Big Green Egg & Other Ceramic Grills All Encompassing Thread

[Lurch 5950]

Do I need to wrap it in twine? 2 loops each direction?

[Chewbacca 7830]

Do I need to wrap it in twine? 2 loops each direction?

Nope, but it wouldn't hurt anything if you do.

[Chewbacca 7830]

Pulled the pork butt last night and served it on Hawaiian buns with cole slaw and the Franklin vinegar sauce. Goddam that was some good eating.

My 13 YO son ate three sandwiches after football practice. 

My only complaint was that it was a tiny bit dry, even with the water pan. I probably need to mop it more than I did? But once you put the sauce on it, it was great. 

I pull mine off the smoke after 10-12 hours and finish in a casserole dish covered with foil in the oven. Pour some liquid (water, apple juice, etc) in there and it won't dry out.

 

And Hawaiian buns with Franklin vinegar sauce and cole slaw is how we eat them, too. So good.

 

[Mortimer 88]

Holy shit - rocked a reverse sear tri tip w chimichurri sauce tonight. First time ever attempt at reverse sear or tri tip.

$16 tri tip roast. Olive oil binder w SPG simple brisket rub. Let sit.

Chimichurri sauce: Italian parsley, olive oil, red wine vinagar, kosher salt/coarse pepper/red pepper flakes, four clove garlic, fresh lime juice. Blend (but not too much).

Bring BGE to 250 indirect. Smoke tri tip to 120 or so. Pull meat, pull plate setter. Go direct heat at 500 to 135-140 internal temp, flipping every so often.

So damn good. My picky kids had 3rd and even 4th helpings (without sauce). The sauce for me launched it into orbit. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get off the standard fare smoking/grilling go-tos. 16 fuckin bucks.

[Sam Lin 3598]

Shhhh, don't tell people about tri tip. Don't want to skyrocket the price like we did to beef ribs and flank steak.

Hell yes to chimichurri.

[Mortimer 88]

Was too stoked about this not to share

[Masshole Horn 811]

So, I was making "dove" poppers last week (no dove, used chicken thigh pieces) and they had that really greasy smoke flavor. I cooked them at ~450. First batch without the smoking stone, second batch with it in place. Tasted the same either way. Previously, I would grill them at high temperature on a kettle type grill and they turned out fine.

I kept the lid down, should I leave it open? How can I avoid this?

[pops 7142]

4 hours ago, Masshole Horn said:

So, I was making "dove" poppers last week (no dove, used chicken thigh pieces) and they had that really greasy smoke flavor. I cooked them at ~450. First batch without the smoking stone, second batch with it in place. Tasted the same either way. Previously, I would grill them at high temperature on a kettle type grill and they turned out fine.

I kept the lid down, should I leave it open? How can I avoid this?

Could be fuel wasn't great. Could be fats from previous cooks that were burning with the fuel. 

Did you have the vents open up top?  

Just kind of sounds like a dirty fire. 

If I'm just grilling I usually leave the lid open. Definitely the vents up top. I also start my fire on two sides so that even if you have a good temp,  less chance of unlit coal getting lit and kicking more smoke up. 

[Masshole Horn 811]

1 minute ago, pops said:

Could be fuel wasn't great. Could be fats from previous cooks that were burning with the fuel. 

Did you have the vents open up top?  

Just kind of sounds like a dirty fire. 

If I'm just grilling I usually leave the lid open. Definitely the vents up top. I also start my fire on two sides so that even if you have a good temp,  less chance of unlit coal getting lit and kicking more smoke up. 

Thank you. Definitely agree on the dirty fire; I think it's based on the fuel.  I wiped down the inside and cleaned off the grates and stone. I'm running a totally fresh batch of lump right now and the same thing is happening. I'm using Wegman's lump. It's been good in the past, but not this time. Will see what Home Depot and Lowe's has in stock.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

On 9/19/2020 at 10:00 PM, Mortimer said:

Holy shit - rocked a reverse sear tri tip w chimichurri sauce tonight. First time ever attempt at reverse sear or tri tip.

