Big Green Egg

[Grumps 3,693]

Woo-hoo! You will love it! Just learn your Egg. Once you know how much to open the vent for whatever temp you want, then you are set!

[RunInRed 16,356]

OK, first cook in the books!  Definitely not the best but guess you gotta start somewhere ... 

The Meat

I went with some boneless/skinless chicken breasts because a.) we had it and b.)  I needed something to help break the Egg in at low temps. 

The Prep

As I previously mentioned, I marinated in zesty Italian dressing for about 3.5hrs prior.  I dropped it all in large ziploc and let it sit, maybe rotating once or twice to ensure coverage. I then used some Bad Byron's Butt Rub pretty liberally which I picked up at Costco ...

I brought the chicken up to room temp and they were ready for the Egg.

The Cook

I went indirect heat with an empty  aluminum pan to catch the drippings.  I maintained around 300 ... running as low as times 275 and as high as maybe 350.  Honestly, I was "learning my Egg" and figuring out how to play with temps.  All in, it took about 40-45 minutes to reach 165 internal temps on the chicken.  (Side note, I was using a $10/cheapy meat thermometer I picked up at Home Depot which wasn't very consistent and little more difficult than I would have liked -- I've been reading up on the Thermapen Mk4 and I think I'm going to make that purchase).

I let the largest piece go a few extra minutes, basting/glazing on each side with this sauce:

Firecracker Sauce:

– ½ cup Brown Sugar
– ½ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
– 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

 

The Result:

Pros: Extremely juicy/tender chicken; high on flavor, 

Cons: My wife, who is always picky / likes meats more done than I thought I could have left it on a little longer -- maybe 170/5 is her number?; I'm pretty sure I over did it with the rub and sauce definitely was overkill unless you really like your chicken with a kick

I think next time, I will do chicken breasts over direct heat.  I want to try a dual-zone cook where I have coals on one side and let it come up to 130/140 on the cool side before finishing over the fire to give it more of a crisp.   And I'll definitely scale back on the rub and perhaps try the Blues Hog sauce mentioned above.

Again, all in all, it definitely wasn't bad ... onto cook #2!

[Barnacle 9,064]

26 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

OK, first cook in the books!  Definitely not the best but guess you gotta start somewhere ... 

The Meat

I went with some boneless/skinless chicken breasts because a.) we had it and b.)  I needed something to help break the Egg in at low temps. 

The Prep

As I previously mentioned, I marinated in zesty Italian dressing for about 3.5hrs prior.  I dropped it all in large ziploc and let it sit, maybe rotating once or twice to ensure coverage. I then used some Bad Byron's Butt Rub pretty liberally which I picked up at Costco ...

I brought the chicken up to room temp and they were ready for the Egg.

The Cook

I went indirect heat with an empty  aluminum pan to catch the drippings.  I maintained around 300 ... running as low as times 275 and as high as maybe 350.  Honestly, I was "learning my Egg" and figuring out how to play with temps.  All in, it took about 40-45 minutes to reach 165 internal temps on the chicken.  (Side note, I was using a $10/cheapy meat thermometer I picked up at Home Depot which wasn't very consistent and little more difficult than I would have liked -- I've been reading up on the Thermapen Mk4 and I think I'm going to make that purchase).

I let the largest piece go a few extra minutes, basting/glazing on each side with this sauce:

Firecracker Sauce:

– ½ cup Brown Sugar
– ½ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
– 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

 

The Result:

Pros: Extremely juicy/tender chicken; high on flavor, 

Cons: My wife, who is always picky / likes meats more done than I thought I could have left it on a little longer -- maybe 170/5 is her number?; I'm pretty sure I over did it with the rub and sauce definitely was overkill unless you really like your chicken with a kick

I think next time, I will do chicken breasts over direct heat.  I want to try a dual-zone cook where I have coals on one side and let it come up to 130/140 on the cool side before finishing over the fire to give it more of a crisp.   And I'll definitely scale back on the rub and perhaps try the Blues Hog sauce mentioned above.

Again, all in all, it definitely wasn't bad ... onto cook #2!

Excellent!!

I hear you on "learning your egg". Half the fun is figuring stuff out, tinkering, trying new things, etc. How was the firecracker sauce? Would you make it again?

BBQ rubs on chicken are tricky, especially on skinless breasts - generally a lot of sodium, and the chicken will soak it up. Also curious if your wife is accustomed to chicken being a little more dried out...that's the beauty of brining/marinating. It makes a huge difference on skinless, boneless breasts, which are really hard to cook well IMO. 

