Anybody have any experience with them? I'm considering getting one. A friend swears by it, and his was about 30 years old.
I have two and love them. I think if you do a search for the last year or so, you'll see about 100 of my posts extolling their virtues. If you have detailed questions, etc, feel free to PM me.
I rolled my eyes when Mr. 1990 said he wanted one since we already have a gigantic offset smoker. But I have to admit, I love that thing. The ability to set it to very high (600+) temps makes excellent steaks. The BGE dealer here (BBQ Outfitters) has a promotion every May called Egg Fest. You pay $20 or so to attend a tutorial on how to use it and you'll receive 20% off whichever model you want to buy (you are agreeing to purchase one by signing up for the class.) It's the only time they're on sale. Maybe your dealer in San Antonio has a similar promotion?
I bought a BGE last year at the Austin Eggfest. The way it works is that, even though the BGEs are not really on sale, BBQ Ourfitters throws in about $100 of extra stuff for free (including the $25 fee for Eggfest). Eggfest, by the way, is open to anyone, not just buyers, but you have to pay the $25. I believe that I am the only BGE owner who has not become a huge fan. My biggest complaint is that there is no access to the charcoal once it is set up and grilling/smoking, so if you run out of wood chunks, too bad. My results have lacked the smoke I get off my large offset smoker. This could be pilot error, so I am going to give it another try this summer (I keep it up in Idaho, so there will be no grilling on it during the winter). If you are going the ceramic route though, take a look at the Primo grill as an alternative. The grill has an oval shape, rather than round like the BGE, so it is better shaped for holding meats like briskets, turkey, and ribs. Also, check outThe Link for more info on ceramic grills, lump charcoal reviews, recipes, safety tips, etc.
I have an old beat up Weber (18" I think), and a small smoker - both work OK but are old and have become eye sores. Sounds like the BGE could replace them both? I wonder if the BGE is considered an upgrade over the Weber charcoal grills, my guess is yes. I also wonder how expensive the BGE's are as I haven't been able to find that online.
I purchased the most popular size BGE last year and it went for $625. After tax and a few more accessories the price was $725.
got my BGE 2 yrs ago, and absolutely love it. smoked brisket, ribs, pork on it at looooow temps - then next day push it to 700 for searing steaks. Very versatile. Made some stuffed jalepenos a week ago - fantastic. It's an investment over the webber kettle - which served me well - but it has been great! I agree it would be nice to be able to access the charcoal after lighting - but with the right lump charcoal - you can go for hours without worrying about it. I go with the BGE brand lump, and have let a brisket go for 12 hours without needing to refill.
I have one-it is a great outdoor oven/smoker/grill. You can do many things with one-bake, roast, BBQ, grill. You can get a pizza plate and bake pizzas and bread. The key feature is extremely accuarate temperature regulation ability, just like an indoor oven. Read the website, and some of the hundreds of pages of discussions about different methods of cooking on there-it's almost a cult.
I live next door to a manager for BBQ Outfitters. He told me that eggfest is April 25th, if you need to save up for one. I don't have one yet but I can tell they work great from watching him cook on it all the time, and when I'm lucky tasting the results.
It's been some time since this was discussed and I just picked one of these up. Anybody care to share some recent experiences or suggestions? Thanks.
The Tex Sun Pools in The Woodlands is selling eggs and accessories for cost + 15%. The guy said it comes out to ~35% off retail and he ballparked a large egg at $550. I went to Ace this morning and they were closer to $900.
i bought the medium and regret not getting the XL. it's a pretty decent smoker and the medium makes it difficult to smoke anything larger than a rack of ribs.
I just got a BGE and am going to try a brisket this Saturday. Any quick recommendations or tips specifically geared toward smoking a brisket on the Egg?
Ozark Oak lump charcoal & soak your wood early. Good luck. It took me a couple tries to learn to control the temp on my egg just right. Fortunately I could eat my mistakes. Now I'm able to get it right and go to bed while the brisket smokes all night.
Mostly just practice. I like to keep the soaked wood chunks (not chips) about 1/2 way between middle and outer edge. You have the plate-setter on to block flare ups. Once at temp, it's all about airflow. I have a setup that is somewhat enclosed, but your's may be different. Start the coals wide open to get them going, then when you are ready to spread them, I get up to temp (200-215) with the top (the big slider) about 1/2 open and the bottom about 3 fingers wide. Once it hits 215, I close the big slider on the top completely and the little sliders are about the width of a toothpick. the bottom is about the width of one of these smilies: At initially it might climb to about 220-225, because the temp was going up before adjusting the vents. It goes down pretty quick. I found the key is to not let it get too hot initially, as it's tough to control bringing it down. Open the lid as little as possible, and put enough water in the drip pan to avoid having to re-fill. I'd post pics, but don't have any on websites to copy url from.
I just bought a BGE large. My dad has one as well as a friend. They love them and I have enjoyed the best steaks, brisket and turkey off these grills. I got mine during the OKC Eggfest, basically the nest was thrown in free. Brw - thanks for the tips. How long per pound? Also, should the plate setter be legs down or up?
The steaks were excellent, but I am still learning the airflow/heat process. Next up ribs. Any good suggestions and simple recipes on pork or beef ribs are welcome and much appreciated.
