Month: February 2011

The Big Green Egg

Almost ready for action

In the late ’90s I got tired of replacing gas barbeque grills every couple of years. So I bought a charcoal grill and smoker called the Big Green Egg and have never looked back.

It’s ceramic, about 140 lbs., and made in Atlanta, and shaped like an egg. It flips open at its middle and will sear steaks at 750 degrees or so (I’ve gotten it a lot hotter) and it will hold 225 degrees for 24 hours to cook whole briskets.

The grill is guaranteed for life, and on those occasions when the charcoal grate would break (it used to be ceramic and could eventually crack; now it’s cast iron and indestructable), the dealer would just replace it, no questions asked.

So why am I on my third?

Well, I couldn’t bring it with me when I left Massachusetts for center-city Philadelphia, so gave it to my father, who later gave it to my brother. And after Philadelphia, the one I bought in upstate New York went to a friend of Janet’s when I moved to Boston, just before we got married.

So now that we have a house and a back yard again, I have the third and I hope, the last. Spatchcocked chickens are going on it in about an hour.

Maiden voyage

I know it’s about the technique, not the equipment, but when we saw this Le Creuset on a really deep discount at an outlet (first quality, but discontinued color) we decided to splurge a little.

A new pot is like a science experiment

Today it’s on its maiden voyage, cooking a braised pork recipe we like.

Janet’s cooking it, and I’m hovering. Well, not looking over her shoulder, exactly, but from my seat in the living room I see her pick up a whisk.

“You can’t use that,” I say. “You’ll scratch the bottom.” She puts down the whisk for a wooden spoon.

Can you use metal tongs? I look it up. Yes, if you’re careful.

Is it browning correctly? Vegetables and wine pick up the brown bits on the bottom? Yes, and yes.

How will it clean up? When it’s dry, will I put the little rubber clips back on so that the top doesn’t scratch?

Just thinking about it is exhausting. Jeez, if I’d ever had kids I’d probably be a grease spot by now.

Time to start cooking

Like everyone else I know, I’m tired of the snow and cold. I haven’t cooked anything on our Big Green Egg since December and the beef I like to dry-age in our refrigerator is tender but lifeless when I cook it indoors.

It’s supposed to get warmer this weekend and maybe enough of the snow will melt by midweek so that I’ll be able to throw a chicken on the Egg. In the meantime, it looks like braised pork tonight and lasagna with fresh egg pasta tomorrow.