Glad you are enjoying your egg. Also glad you got this thread going again. I'll try to post more in here this summer.

[Grumps 3,693]

2 hours ago, RunInRed said:

OK, first cook in the books!  Definitely not the best but guess you gotta start somewhere ... 

The Meat

I went with some boneless/skinless chicken breasts because a.) we had it and b.)  I needed something to help break the Egg in at low temps. 

The Prep

As I previously mentioned, I marinated in zesty Italian dressing for about 3.5hrs prior.  I dropped it all in large ziploc and let it sit, maybe rotating once or twice to ensure coverage. I then used some Bad Byron's Butt Rub pretty liberally which I picked up at Costco ...

I brought the chicken up to room temp and they were ready for the Egg.

The Cook

I went indirect heat with an empty  aluminum pan to catch the drippings.  I maintained around 300 ... running as low as times 275 and as high as maybe 350.  Honestly, I was "learning my Egg" and figuring out how to play with temps.  All in, it took about 40-45 minutes to reach 165 internal temps on the chicken.  (Side note, I was using a $10/cheapy meat thermometer I picked up at Home Depot which wasn't very consistent and little more difficult than I would have liked -- I've been reading up on the Thermapen Mk4 and I think I'm going to make that purchase).

I let the largest piece go a few extra minutes, basting/glazing on each side with this sauce:

Firecracker Sauce:

– ½ cup Brown Sugar
– ½ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
– 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

 

The Result:

Pros: Extremely juicy/tender chicken; high on flavor, 

Cons: My wife, who is always picky / likes meats more done than I thought I could have left it on a little longer -- maybe 170/5 is her number?; I'm pretty sure I over did it with the rub and sauce definitely was overkill unless you really like your chicken with a kick

I think next time, I will do chicken breasts over direct heat.  I want to try a dual-zone cook where I have coals on one side and let it come up to 130/140 on the cool side before finishing over the fire to give it more of a crisp.   And I'll definitely scale back on the rub and perhaps try the Blues Hog sauce mentioned above.

Again, all in all, it definitely wasn't bad ... onto cook #2!

Yay! NOW you have experience! I usually do chicken direct. My favorite way for chicken is spatchcock. I HIGHLY recommend the Thermapen. It is great, and serving meat at the proper temp makes a HUGE difference. If you don't have a spreadsheet with the doneness temps for all types of meat then let me know. Also, and this may get me (and you) into trouble, but I recommend that you serve meat at the proper temp. Your I will bet you that your wife's taste buds will adjust. My wife was always the same way, but now she has my spreadsheet taped to the inside of a cabinet door and she uses it and the Thermapen for all meats (and potatoes) that she cooks inside. If you like pulled pork then do a boston butt soon. That will give you plenty of time to get to know your egg and you really cannot mess up a Boston butt.

Also, regarding lump. I really like Royal Oak. It is available almost everywhere (Wal-mart, Home Depot, many grocery stores). Also, I am pretty sure that they make the BGE lump, and it is usually cheaper. When you are getting cocky then you need to do pizza. There is nothing better, and when you can control your egg at 550 degrees + you will gain a lot of confidence. Also, don' be afraid to cook a thick steak at 500. If you are watching your internal temp (with a Thermapen) you can get a great sear/flavor and still have a medium rare/juicy steak. Same for hamburgers. Finally, you will EASILY be able to make the best ribs you have ever had (if you use Blues Hog). Great ribs is how you impress people with your BBQ prowess.

Lastly, I'm with Barnacle, how did you like the Firecracker Sauce? It sounds interesting!

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

On 5/19/2018 at 1:49 PM, RunInRed said:

Finally pulled the trigger today.  Initial purchase included a Large Egg, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter and Cover.  Dealer also threw in a bag of lump, starters and delivery/setup.  Already got my eyes on a few accessories but pretty giddy to get started in the meantime.  I'll keep you guys posted on my adventures.

Cool.

Bon apetit.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

20 hours ago, homersapien said:

I am not going to argue against the Big Green Egg, I'd like to have one.  But I have used a "Cookin Cajun" for decades for my BBQ.    It will hold two racks of ribs with a vertical rib rack. 

Unfortunately, it's getting old and I can no longer find the model pictured below that has a separate fire pan which allows you to lift off the top sections to start the fire.  (BTW, I highly recommend electric charcoal starters.  I have gone through several of those over the years.)

