Eggs by the Bay
Proudly Serving Northern California's Egg Community since 2005
Big Green Egg PLATINUM DEALER
Contact us at BGE@EggsbytheBay.com
Showroom Hours
Thursday 1-5pm Friday 1-5pm Saturday 1-5pm Sunday 1-5pm
Established in 2005
EGGFEST 2016
Lucky Dog Dia del Perro Jalapeño Popper Egg Cups
Craig McPherson
Sunnyvale, CA
Makes 12 poppers
Ingredients:
12 strips Bacon 8 large Eggs 4 oz Cheddar Cheese 3 oz Cream Cheese 2 oz Lucky Dog Dia del Perro Hot Sauce 3 tbsp pureed Chipotle peppers w/adobo sauce 4 medium Jalapeño Peppers, de-seeded and chopped 1 tsp Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions:
Measure out all cheese and grate as needed. Prep the jalapeños by seeding and chopping them. Save one jalapeño that you can cut into rings as a garnish for the top. Preheat Big Green Egg to 375F. Par-cook bacon so it’s semi crisp but still pliable. Save bacon grease in the pan. Using a hand mixer, mix together eggs, cream cheese, hot sauce, chipotle peppers, jalapeño peppers, leftover bacon grease, Dizzy Dust, and salt and pepper to taste. Grease wells of muffin tin, then place par-cooked bacon around the edges. Pour egg mixture into the wells of the muffin tin. Make sure you only go about half-way to 2/3 way up as they rise quite a lot. Add cheddar cheese on the top of the muffin, then a jalapeño ring. Cook at 375F for 20-25 minutes.
Serve with Orange Sauce on the side.
EGGFEST 2012
Picasso’s Big Sausage Tacos
Dominic Hollands
• 2 zucchini chopped
• 1 large onion chopped
• ½ lb of bulk breakfast sausage
• 1 tomato chopped
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 cup salsa
Place cast iron pan on grill and allow to heat thouroughly. Add all chopped vegetables to pan stirring constantly.
After 6 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired texture, remove vegetables and add bulk breakfast sausage to pan.
Cook sausage until done. Add vegetables back to pan and cook with sausage for 2 minutes. Add eggs to pan. Stir mixture constantly.
Add tortillas to grill and allow them to heat through turning once. Place tortilla on plate.
Add spoonful of eggs to tortilla and top with salsa and avocado.
EGGFEST 2009
D-Bone Breakfast
Steve Dillon
San Mateo, CA
Recipe Ingredients:
1Lb split butter top bread 'chopped up'
1.5 cups swiss cheese, cubed 1/4-3/8ths
1 Lb ham cubed 1/4-3/8ths
1 Lb cheddar, grated
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon of garlic salt/pepper
3 cups corn flakes crushed
1 cube butter melted
So I used some butter flavor shortening to lube the Dutch oven then I put the bread layer on the bottom
next add the swiss cheese on top
next add the ham
next add the cheddar
Now in a bowl, beat the six eggs and add three cups of milk and the dry seasonings
Now Pour this mixture evenly over the top of the cheddar cheese.
Just before going in the cooker melt one cube of butter in the microwave and mix that in a bowl with the crushed cornflakes, spread this mixture evenly across the top.
Then place into the egg uncovered at 350F cook until it reaches 160F internal temperature,a little over a hour.
EGGFEST 2008
Spanish Breakfast Casserole
Dale Olstinske
San Jose, CA
1 Lb. Chorizo sausage
½ small onion diced
½ sm can diced green chilis
1 chipotle chili in adobo, pureed
4 slices of bread, cut into ½” cubes
6 to 8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup favorite cheese, jack, cheddar or Mexican blend
½ tsp salt
½ tsp dry mustard
Crumble sausage in skillet with onions over med heat until brown.
Remove with slotted spoon, drain well.
Spread bread cubes in a buttered 12x8 2’ baking dish.
Top with sausage mixture and cheese.
Combine eggs, milk, chipotle, green chilis, seasonings and beat well.
Pour over cheese, cover and refrigerate overnight (even 1 hr is enough)
Bake in Egg at 350° for 30-40 min. or until set.
Remove and let cool slightly before serving.
EGGFEST 2009
Tangy Pit Beans
with Rib Tips
Matt Plut
San Leandro, CA
2 Tbls Prepared yellow mustard
2 1/3 cups Ketchup
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
½ tsp liquid smoke
1 ½ Tbls rib rub (whatever you’re using on the ribs today)
1 cup diced onion
1 green, red or yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
1 (28-ounce) can pork & beans
1 (16 ounce) can chili seasoned beans
1 (16 ounce) can large red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) can butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) can “other” beans of your choice, drained and rinsed
Sliced and diced rib tips from 2 racks of spareribs
I multiplied this recipe by 4 for the Eggfest because I did 8 racks of ribs. Heat and mix the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, liquid smoke and rib rub until everything is dissolved and yummy smelling. You can do all this while the rib tips are smoking in your egg. You want to simmer this on low heat and stir often to prevent it from burning and sticking to the pot. Add the cut up rib tips when completed and let it simmer for about and hour to let all the wonderful flavors get acquainted. When doing multiple batches, I like to mix in all the pretty colors of the bell peppers.
Rib Tips for Pit Beans
The rib tips are the remains of the meat trimmed off the top of the St. Louis style ribs. Rub them as you do the ribs and smoke them in the Egg for three hours at about 225°F. Put them in a double layer of wide aluminum foil and pour enough of the foiling juice to cover the entire bottom of the foil and put back on the Egg for another hour. I just use equal parts of honey, apple juice and brown sugar melted in a small pot for the foiling juice. Put the rib tips back on the Egg for another hour at about 225-250°F to get the foiling juices boiling. After about an hour you can pull the rib tips off the grill and the bones should be breaking up and falling out. I take a steak knife along the edge of the bone and cutting alongside it remove the bone and attached gristle. After this is done I take the knife in the same direction in a V-pattern to remove the remaining small gristle. This should take care of all the trim work you need to do. Now slice the rib tips and cut them into bite size pieces and add to the Pit Beans.
