Sunday, July 24, 2011

Heatin' Up the Coals!

Maria:  Hi Everyone!  I'm Maria.

Gary:  And I'm Gary.

Maria: Welcome to our Big Green Egg Blog!

Gary: Maria is a little shy, so I'll go ahead and tell you a bit about what we are trying to do here. As you can see from our description in the "About Me" section of our blog, we are really just two grown up kids who love our toys. Some of them strike such a chord with us that we want to tell everyone else about them too. That's why we started our blog A Package at the Door http://apackageatthedoor.blogspot.com/

You can see below our post on why we love the Big Green Egg. OK, so we could stop there, but where would be the fun in that? So, we thought, why not give the "Egg" a blog of it's own and let the whole community of Big Green Eggers join in on the love-fest? We could all have fun and maybe learn a thing or two from each other in the process.

Maria: It's true, I am a little shy, but I also like to have fun and share my toys!  We've been intrigued by the Big Green Egg ever since we first researched it and then bought it.  But as we've gotten to know it better, and use it, we've also had some questions.  Even though we are "older" kids and did not grow up with the internet like our nieces and nephews have, we always turn to the internet first for answers to our questions.  And that's what we did when we got our Egg.  What recipe should we try?  How do we get the temperature back up after adding wood chips?  Can you really bake a pie on an egg (ok, I'll admit, that was my question, not Gary's!)?  So, we hope by creating this Egging community we can share ideas, ask and answer questions and just have some fun!

Gary: Pie on the egg?!! Well, you have my attention. I love pie! Actually, that's one of the reasons that the big green egg caught our fancy in the first place. I mean, who would ever think of using one of those other grills as an oven?

Maria:  So glad you like the pie idea, dear!  It's summer, so maybe a nice peach pie would be just the thing.  Yum!  I can almost taste the juicy filling and the crust with a hint of wood chip flavor.  But, yes, a lot of what attracted us to the Big Green Egg is its versatility.  You can grill your steaks, ribs and chicken, but you can also bake a pie, make a pizza, and fire the temperatures high enough so that it imitates a tandoor.  We haven't tried tandoori chicken yet, but it's on the list!  And the ceramic is sturdy enough to hold up even in extreme temperatures of heat and cold.  We don't get snow where we live, but it's nice to know we could even grill in the snow if we had to! Plus, you know, it's so pretty....

Gary: Ah yes, it more than passes the Maria "cute" test. Well, you know why we love the Big Green Egg. Post a comment here and tell us why you love the Big Green Egg. And if you have an idea for an article you would like to post on this site and share with others, please e-mail us at APackageAtTheDoor@Gmail.Com.

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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Why We Love the Big Green Egg

Gary: It's summer, the weather is warm and barbecues are fun. I have nothing against gas grills and Weber kettles, but a Big Green Egg, well - it is just in a different dimension! Not only does it look cool, it is one serious piece of cooking hardware that allows you to smoke foods at low temperatures or sear them at really high temperatures. And it uses lump charcoal-slower burning and more aesthetically pleasing then the standard stuff you by in the store.


Maria: I remember when we were looking for a new grill and we came across the Big Green Egg. We both thought, "how cool!" I couldn't wait to "meet" one in real life, and when we did it was love at first sight. The basic design goes back to the ancient Japanese kamado. This type of clay oven grill apparently came to the attention of Americans after World War II. We were intrigued by it not just because of its looks - beautiful dark green color, thick clay walls and round shape - but also because, as Gary mentioned, it uses lump coal rather than briquettes. The pros and cons of one over the other is a hotly debated topic, but for us is was a definite plus.


Gary: It's also fun to be able to use wood chips and smoke food. Our Pecan smoked turkey was a big hit a Christmas dinner a couple of years ago and alder smoked salmon - yum!


Maria: Gary and I took a walk this lovely warm evening, and the scent of a neighbor's smoking wood chips came wafting through the air. I can't wait for the 4th of July two days from now! We are planning to fire up our Big Green Egg and grill something delicious!

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