http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...322_104329.jpg
Gonna build a nice little table to match the deck in a week or two. But'm gonna cook chicken on it tonight!
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http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...322_104329.jpg
Gonna build a nice little table to match the deck in a week or two. But'm gonna cook chicken on it tonight!
^^^ (Wipes drool from chin, checks bank account balance, sobs quietly.)
I have an older version of this: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Maste...h-All+ProductsQuote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
I love it. You just set the timer and temp and set it and forget it. Most recipies I've seen for electric smokers recomend only short smoke periods, so constant smoke isn't an issue. For ribs, for example, I only use a cup of chips. Maybe ad a half cup at a time. I recomend one of these for a cheap option.
Have you had any issues with the heating element failing or other problems? I looked at those a while ago but was scared off by a lot of negative reviews that seemed to indicate they weren't very durable/reliable.Quote:
Originally Posted by GiBo
I made the same table as Smmokan but added a granite insert and wheels so you move it around, made it out of mahogany as well. I have a full set of plans and instructions for making this table if anyone needs them.
Attachment 112774
No. I read those reviews too and was gun shy as well, but my dad saw one on sale for $150 and snagged it for me as a gift. It's been out on the covered patio for a year and a half and it's been working great.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
I made an 8lb. pork butt this past weekend. I put it on the BGE at 11:30 PM Saturday Night had to pull at 4:50 PM Sunday because I had to got to a family member's house for dinner. I wrapped it and put it in a towel lined cooler to rest for the trip and then shredded it about 5:45 PM so it barely had an hour to rest. The damn thing was still good.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...2/IMG_1601.jpg
^^^ Wait, so you smoked an 8-lb pork butt for 17 hours? At what temp? That seems like a really long time, especially since it probably stopped absorbing any smoke flavor after the first few hours.
There's another (Chinese made) alternative out there:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846
Picked one up at Lowes the other weekend for $300. The reviews are very good, haven't used a BGE myself, but so far it seems pretty damm close at ~1/3 the cost, maybe more if you include the stand, table cost of the egg. Anyway it seems decent and the price is right, I'll report back after doing a few slow cooks this weekend.
@Pegleg/Grange ~2hrs / pound is in line with suggested. Gotta get the internal temp to 195*-205* which takes a while when you're only running the cooker in the 250*ish range. Prolly true that you've got as much smoke in it as it's gonna get by the end of the first few hours or so. But a little extra contact can't hurt and it's gotta sit in there and keep cooking anyway, right?
Oh and damn Grange, that's some fine pork p0rn right there! Well played sir!
I've always heard 1 to 1.5 hrs per pound, but there are so many variables I guess it takes however long it takes. Nice pork pron indeed!Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
Here are a couple of different shots. The first is the healthy option to lots of pork. Just a straight organic chicken breast coated in Dizzy Dust. I absolutely love the way the egg grills up a chicken breast, juicy and tender and never dry.
http://img.tapatalk.com/ae3f134d-1cee-3de2.jpg
This was tonight's dinner. Bacon cheeseburger pizza! It was delicious.
http://img.tapatalk.com/ae3f134d-1d08-1210.jpg
As for the earlier pork butt question the time frame of 17 hours for an 8 lb pork butt is about what I do. I run at 225 degrees and the butt does hit a plateau for a couple of hours.
Very interested in your review. BGE has been on the list for a while, but always find it tough to justify with a perfectly good gas grill sitting out back.Quote:
Originally Posted by bsavery
That's about what most people have told me. I was at about 230 for most of the cook. I talked with a guy that does BBQ competitions and he thought 18 hours was a long time. I figure the injection had something to do with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
Checked out the Char Grill version at Lowes.
Like:
Price is right.
The Color- it is avail in black or red, and all my patio stuff is red. Plus, it look sweet.
The grill surface- cast iron with a removable knockout in the center for feeding more charcoal. This is a great idea.
Handles, gauges, etc look stout.
Has a swing out warming rack that is absolutely key.
Not ceramic- lighter than the BGE, but heavy enough to not move.
Dislike-
Shelves
Legs and wheels will rust out in less than a year here in FL
Not ceramic- will never hold heat as well as the BGE, but with a little more work, it will be just fine.
With a price of $299 at Lowes, I could buy 3 of these before I touched a BGE XL. The grilling surface is about equal to the large BGE- probably a little smaller. I am going to build a nice table for it, and get it done. Will post back later.
