BGE Yes, Big Green Egg 4 sure. Been a convert for going on like 20 years. I take mine to tracks all over the country, and no matter where I set up and start it, the same thing: "Man o man, what are you cooking in there?" When you lift the lid and reveal nothing but the electric lighter getting the natural lump charcoal going, they really start trippin'! I made a rolling stand w/ 6" diam pneumatic wheels, very sano. Regular briquettes have a lot of chemicals in there, so I'm not down with that. Cooking over propane is only slightly better in my opinion. Like a PP mentioned earlier once you have even just a burger cooked on a BGE, you'll never go back. For the uninitiated the BGE is a modern take on an ancient asian style domed ceramic cooker/smoker/griller. The ceramic is very high tech, high temp, and the dome basically allows the meat to cook from both sides. the only reason you really flip on the BGE is to get grill marks on the other side. The food cooks quickly and is kick ass tender. VERY worth the investment. I got mine offa Craigslist, a large for $400 inc stand. It was on the guy's back porch for like 2 yrs and never even fired off!
I have a small gas one... But i never use it. I only use the Charcoal Grill that was on the patio when we moved in.. I love it. Especially for Buffalo Burgers..
Weird the first time you use it. Trying to get the heat up while burning off the lighter fluid smell (only charcoal they had was self lighting). I actually like the challenge but the first time using it is weird.
Charcoal is great, but you need one of these to start your coals. Don't use lighter fluid, it takes forever to burn off. This chimney starter rocks! Just put some newspaper in the bottom, fluid-less charcoal in the top, and you'll have red hot coals in 10 minutes. I use this and my Weber frequently, even for just a couple dogs and burgers for me and my wife. The beauty of a Weber too is because the lid is so tight, once you are done cooking, close the top and bottom vents to put out the coals. Then you can use them again for the next time. Just put them back in the chimney, add some fresh charcoal, and fire it up. PS, don't get the immitation chimneys, this Weber chimney has a better design because the inside is cone-shaped which allows the charcoal to heat up much faster.
Seems like a lotta shit to go through to cook some meat. My friend swears by charcoal and I can't taste the difference one bit.
Weber grills are great, but the BGE is in another league. For charcoal, skip the kingsford. Bge charcoal, cowboy charcoal, etc.....stick with natural lump charcoal. There are also a couple of egg knockoffs - Kamado, primo.
Man, I cant remember the last time I had a charcoal grilled anything, I own a weber grill that I've always sworn to be the best grill out there, the meat always seemed to stay tender on that grill compared to our first cheaper gas grill. But this thread has me wanting to look into that BGE and/or the char-broil infrared grill now.
Charcoal is a pain in the ass, is messy, takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and is far from simply heat up the grill and go. Takes planning and a commitment. I love it so far and when I get it right, I'll love it with all of my body including my pee pee.
