Guess what's for Easter dinner?

BrewSwag 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
jldc

jldc

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
660
Reaction score
9
It ain't ham but it did come from a pig:

BGE.jpg


See the yellow-green pollen on the Egg? It's been on everything this week in East Texas. Also note the BBG Guru high-tech computer thingy. It lets me go without opening the Egg for nearly 24 hrs.

Two Smokin' Hot Butts:

TwoSmokinButts.jpg


That was at 9pm last night. Dinner should be 6pm or so tonight.
I'll post a few after pics.

What does this have to do with homebrew? Well you got to wash all the pork down with something, don't you?
 
Fletch78 said:
What's the internal temp on your "Tru-Temp" thermometers? Any temp alerts?
Click to expand...

Smoke at 210 all night and ramp up as needed to hit an internal temp of 190 when done. Usually I end up a 300 for the last hour or so to get it done.
 
I've noticed the 170 plateau myself. That's the difference between 6 hours and 16 hours. For some reason, it will race up to 170, and sit there for hours. That's why I've been doing Myron Dixon's hot-fast method lately, with stellar results. What's your rub, injection, sauce, bread, etc? Coals, wood, etc?
 
BGE FTW! Looks great!

So, you use that gasser behind it to store all of your stuff?

We did some sausage on our BGE yesterday. Takin' it easy tonight, and just chillin'.
 
Fletch78 said:
I've noticed the 170 plateau myself. That's the difference between 6 hours and 16 hours. For some reason, it will race up to 170, and sit there for hours. That's why I've been doing Myron Dixon's hot-fast method lately, with stellar results. What's your rub, injection, sauce, bread, etc? Coals, wood, etc?
Click to expand...

The brine is from Alton Brown: just H20, molasses, salt.
The rub I got a long time ago. It's pretty standard: Sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, etc. I use Spanish smoked paprika and no salt. The brine is salty enough.

Natural lump charcoal in the egg plus about two fist-sized chunks of hickory.

Texas toast (just thick sliced wonder bread) from bread.

Sauce: I've used a bunch, but I like a commercial sauce from Rudy's BBQ and a homemade vinegar sauce.

Simple: White bread, pork, cole slaw and a little sauce. Yum.
 
I have a friend with the BGE and another with the BubbaKeg. I just have the Walmart barrel smoker. Both of those guys rant and rave about their $700, $800, $900 rigs, but are they so superior to the $150 grills to be worth the price for a regular working schmoe who's money would be better contributed to a Roth IRA?

I know porcelein (sp) is a better insulator, more even heat for longer periods with less fuel, but really... $900 for a damn smoker?
 
Speaking of Alton brown... flower pot smoker... hot plate... wood chunks.... Not only cheaper than BGE, but even cheaper than my Walmart rig.
 
Fletch78 said:
Speaking of Alton brown... flower pot smoker... hot plate... wood chunks.... Not only cheaper than BGE, but even cheaper than my Walmart rig.
Click to expand...

Alton is pretty smart at DIY. His setup is cute.

But can you grill on it, sear a steak on it, bake in it?

I have, in one session (over two days) smoked a big pork butt, grilled several burgers, roasted a chicken (spatchcock, Google it), seared salad, baked cookies, and wrapped the day off with s'mores. And all of this on my large Big Green Egg, with only one (huge) load of charcoal. :)

Also, it's ceramic, not porcelain.
 
I'm not trying to rile up the cult, just asking a few questions. So, yes, it is efficient holding in heat. I never denied that. $900 though... that will damn near buy you a bbq restaurant these days. Not alot of surface area on the BGE either, kind of like a glorified R2D2 with less heat loss, seems to me. I'm not against the BGE, it's a great product. Just like 50 inch plasma TV, the picture is much better than my walmart TV. My question is: Is it $900 better?
 
Fletch78 said:
My question is: Is it $900 better?
Click to expand...

That's a matter for discussion. Putting it in comparison, it's about a third the cost of the built-in gas grill in the background.

You can make pulled pork, or steaks, or chicken, or pizza on lots of grills, but the egg is very good at both high and low temp cooking. I loaded it with charcoal, spent about 90 min adjusting the vents (I checked every half-hour for 90 min), and then didn't touch it until I pulled the pork off to rest about 20 min ago. (pics on the way) I literally didn't open the lid to look or add charcoal for 19 hours.

There really isn't any other cooker out there that is that efficient/insulated/well-designed as an Egg (or a Primo which is about the same thing).

Value is in the eye of the beholder. I like my egg.
 
I've never seen one of those, looks pretty handy. Especially being able to go 24hrs without opening and having the remote temp monitors. Looks like it would be great for doing smaller stuff too, like a single brisket or a couple beer butt chickens. I've got the $150 wally world barrel smoker as well, which works great for our annual Memorial Day party when I do 30 slabs of baby backs, but when doing a single brisket all of the unused space makes me want to start throwing everything in the freezer on. :)

Looks pretty tasty, enjoy!:mug:
 
I appreciate the low-maint. factor. But fire maintenance, for me, is 75% of the fun of bbq'ing. Meat, fire, beer, and expert-juice (whiskey) is the whole point. If I don't have to stand next to the smoker to make sure hell isn't breaking loose, then what's the point?
 
Wasn't trying to come across as riled up. :mug:

Just chiming in on how versatile and worth it I think the BGE is. I can't recall how many weber kettle grills or cheap smokers my dad bought when I was growing up. But I can tell you I think I'll keep this one grill (first I've ever bought since I've been all grow'd up) for the rest of my life. It definitely holds the heat.