Bought oneQuote:
Originally Posted by warthog
Second everything said here, although it seems to hold heat just fine. The grill surface is money. I haven't done a really low and slow cook, but holding it ~325 wasn't a problem in the least for a couple hours. For this price, if you don't have a Big green egg already you can't go wrong.
Whatever grill you have I highly recommend this book http://www.amazon.com/Serious-Barbec.../dp/1401323065 by Adam Perry Lang. His recipes can be a bit involved in steps and ingredients, but I've never been disappointed by what comes out of there. Alot of them are geared towards the BGE/ceramic cooker as well.
Don't know how this compares but my Costco had a medium egg for 579. It also came with a metal stand and probably some other stuff
Yep, seen them at Costco too for the same price.
How large is this cheaper Lowes item, relative to Egg sizes?
Char griller = 306 sq in, but it also comes with an upper rack which adds another 160 and I can't really see using that often.Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Profane
XL egg = 452 sq in
L egg = 262
I'm searching Lowes' website and can't find this Char-Griller Kamado cooker - they have the cover for it, but not the actual unit. Is it a just-in-stores kinda thing, or are they discontinuing it?
1/2 the price, but Stainless vs. Ceramic. You can find them on Amazon. Free shipping too w/ Plus acct.
Not dure what the point is w/the stainless. Whole point is you get the Ceramic radiating even heat.
Well you did ask about it...but agreed! Looks delicious, Cruiser!Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
How have you not fried your gasket yet? The egg looks well used but the gasket looks pristine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
What kind of thermometer setup are you using there? Just two separate probe units, or one of them fancy Alton Brown rigs that has two probes in one unit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
This thread sucks. It's slowly pushing me towards the BGE, despite total lack of available funds... "egging me on," you might say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
Just in Lowes today, and saw this thing. Not as heavy, and the smoker plate is optional. Yes, 299.
Anybody slow cook on it yet?
Kinda. Call it a medium cook. Couple hours at < 300 with a diffuser plate. It did great at that, and could have done much lower if I wanted. I'm going to do a brisket this sunday, will report back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Benny Profane
Very interested to hear how it does at maintaining low heat for many hours, as required by a brisket. The primary benefit of the BGE is that the ceramic body is an extremely efficient heat insulator, so it can hold in almost all of the heat and maintain temperature really well. If this thing is made of stainless steel (which is much, much more conductive of heat than ceramic) and is lighter, then I'd imagine it's going to lose a lot more heat and not going to maintain temp nearly as well. But who knows, and if it does that's pretty awesome. Keep us posted...Quote:
Originally Posted by bsavery
@Pegleg That's the Maverick ET732. It's got the probe with clip for the grill temp and the longer probe for the meat. Also has a wireless receiver that shows both temps at a range of up to 300'. It's pretty slick...
http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Wirel.../dp/B004IMA718
Thinking of attempting a pork shoulder for Easter. I've smoked a bunch of them before but this will be the first attempt on the egg. Should be fun to see if I can get the temp to sit at 225* or so for the full 16+ hours.
@Flounder I haven't really done any super high heat cooks yet with it. I've cooked a bunch of times on it but I haven't seared any steaks or made any pizzas yet. Mostly just chicken, burgers, and pork tenderloin.
Have a fricking quesadilla! Sometimes you need a bit more healthy food so tonight was black beans and cheese quesadillas.
http://img.tapatalk.com/ae3f134d-94c2-8bb3.jpg
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
I've got the previous generation Maverick and love it. Range isn't as good, but it is accurate. I've cooked a couple pork butts on the BGE and was able to maintain a fairly steady temperature around 230. I use Wicked Good Charcoal because it comes in large chunks and lasts a long time. The last butt went 18 hours and there was still some charcoal left over for another cook.
Tomorrow I've going to make a naked maple fatty for a baked bean recipe I got from a different message board. After my dog trial season ends next month I'm planning on smoking a brisket. I want the whole packer so I can make burnt ends.
You having that charcoal shipped in Grange? I've just been using Royal Oak since it's pretty readily available. But most of the pieces are pretty small. What's a naked maple fatty? If it has anything to do with pork then I'm in.
