[BobnBev]

What are the advantages/disadvantages of a Big Green Egg vs. a wood pellet fed BBQ?

If you have one of the above, would you buy another of the same kind?

[new peeps]

I have never owned a pellet fed grill, but I own a green egg. I bought it about 6 years ago from someone that was moving out of state.
A few things I like about the green egg.
(1) After cooking on the egg you can close off the air supply and save the charcoal in the grill to cook multiple times.
(2) You can control the temperature from smoking meats to searing in some nice grill marks.
(3) I have accessories to cook pizza.
(4) I have not had to replace any burners or refill any propane tanks.
(5) In the event I ever do need anything for the green egg it seem readily available from many local places.

[DangeloInspections]

Folks love their Green Eggs, and I cannot say anything bad about them. However, as an owner of a Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill, I will give you my opinion, since you asked.

The Green Eggs are great, but you do need to keep an eye on them. This is what I love about my Camp Chef Woodwind;

1) It is totally set it and forget it. They now have a Wifi controller that constantly monitors the temperature AND the smoke level. When you cook a big brisket or a Boston Butt for pulled pork, you may be cooking for like 18 hours. With the built in high and low temperature alarms, you can sleep soundly. My iphone tells me if I need to do anything.

2) You can use different pellets. Apple, Cherry, Oak, Mesquite, Pecan, etc., etc. I buy a 20 lb bag at Rural king for $8.99, or $4.99 on sale. Lumberjack pellets are the best.

3) Easy to clean.

4) With the Searbox or the Sidekick (sidekick is better), you can reverse sear steaks, cook eggs, onions and peppers, pancakes, etc. The pizza oven accessory is amazing. It also then allows you to cook anything, like a quick hot dog or hamburger while you are in the middle of a 18 hour cook.

5) With the different temperature settings you can smoke cheese, cook Salmon, bake a cake or a pie, even make smoked chex mix. Do beef jerky, cook a great pizza, etc. EASY. NO BABY SITTING. If you're lookin you're not cookin. Basically set it and forget it.

I extensively research everything I do pretty much. I think the Camp Chef WIFI PID Woodwind with the Sidekick is the best choice by far. You can do WAY much more with it, and it is WAY easier. Camp Chef customer service is amazing. The Camp Chef Smokers Facebook group is huge and very helpful. go to Camping Grills, Stoves, Smokers & All Things Outdoor Cooking | Camp Chef

I cook all of our turkeys in it, brisket, steaks, salmon, pulled pork, amazing chicken wings, ribs, tri-tips, meat loaf (great), etc., etc. I used to be a weber grill, burn everything guy. Then I learned that you cook by internal temperature. Life changing. I gave away my weber. Now I am a GrillGod. Love my Camp Chef Woodwind!

Hope this helps...if you have any questions feel free to PM me or call or email. frank@dangeloinspections.com or 352-250-7818.

Frank D'Angelo

[Toymeister]

I have had both. I got rid of the pellet stoves (I had two).

Pellet stoves are easy to use, they usually hold a steady temp and provide a light smoke in the pellet flavors that they sell.

I said flavors because the most common pellets, Traeger, are predominantly made of cheaper wood (alder in the east) with a small portion of the advertised flavor wood. Apple is not 100% apple or even close to it.

I eventually sold the Traeger after one too many repairs. The igniter rod was replaced 3 time, the electronic thermostat once, the fan loosen once required tightening. The last straw was the pellets getting wet from sideways rain swelling the pellets in the auger. The paint burned off in spots from the auger over feeding the burn pot. I also sold the portable Traeger that worked flàwlessly. It was used very little.

The egg has few moving parts, it is an art to use. Smoke Flavor is true to the wood because I use a real piece of apple. It is somehow manly to use like a campfire. It works without any electricity.

I have never heard of anyone having the pellet stove problems that I have had but it really isn't something that you talk about.

[DangeloInspections]

Agreed....folks love their green eggs. Can't say anything bad about them. I'll just comment a bit about the pellet grills as that is what I am used to.

I agree that among pellet grill enthusiasts, Traeger is well known and has market share, but is quickly falling in market share, etc., as the pellet grills made by other companies grow in popularity. There are many other better brands, Yoder, Grilla, and my favorite, Camp Chef, (which has a 3 year complete warranty).

Camp Chef recently came out with a PID, Wifi controller which has been a game changer. For the first time one can regulate the amount of smoke, (and smoke flavor) independent of temperature setting. The range is now 1 to 10, where the older models did a smoke setting of about 3-5, which means that these new grills basically double the amount of smoke flavor if desired.

Traeger pellets are not widely liked,...in fact, there has been a lawsuit with them as they are only "flavored" with oils, and not the actual wood. This is why Lumberjack pellets have such better reviews and a strong following. I buy them at Rural King. They are 100% the wood they say they are, with no fillers or oils. They are also smaller, lessening the chance of clogs in the auger, etc.

Basically, the ability of adjusting the smoke level, the flavor of the wood pellets, and above all, the ability of being able to "set it and forget it" without babysitting makes me lean strongly towards a good quality pellet grill. Just my opinion....and no disrespect for anyone who prefers their big green eggs....Enjoy!

Respectfully, Frank

[larbud]

Green Egg! You can’t be a grillmaster with a computer...

[DangeloInspections]

Originally Posted by larbud

Green Egg! You can’t be a grillmaster with a computer...

Yes, you hear that often from the old time smokers that use logs and have to hover over their cooks. Kind of like "you don't really drive a car if you don't drive a stick shift, or have power steering, etc......"

I won't argue, everyone has their own opinions, and I have always spoken kindly to and for those who love their green eggs.....but the original poster asked a specific question, and I answered it.

For what it is worth, I was in a little friendly contest where we all cooked some ribs. One of the guys was an official BBQ judge, who traveled all over the country judging BIG BBQ contests. My ribs took first place cooked on my pellet grill.

It is the end result that counts......and I will say it is nice to cook a big brisket that takes 20 hours cooking it low and slow, and still getting a good nights sleep SAFELY because of the computer alarms and back up, constant feed of good quality pellets, etc., with zero worries.

It is nice that we live in such a great and prosperous country where we have these good choices.

Respectfully, Frank D.

[Mr Hanky]

Is the egg made in the USA 🇺🇸 ?

[Toymeister]

Originally Posted by Mr Hanky

Is the egg made in the USA ������������ ?

BGE: Mexico
Kamodo Joe: China
Primo: USA
Most every other: China

Ironically the Kamodo Joe quality is superior to the BGE. Primo quality is excellent.