Big Green Egg? and its cousin the lil brown Egg

[Fnord5]

Nope.
I have, sitting on my "porch" a new project of mine.
I call it the LBE.

Pics to follow, especially tomorrow after 8 hours or so. :drool:

Yes.
I am a tease.

I promise though, it will be worth the wait.:tongue_sm

[gollum83]

Worth the wait? Well it better be or I'll... I'll... be very disappointed? Yes that's it! Disappointed! :mad3:

[Fnord5]

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b337/fnord5/DSC00673.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b337/fnord5/DSC00674.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b337/fnord5/DSC00675.jpg

[SilkySmooth]

Alton Brown made one of those in an episide and used it as a smoker.

[highball]

I was looking at making one just like that (http://www.naffziger.net/blog/2008/07/05/the-alton-brown-flower-pot-smoker/). Good job

[Carlin]

I was also looking to make an AB smoker :-D

Can you get us a parts list?

[Fnord5]

Electric hot plate : $12.99 @ harbor Freight tools
BBQ replacement thermometer: $8.97 @ Home Depot
Chrome cooking grate (14.5 inches): $7 @ OSH
16 inch flowerpot: $22.50 @ OSH
17.5 inch shallow bowl: $15 @ OSH

:w00t:

Getting the Tri-Tip ready right now :w00t::w00t:

[Carnivore]

That's cool, and much more economical than the Komodo Kamado that I have been lusting after for a while!

I had a question, though:
Do you have any kind of handle or tool to help you lift the bowl off of the top?

[Fnord5]

That's cool, and much more economical than the Komodo Kamado that I have been lusting after for a while!

I had a question, though:
Do you have any kind of handle or tool to help you lift the bowl off of the top?

I have some stainless steel handles that I was thinking of putting on it, but honestly, even after it got up to temp (200*) the lid was only warm to the touch. Only about as warm as a full coffee mug.

Although, as I am never content with things as they are, I will probably put a handle on it, some sort of silicone gasket, and maybe a hinge for the lid. :lol:

[Fnord5]

It's 1/4 finished! :w00t:

Refilled the chips once already, and the meat has a nice crusty surface, but is obviously still juicy inside.

I cant wait!

[JohnDoom]

That is absolutely beautiful. Let us know how it turns out with a silicone seal and hinge!

[Fnord5]

Some action shots!
The foil is to keep the smoke sealed in better.

[The Nid Hog]

Some action shots!
The foil is to keep the smoke sealed in better.

That's very cool. How's the clean up?

[Fnord5]

I have no clue. :lol:
This is the first time using it.:w00t:

[gollum83]

So that thing actually works? You're not damaging the cord on the hot by using it like that are you? :confused:

[Fnord5]

So that thing actually works? You're not damaging the cord on the hot by using it like that are you? :confused:

Not so far. Been holding steady at 200* for the last 3-4 hours.
Even the plastic knob on the hot plate isn't soft or anything.

[gollum83]

Not so far. Been holding steady at 200* for the last 3-4 hours.
Even the plastic knob on the hot plate isn't soft or anything.

Really? So how do use this thing? Do you just fill the dish with chips, place in on the hot plate, turn it on, and smoke away?

[Fnord5]

Really? So how do use this thing? Do you just fill the dish with chips, place in on the hot plate, turn it on, and smoke away?

Yup. I have it set at the high side of medium, and that seems to work just fine.
Here is a drool worthy shot!

[gollum83]

Wow that looks good! :drool:

So what kind of chips are you using?

[Fnord5]

Hickory

[Carnivore]

That looks awesome.

If it's anything like my metal smoker, the clean-up is pretty minimal. The smoke makes a nice, slippery coating that prevents stuff from sticking.

Enjoy that meat!

[Fnord5]

It's done!
Resting now, interior pics to follow!

[mmack66]

It's done!
Resting now, interior pics to follow!

Holy creosote! Can't wait to see the interior!

[gollum83]

Just look at that color, or lack thereof. :w00t:

[Fnord5]

Not creosote, SMOKE!