EGGFEST 2006
Armadillo Eggs
Glenn Murphy
Bethel Island, CA
18 jalapeños
one 16 oz tub softened cream cheese
2 lbs bulk sausage [your favorite, breakfast, Italian or whatever]
Cut stems off peppers, slit and seed and devein.
Mix cream cheese with yellow food coloring until you have an eggyoke color.
Stuff peppers with cream cheese mixture.
Squish some sausage between 2 pieces of waxed paper until 1/4 inch thick or so. Wrap stuffed peppers in sausage sealing off the ends and seam just like an eggshell. Shake on some of your favorite dizzy dust.
Cook direct at 250-275 till sausage is cooked turning several times.
Let cool a few minutes so cream cheese sets up a little.
Slice and enjoy.
EGGFEST 2010
Cabbage-Ramen Salad
Joan & Michael Watanabe
Eureka, CA
1 head cabbage, sliced
2-3 green onions, sliced thin
4 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
4 Tbs toasted slivered almonds
2 pkgs ramen noodles, crushed
Dressing:
4 Tbs sugar
½ cup salad oil
2 Tbs sesame oil
½ tsp pepper
6 Tbs vinegar
(seasoning packets from noodles, optional)
Toss salad ingredients except ramen noodles
Add dressing and toss well
Add crushed ramen noodles and toss
Serve immediately.
EGGFEST 2012
Mainegg’s ABT Dip
David Maxwell
San Jose, CA
Ingredients
2-pounds Jalapeno Peppers
1-pound Bacon
2-packs Cream Cheese
1-small can crushed Pineapple
1-tsp Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust
1-pound Pulled Pork
Cut up Jalapeno peppers into bite size pieces.
Cut up bacon into pieces and cook until done.
Set aside the bacon, add the peppers into the hot grease for several minutes so that the peppers can get the flavor and soften the peppers a bit.
Soften two packages of cream cheese and add the crushed pineapple, pulled pork and Dizzy Dust (or any other spice that you like).
Assemble the dip by putting in the peppers into a pie pan. Cover with the cream cheese mixture and spread. Sprinkle the bacon over the top.
Throw it onto the egg (around 350 dome) until the cream cheese is bubbling. Garnish with some cilantro and serve with chips.
This is very fast and a lot easier than doing standard ABT's though ABT's are still a standard around here.
EGGFEST 2016
Smoked Lucky Dog Bloody Mary
Craig McPherson
Sunnyvale, CA
Ingredients:
5-6 tomatoes, quartered 3 cups tomato juice 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp horseradish 5 tsp Lucky Dog Black Label Hot Sauce The juice of 1 whole lemon Dizzy Pig IPA BBQ Rub Salt & pepper to taste Belvedere Vodka (1-2 oz per cocktail) Smoked Ice (recipe below)
Garnish: Bacon (Duh!)
Instructions:
Cut tomatoes in quarters. Season with Dizzy Pig IPA BBQ Rub. Smoke the tomatoes at 275 degrees indirect on the Big Green Egg. After approximately one hour, remove the tomatoes. Remove skin from tomatoes and then let cool. Transfer tomatoes to food processor and pulse until pureed and juiced. Add tomato juice, Worcestershire, horseradish, hot sauce and lemon juice. Stir or pulse again to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Rim a glass with lemon juice, then dip it upside down in the seasoning mixture. Add a combination of the smoked ice cubes, Belvedere vodka, and top with the Bloody Mary mixture. Stir gently. Add bacon garnish.
Smoked Ice:
Preheat Big Green Egg to 250 degrees with plate setter in place. Take ice cubes and place into a glass bowl. When smoker is at temperature add the glass bowl of ice cubes in the smoker. Let the ice melt (about 30 minutes). When ice is melted, remove from smoker and let cool. Add water back into the ice trays and refreeze for later use. The water should have a slight orange or yellow color.
EGGFEST 2016
"Pig Shots"
(a bacon shot glass)
John Yee
Pleasanton, CA
Ingredients:
Nathan’s Beef Kielbasa – qty 2½ Bacon 16 oz packages – qty 2
Cream Cheese – 8 oz
Mexican 4-cheese blend – 1/3 cup
Green Chiles Diced – 4 oz
Brown Sugar – ½ cup
Chili Powder – ½ tsp
Cayenne Pepper – ½ tsp
BBQ Rub
Preparation:
Cut sausage down to discs about 3/8” thick.
Wrap ½ slice of bacon around the disc and fix in place with a toothpick or skewer several “shots” (10” skewer can hold 4-5 shots).
Soften cream cheese and mix in cheese blend and chiles
Pipe or spoon the cream cheese blend into the shot
Mix the brown sugar, chili powder, and cayenne pepper together and sprinkle on top of cream cheese filling
Lightly sprinkle with BBQ rub
Cook indirect around 280-320 degrees until bacon has crisped up (approx 70-90 minutes). Smoke wood is optional.
