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The trick is to smoke the meat and not make the meat smoke
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2014 Blog Archive

Here is the ARCHIVE OF BLOGS for this year with links to all of the entries listed chronologically.
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This site was AWOL

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My apologies to those of you who might have visited the site in the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You were not able to access the site because I had taking it off-line. The problem is fixed and things are back up and running now. I had a few blogs I had written was getting ready to publish around Thanksgiving which I will publish now. Some other blogs intended for 2014 will simply be published in the 2015 blog.

I had a major meltdown involving the software I use to publish the site. There was an update to the program recently that among other things that turned it from a 32 bit into a 64-bit program. This was a rather major update and all of the Extensions and plug-ins for the program had to be updated. After I published the site just before Thanksgiving, I found out that some pages, particularly older blog pages we're simply disappearing. Where whole sections of the site now missing, I decided to take the site off line completely until such time as I could restore from backup. Things got crazy busy with work and it wasn't until after Christmas but I was able to get back on this task. The site is pretty much restored and should be back to normal.

I also would like to thank some of the people who had tried to access the site and who contacted me to inquire if everything was okay with the site and/or me. Thanks again for your concern and it's good to know you enjoy visiting the site.

  BACK TO BBQ BLOG 2014
  ARCHIVE OF BLOGS: 2014
  INDEX OF BLOGS: ALL YEARS
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Looking Back, Looking Ahead - 2014

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THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Ever since I started this blog in 2006, I have written a year end wrap up summing up my past year pursuing this hobby. I stole the idea from what happens in the media where everybody does some sort of Top !0 list. In my case I have reduced it to several Top 5 lists. These lists force me to think about where I have been during the last year and I also use it to chart my course for the next year. By looking at my previous years blog I can see just how I did in reaching my goals. Many times I may not do everything I wanted to, but by reviewing the list from last year it is easy to see what I missed doing and add those items to this years list. Plus it is sometimes fun for me to reread the lists for each year to see my progression pursuing this hobby.
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Grocery Gadget - Shopping App - Usage

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It is finally time to use Grocery Gadget to go shopping. Part 3 of this blog entry will describe setting up the Grocery Gadget program for use. This is where all of your hard work doing set up pays off. I have found Shopping List apps to be widely different in their flexibility and ease of use. If the program is frustrating to set up, you may never get around to using it. Now that I have Grocery Gadget set up the way I like, preparing a shopping list usually takes under 5 minutes. In case you missed them: PART 1 described the features of Grocery Gadget and PART 2 describes Setting the app up for first use. You might want to read those entries first to help you understand this entry. Read More...
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Grocery Gadget - Shopping App - Set Up

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Part 2 of this blog entry will describe setting up the Grocery Gadget program for use. Some of the items are one-time operations. Others are things you will do a lot when you first start using the program and will use less and less over time. I have found Shopping List apps to be widely different in their flexibility and ease of use. If the program is frustrating to set up, you may never get around to using it. PART 1 described the features of Grocery Gadget and you might want to read that entry first to help you understand this entry. PART 3 describes using the app for shopping. Read More...
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Grocery Gadget - Shopping App - Features

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This is a three-part blog entry about Grocery Gadget, a Shopping List app designed to work across multiple mobile device platforms (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Amazon Nook & Nokia) as well as collaborate and interact through a web based portal. This way multiple family members can share shopping lists. I will be describing the iOS version and specifically the iPad version, which is how I use the program. The functions will be similar on the iPhone and other mobile device platforms with the biggest differences being due to screen sizes or user interface differences. As a group shopping list apps can take a while to set up and tweak. Once you get them setup and use them a while they can reduce your time preparing a long shopping list to mere minutes. Part 1 of this entry will talk a little bit about my own history with this type of software and will describe some of the Specific features of Grocery Gadget. PART 2 will describe the setup process and PART 3 will discuss using the app, day to day to create lists. Read More...
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BGE Patio String Lights

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It is a little early yet for snowflakes to be in the air around my house, but there is no shortage of Big Green Eggs in the air. I know, I know: Not one of you probably has a clue what I'm talking about. Let me put it in plain English: I just got done installing the BGE string lights that were in the swag bag for this year's EGGtoberfest. I installed them on my grill gazebo, learned a few things and found a neat gizmo along the way. I figured I'd share what I learned since there are several thousand people who got these in their swag bags, Many of them may not have installed them yet. Read More...
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Que Calendar 2015 Posted

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This is the 9th year I have been taking pictures from my previous years Grilling and Smoking activities and use them to create a calendar with Apple’s iPhoto software. The first year it was an experiment and I really didn’t expect it to be of interest to anyone but me. To my surprise other people took and interest and I started getting request for calendars for them. At first it was friends and family, but I even got some from co-workers over the years. This year I will be printing up a total of 16. I have found they make nice stocking stuffers (yes BIG stockings) and they are professionally printed so they compare favorably with store bought calendars. Several people familiar with both the calendars and this website suggested I post them here too. So I did just that several years ago, I usually post a quickie blog entry like this letting folks that a new calendar has been posted. Sadly this may be the last such catalogue I can do in iPhoto. Apple is creating a new photo application and is discontinuing their two current photo apps: iPhoto and Aperture. Hopefully the new app will allow you to make calendars.

Below please find the direct link to the 2015 Cue Calendar picture pages and a link to a previous year’s blog entry on making calendars in iPhoto.