And Gollum, the color is on the inside! :drool:

[gollum83]

Speaking of which, where are those interior pics? I'm hungry, darn it! :biggrin:

[Fnord5]

In 45 minutes!

[Sluggo]

I saw a smoker like that on Good Eats on Food TV. Alton Brown also made a fish smoker with a cardboard box...
BTW that looks tasty!!

[Fnord5]

Was inspired by that episode.

[Fnord5]

It's not pink, but holy crap, it is delicious!

[gollum83]

Look! It's so juicy! And it's falling apart at the seams! :drool:

[Sluggo]

I'll be over shortly, please save me some bark :)

[Fnord5]

That was the best dinner I have had in a long time.
Sourdough roll, truffle chipotle mayo, and coleslaw.
And Yes, it was falling apart at the seams!

[gollum83]

Look! There's a smoke ring! That's it! You're mailing me the leftovers! :drool:

[Houndawg]

Not much of a smoke ring.

[professorchaos]

Mmmmm. Hungry.

How did it work?

[Fnord5]

It seriously never dropped more than two degrees below 200 the entire time.
The terra cotta held the heat so well that when I opened it up to add chips (had to take the meat off too) the thermometer didn't move.

Next time I am going to add a water pan, and maybe some foil to keep the bottom and burner clean.

[moonshine44]

You might try soaking the chips with water first, which should do away with the need for a water pan...

[Woodrobin]

:w00t: Hickory-smoked beef! :w00t:

If that had made my mouth water any more, I would have shorted out the keyboard. :biggrin:

Now I'm going to have to go and build one of those myself.

[gollum83]

Not much of a smoke ring.

Hey! It's not bad for two clay pots and a hot plate. Besides, it was probably pretty tasty.

[DS/B MCS]

Nice Rig :cool:

[Jim]

Very nice job!
Looks tasty!

[Emmett]

Looks delicious. :drool: I might have to try it sometime soon.

[slcsteve]

Plato said it 2500 years ago

"Necessity, who is the mother of invention."

Nice job and so rewarding in several ways.

[Fnord5]

My assistant manager for my department want's me to smoke a small turkey for him.
First, how long will it take, and second, how much should I charge him? :biggrin:

[Carnivore]

I'm not sure how long your setup will take--yours runs a lot cooler than mine does. That piece of meat you did was pretty solid, so it might be similar in cook time to a hollow bird. Do you have room under the lid to stand it up so that smoke can get into the cavity? That would help. Stick a meat thermometer in a thick part of the thigh and wait until it's at the recommended temperature (170F for the breast and 180F for the thigh).

I would definitely suggest using a water pan to keep the turkey moist. My mother in law does turkeys frequently, with a simple 50% brown sugar and 50% kosher salt rub. The meat is delicious but the skin is usually quite dark and smoky--don't count on everyone wanting to eat it.

I've never been paid for such a service, but if you take a look at store-bought prepared turkey, you'll probably find that you can undercut those prices and still make a little money.

[Fnord5]

The size of the bird will allow me to stand it up.(work at whole foods :biggrin: )
I am sure I can crank it up and get it in the 220-230 degrees range.
My problem is, it's going to take me all day to babysit the bird (I might try and put a rack of ribs in there too so it wont be a total loss)
So I tried getting him to pay me my hourly rate, but he didn't want to pay 120 for a smoked turkey :lol: :mad:

I think maybe $20, and then I can spend the day working on razors too :w00t:

[KarthVader]

Good lord! I'm so hungry from looking at those pictures! I tried to grill yesterday, but my parents didn't really take care of the grill while I was gone. So now, I have a dirty, rusty grill, no propane and now I'll have to starve to death :lol:. This might be an excellent alternative!

[KarthVader]

I calculated the cost of the parts. It comes out to $70.49 (including 6% sales tax). That cost doesn't include the hickory chips. How much does an Egg cost?

[Leatherneck]

I calculated the cost of the parts. It comes out to $70.49 (including 6% sales tax). That cost doesn't include the hickory chips. How much does an Egg cost?

A whole sh***load more than $75.00 . I've got a large BGE, as other members around here do also.

