Exploring all options for a grill. Always wanted a Big Green Egg, but just don’t know if I’ll use it enough to justify the expense.
I enjoy grilling but it’s often after work and don’t want to wait hours for my meal. How long before the BGE is ready to rock and roll from a cold start?

Less than 30 minutes once you learn the controls!

Hmmmmm.............I've heard of them.



There are a lot of factors as to how long it takes, but it mainly has to do with how much wind there is. If I'm in a big hurry I use my electric leaf blower and have it blazing in just a few minutes. Without the blower I'd say the average time is about 20 minutes.

Mike

Based on recommendations I finally bought one.

Only had it about 1 month but have used it probably 15-20 times. Haven't fired up my propane Weber since the arrival of the BGE.


For some reason I had it in my head that kamados took a lot of dicking around but that is not the case.

Maybe 30 minutes to be grilling whereas it might take 10-15 minutes for the Weber to reach similar temp(say 400F).

Imagine it will be less time as the outdoor temps rise.

Highly recommend.

I have 2 of them. You won’t regret your purchase.

I have a Vision Kamado instead of the BGE, but I love it. Did a killer brisket yesterday.

I keep my Weber for quick things like burgers, though the Kamado really doesn’t take that long to heat up. Just a bit more fussy than turning a knob and hitting a switch.

New charcoal, 4 starting tabs, ~15min to ~600 degrees for searing. Assuming steaks, 2-3Min/side, shut down the bottom air, open up the top and let them finish bathing in smoke until they reach the internal temp you want. Thickness dependent it's 6-10min for med-rare for us.

If I'm getting coals going for a low/slow cook I get a much smaller pile of charcoal very hot then dump in the rest of what I need. Leave the bottom wide open and the cover open for 5-7Min and you're coals will be going enough to stay lit for a long time. Tamp the air down until you have the internal temp you want. Give or take I have the bottom about 25% open and the top about 1/3-1/2 open for 250-275 for hours and hours.

FWIW, I have the XL size. Winter adds less warm-up time to the BGE than it does my 3-burner Weber Genesis.

I bought one in the 90's and cooked a porterhouse on it last night.

It's been great. It's seen a lot of use and a little abuse. I had to replace the hinge assembly after a hurricane, and we have taken it fishing in the gulf a few times. Seared tuna 100 mi. offshore about 15 years ago. Good times...

Oh, you’ll use it. Grilling, smoking, baking. You’ll be trying out different cuts, rubs, and hardwoods in myriad combinations. Get ready for a new obsession.

This is great news to me to as I had someone give me a BGE. It is 10 years old and the rings/hinges were rusted out but I picked some replacement parts up locally for $140. I'm going to be setting it up tomorrow and hope to build a table for it this weekend

Wife picked up a PitBoss knockoff for $200 on clearance a couple falls ago. Use it all the time.

A stainless Kingsford charcoal chimney with a wadded up portion of the charcoal bag is enough to get it lit good. When I have them burning well in the chimney they go to the cooker. 20 minutes or so to be cooking.

If weather conditions or whatever just aren’t getting a good burn started, I’ll break out the Echo leaf blower. Forced induction is amazing.

Lots of tricks and tips on the web for air sealing the various openings. If you control the air you control the temps.

Take a look at the Primo grill. It will cook both direct and indirect at the same time.

Thanks guys. I knew I “needed” one for so many years for a reason. Lol
I had no idea you could get one going that quickly.

Primo is great. I've had mine about 10 years.

my 250.00 walmart grill lasted 15yrs.

I have been considering getting a kamado type grill for a while now...think I’d go Primos rather than BGE as they seem to rate more highly in a broad range of reviews. What makes it hard for me is the perverse pleasure I get in doing a great job on everything from steaks to pizza to pork shoulders and whole turkeys on the Weber kettle grill I bought for $99 ten years ago.

Love love love mine. Medium is fine if you’re just cooking for two. However, if you’re cooking for more, explore a Large or XL. I sold my medium two years ago and got a large...just right for me.

I also sold the table I had and bought a (can’t think of the name of it) rolling stand and the two wings out to the side. Takes less room and it’s mobile. Highly recommend that.

