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Entries in Big Green Egg (34)

Monday
15Feb2010

Daytona 500 & BBQ....2 of My Favorites

I've written about this before, but as usual I cooked for the Daytona 500 and had a few folks over to enjoy the race. 

This year, I decided on brisket.  I hadn't yet used my home made Magic Dust on brisket, so I trimmed up a couple of flats and liberally applied the rub that Mike Mills uses at 17th Street Bar & Grill.

Everything began just fine, but I ran into a snag when I awoke to find my cooker was only running about 160 degrees.  I didn't waste any time trying to fan the fire and get it restoked.  Instead, I disassembled the cooking setup and relit with my MAPP Torch .  I figure I saved a half an hour by going this route rather than waiting for the fire to rekindle via increased air flow.

Turns out, the overall cooking time was longer than I had planned due to this little problem.  And, we didn't have brisket until sometime around the second caution flag.  However, the Magic Dust was very tasty on the brisket and I was pleased with the overall results. 

My only regret is that since the brisket ran late, I caught a lot of grief from my guests.  But it sure didn't stop anyone from putting away the BBQ.

Cheers,
Braddog

Tuesday
08Dec2009

Indirect Grilling?

I know, seems like a oxymoron to me too. By my definition (and I think that of many others), BBQ is indirect cooking at low temps. Grilling, on the other hand, is cooking directly over a hot fire.

So imagine my surprise when my brother began to describe his method for grilling burgers, chicken breasts, etc. with an indirect setup on his Big Green Egg. Apparently, he leaves the platesetter in place, brings the temp up to 350 degrees or more, and cooks indirect.

Now I suppose you could argue that this is like cooking in an oven, but it's a method that I need to investigate.

Anyone else ever do any "indirect grilling"? Leave a comment an let me know.

Cheers,
Braddog

Tuesday
13Oct2009

You want my advice, or not?

I'm often asked for a recommendation on a backyard cooker.  Many times, I've recommended a Big Green Egg to folks who've subsequently bought one and seem to be fairly happy with their decision. However, at least twice over the past year I've been asked for my opinion by folks who ulitimately didn't care for my advice. 

You see, I don't have a standard answer to the question "What cooker should I buy?".  I typically answer that question with a question of my own like, "What sort of things do you like to cook?", or "Do you think you'd enjoy the process of creating slow cooked BBQ?".  Based on how folks answer those questions and how they respond to a quick lesson on the difference between "BBQ" & "Grilling", I've recommended a variety of different cookers.

Sometimes when folks are used to lighting the gas grill and immediately throwing the meat on, it's hard for them to imagine the planning and time required to turn out great BBQ.  To those folks, I recommend that they buy a gas grill and keep grilling.  But they don't always appreciate or like that advice.  Sometimes they want me to convince them that they will enjoy the process and that the commitment is worth it.

Frankly, I can't convince anyone to enjoy the process of cooking good BBQ.  If you are unsure about committing to tending a live fire or committing to the time then by all means cook the way you're used to cooking. 

There's nothing wrong with cooking on a gas grill.  Heck, the stores are full of them so somebody must be buying them.

Cheers,

Braddog

 

 

Monday
03Aug2009

Round 2 - Bubba Keg vs. Big Green Egg

Round 2 Cookers The Contestants

NOTE:  The Bubba Keg has been re-branded to the Big Steel Keg.

If you’re a regular visitor, you know that I’ve been cooking on the Big Green Egg for a couple of years and recently acquired a Bubba Keg to add to my arsenal.  While both follow the tradition of the Kamado style cooker, they employ slightly different construction materials and techniques.

In my first head-to-head throwdown, I was surprised when the Bubba Keg came out on top.  In that test, I smoked a load of pork steaks on each cooker and submitted the results to family & friends for their choice of the best.

Round 2 BKG Before Bubba Keg - Ribs on

Round 2 BGE Before Big Green Egg - Ribs OnI took advantage of the great weather over the weekend to conduct Round 2 of my throwdown between the Bubba Keg & the Big Green Egg.  In this head-to-head competition, I bought a package of baby-back ribs from Sam’s Club, prepared them identically, and put half on the Bubba Keg & half on the Big Green Egg.  I started the fires at the same time (actually one right after the other since I was working alone), using the same fuel & indirect setup in both cookers. 