The first year I did a turkey, it was a 26lb. monsterbird. Soaked it in a brine overnight and put it on around 3 A.M. I don't think it finished until mid afternoon. It was made worthwhile by the praise lavished on me. It really did turn out amazing. I also made a thick (pasty) herb rub that went uner the skin, in the cavity and on the outside.

I may have to make one of these to complement mine. Never can seem to get enough ribs going.

Kevin

[KarthVader]

A whole sh***load more than $75.00 . I've got a large BGE, as other members around here do also.

Yeah, looked up the cost of a BGE on the interwebs. The cost starts at 10x the cost of a homemade one. I think this will be my weekend project. I just wish I had seen or heard about this sooner.

[Fnord5]

Doing a pork butt, and whole chicken right now.
Pork butt is seasoned with fennel, garlic, chili flakes, pepper, salt, mustard powder, and a little rosemary.

Chicken is seasoned with a 50/50 blend of coarse sea salt and brown sugar, with some rosemary too.

Should be an interesting smoke, as the chicken will be done far before the pork.

[Monkeydad]

Very impressed. That meat looked delicious.

Definitely post some bird pictures!

[Carnivore]

Doing a pork butt, and whole chicken right now.
Pork butt is seasoned with fennel, garlic, chili flakes, pepper, salt, mustard powder, and a little rosemary.

Chicken is seasoned with a 50/50 blend of coarse sea salt and brown sugar, with some rosemary too.

Should be an interesting smoke, as the chicken will be done far before the pork.

The rosemary sounds like a nice touch. I will add some the next time I do birds.

[Fnord5]

The bird turned out great, super moist even after being in the smoker for 7 hours or so.
The pork butt isn't falling apart, but has a well defined smoke ring, and is juicy, tender, and delicious.

[Jim]

If you are getting eatable results already then you are more than on your way. I do have a concern that with these larger cuts of meat and you mentioned a turkey that your temps are too low. You have to be very careful about the time any meat or bird is in the danger zone for bacteria. If at all possible get your cooker temps up to 230-250. This will minimize the time that the meat will be above 35 degrees and below 145 degrees.

:a18:

[Fnord5]

Thanks for the advice.
I will give it a shot Wednesday, I'll crank the burner to high, and see where that gets me.

It does get to 160 very quickly, but it still didn't break 200 this time, and I had turned it up a little.

Maybe I should just set it at the highest, and just check on it more often.

With the higher temp, will a water pan be necessary, or will the bark hold the good stuff in?

[Jim]

I will give it a shot Wednesday, I'll crank the burner to high, and see where that gets me.

It does get to 160 very quickly, but it still didn't break 200 this time, and I had turned it up a little.

Maybe I should just set it at the highest, and just check on it more often.

With the higher temp, will a water pan be necessary, or will the bark hold the good stuff in?

A water pan can help keep the environment friendly for flavor absorption and to stabilize temps-start with boiling water. For more flavor a couple of 100% charcoal briqets can be added to the wood dish.

[Fnord5]

Thank you Jim!:biggrin:
I now have to figure a way to get another layer of stuff in there for the pan...

[kzoo1]

I am so building one of these! Way cool!

[Fnord5]

Update! Sorry the pics took so long.
First up, the pork butt, check out that ring!
The other is the chicken I did, after 7 hours, it was so juicy and tender!

[Carnivore]

That bird is lovely! How's the skin? I think that the higher temperatures that I use render it too dark and inedible, but that looks delicious.

[Jim]

Dare I say EEGcellent!

[gollum83]

The skin on that chicken looks so good. I'm definitely going to have to try this. :drool:

[Fnord5]

That bird is lovely! How's the skin? I think that the higher temperatures that I use render it too dark and inedible, but that looks delicious.

It was only slightly crispy(got soggy after it cooled, and went in the fridge) but oh so delicious.

[Carnivore]

It was only slightly crispy(got soggy after it cooled, and went in the fridge) but oh so delicious.

Okay, so the moral here is that the chef should eat all of the skin before he pulls the bird off of the smoker. :biggrin:

[Fnord5]

Experimented with King Salmon the other day, soy sauce and brown sugar marinade overnight.
Left it on a bit too long, but tasted great.

