Big Green Egg

[Too Tall]

My go to quick dinner is a good quality roaster or small turkey. Pat dry the bird and coat with garahm masala or lots of salt and pepper. I use a ceramic holder ( Amazon.com: Big Green Egg Sittin' Chicken Ceramic Holder ESC: Patio, Lawn & Garden ) and do not put any extra liquid in it. The ceramic holder/bird are put ontop of a plate setter turned upside down.
Like the man said you need to practice getting the temp stable. Temp. setting is not rocket science. Once the coals are started I open the lower vent fully and leave the top vent off. When the temp hits 400 I close the lower vent to 1/3 open and install the top vent and only reveal about 1/2 of the small vents. This consistently results in stable 300F. I cook roasters at about 300F until the leg moves freely and done. In the meantime I've made a pot of parmesian couscous and I'm a hero ;)

For Tday I'm slow roasting a large turkey that will be stuffed with as much fresh rosemary as I can get into the cavity with compounded peppered unsalted butter under the skin.

[funcrusher]

That sounds fantastic...my boys will be excited

For your first cook, probably a good idea -not- to do a high temp cook (pizza, steak, etc). It can damage the gasket. Do a low temp cook to sort of cure it in.

Do some reading to make sure you understand how to get the temp set (easy). Then, a really easy, and good one IMHO is slow cooked back ribs. Get a rib rack for like $15 at any department or hardware store. Spread some mustard on the ribs, give them a coating of whatever spice mix you like. Put a good amount of hardwood charcoal in the egg, light it and give it 25-30 minutes to light to burn off the nasty part of the charcoal, but use the vents to keep the temp from going over 300. Shoot for 280-290.
Put the ribs on for about 4 hours. Take off and put bbq sauce on them, put in for another 30 minutes.

That is what I did for my first, and it continues to be one of my basic favorites. Several variations, some people like to use foil at certain points, etc.

Good luck!

[funcrusher]

my goal is to cook t-day turkey on it, so this is a great starting point...also, bot the thermometer you recommended

Thanks!!

My go to quick dinner is a good quality roaster or small turkey. Pat dry the bird and coat with garahm masala or lots of salt and pepper. I use a ceramic holder ( Amazon.com: Big Green Egg Sittin' Chicken Ceramic Holder ESC: Patio, Lawn & Garden ) and do not put any extra liquid in it. The ceramic holder/bird are put ontop of a plate setter turned upside down.
Like the man said you need to practice getting the temp stable. Temp. setting is not rocket science. Once the coals are started I open the lower vent fully and leave the top vent off. When the temp hits 400 I close the lower vent to 1/3 open and install the top vent and only reveal about 1/2 of the small vents. This consistently results in stable 300F. I cook roasters at about 300F until the leg moves freely and done. In the meantime I've made a pot of parmesian couscous and I'm a hero ;)

For Tday I'm slow roasting a large turkey that will be stuffed with as much fresh rosemary as I can get into the cavity with compounded peppered unsalted butter under the skin.

[Ras72]

Last year, I cooked our Thanksgiving bird on the BGE. Turned out fantastic. No matter what you stuff in the bird or seasoning you put on it; the real secret is in regulating the temp. You need to set the temp, maintain the temp and DO NOT OPEN the lid. Opening the lid only causes th eheat to escape and be regenerated. This is why metal grills suck - they dissipate too much heat while slow cooking.

Use a remote probe in the thickest part of the beast and watch the air temp of the grill. You'll have to fight the temptation of sneaking a peak. Trust the numbers. If done correctly, brining is not necessary.

I think I pulled a receipt from google. I can follow up with details if you'd like.

[miwuksurfer]

Totally unrelated but my Ameraucana finally started laying little green eggs.

eggs.jpg

[funcrusher]

how long will a 14lb turkey take on the BGE at 300 degrees?

expectations in my house are high!!

My go to quick dinner is a good quality roaster or small turkey. Pat dry the bird and coat with garahm masala or lots of salt and pepper. I use a ceramic holder ( Amazon.com: Big Green Egg Sittin' Chicken Ceramic Holder ESC: Patio, Lawn & Garden ) and do not put any extra liquid in it. The ceramic holder/bird are put ontop of a plate setter turned upside down.
Like the man said you need to practice getting the temp stable. Temp. setting is not rocket science. Once the coals are started I open the lower vent fully and leave the top vent off. When the temp hits 400 I close the lower vent to 1/3 open and install the top vent and only reveal about 1/2 of the small vents. This consistently results in stable 300F. I cook roasters at about 300F until the leg moves freely and done. In the meantime I've made a pot of parmesian couscous and I'm a hero ;)

For Tday I'm slow roasting a large turkey that will be stuffed with as much fresh rosemary as I can get into the cavity with compounded peppered unsalted butter under the skin.

