We had no clue as to how to cook on it so we just set it up on the deck until we could figure it out.
It was a couple of months before we discovered the Big Green Egg Forum, where "Eggheads" hung out and shared information about the Big Green Egg, recipes, and happily, how to cook on the darn thing.
Well, the first thing the Big Green Egg Forum asked was for me to register. I did, and then they threw another curve at me: What is my Big Green Egg Handle? Handle!!! I don't have one. So I figured since we live in Spring Texas and the first thing I cooked (not very well) on the Egg was chicken, then I would become Spring Chicken. And soon afterward, my Sweetie would become Spring Hen.
My first question for my newly found Egghead friends was, "How long does it take knuckle hair to grow back?" Yes, I learned one of the first lessons of cooking on an Egg - 'burp it first...' meaning, don't suddenly open the dome when the fire is starved for oxygen. To do so will surely offer up a surprise that can leave a lasting impression, not to mention losing some arm hair and eyebrows. To the member Eggheads, I had just been baptized by fire and they readily accepted me into the best group of people on the planet - Eggheads...
I wanted to establish myself quickly by showing photos of my cooks. My first attempt at posting a photo failed miserably, but a fellow Egghead posted it for me and that photo and others clearly established me as a novice at this new way of cooking. I also learned that I wasn't a 'novice' as much as I was a Newbie. It's a step up because Newbie means I'm actually asking for help, whereas, novice thinks they already know, or can figure out, how to cook on an Egg.
Anyway, when I did post a photo of me cooking on the Egg, it was suggested that I return to my dealer and get an adjustable damper (aka Daisy Wheel) for the top vent on the Egg. I had been cooking better and better without one, but I desperately wanted to do it right. So I bought one. What a difference that made. The steps taken when cooking on the Egg all started to make perfect sense.
More important, it was becoming fun. In fact, a lot of fun. And it has remained fun all these years as we both continue to grow our cooking skills.
And, of course, it didn't take long before we knew we had found a hobby that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Here we are almost seventeen years later with six Big Green Eggs, an outdoor kitchen known around the world, and friends by the thousands whom we would never have met had it not been for the Big Green Egg.
Our outdoor kitchen is now ten years old and continues to be a focal point in our lives. It has many stories to tell and, rest assured, those stories get told to everyone who will listen. Even better when they hear the stories while visiting here.
For those who have no idea what our Chicken Coop looks like, I keep updating YouTube videos so they can 'take the tour' so they can see what makes it so special to us. The Coop is a collection of memories brought to life in a whimsical setting designed to have fun. We enjoy it every day.
Take the tour and see what I mean... Coop Tour
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