Outdoor Scones

These gorgeous Buttermilk Scones, baked on an outdoor grill, are crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. The taste has a pleasing touch of smokiness from the grill that complements the crunch of the golden crust. Spread them with butter and strawberry jam for a deliciously rustic treat.

Making Plans

Moving from Washington to Tennessee last year I found myself looking forward to the Mid-south’s long summer season of sunshine and dry weather. I imagined laid-back meals cooked on our outdoor grill and eaten on the patio. I sifted through pictures of unique patios and pretty outdoor settings and pinned them to my boards on Pinterest.

Once the moving truck pulled away and we began to settle into our new home, most of our projects focused on that end. Our first project was transforming the existing yard, a narrow strip beside the house, and the concrete patio just off the back door. We drew up rough plans for a terraced garden, patio and outdoor cooking space. After some effort to establish the boundaries and bones of the project, we hired a landscaping specialist to construct the patios, install the garden and pave an area designated for a BBQ grill.

Out With the Old

As soon as the designated stone pad was in place in the grilling area my husband began to shop for a new BBQ to fill the space. His old grill, an ancient and hideous-looking Ducane, remained in Washington. It ran on natural gas and was plumbed to the house.

While it was a good decision to leave the old grill behind, it was a mistake to think that a similar one would be easy to come by. Though we looked, we could not find another gas grill with ceramic charcoal briquettes for sale anywhere. What we did find was something new to us and very different. Again and again we saw Big Green Eggs for sale. We also discovered a host of fellow customers who were passionate about cooking on them.

If you are as in the dark as I was a short time ago, a Big Green Egg is a kamado-style ceramic charcoal cooker. It reaches high temperatures while using a relatively small amount of natural charcoal. With the use of some pricey accessories, most especially a ceramic plate setter but not forgetting the functional cast iron grate, it can be used as a brick oven as well as a grill.

In With the New

Honestly, I was never one to use our BBQ grill. Prior to our move last year the general understanding at my house was that I do the indoor cooking and my husband takes care of the outdoor cooking. I sometimes prepare Kebabs for picnics or marinated meat to cook on the BBQ but I never do the actual outdoor cooking. As we looked for a new outdoor grill I came along for the ride but I was easily distracted. While my husband studied the grills I drifted toward the outdoor furniture and gardening books.

Even from the bookshelf, however, I couldn’t help but overhear the change in tone when the men in the barbecue zone began to share tales about the Big Green Egg. Joy began to infuse their voices and the texture of legend framed their words. Drawn into the conversation I detected a twinkle in the eyes of these fans, grilling compatriots not paid salesmen, as they talked about methods of starting the charcoal, length of time they devoted to cooking a pork butt, or the latest gadget they used to light charcoal or time and check the internal temperature of what they put on the grill.

Then they touched on the subject of baking. Some had baked pizzas on this grill and claimed there was no better way to cook them. They compared the Big Green Egg to a brick oven, then shared rumors that it was great for baking bread and biscuits too. They mentioned blogs and websites devoted to cooking on the Big Green Egg along with series of YouTube videos.

Discovering the Passion

Pondering these claims over the next few weeks I must admit that I was far from disappointed when my husband suggested we buy a Big Green Egg. Compared to the infrared shiny aluminum gas grills he had found, the Big Green Egg seemed sturdy and yet adventurous. He told me he thought it was time to try something new. He suggested it might be fun for us to cook together in our newly renovated back yard garden. Maybe we could even cultivate a few specialties beyond Grilled Salmon and Greek Feta Chicken. I agreed.

On a Wednesday The Egg arrived. On Thursday we grilled chicken breasts. Then, on Saturday morning, we took it up a notch and tested the brick oven theory. While still a little shaky in our skills to maintain a stable oven temperature (mostly due to an insuppressible desire to open the lid and see what is going on in there) we made a batch of our favorite Buttermilk Scones and put them on a baking stone in the Big Green Egg.

While they took a little longer to get done in the middle than in a conventional oven (again, most likely due to indiscreet peeking) the added time allowed for a little extra delicious browning. What emerged were some gorgeous scones, golden and crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. The taste had a pleasing touch of smokiness from the barbecue that complemented the crispiness of the golden crust. Spread with butter and strawberry jam they were exceptionally delicious. I’d have to call this adventure a success! Now what will we cook next….

Enjoy!