$16 tri tip roast. Olive oil binder w SPG simple brisket rub. Let sit.

Chimichurri sauce: Italian parsley, olive oil, red wine vinagar, kosher salt/coarse pepper/red pepper flakes, four clove garlic, fresh lime juice. Blend (but not too much).

Bring BGE to 250 indirect. Smoke tri tip to 120 or so. Pull meat, pull plate setter. Go direct heat at 500 to 135-140 internal temp, flipping every so often.

So damn good. My picky kids had 3rd and even 4th helpings (without sauce). The sauce for me launched it into orbit. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get off the standard fare smoking/grilling go-tos. 16 fuckin bucks.







 

I tried one last night for the first time, also smoked and reversed seared with salt and pepper rub.

Also did a pot of pinto beans "Santa Maria" style (just barracho beans without jalapeño or cilantro) and garlic bread. 

It was all tremendously tasty and very easy.

Going to need to add that to the rotation for weekend dinners. 

[Spankytoes 1748]

On 9/19/2020 at 11:00 PM, Mortimer said:

Holy shit - rocked a reverse sear tri tip w chimichurri sauce tonight. First time ever attempt at reverse sear or tri tip.

$16 tri tip roast. Olive oil binder w SPG simple brisket rub. Let sit.

Chimichurri sauce: Italian parsley, olive oil, red wine vinagar, kosher salt/coarse pepper/red pepper flakes, four clove garlic, fresh lime juice. Blend (but not too much).

Bring BGE to 250 indirect. Smoke tri tip to 120 or so. Pull meat, pull plate setter. Go direct heat at 500 to 135-140 internal temp, flipping every so often.

So damn good. My picky kids had 3rd and even 4th helpings (without sauce). The sauce for me launched it into orbit. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get off the standard fare smoking/grilling go-tos. 16 fuckin bucks.








 

I smoked a Tri-tip with herbs and a homemade honey mustard glaze last weekend. Another good option.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Spankytoes

[Sam Lin 3598]

Used all my cooking area yesterday (Big Joe). Was lazy and didn't touch the fuel when I lit; the coals in there were on their second reuse, and I ran out of fuel at about 4hr, had to open it up and put in more coal.

Started a beef rib way early, 240 with deflectors in for hours. Foil pouches in background are bulbs of roasted garlic:

 

Set the grate expander on and threw on some roasted vegetables and twice baked potatoes (I'd pre-baked and scooped the potatoes the night before). Let the temp creep up to 300-350:

 

Close to eating time pulled the expander grate and the rib, turned one deflector 90' so I had a 90 degree corner of direct high heat, then did some portobello mushrooms (added brie and gorgonzola after the pic was taken). The front portobellos were mutant large, I could easily have cracked 2 eggs in. The 3 in back are 'normal' size, for size reference:

 

Skillet over the 90' high heat area, let the fire run wide open, probably 450 or so. Did some smash burgers (way too busy to take pics), and then fried some onions in the burger grease:

 

Everyone was super impressed and ate too much. Success.

[Buzzrock 15136]

Pulled the pork butt last night and served it on Hawaiian buns with cole slaw and the Franklin vinegar sauce. Goddam that was some good eating.
My 13 YO son ate three sandwiches after football practice. 
My only complaint was that it was a tiny bit dry, even with the water pan. I probably need to mop it more than I did? But once you put the sauce on it, it was great. 

18 hours is a pretty long time for a butt. I’d consider bumping up the temp next time.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

On 10/14/2020 at 9:41 PM, Buzzrock said:

 

18 hours is a pretty long time for a butt. I’d consider bumping up the temp next time.

 

Thanks, I thought it was excessively long, too, but my Franklins book said 270° and that was what I did.

How much hotter would you recommend?  

[Dry Elbows 142]

1 hour ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Thanks, I thought it was excessively long, too, but my Franklins book said 270° and that was what I did.

