Big Green Egg or Similar question

[jimim]

I figured I would post this here for all you guys who are always posting up ur smoked foods on the other thread.

I am getting a green egg. it is going to be sitting on a piece of 3 inch limestone. here is my question and I was running this by Cliff before.

If I use the nest it will make my grate height 42 inches off the ground due to the finished height of my limestone being 21 inches. If I don't use the nest I will be sitting at 39 inches.

1. do you all think 42 inches is too high vs 39 inches?

2. Since I'm sitting on solid limestone do i even need the nest? there is no airflow under the egg so i figured i could skip the nest and sit right on my stone.

opinions. . .

i'm also not set on the green egg yet. i just hovered to it cause it's the one i see the most in my area. . .

jim

 

[JoyfulNoise]

From a fellow Big Green Egg owner let me say - WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!

My Egg is built into my BBQ deck. You done need the nest BUT the air inlet door is on the bottom of the Egg so access to that door with a good amount of room around it is essential.

Can you post a picture of your layout?

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And you ABSOLUTELY NEED the ceramic plate-setter for indirect smoking ...

 

[jimim]

IMG_1079 by Jim, on Flickr

Untitled by Jim, on Flickr

Untitled by Jim, on Flickr

hey mat these r 2 unfinished pics. u can see i have all brick around. there is a hood over the area too. picture a 3 inch thick piece of limestone in that opening and pavers on the floor. so the egg will be 42 inches off the pavers. with no metal nest under the egg i will be at 39.5 inches.

i have seen pics on the net without anything under them. i figure i would be good cause it's all fireproof surfaces. the vent will have breathign room cause it's totally open to the air.

what do you think?

jim

ps the ceramic plat e is that egg sitter thing u put inside right? bear with me. i never had anything like this so this is all knew for me. we cook alot. i have only used an electric smoker before.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

They changed the name of it and call it the convEGGtor

convEGGtor® | Big Green Egg

You need it to act as a fire wall between the hot coals and the grate. It forces all the hot air and smoke to convect around the food. It’s an absolute must-have for smoking at low temp.

Your setup is AWESOME (love the overhead vent...super smart way to go!). You do not need the nest. The EGG weighs a TON and when you set it into place it will not move. I’ve seen setups where people suspend them in the cutout but that’s just a waste in my opinion. Honestly I wish my setup were more like yours as mine is built into the counter too and so I have to contort myself a bit to get to the lower air vent. Your setup is perfect.

One other thing to get will be one of those fancy WiFi controlled air fans to automate your smoker temp. I don’t have one but they are helpful at low temps.

Caution - the outside of the Egg can get blazing hot and I have easily gotten my internal Egg temp over 750F. Little fingers can get burned easily somif you expect to have kids around then you might want to put brackets on the brick work for a baby gate or some other barrier to keep kids and animals out.

 

[jimim]

Matt,

thanks for the complements! I didn’t have a ton of room to work with so trying to fit a lot in a little area.

Ok so im sitting on the stone. Nice. I’m only 5’3” so the lower the better I really thought I messed up cause I’m not buying the egg till next spring.

This is all knew to me. I prob have a ton to learn.

So besides the egg egg plate thing. What else do I need.

I have been looking at the blower system. Didn’t want to mention it cause I figured all u guys here who are pretty seasoned smokers would be like that’s cheating. Lol

im thinking I like the pit boss one vs the bbq guru one cause the fan is variable vs high low.

So anything else that is handy?

O went back and forth on the outdoor vent but my buddy said I should really do it cause of having a wood ceiling and I’m going to close in the other side for winter and fall to still be able to use the building. I’m going to have roll down awning material made to block off the 3 front openings to keep the heat in so we can still be out there and cook. I won’t have the bath or water by then but no big deal.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Jim, some pics for you to consider -

View attachment 87527

From left to right -

Black circle - Grille Armor gloves...a MUST-HAVE. They are a Nomex/Kevlar blended glove that resists extreme heat (as long as they ar not wet). I can literally pickup a red hot grill grate and not get burned. About $26 on Amazon.

Green circle - ConvEGGtor lifter. It basically allows you to pull out the ceramic convEGGtor without using your hands on it. Very handy to have. Amazon also, forgot the price.

Red circle - grille grate lifter....another handy device for lifting out a hot grate without touching it. Amazon also (can you tell where I shop )

Yellow circle - Official BGE cover. Get one, and you’ll look like a BOSS!!

The tape measure is for your awareness - see how the Egg opens? You need at least 30” from the front of the Egg (mine is a large Egg) to the back of the lid when opened all the way. So when you place your Egg, make sure you have the margins right.