EGGFEST 2012
Bacon Wrapped Dates
with Lemon Citronette
Zach Fricke
Ingredients
• Dates, pitted
• Bleu Cheese
• Strips of Bacon (1 for every 2 or three)
• Black Pepper
• Skewers (soaked in water if wooden)
Directions
1. Remove pits out of dates if not already done so.
2. Crumble up some of your favorite bleu cheese.
3. Make a slice down the date like you are butterflying it
4. Stuff the cheese into date and “seal” back up.
5. Wrap each one with some bacon
6. Place multiple ones on a skewer for easy turning
7. Cook on egg raised direct about 400 F
8. Turn every 10 minutes or so
9. Take off when bacon is done to your liking
10. Sprinkle with some freshly cracked black pepper
EGGFEST 2008
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Matt Plut
San Leandro, CA
Ingredients
1 pound scallops
thin sliced lean bacon, enough to wrap the scallops
Dizzy Pig Raging River Rub
toothpicks
Preparation
Put a little rub on each scallop. Wrap pieces of
bacon around the scallops long enough so you
can secure it with a toothpick.
Grill the scallops at 350-400F for about 15 minutes.
If you cook scallops too long they will get tough.
Just pull one off when you think they are done
and check it.
Quality control is one just of the pleasures of bbq.
EGGFEST 2008
Green Chile and Pork Stew
with Potatoes
Ross Maehl aka Ross in Ventura
Ventura, CA
-2 T Vegatable Oil or more as needed
-3 lbs boneless lean pork, cut into ½ to ¾
inch cubes
-2 large onions cut into medium dice
-5 gloves of garlic, finely minced
-4 cups chicken stock
-¼ cup tomato puree
-3 to 9 poblano chilies, roasted, seeded, peeled,
and cut into ½ inch pieces
-1 T grounf cumin
-2 T grounf Mexican oregano
-2 T mild red chili powder
-2 Jalapeno chilies, seeded and finely minced
-2 T green tabasco sauce
-1 T distilled whire vinegar
-2 T salt
-5 to 6 unpeeled red bliss potatoes or other
red boiling potatoes, cut into ½ inch dice
-Warm flour tortillas and grated monterey jack
cheese for serving
Heat the 2 T vegetable oil in large saute pan over
medium heat.
Add the pork and saute until grey. Remove from
pan and place in a 4 quart heavy sauce pan.
Saute onions and garlic in the same pan, using a
little more oil if needed.
Add the cooked onions and garlic, stock, tomato
puree, poblanos, cumin, oregano and chili powder.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a
simmer, and cook, covered, for 1 hour, stirring
occasionally.
Add the Jalapenos, tabasco, vinegar, salt and potatoes.
Cook covered, at a simmer, for about 20 minutes, or until
the potatoes are tender.
Serve in Bowls, accompanied with warm flour tortillas
and grated Monterey Jack cheese.
Serves 10
Recipe source: Culinary Institute of America -Chef J. Heywood
EGGFEST 2006-2007
Baked Eggs w/Mushrooms
in Ham Crisps
Ann Tabor
Cypress, Texas
1¼ lb. cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbs. unsalted butter
2 tbs. olive oii
2 tbs. sour cream
1 tbs. finely chopped tarragon or parsley
12 slices Black Forest Ham (without holes)
12 large eggs (don’t use extra large or jumbo)
Preheat EGG to 375 degrees dome for direct cooking. Fit 1 slice of ham in each of the 12 lightly oiled muffin cups (ends will stick up and fold over the edges).
Saute mushrooms, garlic and shallots in oil & butter until mushrooms have rendered off most of their liquid (about 10 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and tarragon. Salt and pepper to taste. Evenly divide mushroom mixture into the ham cups and crack one egg into each one. Garnish with tarragon or parsley and bake (about 10 minutes) until whites are set and yolks are runny (if desired) Remove ham crisps from muffin cups with 2 spoons or small spatulas.
EGGFEST 2011-2012
MOINK Balls
John Yee -2011 People's Choice Champion
Pleasanton, CA
(All beef meatballs “Moo” wrapped in bacon “Oink” = “MOINK”)
Ingredients:
All beef frozen meatballs (about ½ oz sized meatballs)
Bacon (each piece of bacon is enough to cover 2 meatballs)
Simply Marvelous Cherry Rub (or your favorite rub)
Big Butz Cranberry BBQ Sauce (or your favorite sauce)
Preparation:
Wrap ½ piece of bacon around meatball and secure with a toothpick or place several MOINK balls onto skewers. Dust the MOINKs with rub.
Cook either indirect around 280 degrees grid temp with a drip pan or raised direct at around 260 degrees grid temp.
Smoke over a fruit wood of your choice (we used 3 cherry chunks at the Eggfest) and cooked for around 75-90 minutes (until the bacon has reached your desired crispiness).
Dip the MOINKs into BBQ sauce or brush sauce onto them. Cook for another 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to set.
EGGFEST 2008-2010
Macaroni and Cheese
David & Jenny Hill
Fair Oaks, CA
(to fit a 9 x 13" foil pan)
Ingredients:
-a 1 lb. box of small elbow macaroni
- approx. 3 cups shredded cheese (I use whole milk mozzarella, medium cheddar, sharp cheddar and asiago combo)
-approx. 2-2 1/2 cups Whole milk
-5 tbsp butter softened, divided
-2/3 Cup italian style bread crumbs
Cook macaroni according to directions, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, butter the pan with about 3 Tbsp butter, making sure the corners are well greased. I sometimes add a little garlic to the butter for extra flavor.
Mix the cheeses together and set aside.
Layering ingredients in the pan: You will need to do this step in 3 layers, so divide noodles and cheese accordingly, ending with cheese. Put a layer of macaroni in the pan. Add a little salt and pepper, then add a layer of cheese to cover. Repeat twice, ending with cheese. (Make-ahead note: At this stage, the pan can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
Melt remaining 2 tbsp of butter and add enough crumbs to moisten. Set aside.