Go for it

Yes, if mine broke today I'd have another tomorrow. Weve actually been using them since the mid 1990s before they became cool. They went through a price change in the late 2000s. The komodo joe though sure looks nice, better hardware for sure and about the same money.

Once you figure out how to get the temp right you are over the learning curve. I just keep a 5 gallon bucket under the cleanout, cleanout the small loose stuff, throw a little newspaper in and top off with charcoal. I let it get up to the temp I want, adjust the vents to hold for a few minutes and you are ready to go. Now if searing a steak, just open every thing up and you'll be ready in no time.

If you are cooking for a family, go ahead and get the xl. It wasn't available when I got mine years ago.

Plate setter is a must.

Dont' go cheap with the charcoal. BGE, although I heard covid has affected their charcoal output is good stuff....I'm really liking the Fogo thats out now too. The cheap cowboy and stuff from lowes, real sooty and small pieces, avoid.

Make sure it's not too flammable. Or keep it away from the siding.

My neighbor lit his house on fire when his BGE started a cedar stand his BIL made on fire and it was up against his house.

The Creedmoor of barbeque.

Guess I'm just old fashion. I like to cook open flame over hickory.

Can you burn wood on a BGE with damaging it? With all the Fugged up charcoal around I'm adding more and more wood to my Weber Kettles. Damage to the metal grills can happen.

They are worth every penny.

While the meals take a little longer to turn out on my Egg vs my old Ducane gasser, it gives me more beer time before dinner!

I guess they are ok

Show off.
😏

It’s designed to burn lump charcoal. That’s all I use. I used to burn BGE brand lump charcoal but got tired of paying $$$$. Then I found out Royal Oak makes BGE charcoal for them. You can buy it at Walmart or Home Depot here. Make sure you look for the little American flag on the bag, ensuring it’s not Royal Oak from Mexico. Personally, I’ve only seen the American product at Walmart and HD but I hear it’s out there.

If you guys back east can find the Blues Hog charcoal get some and try it. I think it was better than the BGE brand, but the only place I found in SLC that sold it has stopped.

No.

Mainly lumbersexuals with skinny jeans buy them.

About 15 minutes ago, complete with skunky beer...lol

It isn't skunky unless it has been mishandled.

What are you grilling tonight Sam?

Did these slabs a while back, yummy

His pride.

Its been in the freezer for a while now.

Mathman, skunky in a GOOD way, love that stuff!
(although I've heard the stuff here sucks compared to over there....)


Crittrgittr, just some boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Just ate one....meh....not that great.

I used some seasoning that has a funky flavor.

Beef is by FAR my favorite thing to grill, pork, salmon, then the lowly chicken.




Jim, I have no pride!


Like you didn't already know....

BGE is for BRUHs


Real men use a Dollar General charcoal grill . Those cheap fugkers you just give to Goodwill after they break and go get another one .

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain waiting to be used for the first time.

Bob, my old buddy Lynnard was an absolute master with the standard charcoal Weber.

He could have ruled the world if he knew about a BGE....




Jim, I was just going to ask how you like it.

And the hold up is?????

#RealMenUseWeber

Ah, that's not the Heineken skunk that used to be more prevalent.

Fresh Heineken is fine general purpose grilling beer.

According to the snobs those charcoal briquets will kill you.

Best by Sept 2021....

We gtg!

And hopefully also hasn't seen high temps or too much UV light.

Can you get Spaten Premium Lager in your store?

A Charcoal death is worth it .

Yes it is

MM, negative.

Very limited foreign selection, a few regional beers and of course the washout horsewhiz which I still 'love'.





BB, I guess if you buy the econo lump charcoal they throw in an odd piece of tire or asphalt. And rocks, lots of rocks.



As stated earlier I am an absolute novice cooking with this thing and have only tried two different brands of lump. Read reviews and ordered Jealous Devil and Fogo 'super chunky" or whatever they call it, beige bag.

The local hardware store sell Cowboy brand but I read that it is made down in Mexico and had smaller pieces.

My outdoor cooking equipment is now worth about half as much as my pickup.


#priorities





Feel free to keep giving hints and advice! I have learned quite a bit from doing searches here.


What are some of you guys favorite 'cooks'?



