Urbangriller Big Green Egg User manual

Big Green Egg
User Guide
Big Green Egg
User Guide

The best barbecue in the world
That’s a big statement, but it’s quite possibly true! Every now and again someone asks me what is the
best Barbeque? I always answer that if I had to have only one, it would be a Big Green Egg.
The reasoning is simple, the Big Green Egg style BBQs are the only one I know that will do absolutely
everything perfectly, and that’s the kicker, there are a few BBQs around that claim they will do everything,
but a Big Green Egg does do everything Perfectly; Low and Slow at a steady 80°C (175°F), High
temperature searing at a scary 450°C (845°F) and everything in-between! With a little practice you can set
up your Big Green Egg to run clean or to smoke at any temperature.
The versatility a Big Green Egg offers is unrivalled, They are stylish and practical, but most of all, they
cook like nothing else! They require some skill, so they are not for everyone! But the rewards are great for
those who persevere and become at one with the techniques.
Traditionally made from Terracotta, Kamado style cookers have a long history and are available in many
incarnations now days. Most people would understand what a “Big Green Egg” is but they may not see it
as a Kamado.
Fantastic food, Good Looks, Versatile, Economic to run, what’s not to like?
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HISTORY
The history of Big Green Egg style cookers goes back thousands of years; the Oki-Big Green Egg was a
portable cooker that was designed for outdoor cooking during the Nara-Heian era (710-794 A.D.) in
Japan. It had removable parts and was the precursor to the Mushi-Big Green Egg (a rice cooker) which
subsequently was developed into what we know as the Imperial Big Green Egg. The Mushi-Big Green
Egg was a round earthenware cooker with a removable clay lid, with a food container that nested in a hole
directly over the fire.
The Mushi-Big Green Egg was re-designed by airline pilot Richard Johnson and patented as a ceramic
barbecue in 1960's under the name "Big Green Egg" which is the Japanese word for “stove” or “cooker”.
Richard Johnson’s original promise was that the Big Green Egg, "is the best barbecue in the world."
Thousands of the original Big Green Eggs were sold to U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, who
took them back to the US in empty military transport planes. Many of these early purchasers still use
their Big Green Eggs and swear by Richard Johnson’s claim that it is the best BBQ in the world and the
term Big Green Egg, originally a trade mark is now used to describe ceramic cookers world-wide.
Modern Big Green Egg cookers are made from sophisticated “Space Age” ceramics and are capable of
tolerating enormous temperatures if treated carefully. New onto the market are Steel Big Green Egg

cookers like the Big Steel Keg, these have been designed carefully to make the most of the Big Green
Egg cooking style, they are lighter, portable and great fun to use!
SETTING UP YOUR BIG GREEN EGG
Always be aware a Big Green Egg cooker can get quite hot and needs to be positioned with ample
clearance; in particular be careful of overhead flammable materials. Big Green Egg cookers also need
airspace underneath them, this helps in the cooling phase and timber decks and flooring. Be aware of the
space your Big Green Egg lid needs to open fully.
Your Big Green Egg may have come with a trolley, a cart or feet, but if it did not, you can purchase
terracotta pot plant feet from a nursery.
A lot of users opt to make a mobile bench for the Big Green Egg to sit in. Mobile benches provide mobility,
stability and raise the working height of the Big Green Egg, they also provide extra bench space to work
from and storage for charcoal and tools. There are some ideas for benches in the Afterthoughts section
at the end of this publication.
Big Green Egg cookers should only be used in a well ventilated outdoor area, burning charcoal will rob the
air of oxygen and working with hot coals inside is dangerous.
Make sure the Big Green Egg is not placed in a thoroughfare; the exterior can get quite hot to the touch.
Keep the Big Green Egg dry, the ceramic will absorb moisture and running a high heat in a moisture
impregnated Big Green Egg can crack the ceramic.