RELATED PICTURE ENTRIES:
  CUE CAL 2015 -2015 Cue Cal Picture Entry
  CALENDARS - Picture Entries from Previous Year’s Calendars

RELATED BLOG ENTRIES:
  CALENDARS WITH IPHOTO 2008 Blog Entry

  BACK TO BBQ BLOG 2014
  ARCHIVE OF BLOGS: 2014
  INDEX OF BLOGS: ALL YEARS
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Follow Up II RE: Foul Up

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Back in April, yes I did say April, I reported issues with my Maverick ET-733 where are the indoor receiver unit was blowing through batteries in under 1 to 2 weeks. At the time Maverick sent me a replacement receiver which exhibited the same problem. Then they sent me a new transmitter unit, which seems counterintuitive, and did not solve the problem. At that point I sent this unit back and asked him not to send me another replacement until he had time to adequately test said replacement in house to make sure was working. I followed up in July and there was still no solution. Where I have to other Maverick thermometers I was able to get by. About two weeks ago I spoke to the folks at Maverick and they finally had a solution to this mystery. This blog entry will be a quick follow-up attempting to explain what was going on and the solution. Read More...
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Adjustable Rig-Seeing Double

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This blog entry will be about the addition of my second Adjustable Rig to my Eggcessories. It is intended to help support my recently purchased third Egg dedicated to baking tasks. It was around this time last year that I had bought my first Adjustable Rig and I was still unsure how much I would actually use it. I could see great potential in it, but I have no idea how essential it would become to my day-to-day grilling. At first I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. By spring if I found if I had 2 Eggs fired up, one had the Adjustable Rig on it. By the time I got my third baking Egg, I knew I would probably need a second Adjustable Rig. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Swag Bag

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For some folks the EGGtoberfest t-shirt and the swag bag are one of the highlights of Eggtoberfest every year. For two years in a row I have picked up items that I always liked in their catalogue, but wasn’t willing to spend my money on. IT is like the people choosing what to put in the swag bag each year knew my guilty pleasures. This blog entry will show pictures of and/or describe the contents of this years swag bag. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Tips & Lessons Learned

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I posted some of these Tips last year, but they were scattered throughout the long blog I wrote about EGGtoberfest. Since folks reading this year’s Eggtoberfest blog entries may not see that 2013 blog, I am posting a blog entry this year consolidating all of the tips in one place. Additionally I am adding some new items from this years show. Also there were some items from last year that were less than perfect. I am writing a section on the lessons learned the organizers needed to improve on from last year’s show. Did the show sponsors learn from last year? Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Cook's Area

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This EGGtoberfest blog entry will discuss the (Eggheads) Cook’s area. There're actually two areas on site where serious cooking is going on. Down near the BGE Company Store Tent is a second very large tent which is the BGE Culinary Partners Cooking Tent. Here you will find well-known chefs who are partnered with BGE such as: Dr. BBQ or Linke Marais, or companies like Dizzy Pig Spices, who have folks there cooking food to show off their particular products. The largest area of the grounds is the Cook's Area where spaces are set up for regular Eggheads to make foods showing off their cooking prowess in the capabilities of the Big Green Egg. There are many places you can get information about the great food that was cooked this day and which were the best booths. Instead of beating a dead horse I am going to describe the cooks area in a much more general sense. This way people who have not gone to EGGtoberfest before will know what to expect if they do go some day. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Comapany Store Tent

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This year I am dividing up my blogs about Eggtoberfest into more bite-sized pieces. It makes them faster to get up and folks can pick and choose what topics interest them. My first blog describe my visit to the BGE brick-and-mortar retail store at the Mothership in Tucker, GA. This blog will describe the BGE retail store which gets set up at Eggtoberfest in a VERY large tent. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Mini-Max Debut

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Last year’s EGGtoberfest XVI marked the coming out party for the largest BGE introduced to date: the 30” (74 cm) diameter XXL. This year marked the introduction of a new Egg at the other end of the spectrum: The Mini-Max. Last year there were a total of 3 XXL’s in the wild at the show. This year the Mini-Max was was in greater supply. This blog will discuss the Mini-Max and some of what I heard about it making the rounds at EGGtoberfest. Let me also say: I don’t have a dog in this hunt. I don’t have the need for the portability or size that the Mini-Max or Mini or Small bring to the equation. So I am writing this more as a matter of interest, than as a preview of a product I want. There has been a lot of interest in this product, so I figured I would share what I have learned at EGGtoberfest with others who didn’t go to the show. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Meet & Greet

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My second blog entry regrading Eggtoberfest XVII will describe the Meet and Greet Event which occurs the night before the main event. It is an optional event with it’s own separate ticket. In the full disclosure department, this entry will be an overview because my wife and I ended up spending an enjoyable evening sitting with one other couple. As a result we did zero mingling and meeting and greeting. Last year was the first year the Meet and Greet was being held at a new venue and there was some room for improvement. This year they seemed to have fixed last year’s issues and no new issues came up. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII - Mothership

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This year I plan to handle my blog entries about my visit to EGGtoberfest 2014 differently than I did for EGGtoberfest 2013. Last year I wrote 2 VERY long entries that took me until some time in December to get out. This year I will break the event down into more manageable bite sized chunks. This means I will be able to get some blogs up in a more timely manner and while the impressions are still fresh in my head. Also folks can pick and choose which of the shorter entries interest them and read just those. This first entry will cover my visit to the BGE Company Store at the headquarters in Tucker, GA.
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Favorites Section Revised

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This blog entry will serve to describe the recent update and improvements made to the Favorite Food area on the site. The update included expanding the number of food types covered as well as updating the area to reflect some of the meals I have made in the last two years since getting my Big Green Eggs. Adding the Big Green Egg has resulted in my making all sorts of new food types and I have been making some of my best meals since then. Here is a little more information and an idea of what to expect from the new section. Read More...
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High in the Dome

