Questions About Big Green Egg

[ackvil]

I have a friend who has a Big Green Egg and has owned it for a few years. He loves it for grilling but has never used it for smoking. So my questions for you BGE fans:

1. How many hours can you smoke something without adding extra charcoal?
2. Is it suitable for smoking or is it limited to grilling?
3. What results have you gotten if you smoke brisket?

 

[DEPenguin]

I haven't BBQ'd in years. When I read the title of your thread the very first thought I had was of green eggs and ham. So, child-like and innocent I keep reading . . . you say a friend of yours has had a big green egg for years, and I recoil. Gross! Then I think, "Hey, maybe I'm missing out on something here."

I'm only mildly disappointed to learn it's about a grill/smoker.

 

[TexLaw]

I've never actually cooked on one, but so many of my friends have sung its praises for smoking (it and also the Kamado Joe).

I'm sure others will chime in with more.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

I have the Weber Kamado style grill. I would probably recommend the Big Joe or Oval xl over anything, I just like their build. Anyways , the forums I have read show close to what mine does. Mine can run 30 hours on one load, sometimes I need to stir the charcoal to get rid of ash but I rarely do that. It runs longer than I need it too. They perform in the middle of a grill and true smoker on taste per experts but I love mine. I will say once the temp gets to high it takes forever to lower it , since they hold heat so well. As a grill mine does pretty good. It takes a few more minutes to get up to temp since it's charcoal and big , but not bad. Also the ceramic ones ,(mines double wall steel) are heavy so an accordingly. Overall they do kick *** with some quirks but well worth it imo. If I ever upgrade it will be a separate grill and a dedicated smoker like a lonestarz offset. Maybe a hasty bake, those are great as well lol. Drum smokers and a separate Weber kettle are also a good option.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I’ve got a cheap (relatively speaking) Char Grill Kamado. It consumes charcoal at an amazingly slow rate. Getting a 12 hour smoke out of a real Kamado on one fill should be easy. Once you get the temperature stabilized, it stays.

 

[oc_in_fw]

The great thing about Kamados is they can do low and slow and hot as heck with nothing but vent adjustments. I haven’t done brisket, but I’ve smoked many a butts and seared many a steak.

 

[Doc4]

I'm only mildly disappointed to learn it's about a grill/smoker.

Yes, but I would not use it in a boat. I would not use it to cook a goat.

 

[highball]

I have had my large egg for 21 years, it's a grill, oven and smoker. I am not sure on how many hours it will run but I have never ran out of fuel during a cook.

 

[paintflinger]

Kamado Joe has a better design for the price if you're looking for options. If you load the basket up you'll get a minimum of 20 hours imo.

 

[ackvil]

Kamado Joe has a better design for the price if you're looking for options. If you load the basket up you'll get a minimum of 20 hours imo.

Yes, it does look nice and has some great features. What concerned me was putting it together.

 

[paintflinger]

Yes, it does look nice and has some great features. What concerned me was putting it together.

It's not too complicated and two people can lift a big Joe into the cradle easily. Top and bottom come assembled.

 

[shavefan]

Caliber is another option and would be on high on my list if I was looking at buying a Kamado. Get ready for sticker shock though.

 

[Bakker1964]

I have a friend who has a Big Green Egg and has owned it for a few years. He loves it for grilling but has never used it for smoking. So my questions for you BGE fans:

1. How many hours can you smoke something without adding extra charcoal?
2. Is it suitable for smoking or is it limited to grilling?
3. What results have you gotten if you smoke brisket?

1. Not sure, and it would depend on size. But @SmokingBBQDad on Youtube got 54 hours out of one load of lump, keeping temps low. This was in a 24" Kamado Joe, but I would expect the BGE to be similar.

2. BOTH

3. N/A

 

[Bakker1964]

It's not too complicated and two people can lift a big Joe into the cradle easily. Top and bottom come assembled.

The Big Joe 2 weighs 360 pounds. Easily?

 

[karacha]

The Big Joe 2 weighs 360 pounds. Easily?

Piece of cake. I bet this dude could do in on his own, even.

 

[shavefan]

It's not too complicated and two people can lift a big Joe into the cradle easily. Top and bottom come assembled.

The Big Joe 2 weighs 360 pounds. Easily?

I nearly slipped a disc just thinking about it

 

[paintflinger]

The Big Joe 2 weighs 360 pounds. Easily?

Sorry, was thinking of the classic. Three people to lift the big Joe.

You got to remember that is the total weight of everything. Actual ceramic is lower.

For reference, one guy lifting a classic.

 

[Jayber Crow]

I have a large BGE. If you're cooking low and slow the charcoal will last longer than you need for anything you're going to cook.
if you're going to go hot wide open as for cooking pizza you can maybe get 4 pies, the most I ever cook is 3, so if you want to do a pizza party for a crowd you may be limited.

I'd say it's better suited for smoking and pizza than direct grilling but it will certainly do that. I prefer a 2 zone set up when grilling and use my weber kettle for that. I have used my BGE for grilling but you can't really get the 2 cooking zones with it.

Brisket or anything you want to smoke e.g. ribs, pork butt, come out great.

One other great thing about the BGE for smoking is that once you get the temp dialed in it's very stable. I also have a Weber smoky mountain and you have to check the temp and make adjustments every 30 min to an hour; with BGE it's set it and forget it.

 

[jherm77]

I have a large BGE. If you're cooking low and slow the charcoal will last longer than you need for anything you're going to cook.
if you're going to go hot wide open as for cooking pizza you can maybe get 4 pies, the most I ever cook is 3, so if you want to do a pizza party for a crowd you may be limited.

I'd say it's better suited for smoking and pizza than direct grilling but it will certainly do that. I prefer a 2 zone set up when grilling and use my weber kettle for that. I have used my BGE for grilling but you can't really get the 2 cooking zones with it.

Brisket or anything you want to smoke e.g. ribs, pork butt, come out great.

One other great thing about the BGE for smoking is that once you get the temp dialed in it's very stable. I also have a Weber smoky mountain and you have to check the temp and make adjustments every 30 min to an hour; with BGE it's set it and forget it.

X2

I have a large and a mini. I've cooked low and slow for 18 hours before (brisket) without adding coal.