There’s no denying the Big Green Egg is an awesome cooking system. A few minutes exploring online and you’ll see what a huge fan base there is for this grill that can do everything from smoke a pork butt to sear steak at 800 degrees like the finest steak house. But for some of us who aren’t culinary fanatics, we could use a little help with the BGE.
I recently discovered the DigiQ Dx2 system by BBQ Guru for the Big Green Egg. This device automatically monitors the temperature of the meat and actually controls the temperature of the pit (or grill). The video below will demonstrate how to hook up and use this device for the first time. Typically you control the temperature of the BGE by opening or closing the air vents at the top and bottom of the egg. By opening the vents, you allow more air flow to the natural lump charcoal and thus providing more fuel to the fire which results in the pit temperature increasing. Close the vents and the cooking temperature drops. The DigiQ works with a computer controlled electric fan you mount to the lower egg vent. By blowing air onto the fire, the DigiQ controls the cooking temperature of the egg. At the same time, it has a meat probe that will monitor the temperature of your food and let you know when it’s done, and shut down the fire to avoid overcooking.
I love the DigiQ because I’m usually not kicking back in the lawn chair when I’m grilling – I’m running around doing ten other things before dinner. If I’m smoking meat or cooking low and slow, I don’t want to have to check the BGE thermometer every 15 minutes to make sure it’s not running away hot or dying on me. Although ambient temperature doesn’t have much effect on the BGE, wind does. A steady wind over the egg will significantly affect the draft of air over the vents and will make it difficult to control your cooking temperature and will likely consume your fuel a lot faster than normal. The DigiQ solves that problem by mechanically controlling the amount of air flow to the flame.
I find that I use less fuel with the DigiQ and I never have a problem starting the fire (Click here to see our Lighting the Big Green Egg post). You can also check out another device called the EggCelerator that is simply a battery powered fan to speed up your start times for a third of the price of the DigiQ.
My one disappointment with the DigiQ were the instructions that came with the system. Plus I couldn’t find anywhere online that walked you through the first time use of this cool device. So I recorded the video here to help out other first time users. Today I can have the entire system plugged in and running my BGE in less than a minute – and then be able to walk away confidently knowing the DigiQ has everything under control.
All Big Green Egg accessories can be found at four Koopman Lumber locations in Whitinsville, Uxbridge, N Grafton and Sharon. Although we have one of the largest assortments in the Northeast, we are more than happy to bring in any accessory we may not have on the shelf that day.