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I used my new third Egg (dedicated to baking), to make another batch of scones baked high in the dome. Like the first batch, this round was as close to technically perfect as a cook is going to get. I am very pleased to say the least. So far cooking high in the dome has resulted in a BETTER more evenly baked, more predictable end product than I get with my indoor oven. This blog will cover my experiences to date. I am also going to mention a few advantages I find having the dedicated Egg for baking. Read More...
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This Roast Takes the Crown

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…for best lamb dish I have ever made or eaten. I made this dish for the first time this year for Easter. I made it a total of 3 times this year and it has been consistently excellent. I made this on my Big Green Egg, but it can be made on most any grill as long as it is big enough to fit the roast. In the past 6 months I have received questions about it via the Contact Form on this site. So I figured a blog entry about the cook might be in order. Most of the people that wrote to me were concerned with the degree of difficulty of this roast. Before I made a CROWN ROAST OF PORK for Christmas dinner 2013, I always figured these roasts were hard. As you will see the reality is just the opposite, this roast is VERY easy to prepare and cook and, as I mentioned, this is the best lamb dish I have ever made. Read More...
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Laser Sighted Grill and Oven Thermometer

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This blog will be a review of the Laser-Sighted Grill and Oven Thermometer. It is available from scores of sources and in several different colors. I will lay out a use case for using an infrared thermometer for both your indoor and outdoor cooking activities. I had no idea how useful they can be, but now I can’t imagine not having one of these thermometers in my arsenal. I have had a less than successful history with the first two models I’e owned, which I will touch on below. But this model has lasted me 3 years and seems quite robust. Read More...
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The Art of Stir Frying - Online Course

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A few blog entries ago I wrote two blog entires about an online video class from Crafsy called Low & Slow BBQ at Home (PART 1 and PART 2). I received some email from Craftsy announcing their courses were on sale for up to 50 percent off. When I went to their site to check it out I was THRILLED to see a course called the The Art of Stir Frying. What was even more exciting is the course was taught by Grace Young. Two of her cookbooks came highly recommended to me when I was learning how to stir fry on my Big Green Egg. To me her teaching this class was like having an outdoor photography course taught by Ansel Adams. I immediately added the class to my shopping cart and watched it the first time in one sitting. Read More...
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AR Raised Indirect Baking - First Attempt

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I picked up and assembled my 3rd BGE Sunday. My plan is to use it s a dedicated baking Egg that will never have wood used in it other than lump charcoal. I wanted to do something a bit different and a bit special in it. I decided on TENDER PEACH SCONES since peaches were in peak season and available fresh from farm stands all around here. I also took the opportunity to see how raised indirect baking, high in the dome of the Egg worked. This marks my first attempt baking high in the dome and this blog describes the results. Read More...
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Congratulations It’s a Large - My 3rd BGE

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Sunday I picked up my third Large Big Green Egg. I am as surprised as anyone that in just over two years I own not one, but three Big Green Eggs. This last one is intended to be a dedicated baking Egg. This blog will describe the setup process and what roles I see for this third Egg. Read More...
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High on the Dog - Pt. 2

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This blog entry is a follow up to an entry earlier this summer where I tried making some hot dogs raised direct using the Adjustable Rig. While successful in general, I had some setup and cooking issues to deal with. I tried again, a little while afterwards, and had better luck. I think I am getting close to a new Go-To set up for cooking hotdogs. This setup still had a few “quirks”, but I intend to use this setup a few more times to see if they were one-time quirk or repeatable. Read More...
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Low & Slow BBQ at Home - Pt. 2

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Part 1 of this blog: LOW & SLOW BBQ AT HOME - Part 1 discussed Craftsy. the service that provided the class and the user experience viewing their courses via the iPad App. As I mentioned before it can also be viewed on a Mac or Windows PC or an iPhone. Part 2, which you are reading now will discuss the class itself and what I thought of it. I must also add that this is a beginners level class. It assumes you know little to nothing about low and slow BBQ and are looking to get headed down the right path. Read More...
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Low & Slow BBQ at Home - Pt. 1

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Just before the 4th of July weekend I heard Dr. BBQ (Ray Lampe) being interviewed on a podcast. He mentioned he had just finished a video tutorial series for the folks at Crafsty, who offer online video tutorial classes. The class was called Low and Slow BBQ at Home and it was being offered at a reduced introductory price. The timing was perfect, because with the upcoming 4th of July weekend I was in the mood for all things BBQ. I have watched the classes several times now and this blog will discuss both the class itself and the Craftsy experience in general. The first part will cover the Craftsy user experience. Read More...
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Follow Up aka Foul Up

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Earlier this year I wrote blog entries on two different grilling related accessory products and gave them good reviews. These are not Big Green Egg specific products, but general grilling/smoking related products. Since that time both products have suffered problems and the book is out on whether these products will work out in the long run. The two products are the Looftlighter for lighting your charcoal and the newest version of the Maverick ET-73 series, the ET 733. I figured folks who may read the original reviews would be interested to know this additional information. Read More...
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Triple Threat

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I am rather pleased and surprised to be saying that a third Large Big Green Egg will be sharing space under my grill gazebo with my other two LBGE's in about two weeks. A few years ago this would have seemed like crazy talk to me. I’m sure to people who don’t own an Egg or other Kamado grill it seems like crazy talk too. This blog will cover my thought process and how I got to this point. Read More...
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EGGtoberfest XVII Bound

