The Big Green Egg - bbq, grill, smoker

LOL. Thanks.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into that. I definitely wants some crispness ability.

 

I think that must be a function of temperature.

I made chicken on my UDS smoker the first time - the meat cooked at ~250F and the skin came out rubbery. The next time I cooked at ~300F on my Webber kettle and the skin came out quite nice.

 

The BGE will go to 1000 degrees plus. I don't think you'll have a problem crisping. It's a grill, smoker and brick oven. It does a great job no matter what you do with it.

 

I think the issue is how to bring a low-temp smoked bird whose skin hasn't crisped, to a stage where the skin is crisp while retaining the succulence and balanced flavors of a smoked bird.

I would think that all you'd have to do is open the vents to increase temp towards the end. But when to do this and by how much is a matter of experience with both the BGE and the type and brand of bird you're using.

 

When it comes to chicken on the BGE, I cook direct, on a raised grid. Usually at about 350 or so. Gives me great crispy skin.

I used to cook indirect (using the platesetter), and when I did that, I did not get the skin crispy. Once I tried the direct method, my kids told me never to go back to cooking chicken indirect.

You dont need to cook any lower than about 350 for chicken. It picks up plenty of smoke flavor relatively quickly.

 

I cook chicken on the BGE at 450 with diffuser plate. Pull it at the right temp (170ish) and you have delicious moist chicken with crispy skin.

I think many have too low a temp for poultry roasting.

 

For the succulence/flavor side of it, I would brine the bird in salt, brown sugar and appropriate herbs - (I used oregano, pepper, paprika, cumin, chilli powder for past cooks).

The brine will bring moisture and flavor to the innards. After that put that in your grill at moderately high temps (~300/350) and let it go. On my Weber I lined the charcoal on the periphery and stuck the bird in the middle with a a pan below to catch the drippings. It was awesome

 

Seems like lots of us enjoy cooking outdoors. Myself I have a few cookers, grills etc.

I think we need to have a chicken roasting cook off....anybody game?

Post a pic of the mis en place, bbq set up, final bird and plate up.

Winner picks the next cook off topic....

We do it once a month

 

The beauty of the BGE and cooking to temp is that you don't need to brine. I pull my chickens when they reach 165, then let rest, and they are always juicy. Last Thanksgiving, I did a whole turkey on the BGE and did not brine. It also came out juicy. There is something about how the BGE cooks that makes everything come out really juicy.

 

Sounds like fun!!

 

Can competition pros participate? Warning, I tied for first in chicken in my last comp.

 

I'm in.


Mark

 

I've got a Bayou Classic ceramic grill, essentially the same thing as the BGE. I have a friend who works for them and can get a few a year at just above cost, so I snagged one. I completely LOVE grilling on it. It makes wood-fired pizza like nobody's business.

The two downsides I have noticed are 1) relatively small cooking area, as mentioned. 2) if you are smoking/BBQing something for a long time and need to add more wood, you are in trouble. You have to remove the meat, the grate, and the water/drip pan to be able to add any wood. Of course all this stuff is H-O-T. It can be done, it just sucks. It is much easier on a traditional smoker to just open the firebox and throw in some more wood.

I would say if you do any amount of outdoor cooking, you need a ceramic grill. If you plan to do a lot of BBQ/smoking, I would also get a traditional smoker with separate firebox.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Awesome. Pics?

Got some ribs on right now....

 

.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I have the same experience with my Weber Smokey Mountain. The smoking method is pretty similar to the BGE, except for the ceramic plate separating the coals from the meat, there's a large water basin in the Weber. It's amazing how that design really can produce incredibly long, consistent smoke times. On hot days when I close the dampers down to nearly completely closed to keep temps in the smoking region, I can go 18 hours on one charcoal load. It's amazing.


Mark

 

Today's lunch and my entry into the rib derby...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Why did you burn it? Still using charcoal? Also, beef ribs don't count in competition.

 

The Smokey Mountain is a great cooker. I sold an older one I had to a coworker and he has gone nuts with it! He brought in smoked mac and cheese today and the office staff snorked it all down in record time. It's my go to for chicken and ribs. The egg is for brisket.

 

What so you use your Traeger for? I just got a Little Tex yesterday... Going to cook on it for the first time tonight.

 

I'm picking up a grill tomorrow, debating between a classic Weber kettle and a komodo style. From what I've read, they both will get the job done and both last a solid decade, if not much longer. I've been using larger charcoal grills but they only seem to last 2-3 years before rust eats them up and they always struggle with airflow control when trying to smoke something while using a lot of fuel. It doesn't look like there are good options for a larger charcoal grill under $600 and none are available locally meaning any issues will require shipping and waiting while not really providing any advantage over a Weber or komodo grill.

Has anybody used both? What are the pros/cons? Seems like the Weber is a little better at straight grilling and the komodo style better at smoking, though both seem to do them well. I like all of the addons available for the Weber and the easy availability of parts. Both models I'm looking at are similar price, so that's not much of a concern.

 

Yeah, you're a real pro. They're baby backs.

 

I have a Weber performer with an after market cast iron grate on it and until I got the kamado it was the end all be all for me. I haven't even thought of uncovering it since that day. I also have a big Smoky Mountain smoker and unless I need to cook for a large party, it'll stay covered as well.