# Big Green Egg



## langmotorsports (Apr 20, 2010)

Just acquired a Big Green Egg through a fundraising auction and and looking for any input from anyone who has one or has used one........Thanks!


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## csmith2884 (Apr 20, 2010)

Don't have or use one but sounds like a great deal. Everyone I have seen looked to be very good quality wise. Enjoy


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## chisoxjim (Apr 20, 2010)

just wanted to say congrats,  

I have never used one, but I have heard good things about them.

I was checking them out this past Saturday at a hardware store that sells them, seem like a solid cooker,  expensive, but solid.


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## rbranstner (Apr 20, 2010)

I used my buddies all last summer and liked it. My two buddies use theirs all the time. I was looking to buy one but I couldn't justify spending the money on it right now so I made a UDS instead and they are very comparable. The egg has all kinds of accessories and stuff to go with it but they all cost plenty of money. Its a very good smoker its just spendy. You will love smoking on it! Not to lure you away from this forum but there are lots of big green egg forums if you are looking for idea's accessories etc.


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## langmotorsports (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks for the replies guys! I will definitley let you know how it works. By the way I have checked out the BGE sites and they are nowhere near as informative and helpful as smoking meat is.


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## rbranstner (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree 100% with that statement. That is why I said I didn't want to scare you away from this site. They may be able to help you in some instances better with BGE set up or some tricks to try on the egg etc. since the majority of them are BGE smokers but as far as just pure smoking goes (time/temps/recipes/different kind & cuts of meat, etc.) from my experience is this site is WAY more informative. We also have several Egg Heads on this forum so you aren't by any means the only person on here that smokes with an Egg. Welcome to the forum. Kind of funny we both live in the same town.


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## okiedawg (Apr 21, 2010)

You will love the BGE from great steaks to low and slow smokes! Stay tuned on this great site for the great info !


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## caveman (Apr 21, 2010)

Seriously, whatever you do, do not use "LIGHTER FLUID" in your egg. Purchase a chimney & some lump. Charcoal is good as well but they make BGE lump just for the egg, so try that & see if you like it. It only comes in 20 lb. bags though, if I am not mistaken. But do not use "LIGHTER FLUID" as everything you "EVER" cook in the BGE will have that taste to it. Good luck, congratulations & enjoy that puppy. It is supposed to be the best oven, grill & smoker on the market.  Also, don't knock it over or you can kiss that ceramic item goodbye.


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## meateater (Apr 21, 2010)

"OOH OOH OOH" Horsehack holding up his arm!!! Get a pizza stone! Change your name to Vinnie and make Puerto Rican pizza's! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 I have no idea where this is going. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Nevermind at my futile attempt at humor.


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## chisoxjim (Apr 21, 2010)

I saw that BGE lump,  $20 a bag...


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## rbranstner (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Lang forget the Big Green Egg Lump wood (the only place I have found it in town is at Nodak which isn't cheap) and head over to Sam's club they have 40lb bags of lump on sale for around $15. I have 4 bags and love it so far and its more for cheaper.


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## chisoxjim (Apr 21, 2010)

isnt the Sams lump "Best of the West" brand? It rates "below average" on the nakedwhiz rankings of lump...  

just curious


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## caveman (Apr 21, 2010)

What he said.  That's why I never touched it.  I figured going with the green before the "Best of the West" as it did get poor reviews from the nakedwhiz.  Is it working for you or is it a matter of cost efficiency?


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## docjangles (Apr 21, 2010)

Big Green Eggs are terrible and you will want to get rid of it as soon as possible.  Now I really care about you so I will help you get rid of it.  Just ship it to my place and I will dispose of it properly, for your sake.


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## rbranstner (Apr 21, 2010)

Nope my Sams club brach doesn't have that brand it is Frontier Brand and I really like it.


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## caveman (Apr 21, 2010)

I just saw the review at the Naked Whiz.  I might have to try this stuff.  Nice selection "RB".


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## ak1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Isn't BGE lump made by Royal Oak. That's what Naked Whiz says.


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## chisoxjim (Apr 21, 2010)

thats what I thought as well,  & couldnt understand how this place was charging $20 for a bag of the BGE,

I can get tht RO lump for a little over $8 for I think an 18# bag..