How much hotter would you recommend?  

How much did it weigh?  18 hours is a long time at 270.

[Etexhorn13 3098]

1 hour ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Thanks, I thought it was excessively long, too, but my Franklins book said 270° and that was what I did.

How much hotter would you recommend?  

Wow, how many lbs was that thing? I’ve never done one that took longer than 8-10, usually cooking around 250 degrees. 

[CooterBrown 18288]

24 minutes ago, Dry Elbows said:

How much did it weigh?  18 hours is a long time at 270.

Especially on a egg that goes a bit faster than an offset. Always get a 2nd thermometer. The OEM dome one sucks. Mine will read 100 degrees lower than actual temp on occasion. No rhyme or reason to why it's so far off sometimes.

[Cousin Strawberry 1273]

1 hour ago, CooterBrown said:

Especially on a egg that goes a bit faster than an offset. Always get a 2nd thermometer. The OEM dome one sucks. Mine will read 100 degrees lower than actual temp on occasion. No rhyme or reason to why it's so far off sometimes.

Totally agree on this.  

[Chewbacca 7830]

18 hours is a pretty long time for a butt. I’d consider bumping up the temp next time.

I've had a butt go 20 hours once. Not the norm, for sure, but it happens.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

2 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Especially on a egg that goes a bit faster than an offset. Always get a 2nd thermometer. The OEM dome one sucks. Mine will read 100 degrees lower than actual temp on occasion. No rhyme or reason to why it's so far off sometimes.

LOL I was using both my BBQ guru AND my thermopro for both the grate and the butt. (four probes total)

Thermometer redundancy!

[DDD Dad 14650]

I've had a butt go 20 hours once. Not the norm, for sure, but it happens.

I’ve seen South Austin’s mom’s butt go for 5-6 hours but never 20.

[Mortimer 88]

I smoked a Tri-tip with herbs and a homemade honey mustard glaze last weekend. Another good option.

I made the mistake of over-indulging on the chimichurra sauce AND leaving it in the fridge for an extra week while on vacation. Every time I saw it in the fridge, I would wince a bit. I will certainly be giving the honey mustard a try.

[CooterBrown 18288]

I’ve seen South Austin’s mom’s butt go for 5-6 hours but never 20.

Someone’s never gone on Two Dollar Tuesday.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

Did a couple of beer can chickens and twice baked potatoes last night on the egg. Used cherry wood for the first time ever and it gave the chicken an outstanding smoky flavor. 

Sorry no pics. 

[Tailgate 3077]

Anyone have the rotisserie kit for the egg or Joe? About to pull the trigger.

[Sam Lin 3598]

The FB Joe groups absolutely love the Joetisserie, fwiw.

[Jerry Callo 8960]

On 10/18/2020 at 5:12 PM, Tailgate said:

Anyone have the rotisserie kit for the egg or Joe? About to pull the trigger.

I have the Joetissorie for my Vision Kamado.  Great for chickens, roasts, and Picanha steaks.

[Godzillatron 295]

PSA. Costco online has 80 lb. of Kamado Joe lump for $80. Free shipping. Gotta be a member. Deal expires 11/8.

[Jerry Callo 8960]

1 hour ago, Godzillatron said:

PSA. Costco online has 80 lb. of Kamado Joe lump for $80. Free shipping. Gotta be a member. Deal expires 11/8.

Thanks.  Just bought some.  It looks like they are having Kamado Joe Roadshows at Costco in Lewisville and Cedar Park in December.  Usually really good deals on the lump at those.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

I was somewhat disappointed with the Cyber Q (BBQ Guru) that I purchased a few weeks ago, so at the advice of the BGE Facebook group, I bought a Fireboard instead. The guru controller did its job fine and maintained the temperature, but the internet and bluetooth connectivity were pretty spotty and I had to log back onto the wifi network constantly.

My main complaint was that I wanted to be able to sit at my desk in my study - on the opposite side of the house from the patio - and watch the BGE cook and I was unable to do it with the Cyber Q.

