best(i.e. good enough for us mere mortals) thing?
posted by Doleful Creature at 5:55 PM on October 29, 2011


Hey, if it's good enough for the NY Times...

I take no issue with this post, but if that's your standard for an FPP you're treading on dangerous ground.
posted by auto-correct at 6:23 PM on October 29, 2011


"Yes. I build a direct fire on the second rack, then grill on the top rack."

I seriously doubt you're getting it to 1000F. How would you even know? The thermometer on those doesn't even go nearly that high.

The Smokey Mountain is a smoker. It isn't designed for 1000F, and if by some miracle you're doing it, it's extremely dangerous. Call up Weber and ask them if you don't think so.

Or else just keep doing it, and see how long it lasts. Same with your washing machine drum.

I'm not stupid, and I'm not deluded. Keep your personal attacks to yourself.
posted by mikeand1 at 6:33 PM on October 29, 2011


Bayou Classic makes a version of the ceramic grill that's a passable alternative, that costs about half as much as a BGE, though it's still ridiculously expensive.
posted by crunchland at 6:35 PM on October 29, 2011


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