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## ak1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yep!

Here's the Naked Whiz review;

"This is some nice lump. It is manufactured by Royal Oak for Big Green Egg. We have heard rumors that Royal Oak saves their best lump for BGE. We have reviewed Royal Oak's own brand and found it to be as good as the BGE lump. This bag consisted of mostly usable sized pieces, very few chips and little dust. We found some unburned pieces, but probably only 8-10. Some of the lump comes from the edges sawn off of logs. You could see saw marks on one side and bark on the other. This was by far, the most bark we've seen so far, but then it appears to be all good wood, some the edges from a lumber mill. Some people don't like bark and claim it has a bitter flavor, so if you are one of them, you might want to pick through the lump to get the bark out. As for smell, this lump has a very mild smokey smell, less strong that, say, Maple Leaf.
One other word about what we found in the bag. Check out the photos and you'll see we found some funky looking rainbow pieces. These pieces were definitely the same type of wood as the rest of the bag. We believe that some pieces, depending on whatever, come out this way. However, these pieces were NOT pine or some other funky wood that you wouldn't want in your grill.

Also, since this lump is made by Royal Oak, you might wish to read the review of Royal Oak for more information. Normally, we don't take the price into account in rating lump charcoal since it can often vary greatly depending on where you buy it. However, Big Green Egg lump is consistently one of the most expensive charcoals on the market. Considering you can get the same charcoal from Royal Oak at half the price, we feel this knocks this charcoal down a notch to our Recommended rating."


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## Bearcarver (Apr 21, 2010)

If you'd stop being funny, and really concentrate, you might be able to catch that little piggy!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	






Bearcarver


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## caveman (Apr 22, 2010)

:PDT_Armata  z_01_14:


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## rbranstner (Apr 22, 2010)

I think Big Green Egg Brand Lump is so expensive because you are paying for the name. That's my theory anyway.


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## gofish (Apr 22, 2010)

I have two BGE's (lg and small) and I use what ever lump I can get my hands on in the winter around here. I prefer Royal Oak.

Feel free to PM me with any BGE questions, I would love to share what I have learned so far with mine ... here's one tip:

The thing I intially couldnt figure out was why my temp would drop unexpectedly after having the temp locked in for 4 or 5 hours ... why now? I would think ... What I found (by reading BGE site) was that the ash was probably building up around the lump at the bottom and restricting the air flow thru the cast iron holed plate that holds the lump. I cut a coat hanger to lenght and bent the tip up to make a replica of this guys tool made just for jiggling the lump to allow some of the ash to free itself around the hole. This is what I tried to make (its a life saver) http://thirdeyebbq.com/WiggleRods.aspx I wouldnt mind buying one of his, my coat hanger is always getting tossed by someone cleaning up!


And yes .... don't use lighter fluid, use an vegtable or olive oil soaked paper towel, or these http://www.northlineexpress.com/item...gle&kw=5RU-50C


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## rbranstner (Apr 24, 2010)

This is probably the main complaint I had against the BGE was the air intake holes in the bottom are pretty small and if you are smoking for several hours they like to clog up with ash and can mess with your heat. That is one main reason I love my UDS so much is the fire basket is so much bigger and I don't have the issue of ash building up and restricting my aire intake causing my temps to drop. The other problem I had with the egg is they are so darn heavy so if you want to move it around to get it out of the wind or take it with you for a weekend you need a few guys to help you out. But thats why they are so efficient because they are so well insulated with all that ceramic. How is the Egg treating you so far have you gotten to break it in yet?


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## gofish (Apr 24, 2010)

I have found that if I stay away from certain brands of lump, the ash is not as bad. Certain brands seem to have larger pieces further down the bag too ... that doesnt contribute to as much little pieces blocking the holes either. 

