Prize-winning steaks come from Big Green Egg

By Elana Seidell TimesNewspapers – Peoria, Illinois

Seven years ago, Ron Pratt arrived at a local plant nursery to find two men engaged in a heated discussion in the parking lot. One of the men drove from Iowa to purchase “lump” charcoal;. He called ahead to make sure that the nursery carried it. The other man lived in the Peoria area and arrived at the nursery just before the man from Iowa. He purchased the last three bags of lump that the store had to sell. The man from Iowa simply wanted the man from Peoria to sell him one bag, but the Peorian would not sell even a bag to him.

“What was it about lump charcoal,” Pratt wondered, “that would make two grown men argue about it in a parking lot?” At the time, that particular retailer was the only place in the area that carried lump charcoal, which is the special charcoal used in the “Big Green Egg,” a ceramic cooker made with space-age ceramic. Curiosity got the best of Pratt and after some research, he and his wife bought a Big Green Egg.

Since that time, he has purchased three more BGE of different sizes, each guaranteed for life, and won two more in the steak cook-offs put on by Rocke’s to benefit Easter Seals. Those two he donated to Easter Seals to sell at their silent auction. He says the big Green Egg is his secret to winning those steak cook-offs. His recipe combines a number of different techniques, but the real secret is the cooker. Ceramic doesn’t have the heat loss of a gas grill, says Pratt. He cooked his award winning steaks at 725 degrees.

“The Egg is very forgiving,” Pratt said, “you can control the temperature with the vent and the exhaust, and set the temperature exactly. People are surprised when they say set the temperature at 350 degrees, and I can set it exactly at 350 degrees.

Anything that you can do in the oven you can do on a Big Green Egg – cakes, cookies pizza. “I do a triple chocolate and Kahlua cake to die for,” he said, “there are a few things I cook on the stove, but I cook mostly on the big Green Egg. Cooking is both a passion and hobby for Pratt, who cooks three or four nights a week since retiring three years ago. Having four BGE of different sizes allows Pratt to cook different foods at different temperatures and vary the distance of the food from the charcoal.

Lump charcoal – well you can tell it was a piece of wood – it does not look like the regular charcoal that you use with a grill and has very little ash. “You can also re-use the same coals, because you can cap off the Egg and kill the fire,” he said.

The large Egg is the best to start with, Pratt said. He has cooked a 25 pound turkey in his large Egg. The small and mini Eggs are great for searing steaks and hamburgers, and many people purchase the minis to take on trips, he said.
Hearth and Patio on North University is the retailer for the Big Green Egg in Peoria. Pratt teaches cooking classes there for both newcomers to the Egg and more advanced Big Green Egg chefs. “There are certain things that you need to know that I teach in the classes,” Pratt said. The class is one night and lasts 2 and a half hours, and Pratt says that no one will leave the class hungry.