The Big Green Egg Smoker vs. Other Barbeque Grills
If you love to grill, you’ve probably heard of the Big Green Egg grill and smoker. It’s a ceramic grill that can be used as a grill, smoker or even an outdoor oven. It’s so versatile you can cook anything from hamburgers and steaks and other traditional grill foods to desserts, breads and even pizza.
Eggheads swear by the Big Green Egg, but you might be wondering what makes the Egg (as it’s fondly called) different from other grills.
Probably the biggest difference is the appearance. The Big Green Egg is well, green and shaped like a big egg. While I can’t say why it’s green, I can say that the egg shape was designed (on purpose) to provide the ability to control and maintain the heat within the grill better than other grills.
The second biggest difference is the material. Instead of being made with metal, the Big Green Egg has thick ceramic walls. Ceramic is much more durable than other materials, which means the Egg will last longer than other grills and smokers, it can be cooked on year long (even with freezing temperatures). It’s also safer, especially if there are children running around, because the ceramic material stays cooler than traditional metal grills and because you always cook with the lid down, so you don’t have to worry about flare-ups.
There are many other differences but one of my favorites is the following the Big Green Egg has. You can find Egg fans and gatherings throughout the united states, and Eggheads are eager to share their stories, tips and recipes at gatherings and on the Egghead forum. I can’t think of any other grill that has this kind of following.
Now, the Egg does have some disadvantages when compared to other grills. For instance, it’s not a cheap grill. You can expect to pay about $700 for a large Big Green Egg. Also, you have to use lump wood charcoal, which isn’t always easy to find and can be quite a bit more expensive than traditional charcoal briquettes. The Big Green Egg also has a smaller cooking surface than many gas grills, which means you’ll need a backup grill if you’re entertaining a lot of people.
However, the versatility of the Big Green Egg, the ability to grill, smoke or bake with your Egg, and the awesome results you get (the Egg is very forgiving, even for novice grillers) are well worth the cost. If you’re a barbeque enthusiast and you do a lot of smoking in addition to grilling you will love the quality and the results you get with the Big Green Egg.
Big Green Egg Accessories
| Music City Metals 69991 Cast Iron Cooking Grid Big Green Egg - 69991 | |||
This MCM Replacement Porcelain Coated Cast Iron Cooking Grid fits certain Big Green Egg Brand BBQ Gas Grills, Item Type Cooking Grid Grid Dimension 18 19 x 18 19 Material Cast Iron Main Category Round Grid |
| Music City Metals 00420 Replacement Gasket for Ceramic Grills - 00420 | |||
This MCM Repair Gasket fits certain Big Green Egg Brand BBQ Grills For use with Ceramic Barbecues, Item Type Repair Part Main Category Miscellaneous |
| Music City Metals 26029 Porcelain Steel Wire Rib and Roast Rack - 26029 | |||
Porcelain Steel Wire Rib and Roast Rack - 26029 |
Smoke Ribs for the Whole Neighborhood with the Big Green Egg V Rib Rack
We love our Big Green Egg grill and smoker, but the one drawback is the limited cooking space. Ribs are a favorite among our family and friends but it’s hard to cook more than one or two slabs on the Big Green Egg. The Big Green Egg V Rib Rack solves this problem by allowing you to hang the ribs vertically, so now we can smoke several slabs of ribs at one time.
The Big Green Egg: History of the Egg and other Ceramic Grills
Anyone who loves to grill has probably heard of the Big Green Egg grill and smoker. It’s a ceramic grill that looks just like the name suggests – a big green egg. There’s a reason for the shape, but first a little history on how the Big Green Egg barbeque grill came to be.
While barbecue may be thought of as American, the first grills originated in Japan, not America, and they were clay pots used to cook rice in (not barbeque). The first grills were called mushikamados; they were round clay pots with a dome lid that lifted off the base. Wood charcoal was used to cook food in the mushikamado.
In the 1960s the kamado was invented. While the design was similar to the mushikamado, to eliminate cracking (which was a problem with the early mushikamados) the kamado was made of ceramic instead of clay. Also, the kamado was created for barbecue, not cooking rice. To control the temperature better, a damper and draft door were added, and charcoal was used instead of wood. The kamado was brought back to America from Japan and was later produced in the United States.
The Big Green Egg is a modern version of the kamado, and can be used for grilling, smoking or even baking (homemade pizza on the big green egg is amazing!). The Big Green Egg has been around for over 30 years now, and it has gone under many improvements since it was introduced in America in 1974. Early models were made of clay, but the grill is made of durable ceramic material today which makes the Big Green Egg virtually indestructible. One of the great things about the Egg is that you can cook on it all year long; freezing weather, pouring down rain, and high winds are no match for the Big Green Egg barbeque.
The Big Green Egg cooker is the perfect smoker and barbecue and oven. It is so flexible you can use it to sear steaks at high temperatures, you can cook ribs on it for hours at low temperatures, or you can turn it into a brick oven and bake breads or pizzas. The Egg is unmatched in its flexibility and cooking capabilities; it truly surpasses other grills and smokers.
