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After a year of use I can say It's the best BBQ grill I've owned, hands down. Being able to do a 24hr slow cook, then using that same fire to get it up to 600 plus to make some pizzas for the kids is the best thing to me. I struggled with getting a good fire started at first, but then I bought an electric starter which solved that and then a flameboss 300 so that I could sleep through the night and knock out a perfect brisket.
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to BBQ and will use it since they are a bit pricey. I have the large and will get another before summer, mainly another large vs the XL due to being able to share the accessories I have such as cast iron grill and various stones.
Well, I finally had an excuse to get the smoker going and that excuse was Mother's Day. I bought a 10 lb pork tenderloin and ended up having to cut it in half to even get it on the smoker. Next time I will probably cut it into thirds, or hopefully have a bigger smoker by then. I then filleted it down the middle in order to smash a bunch of goodness in the middle.
Since I trimmed the fat cap off I added back some fat with some butter, I slit the meat and worked it into the slits (after this pic)
The main star of the show was the homemade apple butter given to me by a friend, but I also cut up some red onion for some flavor depth
I also cut up some granny smith apples to go inside
Like I said, the apple butter was the main star, and I spread that all on the inside, next time I will probably use more but I didn't want to go crazy on a new recipe. I then added some 3/4 cooked applewood smoked bacon, because bacon...
Next I piled on the red onions and apples
Then I got out the butcher's twine and tied these suckers together as tight as I could. Then I sprinkled a simple dry rub over the outside
And then onto the smoker with some hardwood charcoal and applewood chips for flavor, the larger half of the tenderloin was too large and had to be curled to avoid the lid hitting it, next time I will probably cut into thirds to be safe.
Once the internal temp hit 140 deg in the centermost parts of the meat I pulled them, look at that perfection!
The meat was absolutely incredible! Next time I think I will use less butter and more apple butter, but for a first attempt I was blown away and so was my family, they LOVED it! Lots of complex flavors, with sweetness on the inside and a garlic/peppery spice on the outside of the meat, it was really damn good!
I didn't get any pics of the slices, but it had a nice subtle smoke ring all around the edge of the meat. The puppies had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed the meat and the company, the second my family left, they passed out
Also, since I had the smoker going, my gf had told her coworkers about my smoked deviled eggs, so she hard boiled some eggs and asked me to smoke them. I originally was going to smoke them with cherry like the last time I made them, but since I had the smoker going with apple wood I said let's try this. Can't wait to taste these suckers tonight!
So between this thread again, being summer cooking weather, and a $250 off $500+ coupon I received to a place that sells Green Eggs I am looking at considering a smoker for the billionth time.
I know the Eggs are stupid expensive. With this coupon I would at least be able to get a large size one for $650. The other side though of the same size would be around $300. BGE seems to be easier to put on my deck without issues of heat on a wood deck since it sits much higher on its stand. It also seems much easier to set and forget to keep a constant temp. The WSE though seems to be able to smoke at lower temps allowing you do slowly smoke fish. BGE can get hotter and gives you the ability to cook pizzas on it though.
And damnit all the food pictures in here is making me hungry already at 9am.
I know people that swear by the BGE's, I just can't accept that cost for as few times a year as I smoke, I also have a $500 gas grill so I don't need the grilling ability. I've been looking to buy this for a few years and am planning to buy it in a few weeks, I think it's the best alternative to the BGE and half the price
Yeah the cost is what has kept me from a BGE in the past. The $250 coupon I received is the only real reason I am considering them again. A friend of mine has a Kamodo Joe and swars by it. I have had some smoked whole chicken off of it before at it was amazing. Yeah I would not need the grilling portion of it as I have the grill as well although some people say once you try grilling with the egg you won't go back to gas. Yeah the Large 18in BGE is still more than the biggest size WSM 22in. To get that size you have to go to the XL 24in BGE which is 1250.
Yeah the cost is what has kept me from a BGE in the past. The $250 coupon I received is the only real reason I am considering them again. A friend of mine has a Kamodo Joe and swars by it. I have had some smoked whole chicken off of it before at it was amazing. Yeah I would not need the grilling portion of it as I have the grill as well although some people say once you try grilling with the egg you won't go back to gas. Yeah the Large 18in BGE is still more than the biggest size WSM 22in. To get that size you have to go to the XL 24in BGE which is 1250.
You should probably make sure that the coupon doesn't have exclusions for BGE products which I'd imagine it likely does have. Them and Weber are always excluded from such deals.