Sooner or later, I'll need to replace my Cookin Cajun and the Big Green Egg will be an option.  It's just kind of hard to justify unless you do a lot of BBQ, which I don't. I use a small Weber gas grill for steaks and grilled vegetables which gets a lot of use.  (I hate to build a charcoal fire to grill a couple of steaks and veggies.)

Anyone have an experience with the Green Egg knock-offs?

 

 

Electric charcoal starter:

Sam I am?

Still learning the ropes on smoking.

Limping along OK w./a Char-Broil (TM) smoker that looks a lot like yours.

[Barnacle 9,064]

9 hours ago, Grumps said:

Yay! NOW you have experience! I usually do chicken direct. My favorite way for chicken is spatchcock. I HIGHLY recommend the Thermapen. It is great, and serving meat at the proper temp makes a HUGE difference. If you don't have a spreadsheet with the doneness temps for all types of meat then let me know. Also, and this may get me (and you) into trouble, but I recommend that you serve meat at the proper temp. Your I will bet you that your wife's taste buds will adjust. My wife was always the same way, but now she has my spreadsheet taped to the inside of a cabinet door and she uses it and the Thermapen for all meats (and potatoes) that she cooks inside. If you like pulled pork then do a boston butt soon. That will give you plenty of time to get to know your egg and you really cannot mess up a Boston butt.

Also, regarding lump. I really like Royal Oak. It is available almost everywhere (Wal-mart, Home Depot, many grocery stores). Also, I am pretty sure that they make the BGE lump, and it is usually cheaper. When you are getting cocky then you need to do pizza. There is nothing better, and when you can control your egg at 550 degrees + you will gain a lot of confidence. Also, don' be afraid to cook a thick steak at 500. If you are watching your internal temp (with a Thermapen) you can get a great sear/flavor and still have a medium rare/juicy steak. Same for hamburgers. Finally, you will EASILY be able to make the best ribs you have ever had (if you use Blues Hog). Great ribs is how you impress people with your BBQ prowess.

Lastly, I'm with Barnacle, how did you like the Firecracker Sauce? It sounds interesting!

I'd also recommend Royal Oak, along with the B&B charcoal I recommended earlier. Both very high quality. Don't mess with the "Cowboy" brand lump they sell at the grocery store. It's garbage. Also, both Royal Oak and B&B are much cheaper than the BGE brand and like @Grumps said, pretty sure Royal Oak makes it anyway.

[SaturdayGT 719]

  I cooked a steak on a big green egg, and it might have been one of the best steaks I've ever cooked! Too pricey for me though. I've tried several types of grills, and Ive narrowed down my favorite to the plain old 150 dollar Weber kettle grill. They wont last like the porcelain type grills, but they will out last most of the other types. They also outcook all the other grills Ive tried and trashed after 2 or 3 years because the cost to replace the grates were about half of what a brand new grill costs...which leads to the best thing about a weber.....you can get a brand new grill grate for less than 20 bucks!

[RunInRed 16,356]

10 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

I'd also recommend Royal Oak, along with the B&B charcoal I recommended earlier. Both very high quality. Don't mess with the "Cowboy" brand lump they sell at the grocery store. It's garbage. Also, both Royal Oak and B&B are much cheaper than the BGE brand and like @Grumps said, pretty sure Royal Oak makes it anyway.

I saw Royal Oak at Home Depot this week ... $9.99 for a large bag ... crazy price difference b/t the BGE Lump which is listed as high as $50/bag at some places. ?

[RunInRed 16,356]

9 hours ago, Grumps said:

Yay! NOW you have experience! I usually do chicken direct. My favorite way for chicken is spatchcock. I HIGHLY recommend the Thermapen. It is great, and serving meat at the proper temp makes a HUGE difference. If you don't have a spreadsheet with the doneness temps for all types of meat then let me know. Also, and this may get me (and you) into trouble, but I recommend that you serve meat at the proper temp. Your I will bet you that your wife's taste buds will adjust. My wife was always the same way, but now she has my spreadsheet taped to the inside of a cabinet door and she uses it and the Thermapen for all meats (and potatoes) that she cooks inside. If you like pulled pork then do a boston butt soon. That will give you plenty of time to get to know your egg and you really cannot mess up a Boston butt.

Also, regarding lump. I really like Royal Oak. It is available almost everywhere (Wal-mart, Home Depot, many grocery stores). Also, I am pretty sure that they make the BGE lump, and it is usually cheaper. When you are getting cocky then you need to do pizza. There is nothing better, and when you can control your egg at 550 degrees + you will gain a lot of confidence. Also, don' be afraid to cook a thick steak at 500. If you are watching your internal temp (with a Thermapen) you can get a great sear/flavor and still have a medium rare/juicy steak. Same for hamburgers. Finally, you will EASILY be able to make the best ribs you have ever had (if you use Blues Hog). Great ribs is how you impress people with your BBQ prowess.

