Anyone here have a BGE? I really want one but not sure how easy they are to use - what is the learning curve?
Anyone here have a BGE? I really want one but not sure how easy they are to use - what is the learning curve?
what lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to while lies within us - emerson
I went with the Weber Smoking Mountain Cooker
Great
Ribs- Brisket-Chicken-turkey-Fat boy- pork roast and chops
LOYALTY ABOVE ALL ELSE, EXCEPT HONOR
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE MEMBER
I went with the Smokin-IT, all stainless and built to last. The only thing I have to be careful of is using to much wood (a 2" Dowel of Hardwood - 2" long is just right for 20lbs of ribs).
Learning curve is going to be dependent on how much experience you have before going to the BGE, I was on a team for a few years so I found the electric smoker that I have is just as good as the big pit we used to have, with a lot less hassle.
I like spre ribs and I set the thermostat to 225 and let them cook for about 4 hours and then rest wrapped up in tin foil for another 2, inside the smoker with the heat turned off.
I have a BGE. The deluxe package. You will wonder how you ever got along without it.
NEVER use any type of fire starters in it. EVER.
Warm it up slowly. Then it holds heat for a long time.
You actually need to season the egg with premium charcoal at first. Then you can kinda fudge a little.
Never use briquettes. Always natural charcoal.
Once you violate one of these rules, you will taste it forever. Pure fact.
The dang best brisket and beef you will ever eat will be cooked on it. I like to smoke meats on mine. 18 hours at 180 degrees is a magical thing. Season the meat at least 3 days prior and leave it in the fridge. The seasoning sets in and really gets into the meat. Try to use pure sea salt for your rubs. Iodized salt gives me a funny metallic taste and I dont care for it. Never had it with seasalt. The egg has the possibility of putting a bowl of water over the coals and under the meat. Use this carefully. If you steam the meat too much, it will turn to goo. Too little and it is like you did not do anything and washed all the seasoning off. Remember..... Finesse, not force.
I have told all my fam that if I ever see a piece of foil in my egg, pack your bags. And I aint kidding.
I love my egg.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, and covered in someone elses blood. I plan to go out the same way.
They are extremely easy to use. The best ribs I ever had came off ours. We had a Trager before. It wouldn't hold a steady temperature and wouldn't get hot enough to grill steaks right. The BGE will do everything, but is at its best smoking. Put on the pork steaks before you go to bed, set the temperature right, check it in the morning, take the of in time for supper, and you the best pork steaks, right after Strawberry's that is.
I pity the baker,
I pity the nun
I pity the one
Who tries to take my gun
Natural charcoal and briquettes both taste like poo to me, and make whats left of my teeth black I also kinda like to be foiled by the tin taste I will take mine over easy please.
I have a BGE and until you have used one you do not know what you are missing. I cook a Sunday Roaster chicken for about 6 hrs and it comes out so moist it's ubelievable. You can adjust the heat on these things about as fast as you can on an oven by adjusting the vents on top and bottom. They are not cheap but will last a life time. The 1in thick ceramic will be warm to the touch but will not burn you. I also have a fairly heavy Oklahoma Joe smoker that works well also just different aplications.
I’ve been using a KamadoJoe (http://www.kamadojoe.com/index.php) for about 3 years now which I have to highly recommend. I’ve just checked and there’s a dealer near you in Pilot Mt, NC. The KJ is somewhat cheaper than the BGE & comes with more accessories than the BGE does (or so I'm told).
I use mine, not only for gilling & smoking my own BBQ, but also for baking Pizzas & Breads. I've also used it for cooking a pot of Chili.
Democracy is two wolves and a
lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting
the vote. - Benjamin Franklin
Janet, I had to Google BGE as I thought you might have been talking aliens!
Thermal underwear style guru.
"Exclusive international distributor of Jeff Brown Hunt Club clothing."
Supplier to the rich(?) and infamous.
Cheers from New Zealand
Jeff.
what lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to while lies within us - emerson
Doesn't Bacon require a cold smoke? The lowest I've been able to maintain in my kamadoJoe has been 190 using the BBQ Guru Temp Controller
http://www.thebbqguru.com/
If you're planning on doing much in the way of low & slow BBQ then a controller sure will make life easier! My last session was 2 Boston Butts that were in the Grill for some 18 hours. By using the controller the temp never varied more than a few deg from the 225 I had it set for. It's a somewhat expensive accessory, but well worth it in my opinion.
Whether you get the BGE or the KJ or other unit you're in for a great grilling experience!
Rick
Democracy is two wolves and a
lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting
the vote. - Benjamin Franklin
I got a medium BGE about 6 years ago, and after using many different smokers for over 25 years, it is by far the best one I have ever used, and you really will wonder how you got along without one.
I don't have one, but I've eaten from one a few times and it's always been a great treat. A good friend LOVES his BGE and uses it quite often even during winter. I believe he even can control the temperature on a computer via the internet!! I snagged a pic from his Facebook page of some ribbies.... -Brad
Food from a friends was great. They are spendy, and I can't currently justify the expense. I am on the lookout for a new smoker/grill combo.
Shiloh
Je suis Charlie
"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."
Bertrand de Jouvenel
“Any government that does not trust its citizens with firearms is either a tyranny, or planning to become one.” – Joseph P. Martino
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert , in five years there would be a shortage of sand.” – Milton Friedman
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns; why should we let them have ideas?" - J. Stalin
Democracy is two wolves and a
lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting
the vote. - Benjamin Franklin
Besides the cost. The ceramics weigh a ton.
LOYALTY ABOVE ALL ELSE, EXCEPT HONOR
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE MEMBER
The smokin-it has a tempature range of 100-250F so you can do bacon in it. It uses your standard water tank element for the heat, and with the walls being insulated it holds the heat well. Seriously this thing is built like a mini stainless steel refrigerator. Welded seams. Easy to transport also.
It also has a small vent hole on the top and if you have one of those tempature probs that have an extension for going into the oven, you just thread it through the top of the hole and set it on the top of the smoker. No need to open to see what the tempature of your meat is.
I have a Primo XL made in the U.S.A, also a BBQ Guru best you can get and you will love it.
Look at primo grill forum.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |