Why buy an egg?

[John Hjorth]

Anyone here on CoBF with experience, comments, recommendations etc.  about products from this company?

 

Big Green Egg.

[gfp]

Just got back from a trip where my friend was raving about his big green egg and a few thousand dollars of extra "nest" tabletops and stations and such that were also big green egg branded.  He made a brisket that was fine but not amazing.  He was very enthusiastic about the several thousand dollars he had dropped on the setup.  There are plenty of lower priced Kamado style smoker grills competing so it might be a little bit like the tons of knock off YETI style coolers out there from an investment standpoint.

[bizaro86]

What do you want to do with it? The big advantage those have is they can get very high temperatures for searing. 

 

 You can also use them as a smoker, so they do have dual function. But they're a lot more work to keep at temperature for smoking than something like a pellet grill (Traeger most commonly, but lots of other brands).

 

I considered getting one, but decided to keep my natural gas grill (which gets pretty hot) and buy a Traeger. So now I have 2 things but I'm pretty sure I use the traeger more than  I would have used the egg.

 

Obviously YMMV. I bought it at Costco.

[Saluki]

I think it's  outrageously priced, but the distinctive green color and shape is a clue.  It's like the red bottoms on a woman's shoe or the little alligator on a polo shirt. You want people to know that you bought something really expensive, so that people can envy you because you are the type of person who can drop that much money on a grill. 

[DooDiligence]

I got a Traeger nearly a decade ago and it's still going strong.

[John Hjorth]

Thank you, @gfp, much appreciated.

 

Here in our household, we already have two grills, that actually works fine for us. One - a tiny one - in our front garden yard [the front garden yard fairly good shielded, to keep it private], and a bigger one at the patio in the back yard and main garden]. Brand Weber - and those actually fulfill our needs.

 

So to me, it reads so I perceive it as the concept of "luxury" has hit BBQ, too - if I'm not totally mistaken here.

 

- - - o 0 o - - -

 

Edit:

 

Whoa!, Was posting without seeing all posts after @gfps above. Will get back here in this topic.

Edited July 24, 2023 by John Hjorth
Fixed language

[gfp]

Yeah, we have a simple Weber kettle - the 22" nicer one that is a step up from the basic 18" unit.  It works fine for us but we don't grill out a ton in the heat of south Louisiana.  Plus I like that Weber is from Palatine, Illinois, which is basically where I was born.

[John Hjorth]

Somehow, you're my kind of guy here, @gfp,

 

Here is a screen shot of the Weber Smokey Joe - from the Danish part of the Weber website today, that we have in our front garden yard, to use, when we are nobody but the two of us BBQing - It resides on a small wooden table normally used as a pot plant stand, to get it up in operational height :

 

 

I'm not an engineer, but I think I can acknowledge when I have something truly outstanding in my hands related to engineering. The number of components, including  screews and wingbolts are optimized the heck out of this product to the absolute minimum! It's so fascininating! Several components then have dual purposes / functions.

Edited July 24, 2023 by John Hjorth
fixed language

[John Hjorth]

1 hour ago, Saluki said:

I think it's  outrageously priced, but the distinctive green color and shape is a clue.  It's like the red bottoms on a woman's shoe or the little alligator on a polo shirt. You want people to know that you bought something really expensive, so that people can envy you because you are the type of person who can drop that much money on a grill. 

 

So much for that, @Saluki - the trade off / alternative between showing off with a grill or [even] larger stock positions [- without showing off -] among CoBF members. We both know the answers to that.

 

But then there is also the element of passion to BBQ [that to me trespasses every limit of rationality]. My late little brother was an avid hunter, also devoted to fishing, he allways had a grill handy when he was out hunting or fishing. Also a niece of mine is married to a man, who actually grills [coal based only, Weber tools only] all year around. A bit kinky, if you ask me, but this is not about my personal sexual preferences.

 

Only one place to order these thingies / products here in Denmark according to the website, and really expensive, verging to obscene. Here, I'm just trying to get some sense of the utility of the products.

 

As also @gfp has implied above, there is an element of culture to grilling and BBQ, that I suppose varies wildly, as with food in general.

