Big Green Egg & Other Ceramic Grills All Encompassing Thread

[Jerry Callo 8836]

Coming along nicely at 5 hours.

[Mac8111 2118]

[Buzzrock 15029]

Looking good fellas

[Jerry Callo 8836]

Leftovers from the beef ribs a couple of posts above ended their service in these Texas Twinkies. Bacon wrapped jalapeños stuffed with a mixture of smoked cream cheese and chopped beef ribs.

Smaller bites are dove poppers.

[Sam Lin 3566]

Fun little picanha cook on a Joe Jr. Was going to slice and grill on the grates like any steak, but then decided to have some fun with it. Traditional skewers and salt it is! Had to be a bit creative with real estate management:

 

Money. Tasted incredible. And I do notice that cooking via skewer it tastes "cleaner" without the burnt grill marks. 

 

Process photos in spoiler:

Spoiler

Skewer and salt, and Jenga to fit:

Cooking, lots of shuffling around and flipping (didn't have my rotisserie with me) - loaded way too much coal so fire got out of hand. Threw the biggest chunk of coal I could find on top to serve as a fireblock - worked really well!

Awyiss

Done cooking

Sliced

 

[solamente73 1132]

Three months with no posts?  Yeah, Texas football (and volleyball) has been fun as hell (one week til Nawlins!) but we gotta eat!

First turkey breast I’ve done in 13 years of having my BGE.  It was a huge hit and will be part of the rotation going forward.

Brined overnight (recipe here) and used HEB Sweet Texas Heat rub (available when HEB is open) over oak lump with one chunk of hickory for flavor.  ~4.2 lbs at 235* for ~4 hours until 162* internal… Cary-over took it to 165*+.  

Incredibly juicy and tasty… zero leftovers.  Where has this been all my life?

[Masshole Horn 780]

Been wanting to smoke a brisket since I got back to Texas, but only had an Akorn jr. Recently got a full sized Akorn, basically new, on Craigslist for $100. So decided on doing some ribs first. They were good.

Pork:


Beef:


Brisket will follow one of these days.

[Etexhorn13 3054]

Hmm, I guess as good a place to post this as any. I use country style pork ribs for a Puerto Rican pork and beans recipe that I like, and I was curious how these would do if you smoked them. Used a normal pork/rib rub, for about 4 hours at ~250, then put some Craig’s BBQ sauce on. 
 

While not something I’ll do on the regular, it was pretty damn tasty, and would be great for a little appetizer or snack type thing. There were a couple pieces that were just a little too fatty, but overall I’m glad I tried it out and could see myself smoking a bunch of them for a game watch party or something, considering how cheap they were. 

[Masshole Horn 780]

Beef Cheeks turned out awesome. My grill settles in around 260, pulled at 204.

[Chewbacca 7794]

11 minutes ago, Masshole Horn said:

Beef Cheeks turned out awesome. My grill settles in around 260, pulled at 204.

I love beef cheeks.  Like dino ribs without the bones.

[Masshole Horn 780]

Pork Steaks




Did them with no deflector plate, just over a bed of coals. Ran from 260-280, mopped with a modified version of Snow’s mop and pulled them from 190 to 208 to see what was best.





They were very good. Next time I’ll get bone in and have the butcher cut them to ~3” thick.

[Jerry Callo 8836]

What did you decide on the pulling temp?   Even 190 seems high to me.

Did you buy a pork butt and have the butcher slice it?

[Masshole Horn 780]

What did you decide on the pulling temp?   Even 190 seems high to me.
Did you buy a pork butt and have the butcher slice it?

I think the 208 was best; it was also the thickest one. Next time I’ll drop the deflector in around 190 and pull around 205. The 208 was just barely overdone on the bottom.

I got a boneless butt and sliced it myself.

[Masshole Horn 780]

So 4-5 cooks in, thought it was time to go for the brisket.

