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Big Green Egg
- Thread starter Gutwrench
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Gouda is a big one. I've tried smoked goudas from the store but there's something wrong with them. Dutch Tradition from Costco (bigger, cheaper) works well. Smoked mozzarella, bonus if you can get a mound not made from cow's milk. Extra sharp cheddar. You can smoke any firm cheese. Setting up the smoke processes a bit difficult if you don't have a dedicated smoker like I do. Otherwise you can find a ton of articles online on making a makeshift one or buying a special unit for it. I set up baking sheets and place the cheeses on a wire rack set atop the baking sheets. It deflects heat coming up and the smoke stays at the top.
Recommending what wood to use depends on your personal taste. I personally don't ever use apple wood for smoking meat or cheese, because it tastes awful. Others like it, but I'd like to eat too. As I said in one of the threads, I believe the coffee one, I usually buy large chunks of cheese of various types for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. But those are harder to get during the warmer months, so smoked cheese it is. I like Costco for the basics like cheddars because the one near me carries a whole line of them. The oak aged white cheddar from Cabot comes in a 2.5-3 lb hunk that smokes well. For a 14-18 month cheese, it's quite good alone but even better when smoked. There's an Australian cheddar that does well and holds up well due to it being more on the crumbly side. Blue cheese too.
I never have done cheese, will have to give it try when I get back home.
Enjoy. If it's a warm day, setting up a loaf pan or two of ice will keep the air inside cooler, allowing for denser smoke.
I didn't have any time last week to do anything fancy, so I seared a few burgers on the grill, and popped them into the smoker for a bit to get some flavah on.
Like I said, nothing spectacular. But man, did they turn out good. Don't know what accidental magical thing I did, but they were awesome. So good, in fact, I'm putting my beef rib redux on the backburner to make more burgers tomorrow.
If I can repeat the magic, then I can at least say that I've mastered this one thing.
Like I said, nothing spectacular. But man, did they turn out good. Don't know what accidental magical thing I did, but they were awesome. So good, in fact, I'm putting my beef rib redux on the backburner to make more burgers tomorrow.
If I can repeat the magic, then I can at least say that I've mastered this one thing.
I wonder if you could prefreeze it and smoke it while frozen, and once it gets to near ambient, move it over to the grill. On the grilling front, I need to clean out one of my burners. It's not lighting properly and causing constant flareups. The weather was supposed to be warm this week but that didn't turn out to be right. Hopefully next weekend the weather will be fairer. I still haven't decided on a new grill yet though. Still figuring out whether I want a built in unit or standalone.
I hate making burgers from scratch though. It takes too long to debone and select the meat blend you want. It's worth the effort. I'm playing around with the idea of making smoked tandoori chicken. Not traditionally smoked, but a high heat with thick smoke. Open flute for dry heat to waft in with a tray of smoking wood chips. Unfortunately the boys are too young for that stuff or most foods, so tasty blended chicken soup it is. I'm not a huge fan of Indian food by any means, but do enjoy a few foods from the various regions. Plus the contrast of white meat against the brilliant red of the sauce/coating is stunning.
I hate making burgers from scratch though. It takes too long to debone and select the meat blend you want. It's worth the effort. I'm playing around with the idea of making smoked tandoori chicken. Not traditionally smoked, but a high heat with thick smoke. Open flute for dry heat to waft in with a tray of smoking wood chips. Unfortunately the boys are too young for that stuff or most foods, so tasty blended chicken soup it is. I'm not a huge fan of Indian food by any means, but do enjoy a few foods from the various regions. Plus the contrast of white meat against the brilliant red of the sauce/coating is stunning.
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Late to the thread, but a long standing member of the BGE cult. 
A business colleague was in our town and at dinner he told us about his BGE. My wife knew it was only a matter of time. That was Monday, on Wednesday I called her and told her to thaw some steaks. She could not believe I bought a $1K grill. But after a couple of meals, she was hooked as well. That summer it paid for itself as we stopped eating out. One week we cooked on it 6 nights.
Now 2 other neighbors have one because they ate food at our house cooked on it.
It really is an amazing grill. But had i seen the Traeger first, I might have gotten it and been just as happy.
A business colleague was in our town and at dinner he told us about his BGE. My wife knew it was only a matter of time. That was Monday, on Wednesday I called her and told her to thaw some steaks. She could not believe I bought a $1K grill. But after a couple of meals, she was hooked as well. That summer it paid for itself as we stopped eating out. One week we cooked on it 6 nights.
Now 2 other neighbors have one because they ate food at our house cooked on it.