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I am happy to say for the second year in a row my wife and I will be attending EGGtoberfestXVII on Columbus Day weekend. We have our our plane tickets, hotel, rental car and most importantly the event tickets. Last year my wife and I made a little mini-vacation out of the trip, arriving a day early and staying two days after. That is the plan again this year as Columbus Day is a 3-day weekend for us. There have been a few tweaks made to it this year which I will discuss briefly below... Read More...
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New & Improved Draft Door - Install

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As I wrote in my blog entry CRACKED EGG, the new base came with the new and improved draft door. I liked it better than the old one immediately. It solved three problems without causing any new issues. I liked it enough and also for the sake of a consistent experience that I decided the next time I talked with my Big Green Egg dealer I would see about ordering one. That opportunity came quicker than I expected when my ceramic Fire Ring cracked a few weeks later (see CRACKED EGG II). The new door cost $39.00 so I went ahead and ordered it and picked it up when I picked up the replacement Fire Ring. I installed it on a week day where there was going to be some time before I needed to use both Eggs. This blog will document the experience and the things that went went and some of the lessons I learned when things didn’t go perfectly. Read More...
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Cracked Egg II

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To my great surprise about a week after I replaced the bottom half of my second large BGE, I had another part crack. This time it was the ceramic Fire Ring, the 3” (7.6 cm) high ring that sits on top of the the ceramic Fire Box. Happily this part is simple to replace. Getting the new part was made totally painless by my dealer, who took care of everything for me. not to beat a dead horse, but this is why I keep saying that finding the right dealer is more important than getting the rock bottom lowest price.This blog entry will describe the totally painless process involved replacing it. Read More...
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Site Tweaks - 2014

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I have recently been making some usability tweaks to the site. Some are brand new ways of thinking, some of them long overdue items I had been meaning to get around to. I will list them as a group here so you can see the new things that can be done in various parts of the site. This process began about a year ago. I had switched the site over to a so-called responsive design about a year ago. Responsive Design adapts the interface to the screen size of the device the site is being viewed on. It makes the site more usable on small screen devices like mobile phones and tablets. But there also were some lingering issues that needed to be solved and they are now. I also listen to the feedback I get from users of the site via the Contact Form, Guestbook and some of the changes were a direct result of comments from users of the site. Read More...
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AOK Outdoor Cabinets - Hands On

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Part 1 of this blog focussed on some general details about the American Outdoor Kitchen cabinets that I bought for use in my grill gazebo to use with my Big Green Eggs. It covers the sizes and types of cabinets available, the construction and materials used and some ballpark pricing information. This part will discuss some what I’ve learned installing and using these cabinets. Read More...
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AOK Outdoor Cabinets - Big Picture

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The two topics I get asked about the most via the Contact Form for this site both have to do with the grill gazebo I designed and had built in September of 2012. People have questions about the grill gazebo itself or the outdoor cabinets within it that are holding my two Big Green Eggs. There has been enough interest in the cabinets that I thought I might write a blog entry about them that answers some of the typical questions I am asked. For length reasons I split this into a two part blog. The first part will be an overview of the cabinets themselves and the second part will cover topics related to the installation and use of the cabinets for my grills. Read More...
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Two Years of Egg Ownership

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In about two weeks I will have owned my first Big Green Egg for two years. This blog entry is going to discuss my previous two years of ownership, both my likes and dislikes. I am also going to talk about some things I think the Big Green Egg company could be doing better. And not to give away the ending, but the bottom line is I am very happy with my two Eggs. If I had to do it over again, I would make the exact same decision and buy the same two Large Eggs without hesitation. If that isn't enough to convince you: A third Large Egg is on my radar screen. But this blog will discuss the things I have learned good and bad in my two years of ownership. Read More...
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Cracked Egg

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I recently had to replace the bottom of my newer Large Big Green Egg. I have written blog items in the past where I say don’t just pick a dealer based on price. Pick your dealer based on their knowledge, what they stock in the stores, the knowledge of their sales associates and how they treat people after the sale. This point was driven home recently when my Large Big Green Egg suffered a crack under the draft door and I had to get a replacement base from my dealer. This blog will discuss the process of getting a replacement base, installing it and some improvements that have been made to the base. Read More...
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NewEGGlandfest VII - 2014

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For the second year I attended the New England regional Eggfest, NewEGGlandfest VII, which is a sponsored by Tarantin Industries the New England Big Green Egg Distributor. The event was similar in many ways to last years event, which was to be expected, but there was a surprising difference too in that the event drew about 1/3 less cooks than last year and attendance seemed to be down too. Another big difference this year was my wife coming with me. She had become a convert after wandering around Eggtoberfest on her own while I attended an early morning cooking demo. She informed me the she not “got me” and wanted to go to any local Eggfests in New England. I wrote a blog about this event last year and where things remained the same, like the location, I will reuse the text from last year’s entry. This blog entry will describe my impressions of the event specifically, including the similarities and differences to last year. Read More...
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My 400th Blog Post

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This blog entry marks my 400th blog entry and to say I am amazed is an understatement. I am going to take a little time to reflect on how this blog started and my expectations versus reality. To be honest I never expected it to last more than a year, two at the most. I always have considered this site to be a picture based website which happened to have a blog as part of it. But lately what I have been finding is many people regularly read the blog and really don't visit the picture area of the site. Early on this wouldn't have made much sense to me, but there are now getting to be nearly as many blog entries as picture entries. Read More...
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"Grilling Season" is Here.