Lastly, I'm with Barnacle, how did you like the Firecracker Sauce? It sounds interesting!

Yeah, I was looking at the Thermapen and ChefAlarm ... they are quite $proud$ of their products though!

Looking forward to cooking at higher temps ... want to do a few lower temps until I break it in ... thinking something simple like burgers tonight on direct heat.

The firecracker sauce is good but HOT ... you've been warned.

[RunInRed 16,356]

12 hours ago, Barnacle said:

Excellent!!

I hear you on "learning your egg". Half the fun is figuring stuff out, tinkering, trying new things, etc. How was the firecracker sauce? Would you make it again?

BBQ rubs on chicken are tricky, especially on skinless breasts - generally a lot of sodium, and the chicken will soak it up. Also curious if your wife is accustomed to chicken being a little more dried out...that's the beauty of brining/marinating. It makes a huge difference on skinless, boneless breasts, which are really hard to cook well IMO. 

Glad you are enjoying your egg. Also glad you got this thread going again. I'll try to post more in here this summer.

As I was saying, the firecracker sauce is good but definitely has a kick to it ... may be better on chicken w/ skin where it has a little more territory to disperse the flavors.

Good tip on the skinless chicken ... I definitely think I was a victim of too much rub ... lesson learned! 

 

I don't mean to get too ahead of myself but thinking about some wings and ribs for Memorial Day weekend coming up ... may try your recipe.  Looked similar to one I saw on http://howtobbqright.com -- minus the Parkay butter when you wrapped 'em.  Is that the one you followed?  Did you 'mop' your ribs as you went/between flips?

[Barnacle 9,064]

24 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

As I was saying, the firecracker sauce is good but definitely has a kick to it ... may be better on chicken w/ skin where it has a little more territory to disperse the flavors.

Good tip on the skinless chicken ... I definitely think I was a victim of too much rub ... lesson learned! 

 

I don't mean to get too ahead of myself but thinking about some wings and ribs for Memorial Day weekend coming up ... may try your recipe.  Looked similar to one I saw on http://howtobbqright.com -- minus the Parkay butter when you wrapped 'em.  Is that the one you followed?  Did you 'mop' your ribs as you went/between flips?

Definitely go for the ribs and wings!

I followed this video almost to the "T". He also has a "backyard" style ribs video, which is a little more simple (especially in the way he preps the meat), but I like sauce'd ribs. If you do too, I'd recommend the video below. 

I'm not a real expert on wings, but tossing them in a mix of old bay, honey, and cayenne has been my go-to, and its a crowd-pleaser.

[Barnacle 9,064]

52 minutes ago, SaturdayGT said:

  I cooked a steak on a big green egg, and it might have been one of the best steaks I've ever cooked! Too pricey for me though. I've tried several types of grills, and Ive narrowed down my favorite to the plain old 150 dollar Weber kettle grill. They wont last like the porcelain type grills, but they will out last most of the other types. They also outcook all the other grills Ive tried and trashed after 2 or 3 years because the cost to replace the grates were about half of what a brand new grill costs...which leads to the best thing about a weber.....you can get a brand new grill grate for less than 20 bucks!

Nothing wrong with a Weber kettle! One of the best ever made. I like the egg for long cooks, but I've seen people make some great BBQ on kettles. Like most anything else, it's not the grill, it's the man behind it.

[augolf1716 21,093]

7 hours ago, Barnacle said:

Definitely go for the ribs and wings!

I followed this video almost to the "T". He also has a "backyard" style ribs video, which is a little more simple (especially in the way he preps the meat), but I like sauce'd ribs. If you do too, I'd recommend the video below. 

I'm not a real expert on wings, but tossing them in a mix of old bay, honey, and cayenne has been my go-to, and its a crowd-pleaser.

On wings I use honey, balsamic vinegar and sirachia....make as hot as you want or medium. 1/2 cup of all three and mix. I do not mix in a bag I grill wings first then bask while grilling the last 10 minutes or so

[Barnacle 9,064]

11 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

On wings I use honey, balsamic vinegar and sirachia....make as hot as you want or medium. 1/2 cup of all three and mix. I do not mix in a bag I grill wings first then bask while grilling the last 10 minutes or so

Definitely trying this. Sirachia and honey is an incredibly underrated pair, btw.