It really is an amazing grill. But had i seen the Traeger first, I might have gotten it and been just as happy.
I seem to be missing something even after 13 pages. What's so great about the BGE? Steaks wise, I try to purchase meat from Costco, because they're rather thick and graded prime. I know not every Costco is the same. The pricing difference between the same cuts of choice and prime is minimal at best. I still support my local butcher though. Because he can get me specialty meats for very thick steaks. I'll admit to being that "ass" who'll go through the meat finding the best marbled one. While the selection is prime, not every package is marbled well. We need a new grading system. Bone in ribeye prime, well marbled, I like to cook at high heat on the grill, get marks, rotate, get marks, flip over, do the same and get it off the heat fast. I often get the whole packages and cut my desired thickness.The issue with grilling ribeye is that because of the fattiness of the cut, it's very easy to catch on fire. Once it catches fire, the internal temp of the meat goes up very fast.
Hi Zenithal - I feel the benefit of a ceramic grill, in my case a BGE, is it can smoke, grill, and bake. The dome temperature is consistent and easy to maintain and they perform consistently in all kinds of weather be it rain, sun, subzero or 100F and even in wind.
From steak, chicken, bacon, pork butt, brisket, to Peking duck, and ribs galore; to vegetables, peanuts, almonds, and paella; to pizza and bread everything just turns out excellent and it's not me. I've grilled for years on regular grills and never ever came close to these results. It has motivated me to learn and experiment. I just could not be more pleased.
I bought the large egg and a few assessories for an initial investment of < $1k. It's been worth every penny and will last my lifetime and probably the life of the lucky kid who inherits it.
I'm with you! I prefer to buy thick cut steaks graded prime and try to avoid choice and select. I'm not expert but in my experience technique and expensive equipment can't compensate for poor quality meat. That's just common sense though I suppose.
My favorite steak is a toss up between a tenderloin and ribeye. I have them cut at about 2 inches and sous vide at 132 F. I finish tenderloins in a very hot iron skillet with butter and thyme. Ribeyes are finished by searing them on the Egg at about 700 F. Both steaks are seasoned on the plate. Mmmmmmm.
Last night I grilled a tri-tip and vegetables. Then I brought the temp up and finished some brats.
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Late to the thread, but a long standing member of the BGE cult.
A business colleague was in our town and at dinner he told us about his BGE. My wife knew it was only a matter of time. That was Monday, on Wednesday I called her and told her to thaw some steaks. She could not believe I bought a $1K grill. But after a couple of meals, she was hooked as well. That summer it paid for itself as we stopped eating out. One week we cooked on it 6 nights.
Now 2 other neighbors have one because they ate food at our house cooked on it.
It really is an amazing grill. But had i seen the Traeger first, I might have gotten it and been just as happy.
My next door neighbor bought a Traeger and is very happy with it. A couple weeks ago I was at the mailbox when another neighbor two doors away stopped as they drove by. They said they've had an Egg for a couple years and it has exceeded all their expectations. Ha ha, yeah it is cultish! Kinda like when I owned a bike and jeep...you wave and greet each other as you pass.
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I wonder if I can "rent" a unit and try it out. Sometimes you can find a choice cut that's marbled well, and was obviously graded incorrectly. I've scored a few "choice" flapmeats that were actually prime. Thank you Costco and your silly employees.
I tend to dislike tenderloin because it's relatively lean, far too soft and can have a strong mineral taste. I would like a tritip marinade/coating/whatever recipe. I've done my own thing a few times but can't seem to get something that enhances the beef flavor and reduces the mineral taste it can have.
I tend to dislike tenderloin because it's relatively lean, far too soft and can have a strong mineral taste. I would like a tritip marinade/coating/whatever recipe. I've done my own thing a few times but can't seem to get something that enhances the beef flavor and reduces the mineral taste it can have.
Do something similar on the BGE. For steaks I get it to about 500 degrees, sear each side for 2 minutes or so to sear in the flavor and then kill the air and let the steak bake until it is the desired temp. Then foil them and let them sit for 10 minutes. Can't beat it.
I've never heard anything about renting one, but never actually researched it. The large on the nest will weigh something like 225 pounds, I think. Sometime stores will be cooking and giving food samples to demo them. I'm not sure that's a good test though. Maybe you might have a friend who has one and invite yourself over! As I said earlier, I like its versatility from smoking to grilling and baking. I like longer cook's (for me that's 6-18 hours). I just sit in the yard (or at the fireplace in the winter) with beer, gin, martini, or scotch. I've started cooks at 9 pm and just went to bed never getting up once. At 6 am the pit temp is exactly as it was when I went to bed.