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After a series of blogs which were rather long and somewhat technical, I decided I was going to write one that is more in the spirit of fun and talking about the state of our hobby. Actually it will be a mix of fun and some mini rants. I always enjoy the advent of warm weather in April and May because it marks the coming of the Official "Grilling Season". Here in New England, where we have four distinctly different seasons, "Grilling Season" is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There is a yearly ritual that takes place in the stores and in the media around grilling. During this time of year you are one among many when you are grilling. And everyone "knows" people don't grill in the Winter because "they" (whoever "they" are) say so. Read More...
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High on the Dog

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The title refers to my first attempt at cooking hot dogs direct, but up in the dome using the Adjustable Rig (AR). Earlier the same day I was finishing my last blog entry: GETTING TO KNOW THE ADJUSTABLE RIG, and I mentioned that learning about grilling up in the dome was something I hoped to start doing soon. Several events conspired to make it happen later the same day. The results weren’t “textbook perfect”, but I would say the issue was probably user error. It was an interesting experiment and I do plan to continue pursuing this direction. This blog entry will discuss my setup and what I learned. Read More...
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Getting to Know the Adjustable Rig

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A few months ago I wrote a blog entry about my initial impressions of the Adjustable Rig (AR) for the Large Big Green Egg (and other similar sized Kamado grills). The AR is a modular shelf system for the BGE, which gives you more grilling real estate and more flexibility. It is made by the Ceramic Grill Store. I will supply links to both the Ceramic Grill Store and my initial blog about the AR at the bottom of this blog. This blog will describe my impressions of the AR after using it for about four months. I still have quite a bit to learn, but I already have come to rely on the AR for well over half of my cooks. If I have both of my Big Green Eggs in use, one of them will have the AR on it 99 times out of 100. The other interesting thing about my experience with the AR, is some of the things I've come to love about it are things I never expected or knew about when I bought it. Read More...
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W-S Wire Mesh Grill Pans

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I recently wrote a blog entry entitled ISLAND OF MISFIT GRILL TOYS where I describe some grill tools I was not using or no longer able to use. One that fell into the "No longer able to use" category was my Williams-Sonoma Mesh Chef's Pan and Mesh Frying Pan. This blog entry will serve as a review of the two replacement pans I bought recently which are usable on my Big Green Egg. Read it carefully because it is definitely a mixed bag. I can live with the issues I have with the pan, but your mileage may vary. Read More...
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Let's Go Have Fun Dammit

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Hobbies are supposed to be fun. When they stop being fun, you should really find another hobby. Now it hadn't come to that for me, but I found as I was making more dishes for more people and started having some unexpected technical issues, things were starting to become stressful. I would end up getting to a point in the cook where I was disgusted with myself because things were running late or I was having problems. I had picked up enough knowledge and tricks over the years I was somehow managing to pull my chestnuts out of the fire, but it wasn’t till we sat down to eat that I’d know whether the food was ok. When we would sit down to eat I was the only one that was upset about the delay. Everyone else was raving about the food. I suddenly realized I was letting things that weren't necessarily important ruin my enjoyment of my time in the kitchen and out of the grill. The last month or so I have had a new attitude and once again I am having a ball out at the grill. Plus I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but the food is coming out better than ever. This blog is about my change in attitude and how it is making grilling fun again. Read More...
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Getting Better All The Time - Pt. 4

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This four part blog entry began when I realized I was having a string of successful cooks, despite some technical issues. I was lucky enough to be able to work my way out of the difficulties and later figure out the problem. This process forced me to go back to basics and think about what was working and what wasn’t. I figured it might help some other folks if I wrote down some of the things I had learned to do or be sure not to do to insure a successful cook. While the problems I began having first showed themselves when I was baking on the Egg, I saved this baking section for last. PART 1 covered general topics related to getting started and some things that will help you along the way. PART 2 covered items specific to grilling. PART 3 covered what I learned smoking on a horizontal offset barrel type smoker and more recently my Big Green Egg. Those segments had items of interest to folks using a Big Green Egg as well as other grills or smokers. This final segment covers baking on a Big Green Egg specifically. While anyone is welcome to read it, the people who it is aimed at are people who own, or are thinking of buying, a Big Green Egg and plan to bake on it. I am limiting this entry to the Big Green Egg because that is what I know. Before owning my Big Green Egg I only baked once on a grill. Read More...
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Getting Better All The Time - Pt. 3

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As mentioned in the other entries in this series: This blog started out life when I noticed I was suddenly having a string of successes of late. Some of these have come despite some technical issues I was working through. I don’t consider myself a natural cook or a well trained cook. Some folks seem to just come at this naturally and can throw things together and get great results. Others are formally trained. I am neither. What I can do is to take someone else's great recipe and by following the directions, get great results. I recently realized I have been able to work around some issues that might have resulted in a crash and burn in prior years. I decided to try to document some of the things that I have picked up along the way. This might help some other folks just starting out or who are having issues. As I started organizing my thoughts, this entry spiraled out of control and has taken on a life of it’s own. What I originally envisioned as a single part entry, turned into 4 parts. The first entry is on general topics related to getting started and some things that will help you along the way. The second entry covered items specific to grilling. This entry, Part 3, will cover smoking and Part 4 will cover Baking. I owned and used a CG Smokin’ Pro horizontal offset barrel smoker for 9 years, before I bought my lump charcoal-powered BGE nearly two years ago and I will discuss items related to both. This entry will be somewhat more specific than the first two. I will speak about the two smokers I know and will not pretend to have an exhaustive knowledge of other models. Some of what I write here that isn’t about the gear itself, but about smoking itself, will apply to other types of smokers too. Read More...
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The Island of Misfit Grill Toys

