Big Green Egg

[BobS]

I don't understand. The company that makes it is Kamado, which is more than likely a Japanese company (since Kamado is Japanese for hearth), but I'm not finding this product from any actual Japanese retailers. Hmmm...

There is a maker called Kamodo (makes Dragon Fire, I think), but the Big Green Egg, is made by Big Green Egg. Here is the link to their web page, which has links to the Forum.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/

The design is based on a Japanese rice cooker and soldiers brought back after WWII.

The Naked Whiz wrote a paper on the origin of the word Kamado and it is an interesting read, if you are into these cookers.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/kamadotheword/kamadotheword.htm

BGE is definitely the big dog with Primo being a very strong second. Third place is debatable, but probably Grill Dome.

Both BGE and Primo have excellent customer service and a rabid fan base.

I have both brands and love them.

 

[Gravy]

I find the BGE worth it.

I kept my gasser after buying a BGE because it was instant on for grilling burgers and such but I think the extra 10 min or so to get the BGE going is worth the wait. I can't really complain about that while also being a DE wetshaver and taking more time to do things right.

As for water concerns,
I do steaks at 700*+ and at that temp I don't spray it w/ water. If slow cooking w/ it, you can spray them w/ water but I'm not sure why that would be an issue. I've had mine going in the rain and its fine.

Last month I won the church rib cook-off
It wasn't even close as I was the only one not using gas.
But what do you expect up here in Michigan.

It's easier to list the negatives.
1) I have the Large version and the cooking surface is a touch smaller than my gasser but there are add ons that help w/ using the verticle area.

2) After sharing the food, I got roped into cooking for events. I've done some B-day parties, a wedding, open house this weekend, family reunion in August...
This never happened w/ my gas grill.

 

[Rughi]

You shouldn't need to spray the inside as it's a very moist cooker, and it's described by BGE as good for cooking outdoors in the rain or snow, so the outside getting wet isn't an issue.

Roger

 

[adamant]

Dang, something else to save up for now.

 

[Dennis]

They look really nice, but they cost around $1000 not including the accessories. I bought a Weber Performer two years ago when I started researching this. I wanted the Egg but could not justify it. I can get the Weber easily up to 650F or hotter and it has worked really well for me. No rust issues, easy to clean and the propane starter under a chimney rocks for starting the lump up.

 

[BobS]

The price of $1000 is not really accurate/representative. BGE makes 5 sizes, from Mini to XL. The Lg (biggest seller) has an 18" grill, with the metal stand, currently costs $800 (in a box) at the first location and $874 (assembled) I called here in DE.

They were selling for $649 at the Waldorf Eggfest (demos used one day) and at a 20% discount (I think that was it), so they come to a full price of $811.

You could easily spend $1000, if you start adding grill toys.

 

[Dennis]

The price of $1000 is not really accurate/representative. BGE makes 5 sizes, from Mini to XL. The Lg (biggest seller) has an 18" grill, with the metal stand, currently costs $800 (in a box) at the first location and $874 (assembled) I called here in DE.

They were selling for $649 at the Waldorf Eggfest (demos used one day) and at a 20% discount (I think that was it), so they come to a full price of $811.

You could easily spend $1000, if you start adding grill toys.

Thanks Bob - you are correct of course. I called on them 2 years ago and was looking to get something equivalent to the Weber. That was a Large BGE and I was looking at the tables too. I recall it came in right around 1K or maybe a little less. They of course make smaller sizes that will run less and one larger one that would run more. This was just calling around - I have not seen them on sale of demos or any of that. When my Weber needs replacing, I plan on looking at them (again).

 

[Rughi]

I like to utilize the Egg as diversely as I can when I fire it up, and Dutch Oven cooking, especially while barbecueing butts works very well for me.

First Photo
I have a Large Egg and find the big 9 quart Lodge Oven is a perfect fit for it. The diameter of the Dutch Oven is about 13.5" and the Egg is inside diameter is about 18.5" so there is 2.5" of air space for heat and smoke to flow past the oven.

Second Photo
I have soaked some navy beans and added them to some sauteed onion, celery and bell pepper (trinity, to those in the know) and a shoulder bone. After bringing this all up to a high simmer,


Third Photo
I set the Dutch Oven on top of the Plate Setter, and then set the grate with two seasoned butts onto the Dutch Oven. I could have set the oven onto the grate and used another grate above the oven and it would probably work about the same.

I like using the Dutch Oven this way because it uses heat I'm generating anyway, picks up excellent flavors from the smoky environment, and because it catches the delicious drippings that come off the butts. These particular butts have a very closely trimmed fat cap, so it's mostly the marbling, gelatins and other liquids that drip into the oven, not a huge load of pure fat that I would need to spoon off after cooling.

Fourth Photo
The last photo is of a time when I solely used the Dutch Oven for cooing some chili. Looks pretty empty in there compared to doing butts and beans at the same time, kinda like looking at an old V8 in an engine bay before the smog era junked it all up with hoses and wires. Chili this way has a flavor that's more like campfire chili than can easily be achieved indoors.