[Too Tall]

how long will a 14lb turkey take on the BGE at 300 degrees?

expectations in my house are high!!

I'm going to guess 3 1/2 hrs. The trick with this is to have a full load of BGE charcoal and get the temp stabilized before you load the bird and don't muck with it. On my BGE if I have the bottom vent at 1/3 open and top fully closed with the small vent showing about 1/3" it will hold 300F.

I've got a 20 lb bird and plan to spatcock the mutha using a double deck grill surface. My plan is to go with very simple seasoning + green wood smoke to finish.

There will be a separate TDay thread for bragging rights ;)

[funcrusher]

hopefully i can post my bird!

I'm going to guess 3 1/2 hrs. The trick with this is to have a full load of BGE charcoal and get the temp stabilized before you load the bird and don't muck with it. On my BGE if I have the bottom vent at 1/3 open and top fully closed with the small vent showing about 1/3" it will hold 300F.

I've got a 20 lb bird and plan to spatcock the mutha using a double deck grill surface. My plan is to go with very simple seasoning + green wood smoke to finish.

There will be a separate TDay thread for bragging rights ;)

[gt6267a]

My first home purchase should go down later this month. After renovations, move-in is expected a month later. While waiting patiently (or something) for this to unfold, I’m researching grills and my first meal as a home owner.

The last thread here is 2012, after 3 years I am hoping TT and others have perfected the egg and are ready to share their wisdom! Is the BGE still the device of choice? What cooking techniques have been perfected? General advice?

[Too Tall]

Congratulations on becoming a homeowner.

As a ceramic artist you will NO must own this thing and yes it is still amazing and used once or more each week...drives my neighbors nuts in the winter ;)

Don't get buried in attachments and add on devices. What you need is GOOD hardwood charcoal, a rack for lifting the goods off your BGE and a remote wireless thermometer...bam.

Suggest for your first thing to cook:

Salty Paprika Flat Chicken Too Tall
- Spatcock a really nice quality chicken (easy way is to cut it down the breast, flip over and flatten with your palms breaking the breast bones and "pop" the leg joints). Pat dry and liberally salt VERY liberally don't be shy. Use great quality paprika on both sides of the bird and let sit while you fire up the BGE.

Fire up the BGE and set your upper and lower vents so that you have a steady temp of anything < 300F. Once the bird is inside shutdown the vents a bit. This will give you a nice flash of heat than let the BGE settle down to 250 to 275F eg perfect crispy skin zone :)

Place the bird to one side, coals to one side. Bird will take about 1 hr. 30 mins for a 5 pound'r or less. Don't bother cracking the egg open it will only reduce the effect.

Take the chimney offer and peek inside to see how the bird looks. When it is nice a crispy all over it's done...no need for a thermometer.

Next up....Whole Turkey

[MasterOMayhem]

)
Don't get buried in attachments and add on devices. What you need is GOOD hardwood charcoal, a rack for lifting the goods off your BGE and a remote wireless thermometer...bam.

agree with TT... GOOD charcoal... See here The Lump Charcoal Database -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking

if it doesnt have a plate setter i replace a broken one with cast iron here... DELUXE CAST IRON PLATESETTER AND GRIDDLE FOR 18" DIAMETER CERAMIC GRILLS

i got a few extender shelves... and diff grates

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


good heat/fireproof grill gloves... the BGE can hit 800 degrees... it get HOT

[Too Tall]

It gets hot is an understatement. Tell him about how to burp the fire when it is raging. I've lost some forearm hair....
Thanks for the link, some critter knocked over my platestetter. Cast iron looks perfect.
LOL go figure? Whole Foods Lump charcoal has a good rating.

[Bobonli]

Who can give me the executive summary/elevator speech on the BGE?

I sold my Weber small kettle and bought a new Weber gas grill when I moved into my house 3 summers ago. I miss the cooking-with-wood experience and would like to smoke some ribs etc.

Why BGE? What can you do with it better or differently than with gas?

[Too Tall]

Suggest you hit some of the BGE forums.
There is no comparison to gas plaina nd simple. Gas is just heat....BGE is heat, smoke, moisture retention and a very efficient way to cook.

Who can give me the executive summary/elevator speech on the BGE?

I sold my Weber small kettle and bought a new Weber gas grill when I moved into my house 3 summers ago. I miss the cooking-with-wood experience and would like to smoke some ribs etc.

Why BGE? What can you do with it better or differently than with gas?

[joosttx]

Who can give me the executive summary/elevator speech on the BGE?

I sold my Weber small kettle and bought a new Weber gas grill when I moved into my house 3 summers ago. I miss the cooking-with-wood experience and would like to smoke some ribs etc.

Why BGE? What can you do with it better or differently than with gas?