I typically do ribs in a modified 3-2-1 method.  However I decided that to keep things as consistent as possible and eliminate as many variables as I could, I’d go low & slow for ~5 hrs and evaluate the results.  Here’s how things turned out.

 

  • Fire Control – As I’ve said before, I find it much easier to control temp on the Big Green Egg.  This cook was no different, but I do find that I’m getting better with the Bubba Keg.  The thing I took notice of on this cook was the elapsed time to “ready to cook”.  In order to keep the Bubba Keg fire under control, I really have to take my time in bringing the fire up the target temp.  However, I can rush the Big Green Egg right up to temp and be ready to cook very quickly.  Advantage here remains with the Big Green Egg.
  • Cooking Environment – I commented during the last throwdown that the cooking environment seemed to much more moist with the Bubba Keg.  Again, I was impressed by how much so during this cook.  As stated earlier, I did not employ the 3-2-1 method.  However, the ribs from the Bubba Keg were falling apart as though I had foiled them.  The ribs off of the Big Green Egg were a little firmer and more like competition ribs that have a little tug but pull clean from the bone.  This one’s too close to call as it really is a matter of preference as to how you prefer your ribs.

  • Taste Test – I was really surprised in this category.  My family & the friends who helped in the blind judging are used to eating ribs from the Big Green Egg prepared with the 3-2-1 method.  So I really expected the preference to be for the ribs from the Bubba Keg, since the expectation has become that the ribs fall off the bone.  However, 6 out of 8 testers actually chose the ribs from the Big Green Egg.  Advantage, Big Green Egg.

 


Round 2 BKG After Bubba Keg - Finished Ribs

Round 2 BGE After Big Green Egg - Finished Ribs

Round 2 of the head-to-head throwdown goes to the Big Green Egg.

So I’ve spent two glorious afternoons cooking on a couple of pits that produce some awesome BBQ.  I’ve tried to quantify the differences and find an advantage to one or the other, and I think I’ve done so.  However the margin of victory in each head-to-head competition is so slight that it’s really difficult to call a winner and in some cases it’s a matter of personal preference.

If you’re cooking on either the Bubba Keg or the Big Green Egg, you have chosen a cooker capable of grilling, baking or producing great BBQ.  If you're considering either of these cookers, you're making a great choice.

Cheers,
Braddog

Tuesday
14Jul2009

Throwdown: Bubba Keg vs. Big Green Egg

NOTE:  The Bubba Keg has been re-branded to the Big Steel Keg.

 

If you're a frequent visitor to GrillandBarrel.com, you know that I'm the proud owner and devotee of the Big Green Egg and that I've been evaluating a Bubba Keg for the past couple of months. Well, on Sunday I had the chance to do a side by side comparison and share the results here.
One of the things the Bubba Keg is missing is the array of accessories that the Big Green Egg enjoys. This includes an accessory for cooking indirect. While the Big Green Egg has the platesetter, Bubba Keg owners are left to their own devices to create an indirect cooking solution. Many of the Bubba Keg owners have resorted to pizza stones on the bottom grate, but that cuts your cooking capacity in half.

Recently, I repaired a busted platesetter that I had lying around. I then discovered that it fit perfectly inside the Bubba Keg, making the indirect setup identical to the Big Green Egg without sacrificing one of the cooking grates.
With identical setups between the two cookers and the need to smoke ~20 pork steaks, I decided it was time for a throwdown between these two cookers. First, I loaded each of them with the same amount of lump charcoal and lit them each in two places with my MAPP torch. Next, I installed a platesetter, disposable drip pan, and upper & lower cooking grates in each cooker. Once they came up to temp, I loaded each with pork steaks and settled in to make a few observations.