I got a prime packer at Randall’s; shoutout to @jimmyjazz for posting about the deal.

Ran it fat side up around 270, used jealous devil lump and chunks of pecan. Hit 203 and probe tender after about 11 hours. Rested for 2. It turned out pretty well.

[crimsonlonghorn 2310]

Took almost two years of impatiently waiting for it to be finished and dealing with an incompetent builder, but we finally moved into our new house earlier this month and the BGE is getting fired up today for the inaugural cook in its own new home. Smoking a couple of chuck roasts for dinner later tonight with the in-laws who are coming over.

 

 

[BigDHornfan 6597]

1st cook with the Flame Boss.
Did a test “cook” last night to play around with it.
It feels like I’m cheating but IDGAF now that I can do an overnight brisket worry free.
 

[Masshole Horn 780]

Cooking BBQ was my choice for Father’s Day.

Ribs, beef cheeks, Southside Market sausage, beans, potato salad, collareds, and green spaghetti.

It was good; plus I had my old man over.

[Chewbacca 7794]

On 6/15/2024 at 9:12 PM, BigDHornfan said:

1st cook with the Flame Boss.
Did a test “cook” last night to play around with it.
It feels like I’m cheating but IDGAF now that I can do an overnight brisket worry free.
 

I really need to replace the gasket on my BGE.  I bought a Billows from Thermoworks but it won't work because my gasket is fried and it lets too much air in.  

[CooterBrown 18099]

I got a rotisserie for my BGE and this is my first attempt. Maybe 30-45 minutes to go…

Yucatán Chicken.

[Buzzrock 15029]

I got a rotisserie for my BGE and this is my first attempt. Maybe 30-45 minutes to go…

Yucatán Chicken.

Well?

TIL: keep your BGE covered and open the top and bottom vents (but leave the mesh closed lest you invite critters to nest inside) and it cuts down on the mold in humid weather.

[Sam Lin 3566]

My kamado in Asia humidity molds regularly. Non issue, warm it up, brush it off, cook on.

[CooterBrown 18099]

Well?

It was juicy, perfectly cooked but surprisingly not that flavorful.

I marinated it overnight in a blend of fresh orange juice, vinegar, achiote paste, garlic, onion, habanero, salt, pepper. Patted it dry and dry rubbed it with salt, pepper, garlic, and achiote.

Should’ve been a flavor bomb but it didn’t have much flavor. No idea what happened there.

I will say my homemade ranch style beans kicked ass.

[BigDHornfan 6597]

Did some great bbq chicken and corn last night.

[BigDHornfan 6597]

Bourbon marinated flat irons tonight.
And half a massive HEB russet and Chopped Caesar.

[Chewbacca 7794]

Bourbon marinated flat irons tonight.
And half a massive HEB russet and Chopped Caesar.

How long until flatirons are as expensive as ribeye? Probably my favorite cut of beef. Lean and tender.

[Tailgate 3027]

Got a Flame Boss for the BGE and it worked great in a pork rib test run last weekend. 
 

I really like charcoal chicken and a few other things but I’m having an issue with the coals being a bit far down when I’m doing direct grilling, especially if I want a sear at first. Any tricks for raising the coals without having to add a ton of charcoal?

Maybe I miss my little Smokey Joe is used at tailgates.

[Sam Lin 3566]

Not sure what size Egg you have, but CGS has some accessories that let you drop a grate down lower into the coals:

https://ceramicgrillstore.com/products/14-5-heavy-duty-stainless-searing-grid-cgs

[Jerry Callo 8836]

Busted out the Joetiessorie this afternoon to make some picanha.

Since I had it set up, I did a couple whole chickens for later. 

[BigDHornfan 6597]

BGE has open registration on all BGE's if you didn't register when you bought one.  No receipt needed.

https://biggreenegg.com/open-enrollment/

[Tailgate 3027]

11 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Busted out the Joetiessorie this afternoon to make some picanha.

