andyh64000

Gave pizza a shot ^^^^

csufabel

When why reply?



@thelark,
I don't have either, just a Weber Bullet and an off brand kettle grill.

If you are thinking about the Kamado as result of it being on sale on Amazon? I'd go for it, however, an electric pellet is really fool proof. There is a Davy Crockett electric pellet for around $400.

infamousdx

I think the advantage of a pellet is that you can get more surface area for your buck. That's the only shortcoming of my BGE, wish I had more room! Otherwise, I recommend BGE all day - versatile, rock solid temp control, lifetime warranty.

thelark

By kamado I was just referring to the type - could be green egg, etc. For pellet was lookin at Yoder and Louisiana Grills. The Yoder seems exceptionally well built, but the Louisiana has a nice feature to turn down the temp once the meat hits a set internal temperature.

thelark

I knew there was a recent Omni thread - that explains why I couldn't find it. I figured I'd be using the gas grill for for steaks and other quick stuff.

infamousdx

Have had one for 7 years now and it's still in amazing condition. Have only had to change the gasket once. Love the rock solid temp control it gives you, very forgiving as well. The only thing I regret is not getting an XL instead of a large.

andyh64000

The egg is amazing for Steaks. I still use the gas grill for burgers, dogs, corn, planked salmon, bacon wrapped prawns, etc. but any serious I meat I almost always use the egg.

My only regret...I got a large and wish I had gotten the XL.

Costco had a really good deal on the Kamado last month...499 for one that looked a little larger than my Egg and it came with pretty much everything. Not sure if it is still available.

thelark

As I'm clearly new to this, do I understand that kamado is the type, of which BGE is a brand of, or is BGE a variant or something different entirely?

Whichever direction I end up going in, I figure I should be able to get something decent at or below $1500 or so.

I'm hoping to find something that I don't have to babysit - I have 3 kids age 5 and under, so there's enough of that going on around here as-is.

csufabel

If you want a ceramic, look at a Primo since it is oval thus has a larger surface area than the round cookers.

andyh64000

Yep...that's my only regret as well.

cblaisd

Ditto.

Saturday's efforts

Icecat

I use a Traeger Grill, (pellet) it is just great..The food tastes so much better than a gas grill and much quicker than charcoal

andyh64000

You don't have to babysit the egg. You can actually buy an add on temp adjuster for a couple hundred dollars but right now I just use a wireless thermometer and find the temperature remarkably stable.

I just picked up a whole beef tenderloin from costco that I am about to trim and rub for tomorrow...I'll use the reverse sear method .

rdurlabhji

I'm a Weber guy. Green Egg is out of my price range, and WSM is pretty idiot-proof. I've been using it for about 4 years now, for summer parties, Thanksgiving, etc. Almost everything I've pulled out of it has been wonderful.

tev9999

It is probably sacrilegious, but I've gone electric for smoking. I have no desire to babysit a smoker for 12+ hours to do a pork butt or brisket. I have a Masterbuilt 40" that I have modified with "The Mailbox Mod" found at Smoking Meat Forums.

The smoke capability of the Masterbuilt is pretty weak out of the box since it uses a tiny chip tray that simply sits above the electric heater. On a hot day the electronics may not call for much heat, so no smoke. The Mailbox mod removes the built in smoke tray and replaces it with an external mailbox and pellet tray. You simply cut a 3" hole in the mailbox (any metal box really) and plumb it into the chip tray opening with dryer duct. Not my picture, but you get the idea.

I went as far as building a rolling enclosure for mine in case of rain. It looks rather redneck, but isn't BBQ supposed to be? I am hoping it will insulate it enough to let me smoke in the winter without massive heat loss.

The beauty is I can roll it out into the back yard, plug it in, load it up, light the pellets and go to bed or work. I did my first brisket this week and it tasted great, but I pulled it a little too early (about 175 degrees) because it was taking longer than I anticipated and I was hungry so it was not as tender as it could have been. I should have started it before leaving for work instead of on my lunchtime stop at home.

I did a pair of pork butts a few weeks ago. "Fired" it up at 9 PM Friday night then went out. Came home and checked on it about 1 AM and the internal temps were climbing nicely and smoke was flowing fine so I went to bed. At 7 AM it was at the 160 degree stall point and stayed there for several more hours. By noon (15 hours in) they were up to 190 so I wrapped them in foil, put them in a cooler to rest and headed to the party they were intended for. I had not even opened the smoker in 15 hours. About 3 PM I went to pull them and they fell apart in my fingers. Got many compliments about how great the smoke flavor (apple) was, but not overpowering.

I'm still tweaking my rubs, but have the smoker part pretty well dialed in. I have found that the internal thermocouple in the smoker seems to be 15-20 degrees low, so to get a grate temperature of 225 I have to set it around 245. Incredibly easy cleanup too - I just throw a foil pan on the lower grate to catch drippings.

Enjoy being a slave to your wood and charcoal smokers. I'll be taking a nap.