  • Fire control - Advantage Big Green Egg. This was no surprise and I've blogged about it here before, but I find that temperature/fire control is much more consistent on the Big Green Egg and requires much less tuning. I find myself chasing the temperature on the Bubba Keg... a lot. In fairness, maybe I'm trying to apply too many BGE principles to managing the fire on the Bubba Keg.
  • Heat Retention - Advantage Bubba Keg. I thought my BGE was well insulated, but then I discovered the Bubba Keg. I suppose the double walled construction with insulation makes the difference. I can lay my hands on the outside of the Bubba Keg with it at 300* and it's cool to the touch. The ceramic on the Big Green Egg is cooler than a metal cooker would be, but you still can't hold your hand on it for long at that temperature.
  • Cooking Environment - Advantage Bubba Keg. The BGE has always produced moist and flavorful meat, so you can imagine my surprise on Sunday when I discovered that the Bubba Keg was even more moist. I don't use liquid in my drip pans, so I was shocked when I lifted the lid on the Bubba Keg after 2 hrs to find the pork steaks even more moist and juicy than those on the Big Green Egg. In fact, I'm still wearing the burn on my forearm from the escaping steam.
  • Taste Test - Advantage Bubba Keg. As much as I'm an advocate for the Big Green Egg ( I've convinced about a half dozen people to buy one), I was stunned when my guests identified that the pork steaks from the Bubba Keg were more moist and tender than those from the Big Green Egg. In fairness, they were all good but there was a difference.

For this particular attempt (and much to my dismay), the Bubba Keg is the clear winner. However, I'll perform additional side-by-side tests to see if the results are consistent. Additionally I haven't weighted any of these areas but considered them equally for now. Every individual will value the characteristics differently and for me the fire control issue is huge and would outweigh the Bubba Keg advantages as it was only slightly better in the other areas.
Both cookers do a fine job and there are many other characteristics to consider when selecting an overall winner.

  • Availability of accessories
  • Online community/support
  • User population & knowledge base
  • Portability
  • Durability
  • Cost

But I'll save those for another day.

Cheers,

Braddog


Update: Here's a link to Round 2 of the Bubba Keg vs. The Big Green Egg.

Monday
13Jul2009

Ceramic Repair on a Big Green Egg

Platestter Repair_1I knew there was a reason that I didn't simply throw away the platesetter that I busted last year.  I kicked it over and had to replace it, but I just couldn't bring myself to discard it.

Lo and behold, I added a Bubba Keg to my arsenal this spring and needed a way to cook indirect.  I finally got around to repairing the old platesetter (I had bought a new one for my Big Green Egg) for the purpose of using it with this cooker.  I'd read quite a bit on the intePlatestter Repair_2rwebs about using JBWeld to repair busted ceramic, so I picked some up at the local do it yourself store.

I simply followed the directions, mixing together equal amounts of JBWeld from each of the tubes in the package.  I applied it generously to the edge of the broken platesetter and let it cure for ~18hrs.  It sure seems to be a solid "weld", but the real test will be how it holds up to the temps on a BBQ smoker.

IPlatestter Repair_3'll keep you posted on how it holds up, but as for now it's doing fine with a load of pork steaks on the Bubba Keg.

Cheers,

Braddog

Tuesday
23Jun2009

St. Louis Home Fires

Although I'm very happy with my Big Green Egg, I've been thinking about a cabinet style smoker for capacity.  A few times I've been asked to cook for parties and the like and I just don't have the capacity that I need to be able to take on those jobs.  So, I've kinda been thinking about my next cooker.

On Friday afternoon, I headed out to West St. Louis County to check out a local grill and fireplace shop that I've heard about.  They're listed as a dealer for Backwoods, Cookshack, Traeger & Big Green Egg grills & smokers, just to name a few. 

The shop isn't huge, but they have a decent amount of their space dedicated to BBQ gear, including everything from gas grill parts, grills & smokers, smoking woods, charcoal, rubs, and sauces (the rest is dedicated to fireplaces and the like).  I found the staff to be pretty knowledgeable about the gear they sell and when I told them about Grill & Barrel, they quickly turned me onto the St. Louis BBQ Society and some local events that are planned for later this year.