Oh and I'm with you, packer trim is the only way to buy big cuts. Otherwise my fancy butcher knife just sits there waiting for something to break down.
So I put a whole bone-in pork shoulder on last night right at 9:00. Got the egg stabilized at a grill temp of 230* and then I went to bed. The Maverick woke me up twice to tell me that the egg had dropped down to 215* so I got up and adjusted the venting just a bit and quickly recovered the few degrees that it lost. Now I'm 14 hours into the smoke and the meat is hanging around in the mid 170's with the grill temp still hovering happily in the mid 230's. Damn, I'm loving going low and slow on the egg!
No pics yet because I haven't lifted the lid since I put the swine on last night but I'll be sure to snap one when I pull it off this afternoon. I'm guessing that hunk of pig is lookin' purty nice right about now.
No I can get Wicked Good Charcoal at the BBQ store where I bought my BGE.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiser
I'm heading over to my sister's and brother-in-law's place for Easter. It will be a potluck style dinner and I decided to make some Peach Bourbon Baked Beans from a recipe I got on another message board. They are great.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...4-08141233.jpg
If anyone is interested here's the recipe. It's from a guy with the handle Wampus.
Wampus's Peach Bourbon Baked Beans
Ingredients:
2 cans (15 oz) of cooked Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 slices of thick sliced bacon, chopped
1 lb maple fatty (smoked ahead of time), crumbled/diced
1 med onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper (I like orange or yellow)
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling (run knife through can to cut up larger pieces into smaller pieces)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Famous Dave's Apricot Bourbon BBQ Sauce
2 TBS worschestershire sauce
1/3 cup bourbon
1 lg clove garlic, minced
2 TBS yellow mustard
1 TBS rub (I like SM Sweet & Spicy)
1 TSP Ground Cayenne Pepper (OPTIONAL)
Directions:
-Smoke Fatty (can be smoked well before), crumble or dice
-Brown Bacon in skillet (about 1/2 way)
-Add onion & pepper - cook until just carmelized
-Slowly add bourbon & garlic - simmer until caramelized
-Remove from heat
-Add remaining ingredients to skillet, mix thoroughly
-Put in pan and place in smoker
-Smoke for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally (I smoke for 4 hours)
NOTE: I've had trouble finding Famous Dave's Apricot Bourbon Sauce lately. I've substituted lately with any of these:
- Famous Dave's Thick 'n Sassy
- Big Butz Hot
I'd suggest anything with a bit of a snap to it. Blues Hog would be farkin great too, I'd probably add the cayenne if I used that.
The beans I won with this past weekend also had about 1 tsp of ground cayenne pepper in them, I've listed that as optional. If used without the cayenne, they're really not spicy beans at all, but have just a little zing to them.
Maple Fatty Recipe:
Purchase Maple Sausage Roll
- Fire smoker or set up grill for indirect
- Unwrap Maple Sausage Roll
- Place on smoker/grill grate
- Smoke at 225-250 for 2 hours
Dang. The whole concept of a Maple Fatty smoked on the egg gets me excited!
And here's a bit of p0rn. 17.5 hours at 230ish to an internal temp of 195*. The swine is resting in foil now waiting for the guests to arrive.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p.../IMG_12421.jpg
Brisket couldn't have gone better. I lit in the morning, got it to 250ish put the brisket in, went mountain biking, came back, still at 250. I forget exactly but it's double-walled steel with insulation in the middle. When I had it really hot the other day you could still easily touch the outside.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
I should mention, I read on another forum that the temperature guage that's built in is less than 100% accurate, and I don't have one of them there fancy remote thermometers you people do, so take my experience with a grain of salt.
OK, Cruiser, you sold me. I've NEVER managed to keep a pork butt or brisket on my cheapo offset smoker for anything approaching 17 hours - usually after about 6 hours I'm having to put a new load of charcoal in and by 10 I'm tired of constantly adjusting the vents, poking the coals, etc. and just wrap it in foil and finish it in the oven.
Next step: purchase black ski mask and obtain funds to buy BGE.
Don't forget all the eggcessories you will be wanting to buy. Platesetters, pizza stones, remote thermometer, instant read thermometer, wok, and the list goes on........ Make sure you hit a place with enough cash to get it all at once. Having to repeat the obtaining of funds increases the chance of getting caught!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegleg
How's the Green Egg imitator from Lowes working out?