Big Green Egg...who has one? I need recipes

[JDEaston]

Not sure if you've ever used a ceramic cooker but if so how does it compare to the Akron (porcelain) versions? I really want to get one of these but just can't justify spending the money on a Green Egg or other similar model. The price on the Akron makes it intriguing.

 

I've never cooked on one myself, but a friend of mine has a Grill Dome XL that I have seen in action and eaten food that it's cooked. They are basically the same as far as the way they cook. They are all capable of low and slow cooks or 700 degree cooks for pizza or searing purposes, they use very little fuel and once you get the vents dialed in they will hold a stable temperature as well if not better than an oven. I put a 10 pound pork shoulder on the Akorn Sunday night around 10:30 for a Labor Day get together and when I woke up and checked the temps at 9:15 the grate temperature on the grill was sitting at 236 degrees, it was at 239 when I went to bed around midnight. All I had to do was fill the firebox with lump coal and some wood chunks and let the grill do all the work on its own. I still had 3/4 of a firebox full of coal when it was finished.

 

The main differences between the Akorn and the ceramics is the general lifespan of the grill. Since the Akorn is double walled steel insulated with porcelain over time it will likely start developing some rust. That may take 5 years or 20 years, it all depends on how well it's taken care of honestly. The Akorn does have excellent build quality though and even a couple of features you don't see on the ceramic grills as it has a removable ash pan so you can just dump your ashes out rather than trying to scrape them out through the bottom damper and it has a warming rack that will swivel away from the main grate so you can access the grate level food without having to actually take the warming rack off from the grill. The center section of the cast iron grate also pops out in case you ever have to add coal during your cook, but that's not likely to ever happen.

 

In short, both grills are going to cook equally well, the ceramic will last longer, as well as it's not turned over or the lid doesn't fall off. I'm serious about the lid falling off too, one of my customers has an egg that is now half an egg because the bolts that hold the lid on had loosened up and once they opened the lid it fell off and shattered. Check your bolts once a month or so @mexitucky! It's probably not common, but it can happen with any of them the Akorn included, but the Akorn lid isn't going to break if it falls off.

 

To be honest, the Akorn is one helluva grill for the price and I would have a hard time shelling out 4-5x's more money for one of the high end ceramics. There are some entry level ceramic's that are in the $600 range I believe, so that could be an option if you really want to go the ceramic route. Also if you want to go the Akorn route, check your WalMart's and such for end of summer clearances, but you may have missed the boat on that. The Walmarts here in Ashland dropped the Akorn to $144 a couple of weeks ago.

[woodsrider]

Thanks for the info JD. I definitely want to check one out and again the money the "Eggs" go for just don't fit the bill for never having used one.

[JDEaston]

If you have a Home Depot nearby you can check out one of the low end ceramics and the Akorn side by side, as long as they are both still in stock. The Vision Classic is the ceramic that they sell.

[rjs4470]

My Traeger just died (well, only the digital controller which is replaceable, but after 9 years I'm ready for a new one), and I'm looking to supplement my new pellet smoker with an Egg type grill. I'm thinking one of the smaller eggs, but will definitely check out the Akorn.

[woodsrider]

If you have a Home Depot nearby you can check out one of the low end ceramics and the Akorn side by side, as long as they are both still in stock. The Vision Classic is the ceramic that they sell.

I do and will. Might have to run by there on lunch tomorrow or Friday.

[JDEaston]

I do and will. Might have to run by there on lunch tomorrow or Friday.

 

After looking at Home Depot's website, I'm not sure if they sell the Vision Classic anymore. They do have a Vision pro listed that adds a removable ash drawer and a port to use an electric starter to light your coals. I don't know much about this model but the Classic got pretty favorable reviews. As long as the ash drawer has a gasket on it and a way to lock it, it should still seal up nicely, but I'm not so sure about the igniter port as it looks like it's just a flip open door. If you would happen to go with a Vision I would probably go with the Classic as it should seal up better, which is what really makes the Kamado's work so well. My only other disclaimer is that Vision is apparently manufactured in China, take that for what it's worth in your own opinion.

[okie1]

I love cooking Ribs on my egg...

 

A good rack of Baby Backs or 2...I season with McCormick's steak seasoning (I use this on everything).

 

Get the grill to 225/250 ( I don't use anything but lump charcoal as my wife doesn't like stuff to smoky).

 

I mix a bottle of 2/3 cup of apple juic 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar and baste the ribs every hour.

 

I also take Sweet Baby rays BBQ sauce and cut it with honey, apple cider vinegar and apple juice and red pepper to taste...after about 3 1/2 hours (Once the bone begins showing I wrap in Foil and add the BBQ sauce...I leave on about 30 more minutes and then put in cooler with towels to let sit until we eat.

 

My family loves the sweet ribs more so than the smoky dry ribs.