I wanted to do something different on the grill this weekend. I heated up some of my homemade smoked bacon and thought that having some hard boiled eggs would go very nicely with it. Inspiration hit, and I decided to make smoked eggs on the big green egg.
Making Hard Boiled Eggs for Smoking
I used to get frustrated with boiling eggs. It was easy, but sometimes it was a pain to peel the egg without tearing out chunks of the egg whites. I tried the ice baths, shaking them in a glass jar, and peeling them underwater, but nothing brought consistent results. Well, that is until I started using the Instant Pot for cooking the eggs.
I set up the Instant Pot with a cup of water and place the eggs on the wire mesh inside the cooking chamber. I set the timer for eight minutes and release the steam vent when it is over. Boom! The “hard-boiled” eggs are done, and they peel super easy all the time! Just try it – it makes all the difference in the world.
How to Smoke Eggs
After peeling them, I set up the grill with indirect heat and soaked a piece of hickory that was given to me. My neighbor’s parents came into town and loved the BGE. The next time they came in, they brought some hickory from their farm. Isn’t that great? You can use pecan, oak or apple as well. All of them will work great to smoke the eggs.
I added the wood to the grill, lowered the temperature and added the plate setter for a nice indirect heat.
I kept the temperature around 200 – 225 degrees. You don’t want to cook the eggs again, just smoke them.
Place the eggs in a disposable aluminum pan and place it in the center of the grill.
It doesn’t take a lot of smoke to add the flavoring to the eggs. In fact, a little goes a long way. I took the eggs off the grill after 20 minutes of a nice solid stream of smoke and refrigerated the right away.
** You can choose to not peel them first when you put them on the smoker to achieve a slightly lighter smokey flavor. Some people prefer that. Another option is to just crack the eggs but not peel them. That will give a medium taste. Either of these will be great options for people that want to try this but not sure they want that full smoke taste.
How Long will the Smoked Eggs Last in the Refrigerator?
I would only keep them for three days with the shells off. I keep the shell-on eggs for the whole week.
What else can I do with Smoked Eggs?
- Make deviled eggs – This will take an appetizer to a whole new level. Add bacon chunks in it and it is over the top delish!
- Deviled eggs with guacamole instead of mayonnaise – This will completely change the flavor of the eggs but will result in a huge return on compliments, I promise!
- Egg salad sandwiches – Make a twist on an old favorite but simply using smoked eggs instead of boiled ones.
- Make a potato or macaroni salad with the smoked eggs instead of the traditional boiled ones. Your guests will take a double turn on the taste and quickly ask you how you did that!
- Use slices of the egg on a cobb salad or as part of the protein for a salad mix.
How to Smoke Eggs on the Grill
Ingredients
- 12 each Eggs
Instructions
- Boil the eggs inside like you normally would. I cook mine in the instant pot for 8 minutes. I find the eggs cooked in the Instant Pot will peel a lot easier
- Peel the eggs.
- Set up your grill for indirect heat.
- Soak wood in water for an hour before you add it to the grill. I used hickory that my neighbor’s parents brought for me. They loved my Big Green Egg and thought I would appreciate the wood (I sure did!)
- Bring the temperature of the grill to about 200 degrees and add the wood (or wood chips).
- Make sure that the grill is smoking nicely before adding the hard boiled eggs.
- Place the peeled hard boiled eggs in a disposable aluminum pan and place it on the grill. The goal is not to cook the eggs more, but rather to give them a good smoke. You will notice the outside of the eggs take on a brown coloring.
- After about 20 minutes, remove the eggs, bring them inside, and let them rest. Serve them fresh, or keep them in the refrigerator for up to three days.