Big Green Egg Accessories You Must Have
The Big Green Egg is a ceramic grill that can be used to grill, smoke or even bake breads and desserts. It originated in Japan, but is now a popular grill with barbecue enthusiasts in the U.S. While the Big Green Egg is fantastic all by itself, there are several Big Green Egg accessories that can make your grilling experience even better, including:
Get Cooking in Under 10 Minutes with the Big Green Egg Electric Starter
Wood lump charcoal is used to cook with in the Big Green Egg. You don’t use regular charcoal briquettes in the Big Green Egg, and you NEVER use lighter fluid! To start your Egg, you can use either natural fire starters, or the Big Green Egg Electric Starter. No matter which you prefer your Egg should be ready to cook on in 8-10 minutes.
Create Fabulous Pizzas and Desserts with the Plate Setter and Baking Stone
One of the biggest benefits of the Big Green Egg vs. other charcoal grills is the versatility. The Big Green Egg is a barbecue grill, a smoker and an outdoor oven all in one. You’ll find many Eggheads who cook breads and pizzas in their Big Green Egg in addition to the more traditional ribs, burgers and other grill foods. To turn your Egg into a brick oven you’ll need a Big Green Egg baking stone or plate setter.
The plate setter is a flat ceramic disc with three legs that is used as a ceramic heat shield by providing a barrier between the food and the fire. The purpose is to provide indirect heat which is great for cooking roasts or ribs. Or, add the baking stone on top of the plate setter and turn your Egg into a brick oven for creating fabulous pizzas or mouthwatering desserts.
Cook Up to Six Slabs of Ribs (and Torture Your Neighbors) with the Rib Rack
We love our Big Green Egg barbeque, but the one limitation we have experienced is the small cooking space. We love to entertain, so we really need more cooking space on the grill. My husband gets frequent requests for ribs, but it’s hard to cook more than two slabs on the limited cooking space.
Thankfully, the Big Green Egg makes a rib rack that solves this problem. The rib rack allows you to cook your ribs vertically, which means you can cook up to 6 slabs instead of just 1 or 2. This makes entertaining our friends and family much easier!
Big Green Egg Electric Starter
Lump charcoal is used to cook with in the Big Green Egg smoker. You can light the charcoal using natural fire starters, made from sawdust and paraffin and leaving no chemical taste, or you can use an electric starter. Using the electric starter, your coals will be ready in approximately 8 minutes.
Is A Big Green Egg As Good As They Say It Is?
Do we believe the hype? I’ve read the brochure, visited the website and watched all the DVDs. In fact if there’s any piece of promotional material for the Big Green Egg that I haven’t read I’d be surprised and it all sounds too good to be true. That is of course if you are a barbecue nutcase like me!
If you’re lucky enough to live in North America (and to some extent in Europe) you’ve probably heard of a Big Green Egg but I have to confess that it wasn’t until I started to publish my smoker grill recipes that I actually discovered the Egg and it’s humble origins in the Orient. I was intrigued, but living in the UK, how do I get hold of one? I phoned Big Green Egg in the US, they were really helpful and everyone that I spoke to said they cooked on an Egg and all year round at that! OK I’m sold, I’ve gotta have one to see what all the fuss is about.
To be fair, it was a big decision because these ceramic barbecues aren’t cheap and by the time it landed at my door in England it has cost me the best part of $2000. It had better be good. So am I happy?……..ABSOLUTELY!
It’s the middle of winter and I’m outside preparing the charcoal, my neighbors are looking at me as if I’m demented but my kids are so excited when I tell them that it’s ribs for supper. I have my own favorite barbecue sauce recipe which I use first as a marinade, then as a mop and finally I warm it up for sauce. Good use of ingredients and just the right amount of chili. The best bit of all is that I get the last laugh as the smoke rises over the fence into my neighbors garden and they get the aroma full on!
I do my ribs for about an hour per pound at a temperature of 225°F with the plate setter in place for indirect cooking. To maintain a constant temperature I find that leaving the bottom draft door open half an inch and the small vents on the top daisy wheel open half is about right but once you’re in the vicinity use the daisy wheel to fine adjust for the final preferred temperature.
There’s a couple of things that I found out using the Big Green Egg that I’d like to share with you and the first is the economy and thorough burning of the charcoal. Compared with a conventional BBQ grill the consumption is so low and any charcoal not burnt just stays in the firebox until next time. The other point is do take care to clean out the ash on a regular basis otherwise this will prevent you getting up to the higher temperature ranges. I clean mine out after every third cookout but I guess this depends on how much ash you’re generating.
So should you believe the hype? In my view, the answer has to be yes. It’s everything that they say it is – and more (I use it as a tandoor and do Indian cooking on it too!) so I’m going to be cooking on mine for many years to come.
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Big Green Egg – Grilling Demo Video
In thisvideo we give you a detailed demonstration of a Big Green Egg Charcoal Grill. We highlight the features of this particular grill, and show you exactly how this grill performs by cooking up some of your favorites. At BBQGuys.com we don’t just sell the grills, we show you how to use them! You can see more informative videos at www.bbqguys.com.