Big Green Egg Getting Started

[Applause] [Music] [Applause] for best results use the big green egg natural lump charcoal made from a selection of 100 hard woods natural lump charcoal burns hotter and cleaner and lights faster and easier than briquettes most briquettes contain chemical additives coal limestone sawdust starch and even scrap lumber we do not add petroleum products or chemicals to our charcoal with our larger chunks you will use less charcoal than you would with briquettes it lasts longer and leaves little ash also never use lighter fluid you don't need it and you don't want that taste in your food let's get started first replace the ceramic damper lid with the dual function metal top open the dome and remove the stainless steel cooking grid then fill the firebox with the big green egg 100 natural lump charcoal just about to the top of the firebox now slide the patented stainless steel draft door completely open and you're ready for fire [Applause] [Music] [Music] now that the firebox is filled with big green egg 100 natural lump charcoal it's time to light the fire when lighting natural lump charcoal use our big green egg electric charcoal starter or big green egg natural fire starters both will have you ready to cook in minutes nestle one big green egg fire starter into the center of the charcoal and light replace the stainless steel cooking grid and after seven to ten minutes or when several coals are burning close the dome and fully open the dual function metal top for maximum airflow you can also use the big green egg electric charcoal starter to light the charcoal first buried a lighter into the charcoal then plug it in after approximately seven minutes you'll see the center of the charcoal with a red glow remove and unplug the lighter now replace the stainless steel cooking grid and close the dome remember to fully open the dual function metal top until desired temperature is reached [Applause] [Music] when the temperature gauge reaches the desired cooking temperature reduce the airflow by adjusting the dual function metal top and the patented stainless steel draft door small adjustments may be made later if necessary to fine tune the temperature the greater the opening the higher the temperature the secret to extraordinary food cooked on the big green egg centers around heat retention air circulation and temperature control the dome should be closed while cooking to allow the heat to radiate inside of the egg leaving the dome open reduces the big green egg to an ordinary inefficient barbecue grill that allows the food to dry out when you are finished cooking simply replace the dual function metal top with the ceramic damper lid and close the patented stainless steel draft door the fire will soon extinguish and the big green egg will begin to cool because of the thick ceramic walls of the egg it may take a while to cool remember this works well for keeping foods warm [Music] please note if you've been cooking at temperatures above 300 be very careful when opening the dome first raise the dome an inch or two to pause and burp it before raising the dome completely this will allow the sudden rush of oxygen to burn safely inside the egg and not as a flashback which could startle you and possibly cause injury [Applause] [Music] you'll find that much of the charcoal you started with in your previous cookout has not been consumed if you close both the top and bottom openings when you're finished cooking the remaining charcoal can be reused before firing up the egg use an ash tool to rake the coals across the cast iron fire grate the ash will fall through the holes in the grate and into the bottom of the egg add charcoal if necessary to bring the level just above the air holes as before you are now ready to re-light the egg periodically between cooks use your ash tool to reach through the draft door and rake out the ash also check the air holes in the firebox to make sure that they are clear these sometimes become filled with small bits of charcoal or ash which will reduce the airflow for more information tips and recipes visit our website big greenegg.com

Channel: BigGreenEggHQ

Views: 1,242,586

Keywords: big, green, egg, fill, light, charcoal, temperature, control, relighting, cleaning, The Big Green Egg, Educational, tips

Id: QSrLeWwtH2c

Length: 4min 50sec (290 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 28 2012