NOTE - do you see the black metal band that straps the Egg top to the Egg bottom with the mechanical spring hinge in the back? It MUST BE INSTALLED ONLY ONE WAY...in other words there’s a top and bottom. The idiot that built my grille deck installed it backwards and, when he opened up the Egg to show me what an “awesome” job he did, he bent the bracket. I did not know it at the time but I was having trouble closing the egg properly and it would creak when opening. I called in an outside company that does BBQ islands, stoves, fireplaces, etc, and he looked it at it and laughed. He told the guy that installed it did it all wrong So he swapped it around for me and fixed what got bent but my Egg has always had about an 1/8” offset between the top lid and bottom. It seals fine but a new strap bracket would have cost me ~ $150 at the time and so I decided to live with what I have. It’s been 5+ years and it’s still working fine but man was I ticked at the time (same moron also ordered an LP grill instead of an NG grill and so I had to fix that mess as well....). Anyway, long story short - READ the installation instructions carefully.

Another shot -

View attachment 87528

And this is a must if it doesn’t come with the Egg -

View attachment 87529

That top chimney adjustable vent is a must have for getting the smoke levels right. Also, everyone here (besides me I think) has one of those WiFi BBQ controllers...so it’s most definitely NOT cheating.

 

[MooneyFWD]

Forget the platesetter / conveggtor and go straight for the Adjustable Rig. It's really what should come with the BGE from the factory. I have the R&B Combo with the added Extender. It's expensive, but a game changer.

Also, check out the Egg Heads at the EggHeadForum. I've learned a ton on there.

 

[Too_Tall]

First off love the setup. Hope to do my own one day. Not sure if it'll fit with your cutout but I'm looking at the primo xl ceramic grill. I'm sure the eggs are nice and well accepted in the BBQ community. I personally just like the oval design more and they're made in America

Big Green Egg vs. Primo Ceramic Grill Comparison : BBQ Guys

 

[SPman]

It is suggested you have an air gap below the Egg to help keep isolate it, otherwise your stone base would act as a heat sink.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It is suggested you have an air gap below the Egg to help keep isolate it, otherwise your stone base would act as a heat sink.

Mine actually sits on a concrete base inside the BBQ deck. It’s direct contact and I still can get my Egg to go anywhere from 200F on the low end to +750F on the high end. So I’m not sure that the bottom contact matters all that much. One could put some fire brick or glass fiber insulation under it but I don’t think it really matters that much. That’s been my experience with it.

 

[SPman]

From the manufacturer website : "THE EGG IS DESIGNED TO BE USED IN A METAL NEST OR WITH A METAL TABLE NEST, PROVIDING AN AIR GAP BELOW THE EGG –"

 

[JoyfulNoise]

From the manufacturer website : "THE EGG IS DESIGNED TO BE USED IN A METAL NEST OR WITH A METAL TABLE NEST, PROVIDING AN AIR GAP BELOW THE EGG –"

I understand that. But I think the purpose of the admonition is to avoid burns, not loss of heat. The ceramic gets hot, there’s no doubt about that. The nest would create an air break which would keep the smoker from transferring heat to another structure which can cause burns. However, Jim’s design is brick with a slab of limestone underneath it. There will be some heat transfer but nothing worse than what one finds in a brick fireplace. So, in my opinion and with 5 seasons worth of experience running my Egg, I can say that not having the nest has not caused me any negative consequences.

Take it for what it’s worth....

 

[jimim]

Matt,

thanks man. I got a great Xmas list now! Lol

i don’t see the pics though?

so I don’t know what u are talking about with the hinge. I gave myself 30 inches to the brick for the large. Actually 31 so I’m good then I assume.

Thanks for all this. I can’t wait! The local place I’m buying it from is a authorized dealer and they deliver so hopefully they know but at least I’ll have a pic forcreference.

Thanks!

jim

Jim, some pics for you to consider -

View attachment 87517

From left to right -

Black circle - Grille Armor gloves...a MUST-HAVE. They are a Nomex/Kevlar blended glove that resists extreme heat (as long as they ar not wet). I can literally pickup a red hot grill grate and not get burned. About $26 on Amazon.

Green circle - ConvEGGtor lifter. It basically allows you to pull out the ceramic convEGGtor without using your hands on it. Very handy to have. Amazon also, forgot the price.

Red circle - grille grate lifter....another handy device for lifting out a hot grate without touching it. Amazon also (can you tell where I shop )

Yellow circle - Official BGE cover. Get one, and you’ll look like a BOSS!!

The tape measure is for your awareness - see how the Egg opens? You need at least 30” from the front of the Egg (mine is a large Egg) to the back of the lid when opened all the way. So when you place your Egg, make sure you have the margins right.

NOTE - do you see the black metal band that straps the Egg top to the Egg bottom with the mechanical spring hinge in the back? It MUST BE INSTALLED ONLY ONE WAY...in other words there’s a top and bottom. The idiot that built my grille deck installed it backwards and, when he opened up the Egg to show me what an “awesome” job he did, he bent the bracket. I did not know it at the time but I was having trouble closing the egg properly and it would creak when opening. I called in an outside company that does BBQ islands, stoves, fireplaces, etc, and he looked it at it and laughed. He told the guy that installed it did it all wrong So he swapped it around for me and fixed what got bent but my Egg has always had about an 1/8” offset between the top lid and bottom. It seals fine but a new strap bracket would have cost me ~ $150 at the time and so I decided to live with what I have. It’s been 5+ years and it’s still working fine but man was I ticked at the time (same moron also ordered an LP grill instead of an NG grill and so I had to fix that mess as well....). Anyway, long story short - READ the installation instructions carefully.