Today, experimenting more.
3 types of fish, and a half rack of pork spare ribs(bone in)
The three fish are Atlantic Salmon(very greasy) Black Cod, and Chilean Sea Bass (super greasy)
All three were marinated in brown sugar soy sauce, with some dill, ginger and mustard(powder) added in, marinated for 24 hours.
The King Salmon stuck pretty good last time, so this time I put them on parchment paper.

The ribs, got a dry rub of Pappy's.

All went on about 10 minutes ago, this time I will watch carefully.

[cityjim]

Update! Sorry the pics took so long.
First up, the pork butt, check out that ring!
The other is the chicken I did, after 7 hours, it was so juicy and tender!

OMG the fat even looks cold . I hope you are not serving some children this dish . Uncooked meats are a sure trip to the Emergency Room .

Nice well done on the chicken . Is this a new creole dish ? :smile:


cityjim

[Fnord5]

OMG the fat even looks cold . I hope you are not serving some children this dish . Uncooked meats are a sure trip to the Emergency Room .

Nice well done on the chicken . Is this a new creole dish ? :smile:


cityjim
Actually, that was taken the next day when I was slicing it up for lunch meat.
So the fat was cold. :lol:

[gollum83]

Actually, that was taken the next day when I was slicing it up for lunch meat.
So the fat was cold. :lol:

Oh no! Did you have to go to the ER then? :rolleyes:

[Fnord5]

Oh no! Did you have to go to the ER then? :rolleyes:
Go? I had to move in!
:lol:

[gollum83]

Go? I had to move in!
:lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

[_JP_]

While I was at a local garden supply store near me today, I noticed that they had the Big Green Egg for sale there! The one in the simple stand with a couple of wing shelves was priced at $795, and they also had bags of the fuel for $19.95. Man, do I want one!

[Jim]

What size was it Jon? There are a few different ones, I want a Mini egg for quick dinners.

[pizzaguy]

I got mine at and Eggfest in Waldorf MD in 2006 we cook year round on it

They demo cook for the day and the price is lower

The mini is great

I got one because my Dad had a kamado for 20 years and an Egg for 12 years

Some times on craigs list you will find them too


I want the XXL

[_JP_]

What size was it Jon? There are a few different ones, I want a Mini egg for quick dinners.

I think that it is the standard size. They also had a Mini Egg that I didn't price, along with an Egg nested in the cart.

[Carnivore]

I think that it is the standard size. They also had a Mini Egg that I didn't price, along with an Egg nested in the cart.

Also, how big was that bag of charcoal? $20 seems a bit high. Check the reviews on The Naked Whiz (http://nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag) to see if there's a cheaper brand that is of acceptable quality available in your area. I mail-ordered some Wicked Good once, and that was quite nice.

[Gravy]

Also, how big was that bag of charcoal? $20 seems a bit high. Check the reviews on The Naked Whiz (http://nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag) to see if there's a cheaper brand that is of acceptable quality available in your area. I mail-ordered some Wicked Good once, and that was quite nice.

+1

My BGE salesman had the actual BGE lump coal for $18 (20 lb). While the BGE brand is quite good (forget who makes it for them) I found 3 other places that sell good lump once I started paying attention. Lazzari misquite for $14 (20 lbs) and (US) Mali for $6 (10 lbs)

The Nakedwhiz was the first place I checked :)

I always thought those mini eggs would be nice for camping.

[Alacrity59]

I think that it is the standard size. They also had a Mini Egg that I didn't price, along with an Egg nested in the cart.

I can't find one for anywhere close to that price now. . . sounds like a good deal.

[jonwings]

This thread brings back memories from when I tried the flower pot smoker. I made some good food with it, but I always had a problem with the hot plates crapping out on me in the middle of cooking. I cannot tell you how many hotplates I went through.

Eventually, I graduated to the Chargriller smokin' pro, with the side smoke box. I love it and it works like a charm. I did more grilling than smoking this season, but a made a couple nice pork shoulders.

