Grilling & Recipes: New Grill Help

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	Name:	4lakelivn -
	Subject:	New Grill Help
	Date:	8/17/2011 10:46:44 AM

Ok, I'll throw my nickle in this. I'm an old charcoal type guy going back to believing in the briquette as a main source of fuel. When gas came along, for convenience and speed, I threw out the rusty charcoal grill and used gas for many years. After being married for so long, you run out of "unique" gifts to give your spouse. My wife found the best "unique" gift 4 Christmases ago - the large Big Green Egg. (Also, being an "Egghead" makes it convenient for future gifts - cover, plate setter, V-rack, etc. There's even a computer attachment to regulate your long term temperature.)

Admittedly, at first, I was afraid of it and let it sit for a couple of months before I tried it. I read up on cooking with lump charcoal (compressed wood) as opposed to briquettes (chemical taste and smell). Lump charcoal is re-usable with little ash. As stated above, the time to get the fire going and cooking time is equal or less than gas and you get the wood/smokey taste. I use a chimney to start my fires - not the BGE fire starter. Use the recipe book that comes with the Egg, then log on to the BGE forum for additional recipes.

I have a BGE at home and a Weber at the lake (left by the previous owner). For indirect cooking on the Weber, I have 2 fuel holders ($10 online) and use the same lump charcoal I use in the BGE. I don't use the BGE brand charcoal - I buy Royal Oak Lump at Walmart for < $7.00 for 10 lbs. It's made at the same place the BGE lump is made - just a different color bag.

I cook chicken, steak, turkey burgers and hamburgers, pork (butts, ribs, tenderloin, roasts), fish (salmon, talapia), several Thanksgiving turkeys as well as turkey breasts only - all on the Egg. I've got a chicken wing recipe to die for, called Georgia Red Wings.

Originally, I thought $700 for a charcoal grill (BGE) was absurd, but for the taste, quality, little maintenance, I'm sold - If mine got stolen or damaged by natural disaster (the only way you can hurt one), I'd just go buy another one. As a side note - I got a fancy brushed chrome gas grill for retirement 4 years ago and never even opened the box - sold it on Craigslist and never looked back. It paid for a lot of boat fuel.

Everyone has an opinion, and that's mine. Go with lump charcoal. If you don't want to invest in an Egg, the Weber will do for a while. Eventually, you'll get comfortable with lump and get in the "Egg" business.