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I am taking a break from my 4 part blog entry entitled Getting Better All the Time to write this somewhat timely blog entry. It was prompted by a spring cleaning session out at my exterior grill cabinets & in my indoor grill closet. I was trying to make room for some of my newest Eggcessories and I decided to go through every drawer in both storage areas and get rid of items I no longer use. Some of these are items that do not fit or work with my Big Green Eggs. Others are items I bought and ended up not using, or I later found a better solution. I figured a blog entry where I listed these items and described why I no longer needed them or no longer could use them might be helpful to new or potential Big Green Egg owner’s. You can read my reasons and see if they make sense in your use case. It may also help you with a budget for the Eggcessories you want. BTW for those of you who did not get the reference in the title, it was from the 1964 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, an animated cartoon I saw as a youth. The Island of Misfit Toys was where you sent toys you no longer wanted or used. Read More...
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Getting Better All The Time - Pt. 2

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This blog started out life when I noticed I was suddenly having a string of successes of late. Some of these have come despite some technical issues I was working through. I don’t consider myself a natural cook or a well trained cook. Some folks seem to just come at this naturally and can throw things together and get great results. Others are formally trained. I am able to take someone else's great recipe and by following the directions get great results. I recently realized I have been able to work around some issues that might have resulted in a crash and burn for me in prior years. I decided to try to document some of the things that I have picked up along the way. This might help some other folks just starting out or who are having issues. As I started organizing my thoughts, this entry spiraled out of control. What I envisioned as a single part entry, it now looks like it will be 4 parts. The first entry is on general topics related to getting started and some things that will help you along the way. This entry, PART 2 will cover items specific to grilling. I owned gas grills for years before I bought my lump charcoal-powered BGE nearly two years ago and I will discuss items related to both. PART 3 will cover smoking and PART 4 will cover Baking, specifically as it relates to doing it on the Big Green Egg. The first 3 parts will cover both general/universal topics and grill specific topics. So even if you don’t own a Big Green Egg or other kamado style grill, the first three parts will have useful information. Read More...
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Getting Better All The Time - Pt. 1

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Recently I have been on quite the roll, and I don't mean the larger than normal amount of rolls that I have been baking. What I am referring to is I have been on a streak where I am turning out some of the best foods I've grilled smoked or baked. It isn't just me saying this. The folks I have been serving this food too are the ones who keep saying this too, and it is nearly unanimous. My Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years & Easter dinners have gotten rave reviews. Same with many of the normal meals in between the holidays. I have begun to feel embarrassed as I post the picture entries here and keep saying: "My guests felt this was the best ______ I've ever made." Don't worry I have not become a legend in my own mind. But the food really has been getting better, despite some technical issues I was fighting for 3 months or so. I am my toughest critic most days, and even I have noticed a difference. This multi-part blog is my attempt to look at what has been going right and wrong, and share some of my thoughts in the hope of helping others. This entry will cover how to get started in this hobby and how to get yourself pointed in the right direction. Part 2 will cover Grills & Grilling and Part 3 will discuss Smokers & Smoking. The Final Part will cover some things I’ve learned about Baking on the Big Green Egg. Read More...
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Wok Talk-Cooking with the Lid Up

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This blog entry will cover a lesson I learned this past weekend about using my Big Green Egg with the lid open for doing a stir-fry. The occasion was the publication of a recipe by Grace Young in the Big Green Egg Lifestyle magazine (edition 04/14). This magazine features recipes by various well known chefs who are Big Green Egg users, either as a so-called Culinary Partner (paid spokesperson) or as a “fan”. The chefs often provide a recipe of theirs. The recipes are rewritten from their original version to specifically take into account cooking it on a Big Green Egg. I was excited because here was a recipe from a chef whose cookbooks I own, the recipe described exactly how to cook it on my grill. I had come up with a method I used, and what I discovered is the correct method may be a combination of my method and the method in Big Green Egg Lifestyle magazine.You may be wondering why this is not in the TIPS section? Simple: At this point it is a working theory that I strongly believe to be the case. But with only one test, I am not ready to declare it to be a certainty and therefor a good tip candidate. But if I had to bet money, I would say I am onto something. Read More...
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FireWire Flexible Skewers - First Look

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I just tried out some new skewers, called FireWire skewers, on my Big Green Egg. To say I love them, would be an understatement. I can't believe it took me this long to get around to trying them. I really like kebabs and up until this point I hadn't been able to do many kebabs on my Big Green Egg. This dry spell ended last Friday night when I made my first batch of kebabs on the FireWire skewers. This entry will describe my initial experience and tell you a little more about these great skewers, if they've been off your radar screen too. Read More...
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Maverick ET-733 - Foul Up

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This brief blog entry shall serve as a Follow Up to a problem (Foul Up) I encountered with my new Maverick ET-733 remote read thermometer which I REVIEWED in a Blog Entry earlier this year. I encountered a problem, which it seems like others are having, where the receiver unit runs down batteries even though it is turned off. Maverick took care of repairing it under warrantee so all is good there. But where the warrantee is 90 days I thought I would bring it up for folks who may not use the unit much. Maybe you are waiting for better weather, I don’t know. Bottom line: If you have one of these units, you might want to use it a few times to make sure you don’t have the problem. And if you do it will still be under warrantee when you discover it. Read More...
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Terrible Weather, Terrific Cook