Roger

 

[ia_james]

Make your own out of giant flower pots, and a hot plate from walgreens. Spend the other $700 on beer.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/store/product/product_details.jsp?id=prod350527

http://www.naffziger.net/blog/2008/07/05/the-alton-brown-flower-pot-smoker/

 

[Rughi]

Make your own out of giant flower pots, and a hot plate from walgreens. Spend the other $700 on beer.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/store/product/product_details.jsp?id=prod350527

http://www.naffziger.net/blog/2008/07/05/the-alton-brown-flower-pot-smoker/

That dandy little MacGuyverism has been discussed in detail here recently in this thread. The li'l Brown Egg is a substitute for one type of cooking the Green Egg will do (low 'n' slow smoke cooking), but it's not the same thing at all.

It's really much more of a competitor to the Weber Smoky Mountain (about $240), so you would get your flower pots and hot plate and have $140 left for your beer.

Roger

 

[Gravy]

Make your own out of giant flower pots, and a hot plate from walgreens. Spend the other $700 on beer.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/store/product/product_details.jsp?id=prod350527

http://www.naffziger.net/blog/2008/07/05/the-alton-brown-flower-pot-smoker/

While the hot plate and pot is a novel idea, it's not the same. How do I go about cooking a pizza or searing a steak at 700+ degrees on a hot plate?
I also do my chicken 350 degrees. Will a hot plate and pot even get close to that?
Heck, I even do Lasagna and meatloaf on the BGE.
It's not just a smoker.
(This is close to how I do my steaks http://www.nakedwhiz.com/trexsteak.htm)

 

[ia_james]

You can use charcoal in it. Just need the smaller circular grill to go below the larger grill. Increased clean up time would be the only penalty. That and it being a chore to reload charcoal if you are doing a huge turkey or something.

 

[WhosYerBob]

The things I learn about here on the B&B! Looks nice, but I don't grill enough to get into it.

 

[BarbeForte]

I'll resurrect this thread because I just bought the latest addition to the Kamado grills market, the Kamado Joe.

I've been looking for a BGE for many years, but thought it was too expensive, and the dealers in my area all said the canadian distributor was an as**ole.

So since I've done extensive research on this before spending that money, here's the summary:

Basically, the BGE and the Joe are the same thing. Kamado Joe however took the negative points on the BGE and improved them. For example, the metal parts shouldn't rust. Also, it comes standard with a stand and bamboo side shelves that won't rot, and the ash tool is included. There's more, but you get the point, and nothing major.

The Kamado Joe comes in red or black. It comes in one size which is equivalent to the large BGE (18" grill).

I think that's it. Everything else is the same, but the Joe, in Canada, is the same price as the large egg but you get the shelves and the stand. Also, support seems to be better should anything happen.

Price in Canada: $1,100 - $1,200 depending on the store, I think last year when I checked the large BGE was $1,200. I think it's $900 in the US.

 

[Gravy]

Very Nice! I like the racks.

I've seen those online but there are no distributors in my area, whereas we have 3 BGE dealers w/in 40 miles that I know of.

What are you going to make first?

 

[Rughi]

...Basically, the BGE and the Joe are the same thing...

You got that right! Is this a Canadian version by the same manufacturer? I'm having a hard time seeing parts that don't look like they'd directly interchange.

Roger

 

[BarbeForte]

As far as I know there's only two Kamado Joes, red or black. There's a third one covered in stainless steel but I think it's for restaurants or rich folks!

I grilled some sausages and pork chops, but the burgers were the best, for some reason the charcoal taste was more present than with the pork.

I never cooked on a BGE so I can't compare, but so far I'm satisfied!

I've read that you can use BGE parts in this one, and Kamado Joe parts in a BGE, but maybe the plate settler has to be used with the right fire ring, I don't know...

I'll try chicken wings tomorrow and I'd like to smoke something this weekend, probably a shoulder! Mmm!

 

[Alacrity59]

I mentioned seeing the Bayou Classic last Spring. Apparently there were massive quality problems. I'm glad I held off. The shop that sold me my Napoleon about five years ago sells the BGE and now carries the Kamado Joe as well. I dropped in to buy a new cover for my Napoleon and asked them about the Kamado Joe. I was told the only difference between the Joe and the BGE is $100.

Still fairly expensive though. Might be a treat . . . when I feel like I deserve a treat.

Mike

 

[liolo]

made some Inquiries last week around here (Montreal, Canada) because my dad was looking for a new grill/smoker for this summer. The best price I found for the large BGE was 1099$. This is including nothing other than the egg itself. No stand or shelves.

The price was almost double my dad budget's, so we decided to fix and repaint the char-griller style smoker-grill that we had and keep the money for another year for the BGE or maybe a Primo.

 

[BarbeForte]

I was told the only difference between the Joe and the BGE is $100.

Still fairly expensive though. Might be a treat . . . when I feel like I deserve a treat.

Mike

The Kamado Joe comes with a stand and side shelves, the BGE comes with nothing, so you should take this into consideration when shopping for one.

But the BGE has a lifetime warranty I believe, the KJ has 20 years; they haven't been in business very long so if they go bankrupt in 3 years, and the KJ breaks... but any company can go bankrupt, even after 100 years, look at GM!