Preheat EGG to 300 degrees. When ready to cook, add just enough milk to the pan so that when you tip it a little, you can see the milk. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and bake for 30-45 minutes.
Note: make sure you put the milk in and then the crumbs on, or you will have a soggy mess!
EGGFEST 2008-2009
Vidalia Onion Pie
Ross Maehl aka Ross in Ventura
Ventura, CA
This makes enough filling for 2 pies
This recipe is a slightly modified version of one posted by Larry Ward on
The Big Green Egg forum – it is from Tea Time at the Masters. Copied from Thirdeye's website.
2 lbs thinly sliced Vidalia Onions or other sweet onions.
1- cup sour cream
3- eggs
1- cup Pepper Jack cheese, grated
1- cup sharp cheddar, grated
6- tsp butter
4- pieces of smoked bacon fried and crumbled, or sausage (fried, drained & crumbled)
2- splashes of hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1- tsp white pepper
Saute onions in butter until clear. Let stand and cool some.
Grate cheese. Beat the eggs add the pepper jack, salt, pepper, sour cream and bacon to the eggs and mix well.
Pour into 9 inch (unbaked) pie shells, add the cheddar cheese on top and bake at 375 for 40 minutes and let cool and serve. For baking on your cooker or grill, use a pizza stone on the grate to diffuse the heat. Cooking over wood coals or lump charcoal gives this pie an excellent flavor.
EGGFEST 2008
Wahoo Soft Tacos
Steve Dillon
San Mateo, CA
Marinated the Wahoo Fillets in light olive
oil and Dizzy Shaking the Tree/and some
extra cracked pepper.
Cooked the Wahoo fillets for around 20
minutes at 375F on a PAMed perferated grill
plate,turning as needed.
Break up the fish into loose chunks and pile
into flour tortillas. Top with Salsa and wasabi
sauce or hot sauce if ya like.
Enjoy.
The Mild Salsa
1 Green Bell Pepper Chopped
1 Red Bell chopped
1 Orange Bell chopped
1 Yellow Bell chopped
1 Red Onion chopped
5 Cloves of Garlic chopped fine
Small Bunch of minced cilantro
The juice of one lemon
A little kosher Salt and Pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, I drain off the excess liquid after mixing.
EGGFEST 2006-2007
Maple-Planked Brie
with Garlic and Roasted Peppers
Evans Tabor
Cypress, Texas
1 maple plank, soaked (at least 4 hours)
2 small wheels brie (1/4 lb. each)
¼ cup olive oil
6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper , roasted, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
black pepper & salt to taste
Preheat EGG to 400 degrees dome. Scrape rind off top of each wheel of brie to expose cheese and set aside. Heat olive oil in saute pan (or cast iron skillet) and add garlic, cooking until softened but not browned. Add green onions, peppers, thyme, vinegar and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and salt & pepper to taste. Place the maple plank on direct grill and listen for it to “pop” (about 8-10 minutes). Divide the pepper mixture evenly on top of brie wheels and place on plank. Close lid and bake for 8-10 minutes,or just until cheese begins to melt at it's edges... (or the plank catches fire, as in Chubby’s case!!).
Serve with slices of crusty bread or crudites.
EGGFEST 2016
Smoked Orange Mimosas
Craig McPherson
Sunnyvale, CA
Ingredients:
2 oz. smoked orange juice 4 oz. champagne chilled 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier Grilled Orange slices for garnish
Instructions:
Fill glass 1/4-1/3 of the way with freshly squeezed orange juice + juice of 3 smoked oranges. Add champagne almost to the top of the glass, leaving room for the Grand Marnier. Add one tablespoon of Grand Marnier to each glass. Garnish champagne glass with grilled "cutie" orange slice
EGGFEST 2011
Ranch Beans
Ross Maehl
Ventura, CA
2 Lbs. pinto beans, rinsed sorted and soaked overnight (or quick soak. Boil for
2 minutes and let stand 1 hour and drain and rinse.)
1/2 stick of butter
1 lb. pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 14.5 oz.. diced tomatoes with juice
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your taste)
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 qts.. chicken broth, 1 qt. beef broth the kind you get at the market
Melt butter in large pot or dutch oven. Add bacon and next 4 ingredients and
saute' for about 4 or 5 minutes until vegies are tender but not burned. Add
cilantro, chili powder, cayenne and tomato paste and cook about 3 minutes. Add
beans, broth, salt and pepper to taste, bring to boil then lower heat and simmer
1 1/2 to 2 hours or 'til beans are tender. During this time liquid smoke
(remember, a little of this stuff goes a long way) and tabasco and adjust
seasonings to taste. If you want this thicker you can mash beans against the
side of the pot to thicken.
EGGFEST 2012
Big Green Egg Rueben
Ted Atlas
Campbell, CA
Pastrami
Start with a packaged corned beef.
Discard spice packet.
Soak overnight in water to draw out some of the salt. It can be soaked up to 48 hours.
Change the water 2-3 times.
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper (more if you like it peppery) 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried 1 teaspoon paprika Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Slice a few diagonal cuts in the fat and Put rub on both sides of the meat.
Use indirect heat (plate setter) and your favorite smoking chips (I used cherry and alder). Cook at 325℉ until 165℉ internal temperature (about 1 1/2 hours).
If you want a wetter finished pastrami, cook to 150℉, place the meat in two layers of aluminum foil with 1/2 cup water or beer, wrap tightly and replace on the heat. Cook to 165℉.
As an alternative cook to 150℉ and then place the meat into a pressure cooker (use a rack if available) and cook 20 minutes.
After the meat rests, slice it thinly across the grain.
Russian Dressing
Mix equal parts mayonnaise and chili sauce (like Heinz) or cocktail sauce. You can also use ketchup and add horseradish to your taste.