If it excludes them I would definitely not being buying one that is for sure. You are probably correct. Would have to give them a call before driving down to the store since it is about 25min drive.
Took a pic of my leftover stuffed pork loin, you can see the smoke ring and filling. It wasn't as juicy as fresh off the smoker, but 2 days later and being reheated you can still see how juicy the meat was
Called tonight and was told it is usable on the Green Egg. Now to hope the prices listed on their website is correct as it is significantly lower that other retailers. It is a very reputable place though.
Called tonight and was told it is usable on the Green Egg. Now to hope the prices listed on their website is correct as it is significantly lower that other retailers. It is a very reputable place though.
Can coupon be used by anyone? If yes, send to me and I'll buy one too for that level of discount...
Do you have a fire house casual living near you? It is a.coupon for those stores and not a Green Egg coupon.
There is a deal for Green Eggs in general though right now. You can get $200 worth of accessories for free with a purchase.
Unfortunately they won't double that deal with my other coupon. The store is also doing a tax free deal for Memorial Day week. So I went today and got quotes for both the Large and Extra Large.
Large is $650 out the door and the XL is $990 out the door.
Can't really decide which to go with. The extra cooking surface seems like a good idea so I can lay things flat vs using rib racks and having them stand on end. But it is a good bit larger and will take up a lot of deck space. Anyone ever smoked with the racks?
The XL would allow me to cook full meals on it though.
So just for some clarification those prices are just for the Eggs themself and nothing else. You still need a whole bunch of other accessories to get going to use it as a smoker. It is giving me a little hesitation on the whole thing honestly along with trying to decide where I will set it up at. If I do go through with it though I am pretty sure I will go with the XL.
Do you have a fire house casual living near you? It is a.coupon for those stores and not a Green Egg coupon.
There is a deal for Green Eggs in general though right now. You can get $200 worth of accessories for free with a purchase.
Unfortunately they won't double that deal with my other coupon. The store is also doing a tax free deal for Memorial Day week. So I went today and got quotes for both the Large and Extra Large.
Large is $650 out the door and the XL is $990 out the door.
Can't really decide which to go with. The extra cooking surface seems like a good idea so I can lay things flat vs using rib racks and having them stand on end. But it is a good bit larger and will take up a lot of deck space. Anyone ever smoked with the racks?
The XL would allow me to cook full meals on it though.
Nope. Seems to be a NC only thing...
If I were you, I'd get the XL one and be done with it. You'll never regret having the bigger one but definitely have a chance of regretting not getting it. A BGE is a once in a lifetime type of purchase, just go for it.
If I were you, I'd get the XL one and be done with it. You'll never regret having the bigger one but definitely have a chance of regretting not getting it. A BGE is a once in a lifetime type of purchase, just go for it.
Oh had no idea it was NC only with how many stores they have here I thought it was a chain.
Yeah that is what I am thinking as well. It might for many meals be overkill and use a little more lump fuel than a large wood but even just possibly using it once or twice a year for 10-15 people cooks probably makes it worth the larger one since I hope to never have to replace it.
FYI, they ship overnight, so shipping is $40. Picked up twenty 5oz-6oz tails for $232 shipped. The tails are excellent!! I've ordered from these guys before.
So finally had a pretty free weekend for once so I bought a bunch of food Thursday evening so I could make food on the green egg all weekend. The plan was for chicken Friday, pulled pork Saturday, and burgers on Sunday.
Started off Friday making a rub that does a lot of smoking suggested and I have had several times at cooks at his house before. I made 3.5 cups of it so I had enough for this weekend and probably my next two cooks as well.
My sister bought me these one year as a gift and they have been in my kitchen cabinets since then never being used. Finally found a use for them. Storing my rubs.
Everyone on the Egg forums raves that spatchcock chicken is the best way to make a while chicken and that once you make it that way you will never do it any other way. So picked up an almost 6lb chicken and cut out the spine so it could be opened and layed flat and then covered it in plenty of rub.
Thought this picture looked cool since you could see the smoke
Temp probe in and we are ready to go
About 40min in I opened up the egg to throw on some ears of corn that had been soaked in water with the husks on. Helps to steam the corn while it cooks.
Spatchcock chicken complete. Breast meat temp done to 160 and thigh to 180. Total time took about 1hr 20min at 400 degrees. Wasn't really cooking for time but rather the inside temp.
Corn done
Really was some of the best chicken I have ever had. Will definitely be doing this again. Nice and juicy with a pretty crispy skin as well. Only thing I would change is using less rub next time. I don't think that chicken needs as much rub as ribbs or pulled pork does.
