Cheri Dunlap went in search of a 60th birthday gift for her husband, who loves to cook and is good at it. While looking for a standard barbecue grill, she came across the Big Green Egg, a ceramic appliance that is fashioned after the Japenese kamado. It is billed as "the world's best smoker and grill." Something that could grill and smoke was exactly what Doug wanted.
There are many accessories available for the dark green, egg-shaped cooker, including an "egg crate," a stand to hold the Egg. But Doug wanted something more substantial, something that would raise the egg to a convenient height for cooking and something with room for his utensils. So he headed for his workshop, where the sign by the door reads, "The Doug-Out, No Gurlz Allowed." There he designed and built a 5-foot table for his Egg, the first of many he would build.
"I have been interested in woodworking all my life," said Dunlap.
He got serious about the craft in 1998 when he and Cheri moved to Lake Bridgeport and gutted their home, totally remodeling it, with help. They volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina, and closer to home, they helped with the local Habitat house in Bridgeport.
Doug and Cheri have also partnered on a home remodeling project at the lake, and Doug is often called on by neighbors for help with their projects.
What began as a project to meet his individual needs has grown into a business. Doug has built Egg tables for a high-end barbecue accessories store as well as for individuals.
He begins each Egg table by allowing the lumber to cure at least three weeks. He uses 2X6 lumber that he has run through his planer. He glues the pieces together and sands the top and lower shelf. The table is put together with 2-inch, 14-gauge square steel tubing, and he does all his own welding.
"It's going to last as long as the Egg," he said confidently.
He finishes each table with a minimum of three coats of spar urethane, hand sanding between coats. The bottom shelf is finished to perfection, just like the top of the table.
Dunlap has stock plans for various tables for the larger versions of the Egg, but he also builds tables to customers' specifications. He recently completed a table for an Egg owner in the Hill Country who wanted a table with two different heights and cabinet doors. The steel can be painted to the customer's specifications.
The former mayor of Lake Bridgeport has cooked brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey, meatloaf, burgers, pizza and much more on his Egg and is sold on the quality of the items he cooks. Because of the baffle between the grate and the charcoal, the meat doesn't come in direct contact with the flames. The result is a very moist meat.
Breakfast can even be prepared in an Egg, and Cheri says she is anxious to try baking a cake in it.
The Egg will cook everything "from biscuits to briskets," according to Doug.
The Dunlaps look forward to getting more involved with other Egg owners.
"It's kind of like a cult," Doug said with a laugh. "There are egg fests, where eggheads get together and demonstrate their skills, similar to barbecue cookoffs."
To see Doug's tables, visit his Web site at http://www.MrDStuff.com He can be emailed at Doug@MrDStuff.com.
