For a lot of men grilling is a right of passage. It’s something that we feel is well worth the time and effort to learn to do well. I personally am in the camp that grilling for family and friends and eating outside in the warm weather is one of the best parts of life. It’s so important that when we decided to renovate our home rather than sell and upgrade in a real “love it or list it” sort of way, one of the things that was on my list of must haves was an outdoor kitchen. However, the grills that were made to fit with designs I felt were quite sub-par and other than for the convenience of not having to break up the continuity of the gathering I would get better performance and a better-quality meal by cooking on our kitchen inside. Then I looked into what all of the buzz was about over the Green Egg Smoker/Cooker and I must say although my contractor might be ready to shoot me with a nail gun, it has been well worth the added inconvenience and cost to “cut a hole” for the egg as for all the things it can do and the results that follow it’s well worth it to break away from the conventional stainless steel clam shell and step up to the Green Egg. We’ve done a breakdown on the Smoker/BBQ/Oven and put together our comprehensive review of the egg and even one of our favorite recipes to go with it.

Ok, first of all in the event you haven’t heard these grills start at $699 and only get higher from there. Actually, there is one with a 13-inch diameter grill for $599 but that is more designed for camping and tailgating. The basic model retails for $699 that has a 15-inch diameter, and it’s big enough to cook about two steaks side by side or about 4 burgers and only weighs about 80 pounds. However, the model we reviewed retails for $859 and is their most popular model. It has an 18 ¼ inch grill, large enough to cook an entire turkey, or 12 burgers simultaneously. It’s a little heavier, tipping the scales at 162 pounds. For those whose ego demands it, there are also 24, 29, and 29 plus-inch models costing $1,199, $1,999, and $2,999 respectively.

So, what can this thing do to justify the high price tag? The Big Green Egg deputed in 1970 and has spawned a host of clones since then. Actually, the base grill is known as a kamado and now there are both clones and imitators. The best kamados not only cook well but also make it easy to build a hot fire or dial down the temperature for ribs or brisket. They’re also easy to clean. Many have ash catchers, or trays, while others need to be disassembled for a thorough cleaning. Part of the reason for the price tag is that you get both a grill and a smoker.  The Green Egg can get up to a toasty 850 degrees Fahrenheit making it useful for a wide range of things including smoking meats, slow cooking, pizza, and all forms of grilling.

To give you an example of the versatility of the Egg here is one of our favorite recipes reserved for slow cookers or pressure cookers. A recipe you’ll usually have to go to a fancy restaurant for, but with an American adaptation, slow cooked smoked short-rib Bourguignon.