[Gamecock-YT]

a sous vide will get you 80% of the the way there for 5-10% of the cost depending how fancy a setup you want

[Parsad]

Truth is, you can make great food on any sort of heat...so whether it's an Egg, smoker, gas stove, open fire, sous vide, cheap barbecue...doesn't matter.  But depending on the type of heat and time, how you prepare the protein will decide the outcome as well.  I've seen some guys create their own cheap-ass smoker and make amazing barbecue.  I've also seen people use high-end stuff and make great barbecue.

 

For example, I know people who swear by their Egg or high-end grill, but I've made just as good barbecue on a plain old cheap charcoal grill.  I've also owned a high quality gas grill and the main difference comes in the grill grates (ceramic), controls and maintaining the temperature...the rest is aesthetics and preference.

 

The one thing I will say about the Egg is its build quality.  It's rock solid and will last you a couple of decades if you smoke and barbecue regularly.  The simplicity of it means there are few working parts and things to break or deteriorate.  

 

As I've gotten older and moved to a condo, I've gotten rid of the grills except a little cheap hibachi for picnics...I do everything in the oven and on the gas stove top.  It works fine for day to day stuff, but you don't get the great bark you would on a smoker or grill.  But you can still do salmon on a cedar plank, great wings, steaks/chops on stovetop on a good cast iron pan, etc.  

 

If you barbecue a lot in the summer or year-round, and want to spend on a quality barbecue that will last you 10 years plus easy...go for the Egg, it's worth the money if you use it a lot and don't want to buy another barbecue.

 

Cheers!

[jks327]

I stack bricks on the ground 2 or 3 rows high and throw an oven rack over it, wet the soil around this so it doesn't start a fire.  Granted, I only cook outside half a dozen times per year.

[DooDiligence]

28 minutes ago, jks327 said:

I stack bricks on the ground 2 or 3 rows high and throw an oven rack over it, wet the soil around this so it doesn't start a fire.  Granted, I only cook outside half a dozen times per year.

 

BBQ'ing is a manly pursuit. This is the way.

[Parsad]

1 hour ago, jks327 said:

I stack bricks on the ground 2 or 3 rows high and throw an oven rack over it, wet the soil around this so it doesn't start a fire.  Granted, I only cook outside half a dozen times per year.

 

Yeah, this is a great way to cook.  Hell of a lot of fun!  Problem is...these days with climate change, we're seeing more fire restrictions, alerts, etc.  For example, Vancouver is going through a crazy drought where we could not do that this year at all.  All you're allowed to use is propane barbecues.  Cheers!

[crs223]

This was a game changer for me:

 

 

Thermapen: a thermometer but it is so responsive that you can see the temperature change as you go deeper/shallower.

 

I use that thermometer with a craigslist-bought weber.  I’m spoiled now cooking at home… i’m usually disappointed with beef, pork, and fish in restaurants.

 

A couple friends use Trager smokers.  These Tragers use “pellets” and hence can control the temperature from your iPhone.  I haven’t yet had a smoked beef/fish/pork that I like more than what I get on the grill.

 

 

[Castanza]

17 minutes ago, crs223 said:

This was a game changer for me:

 

 

Thermapen: a thermometer but it is so responsive that you can see the temperature change as you go deeper/shallower.

 

I use that thermometer with a craigslist-bought weber.  I’m spoiled now cooking at home… i’m usually disappointed with beef, pork, and fish in restaurants.

 

A couple friends use Trager smokers.  These Tragers use “pellets” and hence can control the temperature from your iPhone.  I haven’t yet had a smoked beef/fish/pork that I like more than what I get on the grill.

 

 

+1 and a really good electric induction plate with digital temp can really up your cooking skill. Duxtop makes a really solid one for about $100 

[John Hjorth]

 

I got this reply from the Fintweetosphere,- I'm surprised by reading of a quality issue with products from this brand and company, actual pricing taken into consideration :

 

 

 

 

 

[maxthetrade]

Kamados are very versatile and efficient, but nothing magic about them. I use a really cheap pellet smoker that was for sale at Aldi for €99,- (regular price 299,-). It makes perfect brisket, short ribs etc. Meat quality and some knowledge is WAY more important for the end result.

Personally I wouldn't pay up for that particular brand, Metro offers from time to time an excellent Kamado at a very reasonable price.  