Having used the Fireboard twice now, I highly recommend it over the Cyber Q. The  controller works well, the interface is better, and the connectivity is MUCH better and does exactly what I was needing it to do. I can check on a cook from across town. Could not do that on the other one. 

It also has a battery and with a USB-C plug and will run with any 12V bbq fan with a barrel connector, so all you have to do is buy the controller and you can still use the old fan from your old controller. 

Here are a couple of screenshots plus a marketing photo (couldn't get a good picture of mine outside)

 

 

[Jerry Callo 8960]

I've been singing the praises of the FireBoard paired with the BBQ fan anytime I get the chance.  Such a great system.

[DDD Dad 14650]

My cyberq works fine but I’ve never tried to set up the WiFi.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

Beef ribs from today's cook with the Fireboard. They cooked a lot faster than I was expecting but still turned out really well. 

Edited November 18, 2020 by crimsonlonghorn

[Sbbruin 22144]

Walmart has a good deal on this one.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lifesmart-Deen-Brothers-Series-15-Blue-Kamado-Ceramic-Grill-Value-Bundle-Includes-Electric-Starter-Cooking-Stone-and-Cover/619151564?irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_x401AsxlBxyORV9wUx0Mo34BUkEzKmULyzx%3AwU0&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_36345&clickid=x401AsxlBxyORV9wUx0Mo34BUkEzKmULyzx%3AwU0&sharedid=&ad_id=565706&campaign_id=9383

[Etexhorn13 3098]

https://howtobbqright.com
 

I don’t know if this dudes website has ever been mentioned on here, but he has been a pretty good resource for me after having gotten my vision grill a few months ago. He’s got videos to go along with his recipes so you can see each step of the way, also has videos with helpful tips, as well as recipes for all different types of smokers. He breaks things down and makes it super easy to follow, especially for  meat smoking novices. Anyway, used his smoked pork loin recipe, but injected it with Tony’s instead of brining. It was damn delicious.  

[Jerry Callo 8960]

I use several of Malcom Reed's recipes and cooking methods on my kamado.  Mojo pork chops are pretty damn good.  He sauces the hell out of almost everything, so I usually dial it down a bit.

[pearlandhorn 3343]

1 hour ago, Jerry Callo said:

I use several of Malcom Reed's recipes and cooking methods on my kamado.  Mojo pork chops are pretty damn good.  He sauces the hell out of almost everything, so I usually dial it down a bit.

Absolutely 100% agree.  Too much sauce on a lot of his stuff.  He does make a good BBQ rub.  I used it on ribs and pork shoulder.  I'm following his brisket recipe on a Traeger for Thanksgiving.  Not putting as much BBQ rub on it though, mainly salt and pepper.

[Mac8111 2129]

He is a really good reference. I never follow anything 100% like he puts on his recipes,but he has some solid BBQ ideas and suggestions.

[Etexhorn13 3098]

8 minutes ago, Mac8111 said:

He is a really good reference. I never follow anything 100% like he puts on his recipes,but he has some solid BBQ ideas and suggestions.

Yep, this is basically what I do. Gotta take into account that he’s in SEC regional bbq territory, and adjust accordingly. If nothing else his recipes are a great starting point. 

[Sam Lin 3598]

Trying a new supplier of lamb. Lamb saddles (t-bones):

Marinated 6hr in olive oil, red wine vinegar, rosemary, cumin, salt, pepper, lots of garlic. (Marinated in a bag in the fridge, photo taken after bag failed while flipping the marinade.)

Set up Jr kamado with deflectors at 90 degree angle (I don't see this done much, you can see I also did it on a Big Joe on a previous photo post in this thread. I do it quite frequently on all sizes of kamado. It gives a larger indirect cook area while still having one small area of direct heat for searing. I find this really useful as searing simply doesn't take much time; if I set up the traditional half and half 2-zone, half of the grill is unusable once the sear is done unless I go in and adjust deflectors over hot coals, which I try not to do (larger risk of cracking a deflector if it's added to hot grill, and also just the PITA factor of handling hot deflector, hot grate, down in a hot grill). This way I have 75% indirect and 25% sear. I also find the deflectors help channel airflow and heat into the opening so the sear area gets some concentrated Vortex cooking effect.