Dont get me wrong, I have a metal barrel still sitting on the side of my house, It was ready to be made into a drum. But I went with the Egg cause it fits in my outdoor kitchen plans alot better than the drum, and that I wanted to be able to grill and smoke from the same charcoal unit with ease. Now I cook with a Wok on it and do pizza, as well as smoke & grill. I still have my chargriller offset for bigger smokes and LOVE feeding real pieces of wood into that ... and I still use my MES for jerky. Heck, my barrel may turn into a smoker yet! (after I build the outdoor kitchen thuogh)


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## langmotorsports (Apr 25, 2010)

Fried steaks Friday night.....turned out great! Have a turkey on at 225 as we speak!! I have learned it is going to take some time to learn the tricks on getting temps set on this thing. One other thing i dont know if i am going to like is the lack of being able to add wood chips mid to late smoke but we will see how the turkey turns out. I am seriously considering getting a digiq 2 for the egg........appears to be a set it and forget it system with tons of good reviews.


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## rbranstner (Apr 25, 2010)

Glad you are liking the egg. Yea some of those temp rigs for the smokers are awesome you can truly set it and forget it. Just a little spendy is the only downfall.


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## langmotorsports (Apr 25, 2010)

I agree on the cost of the temp rigs but appear to be well worth the money.........just had the turkey, incredibley juicy and flavorful but did not take the smoke like i was hoping for  but as i said first time smoking with it so it was kind of a quick run through. Will wait to make judgement on it.........anyone have any suggestions or tricks on pouring more smoke through the egg? Im really not liking not being able to add chips to it without pulling the meat, grate etc etc......


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## ellymae (Apr 25, 2010)

Just saw this - Congrats on the Egg. I have had one for a couple of years and love it. We use Royal Oak or Humphreys. 
I am sure you have checked out the Egg forum - make sure you do a couple of low and slows so you don't fry the gasket. 
once you get that done- have at it. A couple of good additions - plate setter, pizza stone, wiggle rod, and maybe an adjustable rig from the ceramicgrill store - 
http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/ceramicgrillstore/
Friday night is pizza night here. I did a 3 pound rib roast last week. Brisket, ribs, bread - there is no limit on what you will want to cook on the Egg. 
Check out Rick's Tropical Delight's website - just make sure you eat before you do or you may be gnawing off your own arm. http://www.rickstropicaldelight.com/
Let's see the qview.

As far as getting more smoke - throw in some chunks of wood - no rwason to use chips. We usually throw in 3-4 fist size whunks of wood if we are doing low and slow - just dispurse them throughout the charcoal.


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## gofish (Apr 26, 2010)

I have 'layered' chips or chunks though out the charcoal bed as I load the lump. Pour some lump in, place chips or a chunk in, then another 'layer' of lump and then some more chips/chunk ... you get the picture, as the lump burns it will find new chips/chunks.


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## salbaje gato (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm in the process of making my BGE GRILL into one that hinges so that I can lift sections of the grid to add chunks or chips without having to take anything off


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## chipline (Jul 15, 2010)

What is the propane smoke stack you are listing?

UDS?

I'm thinking I would like to have a small propane burner installed in my BGE for extended cook times....what do you think?

Larry


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## jd08 (Jul 15, 2010)

The only two accessories you need are a platesetter for smoking and indirect cooking and a propane/mapp torch. Why use a chimney and have a hot ember fall on your nice gasket or deck or foot when all you need to do is hold the propane torch in two or three places for 30 seconds and leave it alone for five minutes?

Also, your fire will last for hours unattended if you build your fire correctly. Place the larger pieces on the bottom then cover with smaller pieces and all will be fine. I've gone over 18 hours using that method without the need for a wiggle rod.

Here's where I got my information and it worked like a charm.


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## venture (Jul 15, 2010)

I don't have one and have never used one.  I have heard great things about them except for the price.

Here is a link to a fan of them:

http://askabutcher.proboards.com/index.cgi

If you really have trouble with it, you could ship it to me for a few years of testing and I would report back to you.


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## pit 4 brains (Jul 16, 2010)

Like any other egg, don't drop it. At least you got it for free. As for the lump, does the BGE company know something about lump charcoal that the cavemen didn't?


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## caveman (Jul 16, 2010)

Pit 4 Brains said:


> Like any other egg, don't drop it. At least you got it for free. As for the lump, does the BGE company know something about lump charcoal that the cavemen didn't?


Because we knew all there was to know.  Us & naked whiz.  UGH!


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