only if you have a BBQ Guru or some other device.... I'm old school when it comes to BBQ. I use lump charcoal, NOT briquettes, and some other smoking wood. I don't use any gadgets but I have been cooking on one for 15 years, so I know exactly where to set the vents to get the correct temp on the grill.
I had been tempted to try the big green egg, but it seems like too much fuss to me that you have to use charcoal or wood then clean after every use, I think I’ll stick with my large Kitchen Aid gas grill, and add smoker chips when I want to go for that flavor,, plus clean up is a cinch with the ceramic grills and the stainless steel exterior has been outside now for over 9 years and still looks almost as good as when I brought it.
^ BTW the large Kitchen Aid grill is capable of temperatures over 750 degrees which will grill steaks at close to the high temperatures achieved by quality steak restaurants, which means your steaks come out tasting as good if you use quality cuts of meat as a high end steakhouse
AN egg is easy to use after you get the hang of it but it is a learning curve. I use it almost exclusively for smoking. I do some grilling on it but mostly just smoking. I use a sous vide for steaks and chicken, actually the last set of burgers I did that way also.... just finish everything off in a cast iron skillet
^ how do you regulate the egg temperature and how much prep does it take to achieve the desired temperature range and how long does it take before it’s ready to cook?
I just know where to set the vents to get the desired temp.... It takes me about 30 minutes to get it hot and to the temp I want. I usually let it stay at that temp about 15 minutes before I put the meat on. So I would guess about 45 minutes total. I'm sure a gas grill can do it faster but I just love the way food tastes coming off a charcoal grill, I threw my gas grill away 2 weeks after I got my egg
You can buy a device like a BBQ Guru, it fits over the vent, measures temp in the dome, at the grill, and has food probes. If it is too hot it sucks air out to cut the temp down, if it is too cool it blows air in and heats it up. The BBQ Guru is controlled by an app on your phone
^ I’m sure it tastes good, but I haven’t heard any complaints about my grilling, I occasionally use hickory or mesquite chips when I grill burgers and get tremendous compliments using grass fed chopped meat from Whole Food market, how much work is involved in clean up afterwards, most of the time when I grill there’s a bunch of folks here and I like the five minute clean up on the gas grill.
I do want to try that sous vide technique though it sounds absolutely yummy.
I usually open the vents up and burn it hot for a few minutes, maybe 15 (a 800 degree fire will clean pretty good) then shut the vents and walk off. I empty the ash before I cook next time and run a brush over the grill while it is heating up
So, I take that prior to Eating That scrumptious Butt, one must Rub it good while smoking, then devour all that scrumptious BUTT. Sounds a lot like fore play.
Never mind all the sodium and saturated fat in 40lbs of pork. I would be worried about the carcinogens produced by high-temp cooking. Wouldn't feed that shit to my dog.
No reason to choose between a kamado smoker and gasser. I have a BGE and a Weber gasser. I use them both. Not sure what you’ve heard 25 about cleanup of the egg? You still clean the grates like you would on a gasser, you just scrape the ash out of the bottom with an ash tool before you start your next cook. Occasionally, like once every six cooks, you do a more thorough cleaning to ensure good air flow. Temp regulation just takes some experience as all you are doing is controlling the amount of airflow by how open you have the lower and upper vent doors.
Dadillac, that pic of your pork looks really good. I love slow bbq pork butt seasoned with just salt, pepper, let it marinate in some beer. Then serve with lemon juice, avocado and fresh tortillas.
@JimmyMcNutty, my Kitchen aid grill has a self cleaning mode, just turn the temp to super high let the fire burn 5 minutes everything is vaporized, just slide out the drip box after it cools and sweep out the crumbs, the grates are ceramic lightly oil them and also just wipe off with a sponge, with the BGE and any grill that uses charcoal or wood after a while creosote builds up and the residual ash is greasy.
25 - no doubt it’s more work, but not much more. It’s also part of the hobby. If you like smoke, it also tastes better/different than food cooked on a gasser. Lastly, you can do low and slow smokes - pulled pork, ribs, brisket - that a gasser cannot touch. Like I said, I use both.
@ JimmyMcNutty I’m sure you’re right, I enjoy entertaining much more than I enjoy the work that goes into barbecuing as you describe it, for me the value is in the friends gathering and sharing a ball game or swimming in the pool and having the camaraderie and company of good folks.
I get a kick out of people who refer to anything on the grill as BBQ. BBQ is slow smoked pork, beef, chicken, etc.... You do NOT BBQ hamburgers, hot dogs, steak, etc.... you grill those things. BBQ is a slow and low temp process that can last easily 12 hours or more
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