having to young boys means that at Easter we're going to end up with at least a couple dozen hard boiled eggs. This year I decided to try a couple methods of cooking the eggs to see which I preferred the best. For many years I have used a recipe that was passed to us from a chicken farmer. So I used that method for part of the batch. I baked another batch in a muffin pan in the oven. The third batch I did pterodactyl style in the Mini-WSM while smoking a Tri-tip. So here are the methods and the results.
From front to back:
Method #1 (bottom): Put eggs in a pot with cold water, bring to rolling boil. Boil for five minutes, remove from heat and cover pot with a lid. Let stand in covered pot for 25 minutes. Place in ice bath, peel immediately (if you can. I had to wait since these were getting dyed.). The results are bright yellow yoke, creamy yolk, non rubbery whites every time.
Method #2 (middle): Place eggs on their sides in a muffin pan. Place in a pre-heated 325* oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place in ice bath immediately, and peel. Yellow yolks, but not as vibrant as the boiled ones. Didn't peel as easily (see whole egg) Some were brown on the bottoms. Texture wasn't as good as the boiled ones.
Method #3 (top): I was smoking a Tri-tip at 275* using mesquite lump and Cherry in the Mini-WSM. So I threw these on too. I let them cook/smoke in there for an hour. placed in an ice bath. I expected there to be some smoke flavor, but there wasn't. As can be seen the yolk greened up, and the whites took on a smoked color. The texture of the egg wasn't great. Rubbery. I don't know if less time would have helped as two of the eggs the whites weren't fully done on the side that had been facing up.
So my conclusion is that my tried and true method #1 produces the best hard boiled eggs for me. Now on to eggxperiment #2. Cold smoked eggs in the Mini-WSM. A while back I purchased a 12" AMNTS specifically for cold smoking in the Mini-WSM. The conclusion, it works fantastic in there! I cold smoked the eggs for 2 hours using Alder pellets. I only filled the tube half way, which was way to much. I left all the vents wide open on the Mini.
Firing it up. Removed the charcoal basket from the mini. Should mention it was 60* outside. The smoke chamber reached a temp of 77* after 2 hours. I found that standing it on its end makes it burn better.
Working nicely after about 5 minutes
TBS!!!
About an hour in 66* smoke chamber & TBS. Don't tell anyone the egg in the back got dropped on the ground, Snow Dog thanked me for that one!
That's a wrap!
From front to back:
Method #1 (bottom): Put eggs in a pot with cold water, bring to rolling boil. Boil for five minutes, remove from heat and cover pot with a lid. Let stand in covered pot for 25 minutes. Place in ice bath, peel immediately (if you can. I had to wait since these were getting dyed.). The results are bright yellow yoke, creamy yolk, non rubbery whites every time.
Method #2 (middle): Place eggs on their sides in a muffin pan. Place in a pre-heated 325* oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place in ice bath immediately, and peel. Yellow yolks, but not as vibrant as the boiled ones. Didn't peel as easily (see whole egg) Some were brown on the bottoms. Texture wasn't as good as the boiled ones.
Method #3 (top): I was smoking a Tri-tip at 275* using mesquite lump and Cherry in the Mini-WSM. So I threw these on too. I let them cook/smoke in there for an hour. placed in an ice bath. I expected there to be some smoke flavor, but there wasn't. As can be seen the yolk greened up, and the whites took on a smoked color. The texture of the egg wasn't great. Rubbery. I don't know if less time would have helped as two of the eggs the whites weren't fully done on the side that had been facing up.
So my conclusion is that my tried and true method #1 produces the best hard boiled eggs for me. Now on to eggxperiment #2. Cold smoked eggs in the Mini-WSM. A while back I purchased a 12" AMNTS specifically for cold smoking in the Mini-WSM. The conclusion, it works fantastic in there! I cold smoked the eggs for 2 hours using Alder pellets. I only filled the tube half way, which was way to much. I left all the vents wide open on the Mini.
Firing it up. Removed the charcoal basket from the mini. Should mention it was 60* outside. The smoke chamber reached a temp of 77* after 2 hours. I found that standing it on its end makes it burn better.
Working nicely after about 5 minutes
TBS!!!
About an hour in 66* smoke chamber & TBS. Don't tell anyone the egg in the back got dropped on the ground, Snow Dog thanked me for that one!
That's a wrap!