Was it pricey? Well, about $700 when I bought it with a mess of eggcessories. I was treating myself and my wife agreed to indulge me on the condition that I learn to grill veggies. I did, and now we eat better than ever.

Now, if someone can't afford one or can't justify swinging that kind of coin for "just a grill", no love lost. People value things differently. Would I love to build a Brutus or some commercial auto-brew-computer-welded-like-a-Sherman-tank setup? You betcha. ... But I spent all my money on the BGE and now I can't. :mad:

Kidding. I'm just not "there" yet. Maybe in another four or five years (when we've moved and I have a garage).

Did I mention I use it to bake chocolate chip cookies (with bacon)? They come out smoky, salty, and sweet. That it worth it, alone, to me. :)
 
$700.

I could buy a new $100 grill every 3 years for 21 years. Or a $50 grill every 3 years for 42 years.
 
Fletch78 said:
$700.

I could buy a new $100 grill every 3 years for 21 years. Or a $50 grill every 3 years for 42 years.
Click to expand...

True. And you'd clog up the landfills or scrap yards with needless metal waste and never have a reasonably "seasoned" grill.

IMO, part of the secret to great BBQ is a little left behind from the previous BBQ. ;)

But hey, I fully support you in whatever direction you want to go. This ain't a political or religious issue for me.
 
TwoSmokinButts3.jpg


TwoSmokinButts4.jpg


TwoSmokinButts5.jpg


Yum!

Next pulled pork soft tacos or pulled pork enchiladas.

I vacuum seal the leftovers with my FoodSaver. See honey, it's not just for hops.
 
Fletch78 said:
I've noticed the 170 plateau myself. That's the difference between 6 hours and 16 hours. For some reason, it will race up to 170, and sit there for hours. That's why I've been doing Myron Dixon's hot-fast method lately, with stellar results. What's your rub, injection, sauce, bread, etc? Coals, wood, etc?
Click to expand...


The 160 to 170 plateau is a good thing. All of the heat energy is liquefying the fat. If your process temps are too high you blow through this stage and don't get the one of the main benefits of the smoking technique. A butt should cook a minimum of 10 hours. Most of this time is spent in this fat liquefaction stage
 
arturo7 said:
The 160 to 170 plateau is a good thing. All of the heat energy is liquefying the fat. If your process temps are too high you blow through this stage and don't get the one of the main benefits of the smoking technique. A butt should cook a minimum of 10 hours. Most of this time is spent in this fat liquefaction stage
Click to expand...

I think it's more than just fat liquefaction. I think that there's breakdown of collagen/connective tissue. Anyway, the first time you smoke a butt it looks like you're going to be done in 4-5 hours. Then the meat hits 170ish and just hangs there forever.
 
Myron Dixon is a 3 time Grand Champion and cooks his butts in under 8 hours. That is a fact and cannot be disputed. Talked about, yes. Disputed, no.
 
jldc, I don't want to be an *******, but your second picture shows two forks in your hand and the last picture shows a cheap German knife laying on the counter covered in pork meat.

Are you sure you pulled it?
 
Fletch78 said:
jldc, I don't want to be an *******, but your second picture shows two forks in your hand and the last picture shows a cheap German knife laying on the counter covered in pork meat.

Are you sure you pulled it?
Click to expand...

You're dissing my pork and my knife?

Pull the pork, then chop the blackened outside parts and mix them in - everybody knows that.
 
Fletch78 said:
jldc, I don't want to be an *******, but your second picture shows two forks in your hand and the last picture shows a cheap German knife laying on the counter covered in pork meat.

Are you sure you pulled it?
Click to expand...
I use forks when pulling my pork. how do you do it?
 
Fletch78 said:
jldc, I don't want to be an *******, but ...
Click to expand...

You just can't resist it? What followed seems to fall into that catergory, and you obviously knew it before you typed it. Stating that it was cheap german knife rather than just saying a knife covered in pork was nothing but antagonistic. And really, does it matter if he chopped or pulled it? He's the one eating it, and as long as he's happy with his results, who cares how he got there.
 
I love my BGE. It wasn't cheap, but I had a few bucks to spare, and I've gotten a lot of mileage out of it. I highly prefer it to the offset smokers that are so popular in Texas. Those things are usually enormous and rather single purposed (sure, you can grill on one, but not with less than 2 lbs of charcoal like I can with the Egg). With the BGE, I can be grilling, wood firing pizza, or ready for an all day cook in 15-20 minutes. I've never felt too limited by the cooking area of the Egg. I've cooked a 20 lb turkey, a couple of pork butts, several whole chickens, enough ribs to host a small party, and about 10 lbs of wings on it. Sure, I can't simultaneously cook enough to feed 100 people, but I've always managed to cook more food than I need, even when hosting parties up to about 30 people.

My last post in the wings thread shows a good example of how much you can stack inside the Egg.

Nice job on the pork, j!
 
I like the BGE. I think that if you want a smoker, and money is an object, you can get buy with something cheaper. The BGE is a great smoker and a great grill (especially for high temp applications) and if you take advantage of its all around capabilities it seems more reasonable.

As mentioned, due to the insulation there is no other smoker that is similarly sized that can cook as long without reloading. If you do a lot of traditional BBQ, being able to go 12-24 hours basically hands off (if you have a bbq guru or similar) is very, very nice.
 
kcbrewman said:
You just can't resist it? What followed seems to fall into that catergory, and you obviously knew it before you typed it. Stating that it was cheap german knife rather than just saying a knife covered in pork was nothing but antagonistic. And really, does it matter if he chopped or pulled it? He's the one eating it, and as long as he's happy with his results, who cares how he got there.
Click to expand...

Relax KC, I have the same knife in my block.
 
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top