Searing in background just over a minute a side lid open, then moved to indirect for about 12min of lid closed ~300F.

Eat. The fat cap was especially great, almost creamy.

[BabaYaga 15625]

Posted early on the FB page, but I'm loving smoked chucks for chopped sammiches on the egg.  Much faster than brisket (5-6 hours).  Cheaper.  Easier to make and have a distinctive "pot-roast/BBQ" flavor.  Served with Hawaiian rolls, pickles and chopped onions.  Slam hard!

 

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

6 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Posted early on the FB page, but I'm loving smoked chucks for chopped sammiches on the egg.  Much faster than brisket (5-6 hours).  Cheaper.  Easier to make and have a distinctive "pot-roast/BBQ" flavor.  Served with Hawaiian rolls, pickles and chopped onions.  Slam hard!

 

Gonna have to try that. Looks awesome. 

[Spur08 384]

Smoking a turkey for Christmas and I'm trying to decide if I want to do it regular or spatchcocked. Any reason to do it one way or another?

This will actually be the first year I've ever cooked a turkey. I've always done filet, rib roasts, hams, etc so I'm trying to figure out what to expect

[DDD Dad 14650]

Smoking a turkey for Christmas and I'm trying to decide if I want to do it regular or spatchcocked. Any reason to do it one way or another?

This will actually be the first year I've ever cooked a turkey. I've always done filet, rib roasts, hams, etc so I'm trying to figure out what to expect

Spatchcock can help you avoid hot spots. I have personally never bothered with it on the egg.

I like smoking just a breast in the egg. Super easy and always comes out good.

[CooterBrown 18288]

10 hours ago, Spur08 said:

Smoking a turkey for Christmas and I'm trying to decide if I want to do it regular or spatchcocked. Any reason to do it one way or another?

This will actually be the first year I've ever cooked a turkey. I've always done filet, rib roasts, hams, etc so I'm trying to figure out what to expect

 I reserve spatchcocking for direct grilling. For smoking, you could go to that trouble or not. It'll smoke up just fine regardless of how it's cut up.  Find a smaller turkey in the 12-15 pound range.  Inject or brine. Salt, pepper.  Season the cavity.  Smoke at 300. It'll go pretty quick. Probably 2 hours or less.  You can foil tent the breasts if they are getting to temp before the thighs. 

I did the Franklin method at Thanksgiving and it was a waste of butter. It actually caused almost all of the skin to melt away leaving all the meat exposed to dry out. I'd skip it.

[luke duke 6450]

Did you let it rest for more than 5 sec?

[Etexhorn13 3098]

2 hours ago, luke duke said:

 

Did you let it rest for more than 5 sec?

 

10-15 min. I injected the shit out of it with some Tony’s stuff, probably a bit too much. Whatever, flavor was there and it was juicy as hell. 

[4th_and_18 709]

Posted early on the FB page, but I'm loving smoked chucks for chopped sammiches on the egg.  Much faster than brisket (5-6 hours).  Cheaper.  Easier to make and have a distinctive "pot-roast/BBQ" flavor.  Served with Hawaiian rolls, pickles and chopped onions.  Slam hard!
 

Tried this and my experience was exactly the same as you describe. Surprisingly quick, easy, and great result. Plus having the hookup on discounted H-E-B wagyu chuck roast right now helped too.

[Chewbacca 7830]

Did you let it rest for more than 5 sec?

Looks like 10 or so.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

Mrs CL got me a great Christmas present.

Turns out I need to do a better job of getting it stable on the spit but it still turned out pretty good and the flavor is amazing. 

Going to try a tri-tip this weekend.