Another shot -

View attachment 87518

And this is a must if it doesn’t come with the Egg -

View attachment 87519

That top chimney adjustable vent is a must have for getting the smoke levels right. Also, everyone here (besides me I think) has one of those WiFi BBQ controllers...so it’s most definitely NOT cheating.

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Thanks. I’m going to check that out tonight when I’m on a regualar screen vs a phone.

I appreciate it!

Forget the platesetter / conveggtor and go straight for the Adjustable Rig. It's really what should come with the BGE from the factory. I have the R&B Combo with the added Extender. It's expensive, but a game changer.

Also, check out the Egg Heads at the EggHeadForum. I've learned a ton on there.

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I was looking at that one last night. I was also looking at some full stainless steel one that was like 3 grand then I found ones that r hand laid tile. Komodo kamado something like that. Those r 4 grand so I decided to step away from the screen and stick woth the green egg since I can buy it local and physically see it. I felt like I was calling down the rabbit hole. Lol

i also just bought a natural gas built in Weber summit grill. This project is getting out of hand. Lol

First off love the setup. Hope to do my own one day. Not sure if it'll fit with your cutout but I'm looking at the primo xl ceramic grill. I'm sure the eggs are nice and well accepted in the BBQ community. I personally just like the oval design more and they're made in America

Big Green Egg vs. Primo Ceramic Grill Comparison : BBQ Guys

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Jim,

Not sure why the pictures came as attachments and not inline images but I’ll try to fix the post later.

 

[jimim]

here is what i'm dealing with for the surface. i would think any heat intakes on would just dissipate through the stone pretty much. even when i build a fire and it's like 700 plus degrees the limestone ledge of my 1 fireplace doesn't get hot. i can sit on it. my kids can place their hands on it.

here r my cabinets my buddy's shop made for me. we swapped some work for work. they r sapele (part of the mahogany family). wicked dense and great for outdoor use. my ceiling is going to be this so we figured lets make some other stuff vs buying stainless. so i'm finishing up sealing them. no stain. looks better natural. it's so humid here that they sat in my garage for a week and swelled up like made so this morning we had to take the 1 door apart and plane down the braces that held them flat. obviously that didn't work. lol it's good now. we had to rip down the other 2 doors a 1/16" so they r good now so i was touching up a few spots. just need some hardware now. thought i would share since we were talking outdoor setups.

Untitled by Jim, on Flickr

Untitled by Jim, on Flickr
sink access door. 36" inch cabinet for storage and a garbage pull out.

jim

 

[jimim]

Forget the platesetter / conveggtor and go straight for the Adjustable Rig. It's really what should come with the BGE from the factory. I have the R&B Combo with the added Extender. It's expensive, but a game changer.

Also, check out the Egg Heads at the EggHeadForum. I've learned a ton on there.

that's pretty cool. so it gives u the same indirect heat as the big green egg version? so the main thing with this is to give u multiple levels for more cook space pretty much?

jim

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Jim,

Not sure why the pictures came as attachments and not inline images but I’ll try to fix the post later.

no problem man. i'm just cleaning the pool. well actually wall-e is cleaning and i'm surfing for big green egg toys. lol

 

[jimim]

Thanks Matt. I see them now. Very cool setup! I have all that stuff marked on amazon already. Lol. I really think I’m going to do the new pit boss temp control bs the bbq guru one. That variable speed can just makes better sense.

Thanks for all the help. U have me wanting to go out and buy my egg now to use now but winter is coming and I got a ton of other stuff to do till then.

Next year hopefully i can I can post on the smoking thread. I’m sure my first few pics will be of burnt over cooked messes compared to all u guys. I always lurk over there. So many good eats!

 

[Katodude]

View attachment 87536I have a small nest but only installed it because I wanted to raise the height. Used to have it straight on the stone with zero issues. I also used a Stoker with additional monitoring software and would not smoke without it. Actually looking at designing a newer cloud based version for better controls. The picture here is before I put it on the nest.

 

[Arizonarob]

If you guys haven’t noticed, Matt loves his BGE so much, he actually blow dries his hair whilst smoking meats. (See hair drier in his pic behind the egg)
His wife has filed a restraining order against the BGE citing “bromance” allegations.

 

[MooneyFWD]

that's pretty cool. so it gives u the same indirect heat as the big green egg version? so the main thing with this is to give u multiple levels for more cook space pretty much?

jim

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Yep. It uses the (pizza) stones to provide the barrier for indirect cooks. It is a really great and versatile setup. You can save some coin by not getting the conveggtor and just going straight to the Adjustable Rig. The extender is great for getting things high up in the top for raised direct/indirect cooks. Perfect for pizza.