Recently I emerged from a period where I was having various temperature control issues, both during start up and while cooking. I have detailed these in a series of blogs which I will provide links for at the bottom of this entry. This blog is a bit of a hybrid in that it covers 3 aspects of a recent low and slow cook in very bad weather. First it helped show me I am past my various issues as long as I do things right. Secondly, it also gave some more ammunition to a recent theory about how the Looftlighter lights the fire in a totally different manner than the paraffin starters I was using before. Third, on his day I was making a new dish in very bad weather and the Big Green Egg once again showed what a great cooker it can be. Read More...
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Looftlighter Lesson Learned

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I love the Looftlighter I recently purchased and would buy it again in a second. But I have come to the realization that it has probably been a contributing factor to some wacky startup issues I’ve been fighting with lately. This is a working theory right now. I may be wrong about exactly what is happening because I can’t watch and observe the process. But I am very sure my startup process has been altered a bit. This is repeatable and I just realized it has been happening since I got the Looftlighter. If you are thinking of the Looftlighter, and will be using it with lump charcoal on a Big Green Egg or other Kamado style cooker read on. Read More...
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Slow Fire

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This blog will cover my thoughts on Slow Fire, subtitled The Beginner’s Guide to Barbecue a cookbook on low and slow smoking by Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ. I’ve owned this book since October. I started drooling over this book immediately, but wasn’t able to make something out of it until New Years. This cookbook is a big hit with me on many levels and the recipes have been an even bigger hit with the folks I’ve served them to. Also don’t let the word “Beginner” put you off, there are plenty of good tips and great recipes to be found in this book. Read More...
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A Roast Fit for Royalty

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This past Christmas I decided to try something new for dinner. It was something I had seen in the past at butcher shops around the holidays I was curious about it. Once I became aware of the pork crown roast I had always wanted to make it someday. But I feared it was rather difficult to both prep and cook, as well as very expensive. As it turns out, I was mistaken. What little prep you do is a breeze and the cook is simple too. It was a little bit on the pricey side, although not when compared to say Beef Wellington or a standing rib roast, which was my usual holiday bill of fare. It seems I'm not the only one who thought this was a difficult roast to make. When I've shown pictures of my results to people, everyone seems to have a similar reaction. It looks amazing, they would love to make it themselves, it looks too hard, and they could never get a piece of pork looking like that. The reality of the situation is quite different. It is the intent of this blog entry to describe the process from start to finish so you can see how truly easy it can be to make this unique and wonderful meal. My focus will be doing it on my grill, but you can do it in the oven. The only thing you will be missing is the ability to add wood smoke. This is a meal that people remember and talk about for a long time. It truly looks as amazing as it tastes!! Read More...
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Getting Back on Track II

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If you heard a large sigh of relief yesterday morning around 11 AM, it was most likely me. You see for the last 4 months my grilling world had stopped making sense. It was like I was in some sort of parallel universe where things were similar but different and the normal rules suddenly didn't seem to apply. Earlier in the week I had a back to basics cook, where I solved my problems of temperatures suddenly running away on me, where I had not had this problem in the past. Saturday the second problem I'd started suddenly having, baked goods with burned bottoms and still not cooked tops, was solved. All is now right with my grilling world, and everything suddenly makes sense again. This blog will focus on the second temperature problem that had suddenly cropped up and how I solved it. Read More...
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Getting Back on Track

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This blog documents my cook last Monday night, where I made JAMBALAYA-STUFFED BELL PEPPERS. I also made a concerted effort to turn around my recent streak where I've had some problematic cooks. I have been extremely lucky. Even though the cooks have been problematic, in all cases the end results were very good. Getting to those good results was quite the adventure. Struggling with my grill is not my idea of fun, and hobbies are supposed to be fun. The primary reason for this cook was to try out this recipe to make sure it wasn't going to be too hot for some of the people I would be serving it to this coming Saturday. The second reason was I wanted to get a sense of time for how long it would take to make. On Saturday I would be making something on my second Egg and I wanted to know how long these stuffed peppers would really take. The third reason, and equally important to me, was I wanted to do a cook on my own time. One where there was no set schedule and I could get back to basics and focus on good grilling practices. Read More...
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Comedy of Errors - 2014

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The cook I did this past weekend looked like it was going to be a rocking chair cook. Instead I made a mistake that started a chain reaction of missteps and bonehead plays. I always say that we learn more from our mistakes, than we do from our successes. If that's the case, this was one of my biggest learning experiences. This included some things I'd rather not have had to learn. But since I suffered through this "learning experience" I figured I'd share it with others so they could benefit too. And please, unlike me, learn from these mistakes I made so you don’t make the same silly mistakes. Read More...
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Wicked Good Charcoal-2014

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The title of this review also sums up my review of this charcoal and is the short name used for this charcoal. The long name is Wicked Good Weekend Warrior Hardwoode Lump Charcoal. It is often referred to on barbecue related message boards as WGWW It is my lump of choice for use on my Big Green Eggs. He tends to be more costly than some of the other widely available on charcoal. But it has several virtues that cause me to not even think of the price difference. I just tend to feel when you're dealing with food, you very often get what you pay for. So I don't like to scrimp on things that contribute to a meal I'm making. Read More...
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Everything is Coming Together

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Some of the other blogs I have written lately and some of the things going on in my grilling life, have gotten me thinking about the BIG picture and how much has changed in the last year and a half. I have come to realize that I have reached a high point in my grilling life where everything is coming together. I have all of the equipment and tools and support facilities available to me to make my pursuit of this hobby friction free and really enjoyable. I can focus on the food more and the technical issue less. While some folks enjoy the technical aspects of grilling and smoking, for me it is about the food. I enjoy the technical aspects too, and I always try to be the best I can be technically, but for me the final product is the food. The technical aspect is still there, but it is in the background. I still need to address those issues, but I am really able to focus on the food. I will be talking about all of the items that have come together and the joy I have been feeling lately. I am truly having the best time of my life with this hobby. Some folks may want to move on to the next blog entry, but there may be some ideas here for others or items that get you thinking about your own situation and how you might improve it. Read More...
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Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer

