WSM, Big Green Egg, Kamado
- Thread starter Rick M...
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Dale Perry
TVWBB Guru
Rick, the Eggs are thicker, more $, and very good cookers no doubt about it. Before buying my WSM, the Egg was going to be mine and I was completly sold until I found this site and Ive never looked back. I might not want to admit it to my wife, but one day I will get an egg just for their steak cooking abilities. But for my $, the WSM is the smoker for the weekend Qer, and many comps have been won useing the WSMs..
My list grows everyday.
1) Foodsaver
2) Guru
3) Egg
Not enough money to go around.
DP
My list grows everyday.
1) Foodsaver
2) Guru
3) Egg
Not enough money to go around.
DP
Dave Cluck
TVWBB Fan
In a "not on my deck" sort of way...
Dale, what special steak cooking abliity are you talking about? Does the egg cook a steak anybetter than I can on a regular Grill?
Like you I have a wish list that seems to be growing and growing, I bbq a lot on my current grill but since I started comming here I am obsessing.
Like you I have a wish list that seems to be growing and growing, I bbq a lot on my current grill but since I started comming here I am obsessing.
obsession is a minor understatement, I dont even have my WSM yet(ordered it on Friday) and I am ready to replace my current grill with a Weber Platnium(with the rotisary) to use in conjunction with my WSM for every day BBQ(I use my current grill about 3-5 times a week.) In addition to that I have finally learned what the GURU is and that is a MUST HAVE...
I think I can go on for days with my BBQ wants.
I think I can go on for days with my BBQ wants.
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
Rick,
I don't know if an egg can cook a steak better than a kettle, but the reason people think it can is because you can get a VERY high heat on an egg, sear the steak and then shut the vents and finish the steak at the lower temp. I have a friend with an egg and he says he does a beef tenderloin on it and everyone loves it. Problem is, I've yet to hear him say he got a decent slab of ribs from an egg. I'm sure it can be done, but apparently it's not as easy as a wsm.
I don't know if an egg can cook a steak better than a kettle, but the reason people think it can is because you can get a VERY high heat on an egg, sear the steak and then shut the vents and finish the steak at the lower temp. I have a friend with an egg and he says he does a beef tenderloin on it and everyone loves it. Problem is, I've yet to hear him say he got a decent slab of ribs from an egg. I'm sure it can be done, but apparently it's not as easy as a wsm.
Tom Hinkle
TVWBB Super Fan
I don't have a ceramic, but I have checked several of their forums. Their members seem to think they are superior to the WSM, but it could just be personal bias there.
The advantages to the ceramics are:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>They are better insulated and are thought to be more resistant to cold and wind
They can easily get hot enough to sear a steak real well.[/list]
The disadvantages:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>They cost a lot. You can muy a WSM and a Wber Kettle and have hundreds of dollars left over.
The firebowls tend to crack
They are susceptable to backdrafts.
I think they hold less food (unless you buy optional accessory grates.[/list]
The advantages to the ceramics are:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>They are better insulated and are thought to be more resistant to cold and wind
They can easily get hot enough to sear a steak real well.[/list]
The disadvantages:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>They cost a lot. You can muy a WSM and a Wber Kettle and have hundreds of dollars left over.
The firebowls tend to crack
They are susceptable to backdrafts.
I think they hold less food (unless you buy optional accessory grates.[/list]
Greg Rempe
TVWBB All-Star
Tom, I will also add that if you knock over the WSM you pick it up and dust it off...if you knock over a ceramic...IT BREAKS!!
BTW, I saw something called a little tex smoker at a grill and gas shoppe. It is a square electric smoker with 5 racks. Would need to cut the slabs in half to get them in, also there was no way to get a 12lb packer in there. However, the lady told me the owner of the store has one and loves it because you set the temp to 180 or 225 and that's it!
I dunno, just doesn't seem like real bbq when it electric...anyone have an electric smoker to tell me about?? This little tex wa $499.00
BTW, I saw something called a little tex smoker at a grill and gas shoppe. It is a square electric smoker with 5 racks. Would need to cut the slabs in half to get them in, also there was no way to get a 12lb packer in there. However, the lady told me the owner of the store has one and loves it because you set the temp to 180 or 225 and that's it!
I dunno, just doesn't seem like real bbq when it electric...anyone have an electric smoker to tell me about?? This little tex wa $499.00
Dennis Solin
TVWBB Super Fan
I have been using WSM's for home use and competition. Have four of them now but giving some away to friends.
Got a #9 Kamado last March, it is one huge cooker. Weighs 600 lbs, can do it all and is a beautiful cobalt blue. Have run test burns with it using k-lump and a guru and it went 225 for 40 hours on one box of lump.
If a person wanted only one cooking device the Kamado would be the one. Great grill, good for hot and fast steaks or low and slow. Not portable but don't have to worry about knocking it over. Not really appropriate for hauling around however due to weight and ceramic construction.
I actually use a FE100 now for overnight and long cooks, easier to use than the egg. I also still use my Weber Kettle for a fast steak or so and use the egg for a nice stable slow cook but not for overnight. Nice having various weapons available when I am trying to cook four or five different things for a tailgater.
Got a #9 Kamado last March, it is one huge cooker. Weighs 600 lbs, can do it all and is a beautiful cobalt blue. Have run test burns with it using k-lump and a guru and it went 225 for 40 hours on one box of lump.
If a person wanted only one cooking device the Kamado would be the one. Great grill, good for hot and fast steaks or low and slow. Not portable but don't have to worry about knocking it over. Not really appropriate for hauling around however due to weight and ceramic construction.