Yeah tenderloins are definitely lean that's why I sear them in a pan finished with a fat like butter or seared and drizzled with a buttery wine sauce.
You might dislike my tritip. All I do is marinade it over night in teriyaki, pat it dry, then season it with Holy Cow (beef rub) by Meat Church. I grill it at 275-280F until 132F-135F internal. If I don't think it's char'd enough when it reaches 125F I open the lid and dampers and let the heat and flame flare to build the bark I want then pull them at ~135F. I slice it thin on a cutting boat with a moat to catch the flood of juices.
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Yeah! I've done that or actually reverse sear by cooking at 350F and then sear it at the end. Definitely good.
Hey this thread was started because I bought an Egg and wanted to chat about them and BBQ. I regret now naming it BGE. The thread is more over about grill/bbq'ing and smoking...or anything you do outside with food while we drink! I hope you stay and share your cooks and advice!
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I did a ton of research on the subject before I bought my last two grills. For what it's worth, I'm a mechanical engineer with a background in heat transfer and fluid mechanics, and I worked as a cook to put myself through college. I may not be the most knowledgeable on the subject, but there's a lot about the subject with which I'm very well-versed.
In a nutshell the difference is this: the Big Green Egg is insulated, and most other grills are not. That doesn't mean they get hotter, or stay hotter, or anything else relative to any other grill; the only thing they do better from a heat/cooking perspective is that they use less fuel. While that's definitely a plus, it didn't justify the price tag for me; YMMV.
Any grill/smoker/whatever that can produce a given temperature at grate level can grill. Any grill/smoker/whatever that can maintain a temperature can bake. If it can maintain a temperature and burn solid fuel then it can smoke. The BGE can do those things while using less fuel as long as the lid is closed (remove the lid and the insulation becomes almost completely ineffective).
My last grill was a black iron smoker and I loved it. The downside to it was that it took a LONG time to build a fire and get it ready for grilling, so I didn't use it as often as I would have like. My current grill is gas, and I love it as well. I haven't run into any drawbacks with it. Many people love their BGE, and that's fine, too. I just couldn't justify the price.
We do a reverse sear with Prime Rib. We actually prefer Choice vs Prime because it has less marbling. We cook it at 225-250 with a plate setter until it hits an internal temp of 125-127, then pull it and tent it in foil until I can get the temp n the egg up to 450+. Then put it back on without the plate setter for 3-4 minutes per side. Nice sear, but you don't end up with that inch or so a gray meat around the outside. It's pink all the way to the crust.
Nice tips, thanks. I've seen the gray meat before and dislike the look.
By renting I meant going to a grill event at a store or buying one, trying it out and selling it if I don't like it. I'm not a fan of "sweet" meat, but the issue is I've only made tri-tip once that had a strong beef flavor and not much else. All other attempts had a strange off flavor.
@Herdfan Yes, as I said we prefer the marbling for flavor and whatnot. But the issue is the high temps a charcoal or gas grill is capable of will turn that nice piece of meat into a lump of coal if you're not careful. I made a ribeye steak many, many years ago while I was still a bachelor. I left it for 1 minute and came back to it on fire and smoking. It burned about a half inch into the meat in that one minute. I've modified my gas grill to retain heat. It does affect the internal parts requiring a change out every few years, but it allows me to get a fast sear within a minute of opening and closing it. Inside ambient temperature gauge with a Thermopen is all you need for success, provided you know how to season and or marinade.
@Herdfan Yes, as I said we prefer the marbling for flavor and whatnot. But the issue is the high temps a charcoal or gas grill is capable of will turn that nice piece of meat into a lump of coal if you're not careful. I made a ribeye steak many, many years ago while I was still a bachelor. I left it for 1 minute and came back to it on fire and smoking. It burned about a half inch into the meat in that one minute. I've modified my gas grill to retain heat. It does affect the internal parts requiring a change out every few years, but it allows me to get a fast sear within a minute of opening and closing it. Inside ambient temperature gauge with a Thermopen is all you need for success, provided you know how to season and or marinade.
I lived in the Bay Area (Iowa transplant) for a long time. I never heard of tritip and a buddy introduced it to me. That's the only way I've cooked it so it's what my tastebuds expect. They're old dogs. After retiring I moved back to Iowa and now in the Twin Cities. I just found tritip here. It's gaining popularity in the Midwest I think. So I suppose the price will soar.