Edited July 23, 2023 by maxthetrade

[lnofeisone]

A friend swears by this thing and has all the accessories including a modified thermocouple and an app. He said the learning curve on this thing is very high. The first few times we had his cooking, it was meh. He finally figured it out and now it comes out nearly the same every single time. His problem is that he doesn't use it enough.

 

My take, similar to many points of view above, if you are serious above BBQ and do it often, it's worth it. If you are a casual BBQer, there are cheaper options that will get you 80% there.  

[Gregmal]

Yea idk but after years of messing around with this stuff, best overall bang for the buck plus food quality and convenience factor is a decent electric smoker which runs about $400. Just set the time and temp and that’s it. Cook briskets, chuck roast, pork butt and shoulders, sausage, and even salmon all the time. They’re great and the consistency is what makes it worth it for me. 

[Parsad]

10 hours ago, Gregmal said:

Yea idk but after years of messing around with this stuff, best overall bang for the buck plus food quality and convenience factor is a decent electric smoker which runs about $400. Just set the time and temp and that’s it. Cook briskets, chuck roast, pork butt and shoulders, sausage, and even salmon all the time. They’re great and the consistency is what makes it worth it for me. 

 

It's the difference between a brick pizza oven and a regular oven.  80% of people are perfectly fine with a good pizza cooked in a regular oven.  But there are 20% of people that swear by super high heat brick pizza ovens. 

 

Then again, there are people who swear by boiling their ribs before grilling...I think that's sacrilege!  Buy good quality St. Louis ribs, make an awesome dry rub, and cook it low and slow on the grill or smoker.  When it's about 20 minutes from being done, brush the BBQ sauce on it (add some ground espresso to the dry rub and liquid espresso to the BBQ sauce).  It will come out great no matter what type of grill/smoker you use!

 

Cheers!

[Castanza]

9 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

It's the difference between a brick pizza oven and a regular oven.  80% of people are perfectly fine with a good pizza cooked in a regular oven.  But there are 20% of people that swear by super high heat brick pizza ovens. 

 

Then again, there are people who swear by boiling their ribs before grilling...I think that's sacrilege!  Buy good quality St. Louis ribs, make an awesome dry rub, and cook it low and slow on the grill or smoker.  When it's about 20 minutes from being done, brush the BBQ sauce on it (add some ground espresso to the dry rub and liquid espresso to the BBQ sauce).  It will come out great no matter what type of grill/smoker you use!

 

Cheers!

 

One of the biggest things people do wrong with any meat (steak, ribs, brisket etc.) is not letting them come to room temp before cooking. You can make solid ribs in your oven in about 2 hours.

 

I do this all winter long if it's crappy outside and don't want to deal with the grill.

 

Baby Back Ribs

- Pre-heat oven 350

- Dab ribs dry with paper towels

- Lightly rub with honey, mustard, or olive oil

- Dry rub seasoning

- Put on cookie sheet lined with foil and bake for 1:45-2hrs pending rack size

 

- Pull ribs out and up the temp to 450

- Move ribs to a fresh cookie sheet with new foil

- Sauce the ribs

- 5-10min

 

- Broil 2-3

 

Less time is better and minimal sauce is better for oven ribs. Not a true sub for a smoker, but sometimes good enough is better.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Castanza

[Paarslaars]

19 hours ago, Gregmal said:

Yea idk but after years of messing around with this stuff, best overall bang for the buck plus food quality and convenience factor is a decent electric smoker which runs about $400. Just set the time and temp and that’s it. Cook briskets, chuck roast, pork butt and shoulders, sausage, and even salmon all the time. They’re great and the consistency is what makes it worth it for me. 

 

Pellet smokers not worth the extra bucks? Seem to have the same convenience as electric smokers, no clue on quality though.

[Castanza]

18 minutes ago, Paarslaars said:

 

Pellet smokers not worth the extra bucks? Seem to have the same convenience as electric smokers, no clue on quality though.

Do you prefer your carcinogens in liquid or solid form 

[RedLion]

I use a pellet smoker daily from probably April to October. I use pit boss brand. They hired the founder of traeger to consult with them after traeger finally went off patent protection. Plus they’re based in Alberta.