Posted: 12/29/2013 6:30:08 PM EDT
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I am building a house and we are going to put in an outdoor kitchen / cooking area. I currently have a decent grill that is a stand alone and cook occasionally. The rental house we are in while we are building is not very conducive to grilling. With the new kitchen I want to cook more. I am considering an AOG but I need some input. I have a separate smoker so let's not get deep into the charcole vs gas debate. I will have both. My budget is about $2000 for a built in grill. What would you get? What if any are other must haves? Don't know what the heck I would use a burner for outside but everyone seems to have them. What are you guys using and why? |
I love nerdy chicks.
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Quoted: Big Green Egg. My 1k gas grill hasn't been used since I got my egg years ago. I looked into the egg but i am not sure. I am worried about only having one heat zone with the green egg. How do you deal with only having one zone. What do you do when you it's to hot and you would otherwise move it to a cooler place on the grill. I like the control you have with the gas to have a hot side and a cool side and medium in the middle. I like to sear my steaks on both sides then move them off the flame and let them cook at about 600 degrees for a short time. I don't think that would work with the egg.
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Quoted:
I looked into the egg but i am not sure. I am worried about only having one heat zone with the green egg. How do you deal with only having one zone. What do you do when you it's to hot and you would otherwise move it to a cooler place on the grill. I like the control you have with the gas to have a hot side and a cool side and medium in the middle. I like to sear my steaks on both sides then move them off the flame and let them cook at about 600 degrees for a short time. I don't think that would work with the egg. Quoted:
Quoted:
Big Green Egg. My 1k gas grill hasn't been used since I got my egg years ago. I looked into the egg but i am not sure. I am worried about only having one heat zone with the green egg. How do you deal with only having one zone. What do you do when you it's to hot and you would otherwise move it to a cooler place on the grill. I like the control you have with the gas to have a hot side and a cool side and medium in the middle. I like to sear my steaks on both sides then move them off the flame and let them cook at about 600 degrees for a short time. I don't think that would work with the egg. Primo XL Oval. |
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Steaks on a BGE? No problem, get it hot as hell, and cook 3 minutes a side. Done!
I have the Kamado Joe, essentially the same as the BGE. It is the shnizzle. My gas grill hasn't been lit since July 3rd when I got the Kamado Joe. Pizza, steaks, chicken, fish, hell even Lasagna! It's the best outdoor grill/smoker I've EVER used. |
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Quoted:
I looked into the egg but i am not sure. I am worried about only having one heat zone with the green egg. How do you deal with only having one zone. What do you do when you it's to hot and you would otherwise move it to a cooler place on the grill. I like the control you have with the gas to have a hot side and a cool side and medium in the middle. I like to sear my steaks on both sides then move them off the flame and let them cook at about 600 degrees for a short time. I don't think that would work with the egg. Quoted:
Quoted:
Big Green Egg. My 1k gas grill hasn't been used since I got my egg years ago. I looked into the egg but i am not sure. I am worried about only having one heat zone with the green egg. How do you deal with only having one zone. What do you do when you it's to hot and you would otherwise move it to a cooler place on the grill. I like the control you have with the gas to have a hot side and a cool side and medium in the middle. I like to sear my steaks on both sides then move them off the flame and let them cook at about 600 degrees for a short time. I don't think that would work with the egg. There is usually a cooler area around the perimeter but that's not really how you use it. The egg is the most versatile cooker there is. Charcoal grill, smoker and wood fired oven. The flavor it puts on food is amazing. |
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How much time between lighting the coals in the chimney and cooking does it take with a BGE? That is my primary hold up with charcoal. With gas you are preheated at 600 or more in about 15 min. Also what is the maintenance on the BGE? Do you have to clean out the fire box after every cooking? |
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15 minutes from cracking the lid to ready to cook. I cook steaks at 750*. I open it up, stir the old coals left from the last cook, light them with a propane torch, then set some large 2-3" chunks of wood and add some more lump charcoal if needed. Every 3-4 cooks, I reach in through the lower damper with a tool and scoop maybe two cups of ash into a small bucket. That's all I've done, and I've been cooking on it 2-5 times a week since July. I can accurately control temp from 225* or lower up to 850*+.
I've been cooking on gas for years, and this is better in every way. The flavor really is so much better, you'll never look back. The only two I would look at are the BGE and the Kamado Joe. There may be other quality options, but I'm not familiar with them. If it's not heavy as shit, don't buy it. |
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Quoted: 15 minutes from cracking the lid to ready to cook. I cook steaks at 750*. I open it up, stir the old coals left from the last cook, light them with a propane torch, then set some large 2-3" chunks of wood and add some more lump charcoal if needed. Every 3-4 cooks, I reach in through the lower damper with a tool and scoop maybe two cups of ash into a small bucket. That's all I've done, and I've been cooking on it 2-5 times a week since July. I can accurately control temp from 225* or lower up to 850*+. I've been cooking on gas for years, and this is better in every way. The flavor really is so much better, you'll never look back. The only two I would look at are the BGE and the Kamado Joe. There may be other quality options, but I'm not familiar with them. If it's not heavy as shit, don't buy it. That helps. I know myself well enough to know if its a bunch of work I will end up not using it. That is why I have used gas for so long, its just easy. When I have used charcole I have used a chimney and you have about an hour run up from lighting the coals on the chimney to dumping the coals and then cooking. I am way to spastic for that kind of wait time. This sounds ludicrous but The BGE is quite a bit cheaper than any of the gas options I was looking at so I am all for it if it is something I will actually use. |
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I know how you feel, and honestly, that was my biggest concern before buying my Kamado Joe as well. If it was a hassle to use, I would have regretted the purchase, but I can assure you that is not the case. Obviously a tad bit more to do than just firing up the gas grill, but really not that much and it's totally worth it.
Do a search (may have to check archives) for the big green egg threads here. There's one that's huge. Lots of good info there. Most people buy the Large size BGE, seems to be the most popular and practical size. If that size sounds right to you, then I would strongly urge you to check the Kamado Joe. It's basically the same size as the L BGE, but definitely a better value, and arguably a better overall product. And, it's not green. The felt seal is certainly better right off the bat. Oh, and you won't need the chimney any more. Just go get a propane weed burner attachment and a couple small propane bottles. |