Since I had it set up, I did a couple whole chickens for later. 

Looks awesome. What are your coals/fire in? It looks contained to right under the rotisserie.

[Jerry Callo 8836]

29 minutes ago, Tailgate said:

Looks awesome. What are your coals/fire in? It looks contained to right under the rotisserie.

I have a Kick Ash Basket with a removable Kick Ash Divider.

[Tailgate 3027]

Do yall use a water pan cooking 3 2 1 ribs? I plan on spritzing with some apple juice.

[Tailgate 3027]

3




2


1


Still have about 30min for that BBQ to bake.

[Etexhorn13 3054]

5 hours ago, Tailgate said:

3




2


1


Still have about 30min for that BBQ to bake.

FWIW I do not use a water pan 

[Sam Lin 3566]

No real need for a water pan in kamado. As efficient as the cookers are (very little air/smoke flow for a given temp), the cooking environment is already much more humid.

Edit: Now, that said, a drip pan with water to prevent the drippings from burning and giving off dirty smoke still has benefit.

Edited August 19 by Sam Lin
Add more.

[Masshole Horn 780]

I use a water pan, but like Sam Lin said, it's mostly as a drip pan. I find that with water in it, everything stays cleaner.

[Jerry Callo 8836]

Getting ready for kickoff. 

Texas Twinkies 

Dove poppers 

[Buzzrock 15029]

Cramming five racks on the large BGE for Labor Day bbq round one. Picked up a monster brisket for Monday.

 

[Buzzrock 15029]

[Buzzrock 15029]

[Buzzrock 15029]

I may be in over my head

 

[Buzzrock 15029]

I trimmed five lbs of fat off that big fucker and it finished in 12 hours at 250°. Faster than expected. Triple wrapped and into a warm oven until later.

[Buzzrock 15029]

 

Pretty daf if I’m honest. Last time I buy choice over prime. I’m envious of your beef prices in Texas. 

[Mac8111 2118]

5 lb smoked turkey breast was on point

[Masshole Horn 780]

Beef Ribs:





Real real good.

[FloridaHorn 4811]

On 9/2/2024 at 11:09 PM, Buzzrock said:

 

Pretty daf if I’m honest. Last time I buy choice over prime. I’m envious of your beef prices in Texas. 

Happy to have you on the board Mr Riley.

[Sam Lin 3566]

No affiliation, very happy customer, CGS makes some niche custom add-on racks and stuff that really make most kamados more flexible. They have a Christmas sale, and it is rare that they have sales.

I use their Woo ring in my Kamado Joe Jr, makes it easier to remove the deflector and grate as a unit, esp when hot.

I use their expander rack in my Big Joe, and it is more flexible and more convenient than the Kamado Joe extender rack (KJ only fits one specific position, and has 3 vertical feet, while CGS is a fully round support ring and can even be used without a grate in place, it sits right on the grate support nubs). CGS expander rack also has an optional deflector holder and 2pc top grate so you can flip it up for easy access to the center of the main grate, as well as so you can use it as an indirect warming rack above one extra deflector.

I've recommended them earlier in this thread, some of their accessories allow you to drop a grate down close to the coals for searing. They also have a variety of grate and drip pan sizes if you're having difficulty finding one for your exact smoker size.

For Green Egg users, the CGS grate systems are a huge improvement in cooking flexibility. Not so much for KJ users.

 

No affiliation whatsoever. I sound like a spambot. I'm a happy longtime customer.

[Jerry Callo 8836]

Agree on the CGS.  I have the woo ring, ceramic heat deflectors, kick ash basket, and a few other things.  Going to pick up a couple of the al pastor skewers.

[Da Fino 2798]

Thank you @Sam Lin

[crimsonlonghorn 2310]

Happy Thanksgiving. LFG!!!

I finally swapped out my gasket last weekend and it's holding temperature and smoke MUCH better. I should have done that a long time ago.