For charcoal, I pretty much swear by Royal Oak Hard wood charcoal, which I can usually find for $4-$6/ 10lb bag. I can usually get 5-6hrs of good steady temp out of a bag.

And I am absolutely jealous of anyone with a BGE. One day I'll put out the cash for one, but for now I am happy with the chargriller.

[stobes21]

...For charcoal, I pretty much swear by Royal Oak Hard wood charcoal, which I can usually find for $4-$6/ 10lb bag. I can usually get 5-6hrs of good steady temp out of a bag.

And I am absolutely jealous of anyone with a BGE. One day I'll put out the cash for one, but for now I am happy with the chargriller.

Royal Oak is what I (mostly) feed my BGE. I have found it to be of excellent quality, and it is cheap and available at my local grocery store. The Naked Whiz seemed to like it too. The BGE is really king of extending the heat on charcoal. I fill my chimney starter (maybe 1/4 of a bag? 1/5?), light, dump in, and have high heat for several hours (I've never timed it and never needed to refill while cooking). At smoking temps that same load will last at least 12 hours, and I hear it'll go a full 24.

The really cool thing about the BGE is when you are done cooking it is easy to snuff the fire. The next time you open it up you'll have a bunch of partially used charcoal that you can use again. There's a lot less waste that way.

[Leatherneck]

The other I bought a whole chicken and cut it butterfly style. (cut it right down the breastbone) Spread it flat and inserted Rosemary and Thyme sprigs. A little salt and pepper and it was ready for the grill.

I laid it flat (bone side down) on a secondary elevated rack above the regular rack which had a drip pan (indirect, or as close to that as you'll get on an Egg) below the bird. This is on a BGE. Cooked for just over an hour at 350.

A couple months ago I did a 13 lb. brisket on the Egg. It cooked for about 21 - 22 hrs. at about 225. Only had to fill the Egg one time. Very tasty and had rave reviews.

Long live the BGE.

Kevin

[Fnord5]

:lol:
This thread isn't about the Big Green Egg.
It's about the LBE (little brown egg):tongue_sm

[Leatherneck]

I saw the Good Eats episode where Brother Alton used a LBE. A really great idea. I'm glad you had success with yours. Your pics looked might tasty!

Kevin

[gregdreg]

Hows the LBE holding up? I came across this thread and enjoyed reading it. I am thinking about making my own .

[SmoovD]

Hows the LBE holding up? I came across this thread and enjoyed reading it. I am thinking about making my own .

+1. Just found this myself...awesome thread.

[langod]

+1. Just found this myself...awesome thread.

I'm interested too.

bumpity-bump.

[SliceOfLife]

I had this exact setup back before I got my massive charcoal smoker. Got the idea from Good Eats. Worked pretty well, but I had to keep the smoker cracked open, even at min setting the hotplate held it at 300+ F if I didn't.

[Ceezer]

+1. Just found this myself...awesome thread.

Ditto!

I've never smoked anything before. How do you know what temperature to shoot for and how long to cook it? Or is it just until you reach the desired internal temperature?

[Jim]

As has been discussed in this thread, temp control while smoking-BBQing is critical. Too long in the danger zone and you can create an environment where Bacteria can take off. The accepted guide is 4 hours between 45 and 145. In other words from the time you take it out of the fridge to 145 degrees internal <4 hours.

When cooking BBQ you bring the meat up to the point where you have rendered much of the fat and melted the connective tissue and collagen.

This process starts at 180 internal and can take many hours( the plateau) and ends at 195-205.

While the flowerpot method is a viable one any container you can control a burn in can be suitable. Filing cabinet, 55 gal drum ect.

Have fun

[Deltaboy]

Seems like to me the Quality of your Hot Plate is the key to this home made project.

[Suzuki]

Great thread - I just use my Weber kettle with all the coals pushed to the side of the BBQ.

As Jim said, the temperature thing is pretty important. - I try to keep my BBQ temperature at between 225 to 250.

As for the pan of water, my experience is that it makes a huge difference - especially when I do stuff like chicken breasts or pork tenderloin.