BGE...the best acronym you'll ever want to use.

"Let's BGE it."

If you've never used the term, you're sorely missing out.  Here's the BGE, in all of its green glory:

That's the Big Green Egg, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet.

While the Egg currently sits in its portable "nest" (I wish I could have been clever enough to make that up, but alas, the BGE company is full of marketing genius.), at some point, I WILL build it a permanent home that looks more like this:

Seriously.  This WILL happen.

Let me give credit where its due and let you know that this picture came from here: Egg Head Forum

Yep.  There are whole forums and websites dedicated to people's love of the BGE.  It's a force not to be reckoned with.  Once you get a BGE, your life is changed forever- you think I joke, but I do not.

When my husband and I became the proud parents of a BGE (and yes, it will be your baby), my bestest sisterfriend Jen was visiting for the weekend.  Unfortunately, we had NO CLUE what we were doing, and proceeded to overcook a steak, and burn the outside of a pizza crust while leaving the inside gooey.  Needless to say, Jen went home after the weekend a very hungry and ill-fed guest.  I think we made it up to her when she visited this year, by making chicken and pork chops grilled to perfection, but I can't be quite sure.  We may have scarred her for life.  

Lest you think the BGE is just a grill, let me educate you on its usefulness.  It is a smoker:

Low and slooooow, and those ribs just fall apart in your mouth.  Amazing.

It is also a pizza oven.  Forget going out to the latest "brick fired pizza kitchen".  You've got one at home.  This puppy heats upwards of 600 degrees and with its shape and ceramic dome creates....Pizza. To. Die. For.

Cook it hot hot hot! (with a side of garlic green beans..yum!)

Closeup once it's done cooking- I couldn't get that close and melt the camera!!

Last night's dinner consisted of this:

Baked potatoes, more green beans (we can't get enough of veggies on the BGE), and a chicken VERY embarrassed to have a beer up its butt)

The BGE can also be used as an oven to bake bread and pies, although we haven't attempted to conquer that yet.  While you may be giving me the "pshaw" thought, saying to yourself, My gas grill is fine, and it can do half of these things...., I do wish that I could give you a scratch and sniff/taste through the internet.  You'd become a believer in an instant.

In all fairness, the BGE is not for those who want to grill a hamburger from start to finish in 10 minutes flat.  It takes some time to heat up, and takes a few tries of figuring out what temperature and time length you consider to be perfection for your foods.  As the saying goes, though, All good things come to those who wait...

So.  I'll wait til next spring to begin my plans for the BGE to land in a permanent nest.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy all it has to offer up off its hot coals (charcoal wood....no Kingsford briquettes in this baby...blasphemy!!).  Stop on over for dinner- we're probably making something amazing.

**End note disclaimer...I would be remiss if I did not share that my husband does the BGE cooking.  I'm his prep chef, and he carries it through to the end.  He's pretty amazing at it, but we don't need this going to his head, hence the smallest lettering I could find.