The Big Green Egg ~

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.  The blog Mennonite Girls can Cook seems to encourage this purchase...they in fact bought two, one for camping (I'll quickly delete that ) and one for home use.  One lady bakes bread in hers.  I had not heard a word about these ceramic lined outdoor grills until I read last weeks post.  Indeed they do look like a big green egg.  The concept is based on a Japanese kamado design and I guess everything tastes better when cooked in the big green egg.

"We were in need of a new BBQ and after some research we decided to purchase a Big Green Egg, which is a ceramic kamado style cooker. Shortly after purchasing one we decided to purchase a small Big Green Egg that we could use at home and take camping and on day trips.
The Big Green Egg has amazing heat retention. Temperature control is easy to regulate and we have found that food is moister and more flavourful when cooked on the egg. It uses lump charcoal fuel which burns clean and adds a delicate wood flavour to food."

While I continued to cook and bake in the kitchen I realized that my husband was beginning to show interest in cooking on the Egg, and soon there I found that I was not the only one looking up recipes and creating recipes of my own. Let's just say the 'competition' has been very impressive and enjoyed." pictures and quotes from Mennonite Girls Can Cook (blog).

 

"I love kitchen gadgets and I have found that he's acquired quite a selection of gadgets for cooking on the Egg.
You've never tasted such juicy drumsticks!"

 

"The small Egg also comes along when we go RV'ing. I stir up the dough, he heats the pot and gets the Egg up to temperature. In goes the dough and out comes fresh bread. This was no knead multi grain. We also bake cinnamon buns. We enjoy when there campers stop by our site to see what's cooking and we are able to invite them for a slice of fresh bread and home made jam."

Amazon offers a Big Green Egg cookbook.

The Big Green Egg is effectively a ceramic oven with a firebox below the cooking surface. It has top and bottom vents, both of which can be adjusted to control both temperature, humidity and smoke concentrations.

The big advantage to a ceramic cooker vs. a gas or metal kettle grill is that you have amazing control over the temperature while burning fuel surprisingly efficiently. The ceramic acts as a heat ballast and the BGE is both super efficient and extremely temperature stable. Because of the design, it also tends to use burn less fuel, drawing less air and, hence, loses less moisture during the cooking process. While this also means less smoke production, the smoke tends to stay in the cooking area longer and at lower temperatures.

Specifications

Fast lighting- ready to cook in 10 minutes with no lighter fluid

Ceramic walls retain heat with accurate temperature control and no hot spots

Fuel efficient so there is no need to add more charcoal while cooking: unburned charcoal may be reused

Withstands temperature extremes from below 0 to 1800 F

Foods the juiciest and most succulent meals

The wooden mates or shelves and a metal nest or stand are included

Withstands temperature extremes

Ceramic walls retain heat with no hotspots

Exterior temperature gauge for internal temperature readings

Adjustable dampers for temperature control

Size: Large

18" diameter cooking grid

255 square inches of cooking surface

Weighs 140lbs

Note:  If it is not  put together, I am NOT buying it for sure.