For Eggfest we used french bread in order to serve more people. Layer the meat, grated swiss or gruyere cheese, sauerkraut, Russian Dressing on the bread. Put into the Big Green Egg to melt the cheese.
You can make the more traditional Reuben by using rye bread and grilling it in a frying pan with a little butter.
EGGFEST 2018
Cold Smoked Cheese
John Hildebrand
San Jose, CA
We’d like to tell you another way to use your Big Green Egg. Smoking Cheese doesn’t receive a lot of attention and it’s not difficult in the Egg. It can be an extra side or a great addition for cheese, cold cuts and wine evening party. Let’s get started.
We do not build a fire for cold smoking. We have 2 examples of devices that are used to burn the wood pellets to make the smoke—A tube and the AMazen tray. The directions suggest cool weather temps so the cheese does not become hot or melted. Let’s Talk about cheese. Lunardi’s Safeway and Costco are good sources for cheese. If have a favorite cheese its worth including it in your own tests.
The softer the cheese seems to accept the smoke more readily than a hard-firm type. Maybe dry Cheese. You do not have to use large blocks for cold smoke—small chunks work fine. I used a medium cheddar, Edam and Havarti and have samples for you to taste. Its worth mentioning the various cheeses will have interesting smoke flavors that can be a terrific snack.
The process begins with a clean Big Green Egg, open the bottom vent and no top on cap. Apple wood pellets are an excellent choice. Cheese does not need a harsh or strong flavored smoke. Mild is a terrific way to start. Amazen has two device options—a mesh tube and the tray. I used the Amazen Tray. Both devices will work great to create smoke. The difference between the two is smoking time. The tray can smoke up to 12 Hours the tube up to 2 hours.
Follow the directions on the box, put the pellets in the device. Using a propane torch, light the pellets on the end. Should take about 45-50 seconds to light. A flame will appear on the top of the pellets. Allow this to burn 10 minutes—don’t rush this process. Gently blow out the flame and then blow on the embers—the smoke will begin. Place the device on the bottom grate.
Gently place the cheese on the grill and close the dome top. I used a cooling rack under the cheese.
In the beginning of each cold smoke its advisable to watch and note the amount of smoke coming out of the dome vent. This will indicate whether the fire in the pellets continues to move and burn. Ten minutes is a good amount of time to evaluate. You may need to give another shot of fire to get it going. After an hour turn the cheese over to expose the other sides. Two hours of smoke is a good amount to begin with but if your taste preference is for more or deeper flavored smoke, then increase the time in the next cold smoking event.
After the tray has completed its smoking cycle, carefully remove the rack of cheese from the grill and close the bottom vent and place the ceramic damper cap on the top vent. The smoke aroma and flavor will be infused into the cheese best by storing the cheese in a zip lock bag wrapped in plastic wrap or better yet vacuum packed. Store the cheese in the refrigerator for 7-14 days.
There are no set rules about aging the cheese—it’s about your smoke flavor preferences. Some folks cannot wait to eat the cheese so they may want to eat it sooner than 7-14 days. Best to experiment and discover for yourself what types of cheese and how smoking/resting time impacts the best flavor for that type.
Happy Cold Smoking frontiers!
EGGFEST 2014
Pit Beef Sliders
Victor Grigorieff
San Jose, CA
Top Sirloin roast (yields 8-10 sliders per pound of sirloin)
Dry rub of your choice (we used Eat Barbecue's Zero to Hero)
Mayonnaise (spiked with Sri Racha, Chipotle, or horeseradish as desired)
slider buns or Hawaiian sweet rolls
cooking oil or bacon grease
Remove roast from fridge and let warm up for an hour before cooking.
Dry the roast with paper towels cut off any large chunks of fat. Apply dry rub.
If needed, cut the roast in half or quarters so each chunk of roast is 4-5 lbs. as a 16-pound roast would be unwieldy.
Prepare the Egg for indirect cooking with a plate setter, wood chunks for smoking, and temperature of 350-400 degrees.
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat with oil, and then sear the roast for 3-4 minutes per side.
Move the roast from the pan to the Egg, and smoke about 60-90 minutes, until the internal temp reads 120 degrees.
Remove the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the meat thin against the grain and serve sliced sirloin on a roll with the mayo of your choice.
EGGFEST 2016
"Clean out the Fridge" Chili
Carol Taniguchi and Bobby Uppal
San Francisco, CA
2 T olive oil
2 tsp butter
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
2 T ground cumin
2 T ground coriander
1/2 tsp Black pepper
pinch ground cloves
*1 jalapeño pepper, diced
*1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large onion, diced
2 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 red and 1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 large potato, diced
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 16oz can kidney beans
1 16 oz chick peas, drained
1 16 oz can tomatoes
In a dutch oven, heat oil and butter, add garlic then all spices. Saute for 1-2 min.
Add onions, mushrooms, peppers, celery, cook for 5 min
Add potatoe, carrots, zucchini and any other veggies in fridge.
Add remaining tomatoes with juice, kidney beans with juice, and drained chickpeas
Cook on BGE 325 indirect for about 2 hours until vegetables are soft.
Add any meat you wish (ground beef, pulled pork, brisket, tri-tip)
*If you like spicy, add jalapeño and red pepper flakes to taste
Serve with cheese and red onions
EGGFEST 2007
Firecracker Chipotle Beans
Evans Tabor
Cypress, Texas
8 oz. chorizo or andouille, thinly sliced
2 ½ cups chopped onions
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup bottled chili sauce
1/3 cup dark molasses or sorghum
1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
2 tsp. dry mustard 2 tsp. chipotle chile powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 (15 oz.) can canellini beans (drained & rinsed)
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
Preheat Egg to 425 degrees dome temp. Configure a 5 qt. Dutch oven for direct cooking. Add chorizo & saute 3 mins. Add onion and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust Egg to achieve eventual 300 degree dome temp. Stir in chicken broth, add remaining ingredients... and simmer, (partially covered) for appromimately 90 minutes....stirring occasionally!