So once I enjoyed my chicken my work for the night was not done. I had to get my boston butt trimmed up and rubbed up so I could get it started. The smallest they had at the butcher was 10.76lbs so it was going to take all night to cook it low and slow like I wanted to. So I knew it was going to take 18-20hrs to cook.
Not a huge fat cap but still wanted to trim it down a little bit more
So trimmed off maybe .5-.75lb or fat. Also put cross cut marks in the remaining thin areas of fat to allow the rub to pentrate it a bit.
All rubbed up. Put it in the fridge for an hour or so while I got the egg going and let the temperature stablize.
Put a little more fresh rub on it right before I put it on.
Off we go...cook start time 12:15am.
While waiting of course I had to enjoy some great beer.
I would later wish I had started the cook earlier in the day so I could have let it cook for 20-24hrs rather than eventually having to turn the heat up a bit. The egg held a grate temp of about 210 degrees and thus a lid temp of around 225/230 all night long. Really loving the the FlameBoss300 for controlling and monitoring my cooks so you don't really have to mess with it. When I got up in the morning next day which was 8.5hrs into the cook I realized that the temp was stuck at about 155degrees internal temp with the stall and also that if I was giong to get it finished in time for dinner I would have to increase my temps just a bit. So I increased the grid temp by 20 degrees to 230 and thus a dome temp of around 250. And then again to 235 when the dome temp started to drop again to keep the dome temp at 250. This helped me get the butt done by 5:40pm for a total cook time of about 17.5hrs. Next time I really want to let it cook slow at my original start temp of 210 with a dome temp of 230 so I will start it earlier in the day.
Just before the butt was ready to come off I preparred the side dish for the pulled pork. These poppers were filled with cream cheese and cheddar mixture seasoned with pepper and garlic powder. I then sprinkled a little of the same rub I used on the chicken and but on the bacon right before they went on the egg. They would cook at 325 degrees for just under an hour.
As much as I wanted to check on it throughout the day I kept myself from ever opening the egg the whole time. This was my first look at it.
It came straight off the egg to be wrapped in two layers of heavy duty foil and allowed to sit for 1hr 15min which was all that I could stand to wait. I put it in warm towels and then into a cooler to set.
Time to cook the poppers while the butt sits.
Another wonderful beer while the poppers cook
Checking in on the poppers after about 40min. They probably could have come off at this point but wanted the bacon a little crispier.
So while I was waiting for them to finish I decided I should get the butt shredded. The bone pulled out like a hot knife through butter.
Beer claws made easy work of the butt
Poppers all finished
Time to eat!!!
When I told Ack I was making pulled pork he told me there was a dish I needed to try the next day. I need to make scrambled eggs with pulled pork and bbq sauce. It sounded a little odd at first but damn was it good. Nothing like having pulled pork with a side of more pork cause I can't have breakfast without bacon. Next time I make it I want to add in breakfast potatoes and some onions too.
Damn, quite a weekend Jason. I was waiting for you to post pictures
Glad you're getting into smoking, it's definitely a great hobby
The one main think I learned from this weekend is I need to do a better job of spacing out my wood chunks as I didn't notice that much of a smoke flavor in the food as I had hoped for. I have family coming into town this week so plan on either making more pulled pork or a brisket for them so I will get to give it another go. Starting the cook either Thursday or Friday evening not sure yet.
Smoked some baby backs on the smoker on July 4th. Flavor was outstanding, but since it was so hot (about 95 deg with 110 deg heat index) the ribs cooked super fast. I usually do a modified 3-2-1 but the ribs were up to temp in literally an hour and a half, so I wrapped them and sauced them and they were ready to eat pretty quickly. Given the smaller size of my smoker I had to do 2 sessions, but both sets came out fantastic.
Membranes removed and oiled up
All rubbed and ready
On the smoker with lump wood charcoal and cherry wood
All sauced up and ready to eat
Dat smoke ring though
And of course when eating ribs or anything that I smoke, I always have an audience
Also, we made a Red White and Blue Caprese Salad with fresh home grown tomatoes, and fresh home grown purple basil from my garden right next to the smoker, the flavor was amazing
I bought 5 lbs of brisket from Franklin's in TX a couple of months ago. It's been vacuum sealed and in the freezer, you guys think it'll still be good?
Didn't have a chance to throw it on the grill last weekend but should be happening this week.
01-08-2018, 09:49 AM