[Barnacle 9,064]

We grilled some bone-in pork chops last night on a friend's Kamado Joe. These always turn out really well. 

1. Season both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Allow them to rest, until the meat starts to sweat and the salt is binded to the meat. 

2. Get a good sear on the grill - something around 500 degrees will do the trick. We're really just going for some color here. 

3. Place about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, and then heat it on the grill. 

4. Place the chops onto the skillet for about 2 minutes before flipping over. 

5. Once flipped, at butter, crushed garlic and fresh thyme - and begin pan basting the meat once the butter melts. 

6. After about 3 minutes, flip and baste the other side for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cooked to your desired temp. 

[augolf1716 21,093]

3 hours ago, Barnacle said:

We grilled some bone-in pork chops last night on a friend's Kamado Joe. These always turn out really well. 

1. Season both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Allow them to rest, until the meat starts to sweat and the salt is binded to the meat. 

2. Get a good sear on the grill - something around 500 degrees will do the trick. We're really just going for some color here. 

3. Place about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, and then heat it on the grill. 

4. Place the chops onto the skillet for about 2 minutes before flipping over. 

5. Once flipped, at butter, crushed garlic and fresh thyme - and begin pan basting the meat once the butter melts. 

6. After about 3 minutes, flip and baste the other side for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cooked to your desired temp. 

Damn that look really good. As for bone in always grill with bone in helps with favoring. imo

[SaltyTiger 7,761]

On 5/21/2018 at 8:49 AM, RunInRed said:

I saw Royal Oak at Home Depot this week ... $9.99 for a large bag ... crazy price difference b/t the BGE Lump which is listed as high as $50/bag at some places. ?

Red, I am the BGE expert!!!  ( is that clear ? ) I have 20 plus years of great food coming from the Egg... with that said BGE thinks way to much of their charcoal. Royal Oak is iffy. Have had great bags and poor bags. It it depends on how it was shipped and handled. Cowboy is usually consistent. Mrs Salty just bought a new type at Walmart in Panama City Friday morning. 30 lb. bag for $9.99. I  will post a bag picture. The Piggly Wiggly butt rub that was posted  is great stuff.

[SaltyTiger 7,761]

On 5/20/2018 at 8:14 PM, RunInRed said:

OK, first cook in the books!  Definitely not the best but guess you gotta start somewhere ... 

The Meat

I went with some boneless/skinless chicken breasts because a.) we had it and b.)  I needed something to help break the Egg in at low temps. 

The Prep

As I previously mentioned, I marinated in zesty Italian dressing for about 3.5hrs prior.  I dropped it all in large ziploc and let it sit, maybe rotating once or twice to ensure coverage. I then used some Bad Byron's Butt Rub pretty liberally which I picked up at Costco ...

I brought the chicken up to room temp and they were ready for the Egg.

The Cook

I went indirect heat with an empty  aluminum pan to catch the drippings.  I maintained around 300 ... running as low as times 275 and as high as maybe 350.  Honestly, I was "learning my Egg" and figuring out how to play with temps.  All in, it took about 40-45 minutes to reach 165 internal temps on the chicken.  (Side note, I was using a $10/cheapy meat thermometer I picked up at Home Depot which wasn't very consistent and little more difficult than I would have liked -- I've been reading up on the Thermapen Mk4 and I think I'm going to make that purchase).

I let the largest piece go a few extra minutes, basting/glazing on each side with this sauce:

Firecracker Sauce:

– ½ cup Brown Sugar
– ½ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
– 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

 

The Result:

Pros: Extremely juicy/tender chicken; high on flavor, 

Cons: My wife, who is always picky / likes meats more done than I thought I could have left it on a little longer -- maybe 170/5 is her number?; I'm pretty sure I over did it with the rub and sauce definitely was overkill unless you really like your chicken with a kick

I think next time, I will do chicken breasts over direct heat.  I want to try a dual-zone cook where I have coals on one side and let it come up to 130/140 on the cool side before finishing over the fire to give it more of a crisp.   And I'll definitely scale back on the rub and perhaps try the Blues Hog sauce mentioned above.

Again, all in all, it definitely wasn't bad ... onto cook #2!

Red, you have an Egg which makes life simple. Zesty Italian is a go to quick marinade great on anything. Quick meal after the work day. Marinate for 20 minutes while you prep the fire and have some iced tea. Thick boneless chick breast, at 275 to 300 degrees no more than 20 minutes max each side