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Big Green Egg The Basics

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Components of the Big Green Egg

Assembly

Lighting Your Big Green Egg

Bringing Your Big Green Egg Up to Cooking Temperature

Setting Up to Cook

Cooking on Your Big Green Egg

Thermometers

Shutting Down the BGE

Consumer Advisory,

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

Components of the Big Green Egg

  1. Draft door
  2. Dual Function Metal Top aka Daisy Wheel (keep inside the EGG when not cooking)
  3. Fire box and grate
  4. Fire ring
  5. Main Grid
  6. Thermometer (check and calibrate periodically)
  7. Ceramic Rain Top (used to shut down the EGG after use & when not in use)
  8. Eggcessories (ConvEGGtor, pizza stone, grid lifter, ash tool, etc)

Location of Your Big Green Egg

  1. Outdoors and well ventilated
  2. Nothing flammable nearby (if on a wooden deck have fire proof rug)
  3. Not under low ceiling

Assembly

  1. Fire box opening facing draft door (always keep them aligned)
  2. Fire ring sits on the fire box
  3. Fire grate sits concave side down
  4. Periodically check bolts as they loosen over time

Lighting Your Big Green Egg

  1. Only use lump charcoal…briquettes produce too much ash and burn up too quickly.
  2. Do not ever use lighter fluid to start the fire in the Big Green Egg. The Egg is made of ceramic and the ceramic will absorb the odor of lighter fluid causing your food to taste bad. This also negates the taste of cooking on natural hardwood
  3. When cooking, load lump charcoal up to the fire ring or higher
  4. It is okay to dump charcoal directly from the bag into the Egg, however try to keep larger pieces at the bottom as to not clog the air holes
  5. It is okay to stir used lump with an ash tool to get ashes to the bottom. Okay to use lump more than once
  6. Periodically clean ash out of the bottom of the with an ash tool, brush, etc
  7. Items commonly used to start the Egg are: fire starter cubes, paper towels with vegetable oil, electric fire starters, and hand held EGGnightor. Light the lump charcoal in 2 places or more (usually 3 & 9 o’clock) unless using an electric starter.

Bringing Your Big Green Egg Up to Cooking Temperature

  1. Temp range of the EGG is 100-1000 (or higher) degrees
  2. Try not to overshoot your desired temperature. If you overshoot your desired cooking temps it will take extra time to let the ceramic of the Egg to cool down. Overshooting by 10-20 degrees is okay.
  3. If you need to adjust temps by more than 10 degrees open or close the draft door as needed
  4. If you need to adjust temps by less than 10 degrees use the daisy wheel. Do not chase temperatures. Let your Egg stabilize for 10-15 minutes before making any adjustments to draft door or daisy wheel.
  5. Once the fire is lit wait approximately 10 minutes before closing the dome to allow the fire to stabilize
  6. Remember if you are using a convEGGtor or pizza stone the temp will drop 20-30 degrees when the items are placed in the EGG
  7. Cold food also lowers the temp of the Big Green Egg
  8. BGE temp should stabilize within approximately 10 minutes of food being placed in the BGE
  9. If you’re looking, the Egg isn’t cooking.
  10. Line the screw on the daisy wheel slider up with the front of the EGG
  11. FLASHBACKS…anytime you open the BGE when it is lit be sure and “burp” the Egg several times to let oxygen in. This will stop flashbacks from occurring.

Setting Up for Cooks

  1. When the Egg is lit and the temp stabilized make sure the “undesired” smoke has cleared. You do not want white/grey smoke. You want to see bluish or clear smoke or no smoke at all before putting your food on the EGG
  2. Know the internaltemp anddome temp of the food you are cooking. You should know the internal temp of the food so you know when the food is done, and know your dome temp so you can know what temperature to cook the food.
  3. Direct cooking is on the main grid directly over the coals…steaks, burgers, fish, shrimp, etc
  4. Raised grid direct is above the gasket level so to keep the food a little higher above the flames for a direct but slower cook. This can be achieved using a Big Green Egg accessory called the Extended Rack -2 level cooking. Indirect cooking uses a barrier between the fire and the food, we call it a ConvEGGtor as it turns the Big Green Egg into a convention oven.This is for casseroles, bread, pizzas, etc.

Cooking on Your Big Green Egg

a. Smoking

With the Big Green Egg there is no need to put your chunks or chips in water prior to using them. Place chunks over lit areas and for long cooks such as butts or briskets stagger the wood throughout the lump charcoal. Be sure and wait for the “bad” smoke to clear before putting the meat on.          

b. Grilling

The BGE can easily reach 700-1000 degrees. Be careful and watch for flashbacks when grilling. If you do have any flare ups just close the dome lid. Know your dome temp versus the grid temp. The difference is usually about 30-40 degrees’ difference.

c. Baking

Wait for no smoke and put the ConvEGGtor& pizza stone in for 30 minutes to an hour to heat up properly. Pizzas and bread will be some of the best you have ever had. Big Green egg is a wood fired grill.

