Why we love our Big Green Egg Smoker
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.
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he 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 smoker.