The Big Green Egg® stands alone as the most versatile barbecue or outdoor cooking product on the market. With more capabilities than all other conventional cookers combined. From appetizers to entrees to desserts, the Big Green Egg will exceed all of your expectations for culinary perfection.
Now that you brought your Big Green Egg home, now what? What was all the talk about burping the egg? How do I light this thing up? No fear, Chef Jason is here! Ace's Grill Expert will walk you through what you need to know to get started with the grill.
Lighting the Egg
When it comes to heating up your egg, it's a breeze with the right accessories. There are a lot of options.- Be sure to properly burn in your Big Green Egg prior to use
- The EGGniter and the Looftlighter are great tools for firing up your Egg
- Stump Chunks get the fire going good and have a great smell to them
- Don't ever use chemicals or starter fluid. Keep it all natural.
- Leave the top and bottom vents wide open when starting your grill
- Use an igniter to turn light the charcoal. Light the direct center so that you have direct heat in the center and indirect cooking on the sides. Hold the lighter until a fire forms in the middle, about a softball sized area.
- Push embers from the side onto the middle to even out the heat
- Once you have smoke coming out of the top, you know you're on the right track. The fire is buliding big and strong.
Controlling Temperature
When it comes to controlling temperature it's all about controlling with the regulator and the flaps. Sustaining the fire is key with low and slow cooking.- Use a grilling thermometer to keep track of your temperature. Once you stop seeing smoke come out of the top and see heat, you know that you can adjust
- The top vent is called the regulator, that helps control air flow and heat
- The bottom vent is important because it controls the air that comes in. Slowing down air coming in can control the temperature by making sure it doesn't get too hot
- A good setting is to have the cover halfway open, with the screen covering half of the opening, past the cover.
- The bottom flap is controlling heat and the top flap is for minor adjustments
Burping the Egg
If you throw the lid to the Egg open, there will be so much cooler air rushing in, that it will throw the flame out, which is why it is important to burb it before opening.- Burping the egg means lifting the lid slightly open, a couple of times, before opening the grill wide open
- This allows for air to flow into the egg to come in a little at a time to prevent disrupting the fire and keep you safe.
First Cook
A great first cook on the Big Green Egg is Steaks and Pork Chops. You can get acclimated on how the fire works, grilling space, reading temperature are all easy with steaks and chops.- Learn everything you can about how a Big Green Egg works so you can get into more complex recipes.
- Adding food to the center will put it over direct heat, allowing for hot and fast cooking
- To finish food, or other recipes that need low and slow, move the food to the outer side of the eggs for a nice finish
Snuffing the Egg
- Close the top and bottom vents
- Close the lid
- Allow Big Green Egg to cool for 2-4 hours, and that's all!
Published: 3/2/2020
