the big green egg

[smoke_it_up]

are these smokers worth a hoot? a guy at the propane/hardware store say they are the best thing ever. smokes everything on them. just dont understand due to the fact the fire is below the meat instead of the side w/ nothing in between.

 

[salbaje gato]

i have a xl bge and i love it for a lot of reasons, aside from cokking and smoking every kind of meat, i just discovered how well they cook pizzas. the crust and the ovenlike temps that you can cook at . well id say there worth a hoot and a holler. wildcat

 

[johnd49455]

BDS is the same principal. I don't know how it works but just ask Crewdawg it works. He lov

es his BDS

 

[smoke_it_up]

the dude that told me about said he wont use anything else since he started useing his BGE. i think i would still rather have a SFB. but thinks gato, and i'll ask crew about that john.

 

[kew_el_steve]

BGE was the first of this type, there are others such as Primo. Check out this site. They have great recipes that can be applied in any smoker, rate lump charcoal, do studies on BGE's, etc.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm

 

[starsfaninco]

I've been given permision by the warden, um accountant to buy a new smoker once we buy our new house (this could be awhile due to having to sell the one we're in), and I've been researching the BGE's. I think, there are several smokers out there that would be great purchases (Stumps, BGE, Lang, etc), but each seem to have their own nich or special use. IMO, the BGE does it all. It can go from 180 to 900 or higher and if you get the biggest one, it has plenty of room for a large (backyard) cook. People have won contests using them, they're pretty durable, and are somewhat portable. Now, I've already got a decent grill, and I love my GOSM, but who doesn't want another grill/bbq. In my research, for my own use, I've got it down to the XL BGE and a Stumps type. Now if I could just sell my house!!!

 

[kew_el_steve]

"Somewhat portable"??? Them bad boyz is HEAVY!!!

 

[starsfaninco]

well, as opposed to a trailer rig or a huge Lang.

 

[phil s]

The ceramics are very nice cookers. The cook still produces the food though. They do well at high cooks, although the more high temp cooks you do, the faster you burn through the gaskets between the lid and the base. They are very good at holding and maintaining temps for a low and slow too; When you smoke with these, a lot of folks simply use some fire bricks or a pan between the food and the coals to go indirect. There are a number of choices out there for ceramics; The Primo XL oval is definitely one worth looking at for the sheer versatility, especially with the low and slow cooks.

 

[herr tulpe]

I found a chinese company that made a ceramic kamado style cooker, and it is fantastic!! as people before have said, it does everything in one.. In the last two weeks I did a loin roast wrapped in bacon, roast chickens, ribs, wings, pork tenderloins, pizza, bread, baked potatoes, and of course the low & slow pork butt.. and I'm planning soo much more!!

I bought a couple of fire bricks so you can indirect, and they are essential to good pizza & bread..

Can't fault it!

 

[kew_el_steve]

Not to be negative, but with 544,000 items recalled in the USA last week that were made in China, do you know if it has lead paint??? Or lead in the ceramic?

 

[herr tulpe]

my understanding of lead uses in ceramics are that they would be in the glaze rather than in the ceramic themselves.. So probably safe.. (I am sure someone who actually knows will but in here!)

The flip side of the coin is that I might get hit by a bus tomorrow, so does it really matter if there was a little lead in there? I grew up eating worms & dirt, and I probably had a few lead or zinc coated toys that I gnawed my way through when I was a kid, and I am sure that many of you did too. We didn't see any harm in it then because we didn't know.. And what we don't know can't hurt us right...