The liquid will reduce and thicken. Yield....2 ½ qts.
EGGFEST 2009
Atomic Buffalo Turds
Ross Maehl aka Ross in Ventura
Ventura , CA
Jalapenos – Fresh
Cream Cheese
Bacon (regular sliced-NOT thick sliced)
Baby Back Rib meat
Dizzy Dust from Dizzy Pig Rubs
Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce
Smoking Wood of choice
Preparation:
Wash and halve jalapeno lengthwise. Remove seeds and veins. Fill jalapeno halves with baby back meat and cream cheese. Put the halves together and wrap the whole thing with a piece of bacon Sprinkle a liberal amount Dizzy Dust.
Stabilize Egg at 350* F with raised grid.
Place a drip pan on regular grid to catch the drippings.
Put 2-3 chunks of smoking wood of your choice on the coals and place ABT’s on the raised grid.
Cook about 45-minutes, then turn over to crisp up bottom side of bacon and cook for an additional 15-minutes.
Allow to cool for several minutes before serving with Blues Hog Tennessee Red Sauce.
This is my version of John Hall (egret) recipe that he cooked at the Florida Eggfest 2008
EGGFEST 2009
Bacon Explosion
Mike Connelly
Sunnyvale, CA
Take a couple pounds of bacon and weave it into a mat.
Take a couple pounds of Jimmy Dean's sausage (no casing) and spread out evenly over the bacon mat.
Take your favorite rub and apply to sausage (Dizzy Pig, Swamp Venom), then some BBQ sauce (we used homemade).
Fry up a half pound of bacon and crumple ontop of the rubbed, sauced sausage.
Add some grated cheese and Jalepanos to the sausage.
Roll the sausage into a cylindrical loaf at one end of the Bacon mat.
Now roll the Bacon Mat around the Sausage loaf.
Cook for about 3 hours at 225 degrees to an intrenal temp. of 165 degrees.
Supposed to be 5000 calories and 500 grams of fat (without the cheese). Enjoy!
EGGFEST 2008
Sleeter Beans
Ben Sleeter
El Granada, CA
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
2 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup diced onion
2 bell peppers (any color)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sorghum or honey (I use honey)
2 tablespoons Magic Dust (see recipe below)
1 large can (28 oz.) baked beans
1 can (14 oz.) chilli beans
1 can (14 oz.) large red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz.) large butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
Brisket Flat cubed (as much as you like; you can also
use pulled pork or as a last result bacon).
1 Tablespoon of Dizzy Pig Jamacian Fire Walk (or another hot spice)
Directions:
I cook them on the Egg but you can also do them
in the oven. For oven cook covered for 45 minutes
and then uncovered for 15 minutes. In the Egg I
go as long as 2 hours uncovered while smoking
a brisket or pork shoulder and letting the
drippings fall in the beans. On the Egg the
temp will be down around 225.
Magic Dust:
2 TBS paprika
1 TBS kosher salt
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS ground black pepper
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp cayenne pepper
EGGFEST 2006-2007
ABTs
Kurt Oehlschlaeger
Redwood City, CA
Ingredients
- 20 large Jalepenos
- 16 oz Philly Cream Cheese
- 1 16oz package of Hillshire Farms Little Smokies
- 1 16 oz package of Oscar Meyer bacon (regular, not the thick stuff), 20 slices
- Some BBQ Rub
- Toothpicks
Halve the peppers by slicing lengthwise (Tip to stem). Use a pairing knife or spoon to de-vein the pepper and remove the seeds. Make sure you don't cut off the cap (where the stem is). You want to create a "boat" for the cream cheese. I like to leave the faucet running while I'm working on these to help with the cleaning. Respect the peppers, it's not good when the hot pepper juice gets in your eyes.
Pad dry the peppers. Fill each of the pepper boats with cream cheese. Put one Little smokie in the pepper boat. Sprinkle with some rub.
For the bacon, slice each one in half. Wrap the half-length bacon around the pepper/cream cheese sausage combo, securing with a toothpick through the bacon, sausage, and pepper. Sprinkle on some more rub.
For the cook, setup for indirect at 350 for about an hour, rotating if needed. I prefer to also use a raised grid. To make it even easier, I use a veggie tray sprayed with PAM.
Put the ABT's on that tray, then transfer to the egg. Check after 30 minutes. Let the bacon get to your desired doneness, (everything else is pre-cooked).
This will make 40 ABTs.
EGGFEST 2013
Samosas
Ricky Rahi
Pleasanton, CA
Dough Ingredients:
1 all-purpose flour
2 tbsp oil (Vegetable)
large pinch ajwain (optional)
enough water to knead the flour
salt to taste
oil for deep frying (Canola recommended)
Filling Ingredients:
2 boiled potatoes, crumbled
1/4 cup boiled peas
1/4 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp coriander pwd
pinch cumin pwd
pinch kasuri methi
dash of lemon juice
pinch of garam masala
chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste
Directions:
1 Mix the all-purpose flour with salt, oil, and ajwain, combine to form a crumbly mixture. Now slowly add enough water to make pliable dough, not too soft. Divide the dough and shape into 6 balls. Keep aside covered with moist cloth for 15-20 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, heat a vessel, add oil, add cumin seeds and allow to brown. Add the ginger, spice powders and a tbsp of water and sauté for a few secs. Add the crumbled potato and boiled peas and cook over medium flame for a few minutes, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add kasuri methi and lemon juice, combine. Add the coriander leaves and turn off heat.