I actually use a FE100 now for overnight and long cooks, easier to use than the egg. I also still use my Weber Kettle for a fast steak or so and use the egg for a nice stable slow cook but not for overnight. Nice having various weapons available when I am trying to cook four or five different things for a tailgater.
Tom Hinkle
TVWBB Super Fan
Greg, the Little Tex is similar to a cookshack. I know the Cookshacks are well thought of. I know one woman who has won about 3 of them in competitions. There's a lot to be said for convenience, if the final product is still good.
Dennis Solin
TVWBB Super Fan
The FE100 is a wonderful smoker. Well insulated, runs like a convection oven kind of and keeps meat quite moist, including brisket. Easy to run, just fill up with pellets, set the temp and go to bed. Not water pans, no adjusting the vents and easy to add pellets. Will run over fourty hours on one load of pellets. Holds eight briskets or ten butts at a time.
If any WSM user wants to stepup and get more volume and make life easier the FE is the way to go. Only problem is you can buy 16 WSM's for the cost of one FEC100.
If any WSM user wants to stepup and get more volume and make life easier the FE is the way to go. Only problem is you can buy 16 WSM's for the cost of one FEC100.
Greg,
I had an electric "grill" in the 1980s. I worked construction and had to move around alot. It was about the size and of a Weber Go-Anywhere, with the electric elements below ceramic briquets. Can't remember the manufacturer. I'd use it with foil packs with wood chips inside. Better than using an oven, but it was primitive. It did not get hot enough.
I'm sure most BGE and Kamado owners are happy, but the cost seems too high to me. Plus, you really need a table too. IMHO, the extra money is better spent on mods to a new WSM - industrial-grade bi-metal thermometers, Weber work table, an extra charcoal grate, one more cooking grate, thick copper wire and handles for the middle section), and a Foodsaver with several rolls, an ET-73, a Thermapen, sand, a high quality spray bottle, real nice bbq tools (especially tongs), wind resistant butane lighter (particularly nice for lighting the chimney) brinkman water pan, a drip pan and a fire extinguisher. Don't neglect the fire extinguisher. All that stuff cost me roughly $750. Of course, I'd never know it without this site. Thanks again, Chris. If I was rich and needed the capacity, I'd follow the recommendation from Dennis and get an FE.
BTW, if anyone is thinking my cooker would look better in their backyard, keep in mind I'm armed.
My stick burner, gas grills and Weber kettle all had their disadvantages. I like to keep things simple and I like charcoal; thats why I use a WSM exclusively.
Glenn
I had an electric "grill" in the 1980s. I worked construction and had to move around alot. It was about the size and of a Weber Go-Anywhere, with the electric elements below ceramic briquets. Can't remember the manufacturer. I'd use it with foil packs with wood chips inside. Better than using an oven, but it was primitive. It did not get hot enough.
I'm sure most BGE and Kamado owners are happy, but the cost seems too high to me. Plus, you really need a table too. IMHO, the extra money is better spent on mods to a new WSM - industrial-grade bi-metal thermometers, Weber work table, an extra charcoal grate, one more cooking grate, thick copper wire and handles for the middle section), and a Foodsaver with several rolls, an ET-73, a Thermapen, sand, a high quality spray bottle, real nice bbq tools (especially tongs), wind resistant butane lighter (particularly nice for lighting the chimney) brinkman water pan, a drip pan and a fire extinguisher. Don't neglect the fire extinguisher. All that stuff cost me roughly $750. Of course, I'd never know it without this site. Thanks again, Chris. If I was rich and needed the capacity, I'd follow the recommendation from Dennis and get an FE.
BTW, if anyone is thinking my cooker would look better in their backyard, keep in mind I'm armed.
My stick burner, gas grills and Weber kettle all had their disadvantages. I like to keep things simple and I like charcoal; thats why I use a WSM exclusively.
Glenn
Dale Perry
TVWBB Guru
Rick, I am told that the Egg can reach temps that are above 750 degrees. That is how high end steak houses cook their steaks, FLASH, and they are done. Plus they are cool looking.
DP
DP
Tom Hinkle
TVWBB Super Fan
I do not own a Bradley, but I have seen them and read about them. They use compressed wood 'biscuits' which they feed automatically to generate smoke. They use electricity for heat. This is 'Lazy-Q' smoking.
I understand the smokers are quite good and people like them. You can set a temperature and load up the biscuits, and walk away and let it cook.
One of their biggest advantages is they can cook over a wide range of temperatures; including cold smoking, so they can be used to smoke bacon or sausages, or make jerky, or any of the traditional BBQ items we make on our WSM's.
The downside is the cost. I think they run in the $300+ range, and the biscuits cost about a buck each. They go through about 3 biscuits an hour, so cooking a pork butt could cost you upwards of $15 or more.
Of course, the WSM's use charcoal, which isn't real cheap, but it's a lot less than these biscuits.
The host of About.Com's BBQ forum put the Bradley on his Top 10 list.
I understand the smokers are quite good and people like them. You can set a temperature and load up the biscuits, and walk away and let it cook.
One of their biggest advantages is they can cook over a wide range of temperatures; including cold smoking, so they can be used to smoke bacon or sausages, or make jerky, or any of the traditional BBQ items we make on our WSM's.
The downside is the cost. I think they run in the $300+ range, and the biscuits cost about a buck each. They go through about 3 biscuits an hour, so cooking a pork butt could cost you upwards of $15 or more.
Of course, the WSM's use charcoal, which isn't real cheap, but it's a lot less than these biscuits.
The host of About.Com's BBQ forum put the Bradley on his Top 10 list.
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