Better flavor than gas. Simple as that. If plan to cook for 15 people gas is the way to go but if your party typically are no more than 8 then the BGE is the way to go.

[gt6267a]

Went down to what will be the local hardware store to look at eggs. The large seems like the size. The XL looked huge. Are most people using a large? Also, are people using the setter only or getting a table? The table looks rather convenient.

I like the idea of a chicken but will admit that seems like a smart practice run for Turkey. If there is anything I am excited to try on the egg, it’s the big bird.

TT … there is a part of me that wants to make my own egg. That said, I don’t normally work at that size and suspect they might have figured a few things out over the years. Seems like the kind of project one starts and then never finishes. I am planning to make some mugs, plates, and bowls for the new house. There is some unfinished basement space which could become my new pottery studio. After years of working in a public studio, the idea of getting setup to work and not have to break everything down is very exciting. My basement is going to become colored clay central.

[Too Tall]

Get the Large, XL is silly.
Turkey's are a snap but I suggest you practice managing lighting and managing temp. with chickens first. Once you know how to set your fire and where the vents like to be for the temps you want things start to get easy.
Well, when I stopped throwing pottery way long ago I was making some very large pottery. I'd throw two or three pots as large as possible than score/slip join them and re-throw the joinery. If there is a hurdle with that big stuff it is learning how to make a clay body that can take the stress both from throwing so large and firing. Most of my big pots broke in high fire, bisque never a problem....but that's another thread ;) FWIIW Methinks the BGEs clay body have a VERY high grog content.

[gt6267a]

Never one to move quickly, I finally purchased the BGE. Delivery is scheduled for Friday after work. I’m very excited, don’t care if I have to eat at midnight. Chicken is the first order of business. The toy pushers got me on the plate setter and pecan wood. They will sit on the sidelines for this first effort.

Advice on how and when to use the wood is welcome. They gave me instructions on soaking chips overnight but not much else.

After a year off the wheel, I’m starting up on the 22nd at a new studio. The wife has a small laundry list of mugs, pitchers, bowls, and such. After a few weeks of cutting cylinders in half, I’ll be a busy guy. I’ll break out the camera and post photos in the handmade section. Hopefully my home grown blue celadon won’t need too much tweaking. It’s the only blue celadon I know that doesn’t craze or have barium carbonate. I spent 6 months getting it right at my last studio and would love to use it right off without needing to completely re-engineer for the new clay bodies.

[dogrange]

Never one to move quickly, I finally purchased the BGE. Delivery is scheduled for Friday after work. I’m very excited, don’t care if I have to eat at midnight. Chicken is the first order of business. The toy pushers got me on the plate setter and pecan wood. They will sit on the sidelines for this first effort.

Advice on how and when to use the wood is welcome. They gave me instructions on soaking chips overnight but not much else.

After a year off the wheel, I’m starting up on the 22nd at a new studio. The wife has a small laundry list of mugs, pitchers, bowls, and such. After a few weeks of cutting cylinders in half, I’ll be a busy guy. I’ll break out the camera and post photos in the handmade section. Hopefully my home grown blue celadon won’t need too much tweaking. It’s the only blue celadon I know that doesn’t craze or have barium carbonate. I spent 6 months getting it right at my last studio and would love to use it right off without needing to completely re-engineer for the new clay bodies.

Congrats! IMHO, Pecan is so mild it is not all that noticeable, taste-wise. Hickory is a great all-around wood - BBQ tweakers will recite that it is "too heavy" for fish, poultry, etc, but that has not been my experience at all. Apple is also a great wood if you are looking for something somewhat lighter than hickory. Get wood chunks too - chips are pretty worthless as they burn up so quickly. Also not down with soaking. They probably tell you to soak because the chips are going to burn up, but in my experience all soaking does is create steam instead of the desired smoke. Mesquite is great on beef if you can handle a harsher smoke. I think it makes the beef sing, but you'll have to try it to see what you think. I think that the mesquite is not so well suited to lighter meats.

[gt6267a]

Congrats! IMHO, Pecan is so mild it is not all that noticeable, taste-wise. Hickory is a great all-around wood - BBQ tweakers will recite that it is "too heavy" for fish, poultry, etc, but that has not been my experience at all. Apple is also a great wood if you are looking for something somewhat lighter than hickory. Get wood chunks too - chips are pretty worthless as they burn up so quickly. Also not down with soaking. They probably tell you to soak because the chips are going to burn up, but in my experience all soaking does is create steam instead of the desired smoke. Mesquite is great on beef if you can handle a harsher smoke. I think it makes the beef sing, but you'll have to try it to see what you think. I think that the mesquite is not so well suited to lighter meats.

I'm happy to try any kind of wood. Just had no idea where to start. Where are you putting the chips or chunks? Direct with the charcoal or closer to the meat?