I picked up a few things from the store and I plan to go back and get a first hand look at a Backwoods Party in a couple of weeks.  So if you're in the St. Louis area, support your local dealer and give the guys at St. Louis Home Fires a shot the next time you're in need of some BBQ gear.

Here's their contact info:

St. Louis Home Fires
(636) 256-6564
15053 Manchester Road
Ballwin, MO  63011
2 Miles West of Woodsmill / 141


Cheers,
Braddog

Tuesday
16Jun2009

Slumming it

Sorry I've been mostly radio silent for over a week. I took my family on a beach vacation for a little R&R (and that doesn't mean ribs & roasts as was suggested by a friend of mine).BGE Top

We met up with family at a beach rental in Florida and as the master of the flame, I was given the responsibility for all outdoor cooking. So I went on the prowl for what the rental had to offer in the way of a grill. My hopes were momentarily lifted when I found the ceramic cap to a Big Green Egg. But if the rest of the egg was there, then it must have been locked away in the "owner's storage".

I found what I expected, a $100 gas grill like you'd find at a discount store. And due to the exposure to the salty air, it was rusting through with burners that were in bad need of replacement. In fact, the whole thing should have been replaced.

Nonetheless, I soldiered through a series of grilling events. Hamburgers, fish & shrimp, and steaks all turned out okay. However, I sure got a whole new appreciation for what I cook on at home.  Next time, I just gotta figure out a way to get a cooker to the beach with me.

Cheers,
Braddog

Friday
29May2009

The Long, Slow Burn

When I tell folks that the pulled pork they're enjoying cooked for 12+ hrs (or longer), I often hear comments like "Wow, how many times did you have to add charcoal?". People are amazed when I tell them that I didn't add any and that I got a good night's sleep besides. So here's an example to illustrate the burn times that can be achieved with the Big Green Egg.

Over the holiday weekend, I cooked pork butt on three consecutive nights. The last night, Saturday, I fired up the BGE at ~9:00pm for an all nighter. I filled the BGE with lump charcoal almost to the fire ring. The butts cooked until ~2:00pm the next day. At that time, we bumped the temps to 300 degree and put a load of ABT's on the cooker. At ~4:00pm, I removed the plate setter and continued to cook at 300-350 degrees while I put a couple of chicken breasts on.

All told, the cooker ran for ~20 hours on a single load of lump charcoal.  I accomplished this without the aid of an electronic draft device (i.e. a Stoker or BBQ Guru), just controlling temps with the vents and giving the coals a good stir when switching between smoking and grilling.

So how about it?  How long have you cooked a single load of fuel?  And gas doesn't count!  :)

Cheers,
Braddog

Monday
25May2009

Doing the Triple!

Like most holiday weekends, I find myself cooking for almost the entire weekend.  But that's okay, I love doing it.  This Memorial Day weekend was no different.  And for large meals, there's nothing better than pulled pork.  It's pretty simple and goes a long way.  (Here's my method for pork butt/pulled pork on the Big Green Egg).
Hi-temp & Lo-temp cooking! Hi-temp & Lo-temp cookin
It's sort of a tradition for me to feed the guys at work on the Friday before a holiday weekend.  So, Thursday night I fired up the Big Green Egg and cooked two pork butts totaling ~13lbs.  They went on the cooker at 5:45pm on Thursday night and came off around 8:15am on Friday.  That's one all-nighter in the books.

On Friday, I offered to bring pulled pork to a family gathering on Saturday for lunch.  So once again I fired up the cooker and went with a single pork butt.  (I also fired up the Bubba Keg for some bratwurst for dinner.)  This time, a six-pounder went on the BGE at 5:30pm on Friday night and I took it off at 6:30am on Saturday.  That's two all-nighters.

My neighbor had planned a backyard party for Sunday and asked me to cook pork butt, so ~15lbs. of pork butt went on the cooker at 9:30 on Saturday night and came off at ~2:00pm on Sunday.  That's three all-nighters in a row.

Even though the BGE does a great job and doesn't require much tending, I have stayed up late and gotten up early for the past 3 nights.  I'm sure glad it's raining today, I could use a nap!

Cheers,
Braddog