Is the Big Green Egg
as Good as They Say?
Do we believe the hype?
I’ve read the brochure, visited the website and watched all the DVDs. In fact
if there’s any piece of promotional material for the Big Green Egg that I haven’t read I’d be surprised and it all
sounds too good to be true. That is of course if you are a barbecue nutcase like me!
If you’re lucky enough to live in North America (and to some extent in Europe) you’ve probably heard of a Big Green
Egg but I have to confess that it wasn’t until I started to publish my smoker grill recipes that I actually
discovered the Egg and it’s humble origins in the Orient. I was intrigued, but living in the UK, how do I get hold
of one? I phoned Big Green Egg in the US, they were really helpful and everyone that I spoke to said they cooked on
an Egg and all year round at that! OK I’m sold, I’ve gotta have one to see what all the fuss is about.
To be fair, it was a big decision because these ceramic barbecues aren’t cheap and by the time it landed at my door
in England it has cost me the best part of $2000. It had better be good. So am I happy?........ABSOLUTELY!
It’s the middle of winter and I’m outside preparing the charcoal, my neighbors are looking at me as if I’m demented
but my kids are so excited when I tell them that it’s ribs for supper. I have my own favorite barbecue sauce recipe
which I use first as a marinade, then as a mop and finally I warm it up for sauce. Good use of ingredients and just
the right amount of chili. The best bit of all is that I get the last laugh as the smoke rises over the fence into
my neighbors garden and they get the aroma full on!
I do my ribs for about an hour per pound at a temperature of 225°F with the plate setter in place for indirect
cooking. To maintain a constant temperature I find that leaving the bottom draft door open half an inch and the
small vents on the top daisy wheel open half is about right but once you’re in the vicinity use the daisy wheel to
fine adjust for the final preferred temperature.
There’s a couple of things that I found out using the Big Green Egg that I’d like to share with you and the first
is the economy and thorough burning of the charcoal. Compared with a conventional BBQ grill the consumption is so
low and any charcoal not burnt just stays in the firebox until next time. The other point is do take care to clean
out the ash on a regular basis otherwise this will prevent you getting up to the higher temperature ranges. I clean
mine out after every third cookout but I guess this depends on how much ash you’re generating.
So should you believe the hype? In my view, the answer has to be yes. It’s everything that they say it is – and
more (I use it as a tandoor and do Indian cooking on it too!) so I’m going to be cooking on mine for many years to
come.
For the best selection of Big Green Eggs, grilling accessories and other grill brands such as Weber and DCS visit
the Best Barbeque Store on the Web, Barbecue.com. Browse page after page of grills, accessories and everything you need for outdoor fun. It's BBQ
Heaven -- Barbecue.com.
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