When baking watch for hot spots by turning the food about every 15 minutes for even doneness.

Thermometers

The Big Green Egg has a Tel Tru thermometer. You should calibrate the thermometer several times a year by placing in boiling water and verifying the temperature.Digital remote thermometers such as Digi Q and others come in handy for keeping track of internal meat temperatures.An “instant” read thermometers help in knowing proper temps also.

Shutting Down the Big Green Egg

Shut the draft door at the bottom of the Eggcompletely and place the daisy wheel inside the Egg. Place the ceramic cap on top of the Big Green Egg. The BGE will stay hot for several hours after it is shut down.

Handy Items to Have for Cooking on Your Big Green Egg

ConvEGGtor

Pizza Stone

Pit Mitts (able to with stand temps of 500+ degrees)

Rubber gloves to clean out your BGE

Ash Tool

Grid Lifter

Instant Read thermometer

Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Propane torch

Additional Information

www.biggreenegg.com

facebook: Big Green Egg Culinary Center

www.eggheadforum.com

BGE Cosmic Steak

Ingredients

  • Rib Eye Steaks (at least 1 ¼ inch thick)
  • Olive Oil
  • Big Green Egg Ancho Coffee Rub seasoning

EGG Set Up and EGGsessories:

Set the EGG up for direct cooking and stabilize the EGG at 400°F degrees.

For this application I prefer to use the cast iron cooking grid as it is great for searing.

Directions:

  1. Lightly coat the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with Rub.
  2. Cook steaks for 4-6 min flipping to get the signature cross hatch pattern.
  3. Depending on how thick the steaks are, and how done you prefer your steak, the steaks could very well be ready at this point (135 internal temp for medium rare). If the steaks are not ready shut the EGG completely down and let the steaks dwell for another 2-5 minutes depending thickness.
  4. Rest, covered with foil for 10 minutes before serving

Grilled Romaine with Maytag Blue Cheese

Ingredients

  • One Package Hearts of Romaine Lettuce
  • Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt and fresh cracked pepper
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Glaze
  • Maytag blue cheese for crumbling (keep in the fridge until use)

EGG Set Up and EGGcessories:

Set the EGGup for direct cooking and stabilize the EGG at 400˚F

Directions:

  1. Rinse the romaine and cut in half lengthwise leaving the base of the romaine on to hold leaves together while grilling.
  2. Drizzle the inside of the romaine with olive oil then lightly sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper.
  3. Grill the romaine cut side down for about 2-3 min.
  4. Cut lettuce and drizzle dressing over top, and add blue cheese crumbles
  5. Top with your favorite Vinaigrette, (red wine vinaigrette goes nicely)

Cedar Planked Thai Chili Salmon

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 4 each 7-8 oz Salmon Fillets, skinless
  • Big Green Egg Sweet and Smoky seasoning
  • 1 bottle of “Mae Ploy” or “A Taste of Thai” Sweet Chili sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup Green Onion, diced small (for garnish)

Egg Set Up and EGGcessories

Heat the Egg on Direct heat and set at 400˚F

4 BGE Cedar planks, soaked for 30 minutes

Directions

  1. Soak your plank in water and a little chardonnay, using a weight to fully submerge in water.
  2. Take out the Salmon and place on a plate. Rub with olive oil and season with Big Green Egg Kodiak River seasoning
  3. Remove the plank from the water and place on the Egg for 3 minutes to heat.
  4. Remove the plank and flip it over (Use BGE Pit Mitts!), and place on a tray or cutting board as it will be hot
  5. Take salmon and place on the hot side of the plank

Place on the EGG and close the lid. Cook 10-12 minutes.

Brush with Thai chili sauce the last 2-3 minutes. Remove and garnish with Green Onion, Internal temperature of the fish should be 145°F

Grilled Donuts with Brandied Peaches

Ingredients

  • 8 Donuts (Krispy Kreme work best)
  • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
  • 2 cups Peaches (sliced)
  • 1 cup Butter
  • 1/4 cup Brandy

Egg Set Up and EGGcessories

Heat the Egg on Direct heat and set at 400˚F.

Method:

  1. Heat a sauté pan on medium high heat
  2. Add the butter and the sugar.
  3. Once the butter melts and sugar starts to melt, then add the peaches.
  4. Stir well. Once incorporated, carefully add the brandy (be sure to use your pit mitts to protect your hands).
  5. Allow the mixture to cook for 15 minutes
  6. Set the Big Green Egg for direct cooking at 375° F.
  7. Place the donuts on the grill, then grill for 11 seconds on each side.
  8. Serve the donuts with the sauce 
 

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