Apparently these are the Ferraris of charcoal-fired barbecues and smokers. This article suggests that there's a fanatical following.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/02/01/the-low-and-slow-miracles-of-the-big-green-egg/

I'm contemplating one as a gift for the BBQ fanatic who has everything. Thoughts?

Wow doug,I looked it up over at SMF,thats a fine gift,heavy and expensive and well loved by users,an 800 degree steak,wow!

A few friends have them and love them so I've enjoyed the fruits of Big Green Eggs.

I haven't been tempted to buy one but surely would be delighted to receive one.

Two of these friends lost their first BGE's in divorce. One replaced it, the other did not.


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My buddy has one and LOVES it.

I have one. It is probably the best gift I've been given. It doesn't take much longer to get up to temperature than my old gas grill, and as you can close the vents to extinguish the fire, you can use a load of charcoal for a couple of cooking sessions.

The ability to use the vents to control the temperature is better than you would think. I regularly cook pork shoulder or ribs for hours at around 220f. By tweaking the upper and lower vents I can adjust the temperature by as little as 5 degrees.

The fact that it is heavy and insulated means that you don't have to keep the flames burning as hot to keep up the temp. That helps keep the meat moist and tender, where in contrast my gas grill would have dried out the food.

They aren't cheap, but every person I know who has tried one became a convert and ultimately got rid of their gas grill.

Many thanks for all your responses. Now I want one for myself, darn it.

A question: the primary consumable (and ongoing cost) is the charcoal. Not a lot, by all accounts, but it's a consideration.

What does the "official" charcoal look like, in terms of size? And is this charcoal from "hard" hardwoods like hickory and oak or is there room for "soft" hardwoods?

The reason I ask is that I can (and do) make my own charcoal from readily available "soft" hardwoods like poplar/cottonwood and willow, as well as Manitoba maple. These are available in infinite quantities, and we have been using them for generations to smoke venison sausage, fish, jerky, you name it. Nice flavours. But will they work, screened to size, in an Egg?

The charcoal I use is hardwoods like hickory and oak. It varies in size depending upon the brand and batch, but ranges from small pieces less than the size of a golf ball to larger 4x6 chunks. A couple of 20lb bags will last me all year. You should check out the egg forums and especially nakedwhiz.com for good info.