3 Now that the stuffing is ready, prepare the outer layer for the samosas.
4 Roll each ball with the rolling pin into a slightly thin puri/naan/tortilla, slightly elongated in shape. Take a knife and divide the rolled puri/naan/tortilla into two by cutting lengthwise through the center.
5 Now take a semi-circle piece of the tortilla, and make a fold in the shape of a triangle. Seal along the fold. Now place this cone between your thumb and index finger and place a ball of the stuffing inside. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the dough with water and seal to enclose the stuffing.
6 Press the ends firmly so that the filling does not come out during the deep frying process. Prepare the rest of the dough in the same manner. Recipe sized for 12 samosas.
7 Heat enough oil in a wide vessel (like a wok or dutch oven) to deep fry the samosas. Heat the oil till hot (360 F) but not piping hot. Reduce flame to low to medium heat and drop 5-7 samosas (depending on Wok) into the oil slowly and deep fry (4-5 mins) them till golden brown, turning them carefully to the other side so that it cooks on all sides.
8. Remove onto paper towels and let it cool for 3-4 mins and enjoy.
EGGFEST 2012
Sticky’s Spicy Teryiaki Tri-Tip Sliders
Dominic Hollands
Marinade
• ½ bottle Soy Vay Island Teryiaki
• 1 tbsp. crushed ginger
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic
Mix all three of the above items together in a gallon freezer bag. Allow tri-tip to marinate in mixture for at least 8 hours re-positioning tri-tip at least once at 4 hours.
Spicy Coleslaw
• 1 package coleslaw mix with dressing
• 1 whole jalapeno
• 2 pineapple rings
• 3 tbsp. spicy/honey mustard
Place whole jalapeno and pineapple on grill.
Cook the jalapeno until skin is charred and begins to bubble.
Pineapple can be removed once both sides have the black grill marks or 3 minutes per side.
Chop both jalapeno and pineapple.
Mix all coleslaw and dressing in a bowl.
Add mustard to taste.
Toss with jalapeno and pineapple.
Sliders
Place tri-tip on grill and allow to cook until internal thermometer reads between 125-130 degrees.
Remove from grill and wrap in foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Thinly slice tri-tip and set atop ½ of Hawaiian roll.
Place a tsp. of coleslaw on tri-tip and cover with remaining ½ or roll.
EGGFEST 2007
Hungry Man Breakfast
Pete Benac
Kittrell, NC
1 pkg bulk sausage
1 12oz package of bacon chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 pkg of shredded potatoes
1 pkg of shredded cheddar cheese
12 eggs scrambled
Prepare Egg for indirect cook at 350 degs. In a large dutch oven render sausage and bacon. When bacon and sausage are fully cooked drain some of the excess grease. Add onion. Cook till onion is translucent. Add potatoes. Cook till slightly brown. Pour scrambled Eggs on top of mixture and cover with cheddar cheese. Cover Dutch Oven and cook till eggs are firm and cheese melted.
Serve with hot buttered biscuits.
EGGFEST 2012
Cazzy’s Wings
David Maxwell
San Jose, CA
Ingredients
• 1 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Mirin Rice Wine
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger
• 1 Tbsp Chili Flakes or Oil
Directions
1. In a saucepan, bring soy, brown sugar and Mirin Rice Wine to a boil and leave on heat until brown sugar has dissolved. Stir regularly and throughout after boil to avoid scorching. Lower heat add ginger and chili flakes. Simmer for ten minutes stirring regularly. Remove from heat and refrigerate.
2. Marinate wings for 24 hours in chilled marinade prior to cook (the chili flakes will rise to the top so shake it up). Use a gallon bag to marinate so that the bag can be laid flat and flipped after 12 hours.
3. Fire up egg and stabilize at 375-400. Raise cooking surface to felt line and use a drip pan. Place drumettes on outside and flappers in the middle because it will be hotter on the outside due to the drip pan.
This part is what makes the wings tacky and layers the flavor. At 5 minutes, baste with the marinade, then again at 10 minutes. Flip the wings at 15 minutes and baste and then baste again at 20 minutes.
This procedure is why a drip pan is used because the marinade will make your lump smoke and add an undesirable taste into the wings.
Your wings should be at about 145-150 and should really start having a beautiful brownish red color. Remove at 165.
EGGFEST 2018
Fire Roasted Chile Manzano Salsa
Chef Michelle Estigoy
Cultura - Carmel by the Sea, CA
4 Manzano peppers, halved and seeded
4 Heirloom tomatoes, cut in quarters
4 Green Onions, chopped
4 Garlic cloves
Salt to taste
On the grill roast the chile manzanos, once they are nice and blistered place them in the blender. On the comal or cast iron griddle, blister the heirloom tomatoes and garlic, turning till all sides are blistered, then place tomatoes and garlic in the same blender that the manzano peppers are in and pulse. Place salsa in a bowl and add chopped green onions, and salt to taste
Carne Asada
Marinade
8 oz Tamarind Concentrate
1 Jalapeno
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 pounds of skirt steak
Place all ingredients in a blender, blend well. Slather marinade on steak overnight.
EGGFEST 2008
Abalone Poppers
Mike Connelly
Sunnyvale,CA
-Abalone
-Pepper Jack Cheese
-Jalapeno
Cut thin Abalone steak, pound to tenderize,
garlic powder and lightly salt, lay a piece
of pepper jack and jalapeno onto the pounded
Ab steak, roll up, pin with a toothpick,
Cook over Med.hot grill, on foil, for 3 to 4 minutes.