I season brisket with Holy Cow rub (Meat Church) and make a better rub myself. Maybe I will try the tritip with just Holy Cow.
I don't mean to be a walking advertisement for Meat Church but Holy Cow and Honey Hog Hot are fantastic rubs in my opinion. Besides Matt Pittman is an great guy!
http://www.meatchurch.com
http://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/how-meat-churchs-matt-pittman-smokes-his-brisket-7038730
I season brisket with Holy Cow rub (Meat Church) and make a better rub myself. Maybe I will try the tritip with just Holy Cow.
I don't mean to be a walking advertisement for Meat Church but Holy Cow and Honey Hog Hot are fantastic rubs in my opinion. Besides Matt Pittman is an great guy!
http://www.meatchurch.com
http://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/how-meat-churchs-matt-pittman-smokes-his-brisket-7038730
Have three Kamado Joes. They're great! You'll now spend a lot of time cooking outside. Congrats!
Depends. Brisket is popular with smokers and I guess certain cultures, yet the price has always been cheap. Tritip untrimmed is very cheap. 2.99/lb for choice and 3.75/lb or thereabout for prime. If everyone was into beef, I'd imagine it being expensive in the future, but that isn't the case.
9.99 for a single pound? Trimmed or untrimmed? I'd have thought beef would be much cheaper in the mid west. You can always convince your wife that you two should move back to California. "It's for the beef, honey!" My local Costco is expecting quality grade Copper River salmon to come in at the end of this week. To be somewhere around $20/lb. Hopefully the quality is great or otherwise I'm going to be disappointed. Regular grocers set out ads this week of 35-40 USD/lb. Get out!
I usually buy a pound or two of the cheap chum salmon for my neighbor from my guy, a fish monger, who dries it into treats for their pets. That garbage isn't fit for human consumption. But the dogs love it.
I usually buy a pound or two of the cheap chum salmon for my neighbor from my guy, a fish monger, who dries it into treats for their pets. That garbage isn't fit for human consumption. But the dogs love it.
I'm divorced now, so you, know moving back to California when I retire again isn't a bad idea. I move there originally while in the service and stayed.
Yeah the tritip is 9.99 a pound. But to be happy nest I buy it from an somewhat upscale market. It's far superior to local brisket. The tritip is from Double R. I'll but it over local brisket.
Oh. Sorry to hear that? Or felicitations?
That's an awful price. I'm so sorry you have to pay so much. I'm trying to figure out our July 4th needs at the moment. I need a final head count before I pre-order the meat. I suppose the mid-west offers quality butcher made sausages? There's a few places here that do them well. I did make the mistake of picking up spicy ones my butcher made on a whim last year. It practically blew my head off. Incredibly spicy, but delicious. The brisket market here isn't so hot, so prices are cheap. It's not uncommon to spot choice for dirt cheap at Costco or a prime cut for under 4/lb. I do a wet rub mine and do a wet smoke. Once the internal temp reaches near the desired point, I stop wetting it and it develops a nice crust with juicy meat inside. I've done a wet and dry rub and let it smoked, but it wasn't as good as the wet smoking. Ideally you'll want your rub ingredients repeated in the sloppy mixture so you don't dilute flavor. Brisket is the only time I'll use an electric knife because it's very easy to cut thin slices as opposed to a knife.
Hey thanks. I discovered activities I couldn't tolerate. It hurt and still does from time to time. I learned a lot about relationships and myself in the process. One lesson learned is that doing the right thing sometimes involves pain, and that pain doesn't mean it is necessarily wrong or unhealthy. If it had not been for my therapist and attorney I don't think I would be as well adjusted as I think I am. (Some people here might disagree with my adjustment though...ha ha.)
Anyway, so I really don't mind being alone. I have two female dogs who think I'm the greatest. That's enough pressure. So the three of us have a hobby of playing with smoke and fire. I give away most everything I cook to coworkers and neighbors. Sometimes I give it to the garbage because it doesn't turn out.
Too much info eh? Well it's time for coffee and think of what to cook today and tomorrow.
On a trip to Texas in the early 2000s, for hunting and a smoke event, I asked one group what they did with meat they overestimated the cooking time for. Not burnt, but well done. Seems the usual solution is to chop it up and combine it with a sauce. Making it edible.
As for the other part. If two people can't get along together, then separating after exhausting all other methods seems to be the best choice.
Edit: Thinking about it, I'd imagine mixing it with the sauce lets the acidic content get to work on the overcooked meat and mellow out the crust's smoky flavor.
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