I knew when I ordered my Big Green Egg that it would probably take longer than the month the BBQ store quoted for delivery. It has to come from the US via ocean transport, and anybody who's been paying attention would know that international shipping is utterly munted at the moment.
So maybe it gets here soon. More likely not.
I've been prepping for it though.
We rejigged our house painting schedule to move the front deck up the list. It's a helluva job, with hundreds of little nooks and crannies to fill in, and a freshly oiled deck to protect from splatter.
To be honest, not the most pleasant way to distract myself from my non-egg-having status.
I do have other ways, however. I'm now the proud owner of a proper cast iron skillet, bought half price from DJs when I was just wandering through the other day.
I've also bought a six-pack-sized esky (beer cooler for my American friends) in which to rest my smokey joints and pork butts. I saw a charcoal chimney at Bunnings for only ten bucks, so I placed that within in my possession too.
Oh, and I got a Thermapen Mk4 meat thermometer online at a 50% discount.
This fucking egg better turn up soon though, or I won't be able to afford a Woolies sausage to cook on it.
bit late to this (been getting hammered to do work by the place that pays me to do work) but i fully endorse the cast iron revolution. Twice now in the past few years (not including covid time) i have come home from either a guys trip or work trip to find mysterious scratches on my non stick pan. Turns out it went through the dishwasher against direct orders. Once it goes through that process it's the beginning of the end. I threw the last one out in a fit of despair and was looking in the shed and found ye olde trusty camp skillet sitting there neglected gathering dust. I'm not sure why i hadnt thought of it before but it is a revelation. So much better than all those teflon type pans. And it can go on the fire pit for outside cooking.
Painting and decks. I had to paint, because new stairs and partial rebuild of balustrades. This time around I've got the order right: paint first, then remove any drips etc when sanding the deck prior to cleaning, oxalic acid treatment and new stain-and-oil treatment. It turns out balustrades are stupidly fiddly to paint, probably more so than your weatherboard bits. Even worse: cleaning off failed older paint coatings. But I'm being much less precious about drop sheets and so on. Small wins, always take them.
It’s looking good but you really have chosen the worst painting job in the world.
Welcome to the world of cast iron. I have half a dozen ranging from a single fried egg size up to a wok. Some are relatively indestructible while others need proper care. In any case do not let your wife use it or clean it without proper training. Mine will not listen and the non stick nature of cast iron is a foreign country thus things stuck and vigorously scrubbed off (and rust) are now a feature of my life, and much reseasoning is required.
and in case you want to use that esky for you know....beer, the beauty of your style of BBQ is that at the end of a slow cook, you just shut the vents and kill the coals. let some of the residual heat out and then just rest the meat in the BBQ for desired period of time....but that is a slightly advanced technique, you might need to work up to it.
Rather than go with War of the Worlds Martian tripod legs, I ordered a big wooden table to sit the egg inside, for this very reason. A place for beer, tongs and fixings. I'm looking at a Weber iGrill2 for the in-egg thermometer.
I suggest you pass up on the weber iGrill2. I have one and have worn it out. it is also bluetooth only if you go too far away from it, loses connection with your phone and freaks the app out. I recently upgraded to the inkbird. it operates over your wi-fi. also has 2 grill brackets so you can monitor the heat on different parts of the grill (yes its a thing!)
Built in bar fridge and hammock seem a requirement
Smokey joints and pork butts on ice sounds like my physical rehab program.
bit late to this (been getting hammered to do work by the place that pays me to do work) but i fully endorse the cast iron revolution. Twice now in the past few years (not including covid time) i have come home from either a guys trip or work trip to find mysterious scratches on my non stick pan. Turns out it went through the dishwasher against direct orders. Once it goes through that process it's the beginning of the end. I threw the last one out in a fit of despair and was looking in the shed and found ye olde trusty camp skillet sitting there neglected gathering dust. I'm not sure why i hadnt thought of it before but it is a revelation. So much better than all those teflon type pans. And it can go on the fire pit for outside cooking.
Even eggless I’ve been using mine for steak. It’s brilliant.
You’ve just got to install a sound system, a widescreen TV, a paper towel holder and a sink and a faucet.
Painting and decks. I had to paint, because new stairs and partial rebuild of balustrades. This time around I've got the order right: paint first, then remove any drips etc when sanding the deck prior to cleaning, oxalic acid treatment and new stain-and-oil treatment. It turns out balustrades are stupidly fiddly to paint, probably more so than your weatherboard bits. Even worse: cleaning off failed older paint coatings. But I'm being much less precious about drop sheets and so on. Small wins, always take them.
Are we going to get an unboxing video and commentary when La Grande Oeuf Verte arrives?
This is an excellent suggestion. You should need my content manager.
It’s looking good but you really have chosen the worst painting job in the world.
Welcome to the world of cast iron. I have half a dozen ranging from a single fried egg size up to a wok. Some are relatively indestructible while others need proper care. In any case do not let your wife use it or clean it without proper training. Mine will not listen and the non stick nature of cast iron is a foreign country thus things stuck and vigorously scrubbed off (and rust) are now a feature of my life, and much reseasoning is required.
Sigh. I have teenagers.
I do like the prep work, your paying the correct homage to the BBQ area. couple of suggestions....
- you'll need a small table to go next to the BBQ, to hold things like tongs and beer
- you'll definitely need one of these; https://au.inkbird.com/collections/food-thermometer/products/ibbq-4t
and in case you want to use that esky for you know....beer, the beauty of your style of BBQ is that at the end of a slow cook, you just shut the vents and kill the coals. let some of the residual heat out and then just rest the meat in the BBQ for desired period of time....but that is a slightly advanced technique, you might need to work up to it.
Rather than go with War of the Worlds Martian tripod legs, I ordered a big wooden table to sit the egg inside, for this very reason. A place for beer, tongs and fixings. I'm looking at a Weber iGrill2 for the in-egg thermometer.
I suggest you pass up on the weber iGrill2. I have one and have worn it out. it is also bluetooth only if you go too far away from it, loses connection with your phone and freaks the app out. I recently upgraded to the inkbird. it operates over your wi-fi. also has 2 grill brackets so you can monitor the heat on different parts of the grill (yes its a thing!)
Gah. I'm really trying to avoid plugging in my old Google mesh network again, but I'd have to if I wanted to reach the front deck.