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This blog discusses my first impressions and what I have learned so far about the Splash-Proof ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen instant read thermometer. This is the thermometer of choice for many chefs and others in the food service industry and serious non-professional cooks. I was always a bit skeptical due to the high price of this model ($96.00), but even after a short time using it I am a convert. I will attempt to explain why this thermometer is worth every penny, in a way that a skeptic like myself will understand. Read More...
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I See the Light

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This blog entry is going to try to make the case for using permanent lighting for your grill if at all possible. You will notice I am using the term grill, not Big Green Egg here. This blog is not at all grill specific and is written for all grills. There are a few times I will mention specific types of grills and it won’t be just the BGE. This past spring I added two light fixtures to my grill gazebo to replace the portable grill lights I had been using up until this point. I expected it to be somewhat more convenient, but it has really made a HUGE difference much to my surprise. I never knew what I was missing and so may you. I recently had the realization that grilling at night had now become no different for me than grilling in the day. Prior to this the experience had been a compromise and you had to “work harder” to achieve the same results. Let me make some points for your consideration. Read More...
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Are Two Eggs Better Than One?

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The answer to that question is a big YES. But before you say thanks Captain Obvious and move on, you might want to read more. Some of the reasons may surprise you and if you are on the fence about purchasing a second Egg definitely read on. Reading about my discoveries during my first year may push you to one side of the fence or the other. The things I discovered that never occurred to me, may not have occurred to you either. Also the items that were important to me, may or may not be as important to you. Read More...
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The Adjustable Rig - First Impressions

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Work has kept me very busy lately and it has been a double edged sword for sure. Things have been too slow for too long. The extra hours have meant some extra income which has allowed me to Eggcessorize some more. But they have also kept me away from the Egg. This blog will be about a purchase I made back in October that took me two months to get around to using: The Adjustable Rig by the Ceramic Grill Store. This is a modular system capable of giving you multi-level grill grids and/or your choice of grilling heights. Read More...
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Flame On - The Looftlighter

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Saturday was truly a mix of highs and lows, bitter and sweet. As I recorded in my blog Kenmore Elite-2003-2014, I said goodbye to my first serious gas grill and the best gas grill I ever owned. On the positive side I felt a sense of true weather independence while easily lighting my Big Green Egg. This despite air temperatures in the single digits and winds gusting over 20 mph. I was easily able to light my Egg and cook up some Breakfast Panini's just like it was the middle of the summer. The device I used to accomplish this task was called the Looftlighter. It essentially looks like an oversized curling iron and allows you to get the charcoal on the Egg lit up and running in a matter of minutes. Read More...
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Kenmore Elite - 2003 - 2014

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Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me, because while it was a fun day it also marked the end of an era. The fun part was making some Breakfast Panini's on one of my Eggs in single-digit temperatures with 25 MPH wind gusts and having it not phase the EGG one bit. The sad part was because Yesterday my Kentmore Elite six burner gas grill was taken away to the junkyard. The handwriting had been on the wall for a while now, I basically had used my gas grill to cook on only twice since I got my first Big Green Egg in August 2012. Actually both of those times I used the gas grill, it was a case where I couldn't use the Big Green Egg. One time I was smoking on the Egg and needed to do some direct grilling. The other time I didn't have enough room on the Egg to fit everything I was cooking, so I fired up the gas grill to cook six ears of corn. If I had enough room, I would've done that on the Egg too. So this short blog entry will just be some reflections on the end of my gas grill era. Read More...
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Maverick ET-733 First Impressions

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This blog comes as a bit of a surprise to me. It is a review of the new Maverick ET-733 a new and improved version of the ET-732. It is the third generation model of a line which started with the ET-73, which was followed up by the second generation ET-732 several years ago. I bought my ET-72 in 2005 and my ET-732 in 2012. This model is the third generation model. I had been thinking of getting a second ET-732 for use with my second Big Green Egg, when I start seeing hints online of a new Maverick unit coming out soon. I decided to wait a while and sure enough the ET-733 was announced in late November. I just received my new unit in the mail and what follows are my initial impressions of the new unit and a description of the changes. Read More...
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Fail & Qualified Success

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This is a blog I've thought about writing for several years now and have put off. It is about products I may have initially written an enthusiastic review about in this barbecue blog, only to find out they don't live up to expectations. In other cases they aren't a total failure, but are not a total success either. Or perhaps they aren’t suited to my needs. I will also go back and add a new item to the original blogs where I refer the reader of those initial reviews to this blog entry. This was a decision can be made based on all of the facts. Read More...
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Cold Hard Facts

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This blog entry will discuss some discoveries I made during a series of low and slow cooks on my Big Green Egg. Discoveries is a polite way of saying mistakes or bad decisions. But I also find you often learn more from your mistakes, the from your successes. The Big Green Egg (and other Kamado grills) are somewhat unique in how they cook. Some of my problems were caused by my going by past experience with my CG Smokin' Pro horizontal offset barrel smoker. Things that were the solutions to the problems on the CG, made matters worse on the Eggs. Fortunately I was able to fudge my way out of it in a couple cases. In another case, I just happened to have two Eggs going at the same temperature at the same time and was able to transfer the flag as it were. I figured some of my discoveries might be of benefit to other Big Green Egg users who haven't run into these situations before. Read More...
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