Grill Wars Has Begun!

Grill Wars.........2 Grills, 3 Rounds, Same Food, Same Preparation, 1 Winner......this is #grillwars

While we've been selling tables and accessories for the Big Green Egg and other Kamado style cookers for some time, we can't ever seem to stop using ole reliable, the 22" Weber Kettle, at least every now and then.

The Weber Kettle is an American icon at this point. A fixture in millions of backyards around the country and around the globe. It's a pretty accessible grill, both in terms of is distribution and price point: The basic 22" kettle starts at $99 USD at most retailers and is available at thousands of stores. No wonder it's so popular, relatively cheap, easy to get a hold of, and can smoke and grill for a whole family. It's been around since the 1950's, and ever since, it's taken over our cookouts and become one of the most identifiable consumer products on the market. While the Weber company has gone on to make larger and smaller versions of the "Original Kettle", along with success in the gas grill market, and a true smoker based off a similar design, the 22" Kettle is still the most common.

Then a cult following arose around a big, green, egg? Founded in the mid-1970's, the Big Green Company began manufacturing what many American's thought (and some still do) was a "new" style of backyard cooker. But as many egg-enthusiasts know, this style of cooker has been around for centuries, originating in Japan. This "Kamado" style cooker was originally just a form of clay pot cooker. Other brands like Primo and Kamado Joe offer similar ceramic-style cookers, but the Big Green Egg still has the largest following. The cult following is now a mass-market, high-end, and high-priced cooker. A large Big Green Egg cost roughly eight-times what the 22" Weber cost, and often adds up to over a grand after you put in on an OEM stand and add some helper tables. Despite the cost, some folks swear by them as the greatest cooker on earth. Distribution is much smaller than that of the Weber as well. It's extremely tough to catch a Big Green Egg online (partially due to their weight), and typically they're only sold via authorized distributors, and not big box retailers.

So aren't these just two of the same thing, priced and distributed to different market segments? Nothing could be further from the truth. They're actually entirely different machines. The Weber Kettle is a uniquely (and patented) shaped 2-piece, fully metal cooker that actually has a relatively flat top (Don't believe us? Go look at the top of yours). It's light-weight given the nature of materials and assembles in a couple minutes with a screwdriver. The Big Green Egg, however, is an extremely heavy, thick ceramic-walled cooker that is actually shaped to be somewhat of a chimney. Its a bit difficult to assemble if you're on your own, and you surely don't want to try to lift one yourself. 

There's loyalist on both sides. Some swear the Weber is all you need, while others think it's a thing of the past compared to the Big Green Egg. We're fortunate to have one of each, and use both all the time. 

So why not put them to the test? We did, in direct competition to see which is truly the best.

Grill Wars is pretty simple. We're doing three rounds of cooks, with identical food and food preparation, the exact same charcoal and the exact same amount of charcoal, in identical conditions (they sit next to each other in our backyard). Whichever grill produces the best food with least amount of "work" wins.

Round 1: Chicken Thighs: Winner: 22" Weber Kettle

We thought we'd kick #grillwars off with something a lot of people don't cook very often. Chicken thighs often go overlooked in the BBQ community in favor of briskets, pork shoulders, whole chickens, and the like. They're cheap, pretty tasty even if you "screw 'em up" and are a perfect food to hold in one hand and sink your teeth in to. 

For this round, we simply cut the thighs in to more manageable "squares" and trimmed some the excess fat. We left 'em skin on, but some folks prefer to strip the skin before cooking. We gave them a good rubbing of our #rubofthemonth from Bone Suckin' Sauce in their original "hot" seasoning and rub formula. 

We used Kamado Joe brand natural lump charcoal and a mix of hickory and pecan chips. On the Weber we used a traditional off-set half-moon charcoal pattern. The Big Green Egg had a standard plate setter configuration with no other tweaks.

Thighs don't take too long, and we had them on each grill for about 2 hours before they came up to temp.

From there, we painted on a mix of sauces just before we took them off the grills, including the Original Southern Sweet #sauceofthemonth from The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint.

To the disbelief of many at the dinner table, the thighs off the Weber Kettle were simply better. More moisture, bite-through skin, and an overall better flavor.

Round 2: Pork Shoulder: Winner: Large Big Green Egg 

Pork shoulder is just about one of our favorite things to cook (and eat). Outside of Texas, it's result, usually pulled pork, is what most people think of when they hear "Barbecue" (and if they think of something else, well, they must be crazy). 

Each shoulder was about 6 pounds. We gave it a run in a combination of #rubofthemonth from Bone Suckin' Sauce and our own house-made brown sugar rub. No sauce this time, just pure pork flavor.

Each grill had a drip pan with 2 quarts of water. The Weber was again set up with a typical half-moon charcoal pattern, and the Big Green Egg had in the plate setter. We again used Kamado Joe brand natural lump charcoal. For this cook, we added chunks of Kingsford apple wood.

About 6 hours in, we wrapped, gave each about another 1.5 hours in the grills, and pulled them off at an internal of around 195. Surprisingly, they each hit temp at nearly the exact same time. We then let them sit in a cooler for another hour or so.

What's most interesting is that each shoulder came out almost identical. They both pulled apart as you'd want them to and had similar flavor.

But this round goes to the Big Green Egg. The meat from the "Egg Shoulder" had just a bit more moisture and a more complex flavor profile, despite that each shoulder was given the exact same preparation.

That leaves us all tied up going in to Round III: BRISKET!!!!

Stay Tuned for more on #grillwars and follow us on Instagram @jjgeorgeoutdoor for live updates from each Round.  

For all the gas grill loyalists out there check out How to use a grill, According to science for a comprehensive guide to choosing a gas grill.