Tri tip roasts are our favorite(cooked a bunch on the propane Weber).

Smoke fire is even tastier!

A BGE makes for a fine brisket.

That is something I really want to try.

And was part of the reason for the Egg.

The nice thing is the egg can keep a stable temp for a long time without much fiddling.

Sam you need to buy one on these grillmates things.

Starting to see there may be benefits to considering the Kamodo Joe Classic III. They seem to offer a few more options and slightly better design.

Don't forget about the prime rib either

The secret is drinking lots of beer before you light the charcoal. Stay close by and oversee the process. It will heat up and then it's time for a double shot of Beam.
You have already selected some nice thick cuts of Angus beef. Don't be a cheap fugk

A turd on the grille is just a grilled turd.

#ManUp

Crittr, that looks good!




Bob, that chicken I grilled this evening was bad.

Can do WAY better chicken on the propane Weber, didn't get enough heat/sear tonight. That and the chitty seasoning.

And it was too smoky, must have been a piece of leftover hickory wood from the last roast.

Pork tenderloin with McCormick's grillmates garlic herb and wine marinade is one of my favorites. a little olive on it and rub it in.

I use apple and cherry wood when I smoke

I am not worthy grill master!

I struggled with the price of buying one myself. The wife ended up getting me one for Father’s Day a few years ago. Best gift I ever got! I use it every week at least once. I can cook anything on the egg that my wife cooks in a regular oven. Even competed in an Eggfest one year -might have won if the other competitors hadn’t eaten all my food, LOL.

I prefer a good Hybrid.

My dad used to bring me down cherry wood from the east side of the flathead every year when they pruned the cherry trees. That chit was awesome.

Yes, but so is any other ceramic option. Don’t rule out Primo, Grill Dome or Komodo Joe. Do you research and get what you feel is the best long term purchase.

I've had two. Still have the XL. Once the novelty of them wore off I came to the conclusion they are a Jack of all trades, master of none type of cooker. Too efficient and don't get enough air flow to run a clean fire. Hence why Sam noted too smoky of a taste in his chicken. This past year I smoked entirely on a Yoder pellet grill, and had a break down. Ended up with some chicken on the BGE, and exact same thing. Didn't render skin worth a crap, and too much smoke. They can make an OK charcoal grill for direct heat high temp cooks. But for that purpose you can also buy a much cheaper Weber kettle and get better air flow.

Whisky, it just dawned on me that I may have been trying to cook too low and slow with this chicken.


Need to cook it at the same temps/times that I got figured out for the gas grill.



Trying to get too fancy.

Low and slow isn’t right. You want fast and medium high heat to keep it moist

Duck911 will get a boner reading this

Cold cocked my own cock.

I've used a BGE but I like the Kamado Joe better. The Kamado Joe has a built in ash tray at the bottom and comes with split level rack and costs about half what a BGE does.

I'm told the original BGE maker sold the company and Kamado Joe is his second company and the Kamado Joe cooker incorporates his refinements to the original egg.

Yup. Poultry is best cooked high heat. Even in doing that on the BGE, indirect with the plate setter, it still won't render skin as well as a gas or good pellet grill. I've tried a few different methods. Direct grilling is your best bet. Of course you can't exactly do that with a whole bird. I'll set it up to run half the grill direct and other half indirect. Two zone cooking. Start out on the indirect heat side and as you get closer to finish temp, move meat over the coals for some real grilling.

As far as lower temp smoking, I no longer like them for that at all. It's funny, when I first got my pellet grill I thought the smoke flavor was too weak. I was used to the ashtray flavor of the BGE. After a good amount of use I now feel the opposite. Tastes change I guess.

Got any pics of the inside?

The Kamado Joe updated their hinge system and a few other things a couple years ago, and they would be better than a BGE if nothing else considered. For me there were no KJ dealers nearby. Secondly, there are many great aftermarket parts for the BGEs from Ceramic Grill Store .com. Those two factors swayed me green again. If I had a do-over I would seriously consider the Primo Oval XL. Most people much prefer the oval shape it appears.

My pops bought the $500 vision cooker from Sams club.

It’ll cook a mean steak.

He’ll buy the b&b brand lump from Academy.

Definitely worth it.