EGGFEST 2008
Jalapeno Poppers
Mike Connelly
Sunnyvale, CA
-Jalapeno Peppers raw
-Bacon
-Cream Cheese
-Onion
-Garlic
-Dizzy Dust
-Milk
-Cayanne Pepper
Fill peppers with the mixture of all the ingredients (to taste). Wrap a piece of bacon around each stuffed pepper put a toothpick through, lightly sprinkle with Cayenne pepper. Cook over Med.hot grill, on foil, for 4 to 5 minutes.
EGGFEST 2012
Vidalia Onion Casserole
Ross Maehl
Ventura, CA
This makes enough filling for 2- 11 ¾ x 9 3/8 x 2 9/16 in Steam Table Pans
This recipe is a slightly modified version of one posted by Larry Ward on
The Big Green Egg forum – it is from Tea Time at the Masters. Copied from Thirdeye's website.
8 lbs thinly sliced Vidalia Onions or other sweet onions.
4- cup sour cream
12- eggs
4- cup Pepper Jack cheese, grated
4- cup sharp cheddar, grated
8T- butter
16- pieces of smoked bacon fried and crumbled, or sausage (fried, drained & crumbled)
4- splashes of hot sauce
2- tsp Kosher salt
4- tsp white pepper
Saute onions in butter until clear. Let stand and cool some.
Grate cheese. Beat the eggs add the pepper jack, salt, pepper, sour cream and bacon to the eggs and mix well.
Pour into Steam Table Pans, add the cheddar cheese on top and bake at 375 for 40 minutes and let cool and serve. For baking on your cooker or grill, use a pizza stone on the grate to diffuse the heat. Cooking over wood coals or lump charcoal gives this casserole an excellent flavor.
EGGFEST 2006-2008-2009-2010
BillT’s Salsa
(adapted from Kevi’s Smokey Jalapeno Salsa)
Bill Taylor
Sacramento, CA
Per food processor batch (multiply by grill space for total quantity)
10 Roma tomatoes
2 Jalapeno peppers
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Small handful of cilantro leaves (no stems)
2 tablespoon white vinegar
Dash salt Juice of ½ lime
½ Vidalia onion Smoke tomatoes and peppers on indirect grill at low temperature and lots of heavy smoke (hickory, mesquite, or oak) for 1-4 hour or until skins turn dark. (Longer times give greater flavor and sweeter tomatoes) Skin tomatoes and Jalapenos and de-seed Jalapenos and put in food processor with remaining ingredients. Process until desired consistency. Put in large bowl and taste. Process next batch with more or less Jalapeno to satisfy desired heat level, same with cilantro. I will typically make 4-5 batches and find it easier to reduce the Jalapeno peppers in the first batch and “bring up the heat” rather than trying to “turn the heat off”!
I can this salsa by heating processed salsa to low boil and then using a pressure cooker following director for salsa recipes (15 minutes at 10 pounds). ½ pint wide mouth jars fit picnic needs.
EGGFEST 2011
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
with Lemon Citronette
Jackie Maehl
Ventura, CA
2-lb. asparagus
½ lb thinly sliced prosciutto
Preheat grill to 400*
Snap off bottom of each asparagus
Wrap asparagus in a thin slice of prosciutto
Grill for about 3-4-min. a side
Lemon citronette:
Grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 t Dijon mustard
¼ C extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ T finely chopped thyme
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice and mustard.
Continuing
to whisk, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified and smooth.
Add thyme, and salt & pepper to taste.
EGGFEST 2013
Epic Mac & Cheese
Ted Atlas
Campbell, CA
10 cups ! shredded cheese (see note)
16 oz! ! ! elbow macaroni or other small pastas
1! ! yellow or white onion, diced
3-4! ! cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup! unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp ground oregano
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbs! ! ground pepper
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
1 egg lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups cheddar Goldfish crackers or Cheez-it crackers, pulverized
1. Preheat oven or Big Green Egg (use plate setter for indirect heat) to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Toss the cheeses together in a large bowl.
3. Boil the pasta until it is about two-thirds cooked. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Toss the hot pasta with 4 cups of the cheese mixture.
4. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat until foam subsides. Add onion and cook
until translucent. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, oregano, paprika and pepper.
5. Whisk in milk, heavy cream and sour cream. Continue whisking until everything
comes back to a low simmer. Whisk in about 4 cups of the cheese and keep
whisking until the cheese melts. Whisk in the egg.
6. Pour the hot cheese mixture over the pasta and mix well. Transfer to a 9-inch by 13-
inch baking dish. Scatter the remaining cheese over the pasta and top with
pulverized crackers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake about 25 minutes then
uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes until the top browns a little.
Note: You can vary the mixture of the cheese. I use at least half cheddar or cheddar/
jack and the remainder mozzarella, Mexican cheese blend and some grated parmesan.
You really can’t go wrong with any mixture of cheeses.
I don’t add salt to the mixture because most cheese already has a lot of salt but you can
add it if you wish or when you serve it.
EGGFEST 2015
Breakfast Casserole
Ted Atlas
Campbell, CA
4 Eggs
2 cups Milk
1 tsp Dry mustard
1 tsp Salt
1/2 lbs Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
5-6 slices French bread, cubed or one loaf of French bread.
Grease a 9”x9”x1 1/2” glass baking dish. Blend the first five ingredients together. Place bread cubes in the casserole and pour the mixture over the bread. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
Heat Big Green Egg to 350º using the plate setter for indirect heating. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is browned and the moisture is absorbed.
This can be baked in an oven. If doing so place baking dish in a shallow pan of water to prevent the bottom from over cooking.
It can be topped with crumbled bacon.