Equipment Question

T

Ty_

Is lookin for wood to cook with.
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I'm on here almost every day reading and slobbering over the pics. I don't post much because my skills just don't stand up to some of the folks on here. I would appreciate some advice from the brethren.

I have been a dedicated Weber guy for at least 30 years and can cook almost anything on it, including low and slow. I also have a chargriller offset that I use most of the time to BBQ but, honestly, I grill a lot more than I Que. I use the offset when I do ribs, brisket, or a shoulder.

I'm kind of looking at BGE type of grills/smokers and would like to hear from folks that use them. I'm thinking of getting one because I lust after the abilty to control temp and not have to watch the thing every 5 minutes during a long cook. I'm still going to grill most of the time but it sounds like fun to be able to bake a pizza too. Are these things really that great? Do you use it for all types of cooking? Is it easy enough to grill that I can come home from work and whip something out for dinner?

I took advantage of the HD charcoal sales and have enough Kingsford to last me and my descendents at least until the next sale and probably beyond. What happens if you use briquets in an egg?

I'll probably stick with a BGE or Primo. Is there any advantage to one over the other besides the wide variety of accesories for the BGE?

Thanks!
 
I'll tell you, I have a number of both smokers and grills next to my house and my goto all around cooker for my family is my Large BGE. If I could get more meat on it I would use it for everything!
 
what Jeff said goes here too---gonna try cold smoke bacon tomorrow morn--the bge is a great tool
 
As you can see by my signature I too have Webers, charcoal and gasser plus a large BGE. I put a 7 pound clod and 7.5 pound butt on the egg Saturday evening at 10, set the egg up and never opened the lid once until 10:00 Sunday morning, 12 hours later. Now I do have a controller that makes it that much easier. Backyard low and slow get an EGG...
 
Both BGE and primo make solid products, and owners tend to be loyal to their preferred brand. I don't think you can go wrong with either. I have 4 Eggs now (two large, a small and a mini) and i love them all. The primo oval is an interesting design and if a great deal on one came my way i would be very tempted.

Not to confuse you further :-D, but you can also get long burns without tending a fire with a WSM and a UDS for much less money. The big advantages of the ceramic cookers are the heat retention (once that ceramic is up to temp, it stays there in any weather) and the versatility. The ceramics are smokers, grills, and ceramic ovens, so you get a lot for your money.
 
Oops... Forgot about your question on briquettes... They are not recommended since the produce too much ash. The area under the firebox in the ceramics is relatively small and ash can build up and inhibit airflow. Lump is the preferred fuel.
 
I love my Oval XL. With the oval shape I find it easier to cook oblong items like ribs. The Oval XL has a 400 square inch cooking surface with option to gain a total of 680 square inch of cooking surface with optional upper racks.
 
Ron_L said:
Not to confuse you further :-D, but you can also get long burns without tending a fire with a WSM and a UDS for much less money. The big advantages of the ceramic cookers are the heat retention (once that ceramic is up to temp, it stays there in any weather) and the versatility. The ceramics are smokers, grills, and ceramic ovens, so you get a lot for your money.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was thinking of building a UDS cause it sounds like fun. I also thought about the WSM. Mrs. Ty_ isn't overly excited about the thought of a big equipment collection. Right now, I'm shooting for the ceramic and trying to save my pennies. Building a UDS would lengthen the time until I can get it.
 
I like my egg for most things but I think in hindsight I would like the oval better for ribs and brisket laying down. Saying that the egg is great and I have 2 large and a mini. I also love my pellet cooker. They all produce wonderful food. Need to ask yourself

Pricepoint
Fuel availability
Cooking capacity

Then decide
 
I would love to have an bge but cant drop all that coin on a back yard Qer My wife would kill me! I built some uds in a lot of deferent configure rations for me and a few of my friends for next to nothing but the out come is still great.
 
There is quite a few of us in your area that cook on eggs. Another plus is that Tom (who makes all the cool eggcessories) is in Denton. Check the OK or TX Eggfests. They are usually around May and you can save some cash on a once used egg with warranty.
 
Ron_L said:
Oops... Forgot about your question on briquettes... They are not recommended since the produce too much ash. The area under the firebox in the ceramics is relatively small and ash can build up and inhibit airflow. Lump is the preferred fuel.
Click to expand...

Ditto!:clap2:
 
Ty_ said:
Are these things really that great? Do you use it for all types of cooking? Is it easy enough to grill that I can come home from work and whip something out for dinner?

I took advantage of the HD charcoal sales and have enough Kingsford to last me and my descendents at least until the next sale and probably beyond. What happens if you use briquets in an egg?

I'll probably stick with a BGE or Primo. Is there any advantage to one over the other besides the wide variety of accesories for the BGE?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Short answer: Yes. Yes. Yes. Don't. Probably not.

We cook on our Eggs about 4-5 nights a week. If you are curious just browse through my blog for the variety of things we cook on the Egg.
 
I've used just about every kind of cooker there is, and in my opinion the BGE is the simplest to use and most versatile one of all.
 
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