Cole Cooks: Big Green Egg Overview
At Fun Diego Family we love our Big Green Egg. We have owned our Big Green Egg since 2011. It has been surprisingly maintenance free. This is an overview of our experience with the BIg Green Egg along with some of our favorite recipes.
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Introducing the Big Green Egg
The Big Green Egg is a high-end brand of kamado-style grill. The Big Green Egg brand has almost a cult following. We were introduced to it through a class we took on cooking ribs at BBQ Galore. Sadly, that store and its great classes have closed. However, BBQ Galore sold us on the Big Green Egg and we have been using ours since 2011.
We have a large Big Green Egg. When we originally bought the egg it came in 3 sizes, medium, large and extra-large. Now the egg comes in 7 sizes including a 2XL with a 29-inch diameter and 672 square inches of cooking area. Ours is 18 inches with 262 square inches of cooking area. The smallest mini has 79 square inches.
The beauty of the Big Green Egg is that it acts both as a smoker and a traditional grill. You can smoke meat at 200 degrees or crank the temperature up to 700 degrees or more. We have a large gas grill, so we tend to use it more as a smoker.
Accessories
There are all kinds of accessories you can buy for the Big Green Egg. The one that I think is a definite must is the convEGGtor. This is a plate you set below the grill to allow for indirect cooking. It is pretty much required for any low heat smoking.
Other accessories that are useful include the Big Green Egg brand lump charcoal and fire starters. I have used other brands of charcoal trying to save money but have now gone full circle back to the Big Green Egg brand. I also have gone through several electric fire starters, but found that the Speedilight Charcoal Starters are even better.
One thing to note about pricing for Big Green Eggs is that retailers are not allowed to post prices online. One thing I did with BBQ Galore was to haggle to get the convEGGtor thrown in. Normally it is over $100.
Low Heat Cooking
Cooking on the Big Green Egg is all about controlling temperature. This is done by adjusting the vent cap at the top and the screen door at the bottom. Once you get the egg to its desired temperature you make the adjustments.
One thing I have learned with low temperature cooking is you don’t want it to heat past your desired level. The egg retains heat and it is hard to bring the temperature down. For a 200 to 250 degree temperature you shut off almost all the air flow as soon as it hits the desired temperature. It does require some playing around, but I was surprised how quickly I got used to it.
Maintenance
It appears the Big Green Egg now has a newer patent pending rEGGulator (they like those cute names). I haven’t tried it because I am happy with the original vent cap. I will note ours has gotten slightly rusty from accidentally leaving it in the rain. That doesn’t impact performance, but the new rEGGulator is designed to be more weather resistant.
The issue we had with our Big Green Egg was that over time the seal was no longer tight. This basically meant too much air was getting into the egg making it impossible to keep the temperature below 300 degrees. There were two things causing this issue: an old gasket and a worn hinge.
Every few years the gasket needs to be replaced. This is an inexpensive part that is easy to replace. There are many how-to-videos, but I would note you do NOT need to fully remove the lid.
The other issue was the hinge. Since we bought our Big Green Egg the hinge has been redesigned. So, we had to order a new hinge ($125). After a year of procrastination, our Big Green Egg is back in business. The good news is if you buy a new Big Green Egg it comes with the new hinge.
Like all outdoor cookers, the Big Green Egg will need a lot of cleaning. Before cooking you need to clean the charcoal. Most important is cleaning out the 3 holes in the base that allow for airflow. These tend to get jammed with ash. I will say cleaning the Big Green Egg is not as bad as our gas grill.
You should definitely get a cover and a stand for your Big Green Egg. I built my own table before ordering the Big Green Egg. Unfortunately, I used online plans where the measurements were off, so I can’t give you my plans (I had to some major modifications). There are plenty of online plans, as well as many types of stands for sale.
One thing about the Big Green Egg is all the support you can find. There are many YouTube videos, online recipes and some great support forums such as the Egg Head Forum.
As of 2019 we are back in business and plan to share some of our Big Green Egg recipes. We will add them as we go, starting with brisket and bacon.
Recipes
Big Green Egg Texas Brisket
Big Green Egg Smoked Bacon
Big Green Egg Turkey Breast
Big Green Egg Smoked Meatloaf
Big Green Egg North Carolina Pulled Pork
Big Green Egg Baby Back Ribs
Big Green Egg Tri-Tip
Dry Rub Recipes
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