TIPS FOR SETTING UP YOUR BIG GREEN EGG COOKER
Always make sure your Big Green Egg is stable and level.
Even when using a wooden trolley or stand, you must sit the Big Green Egg cooker on feet of some kind
so it can breathe underneath. Most Big Green Eggs come with or have, as an accessory a “Nest”, which
is a steel frame on wheels to hold the Big Green Egg at a good working height, the design on these allows
for airflow around and underneath the Big Green Egg.
Position the Big Green Egg so that thefeet balance the weight, test opening the lid, the open lid cantopple
the Big Green Egg if not balanced properly. Opening the lid rapidly can cause it to topple, always open a
Big Green Egg slowly.
Be aware that excessive atmospheric moisture, torrential rain and the like can cause the bare ceramic
walls to soak up moisture. Always make sure you remove the charcoal and ash and leave the cooker with
its lid open, until it has dried out. Preferably, don’t let it get wet in the first place. If your Big Green Egg
gets wet from rain or snow, there is a risk the ceramic will crack when it is used with a hot fire. Be sure to
dry it before use. Leave it open in the sun for a few days or light 4 or 5 small pieces of charcoal it and let
them burn with the lid open, the next day use 7 or 8 pieces, on the third day use a dozen or so pieces.
Then use the Three Step Cook Seasoning process to ensure all the moisture is driven out.
If you are using your Big Green Egg on a timber deck, always use something heatproof to protect the
timber from the radiant heat from the base of the Big Green Egg, floor tiles or a concrete/stone slab is
ideal.
Remove the ashes from inside the Big Green Egg, under the fire bowl periodically when the Big Green
Egg is not in use.
Check all the bolts and screws for tightness periodically. Check the seal regularly by closing the lid on a
$10 note and checking the tension it takes to pull it free.
Never use flammable liquids to start or re-kindle the Big Green Egg.
Never use water to extinguish the charcoal, thecharcoal will extinguish itself if you starve it of airbyclosing
the top and bottom vents. Water splashed onto the hot ceramic walls can make it crack.
After closing both vents to shut the Big Green Egg down do not open it again for at least 45minutes or you
risk a sudden “back draft” of flame as the charcoal flares up in response to the rush of incoming air when
the lid is opened.
After cooking in your ceramic Big Green Egg a very high heat (300°C (575°F) plus) be sure to use a “Safe”
shut down technique, first lower the Big Green Egg temperature down to at least 200°C (390°F) by
reducing the air supply instages, before shutting the vents completely. Shut the bottom vent for 15minutes
with top vent half open, once at 200°C (390°F) the top vent must be closed for minimum of 45 minutes to
ensure the fire is completely extinguished.
A steel Big Green Egg like the Big Steel Keg or Akorn can be shutdown from high temperature immediately
without risk.

Position the Slide top vent with the hinge facing forward, this means the top vent has a tendency to close
when the lid is opened, if you don’t notice your vent setting has changed straight away, at least the fire
won’t have raged out of control, it is easier to rescue a choked fire that one that is raging.
CHARCOAL FUEL
My preference is for Natural Lump Charcoal (Lump is made from natural timber) in larger pieces. Different
charcoals burn differently, some burn fast, some require more air. Charcoal that has absorbed moisture
from the air burns with less heat.
The production of charcoal eliminates the natural plant volatiles. Water, oils and creosote are burnt off
leaving a carbon rich fuel which burns easily, produces little smoke and is largely free of any carcinogenic
chemicals. Charcoal is a clean, green and renewable fuel.
Never use firewood in a Big Green Egg cooker, it produces too much smoke and burns at temperatures in
excess of what the Big Green Egg is designed for.
To increase the smoke flavour of your food, you can use a small amount of a flavour wood, in chunk, pellet
or chip form to increase the level of smoke. Herb bundles are also a good way to smoke flavour food.
A new charcoal product to the market is Compressed or Tubular Charcoal, these are usually made from
spent charcoal dust used in filters, they burn hot and can maintain heat longer than Natural Charcoal, the
downside is it is often harder to light and it has little flavour. This kind of charcoal is best used in
combination with Natural Charcoal.
Charcoal is quite economical to use. Once you have finished cooking in your Big Green Egg, close the lid
and the ventsand the unused charcoal will be there for next time. If you areusing old (usedfrom a previous
cook) charcoal, stir the charcoal before starting to make sure the air holes are clear in the firebox and
bottom grate.
Coal based Briquettes are generally not used in a Big Green Egg as the entire fuel mass needs to be lit
before you can cook on them and this is generally too much heat for most cooking needs and they produce
too much ash for the Big Green Egg to work properly.
Use Quality Hardwood Charcoal to ensure you get the
best results from your Big Green Egg Cooker

LIGHTING A BIG GREEN EGG FOR THE FIRST TIME
Seasoning your Big Green Egg
Before high temperature cooking on your Big Green Egg for the first time, you must season it, this is
particularly important for ceramic and earthenware or terracotta Big Green Eggs. Moisture from
manufacture and transport must be driven out before high temperature cooking is attempted. This process
will dry the Big Green Egg and ensure the ceramic and earthenware or terracotta is properly cured, some
Big Green Eggs are only partially fired to allow some flexibility in the shell for transport. I recommend
following this Seasoning process two or three times before taking the Big Green Egg to high heat.
Start a moderate fire and aim for between 150°C (305°F) and 250°C (480°F) and hold the Big Green Egg
at that temperature for two hours before shutting down, do not cook during this first heat cycle, let the Big
Green Egg settle in. look for leaks around the gasket. At the end of the seasoning burn, just before shutting
down, add two small pieces of wood to the charcoal, let them start to smoke, then shut the vents down,
look for smoke leaking, this will tell you if you have a leak and how serious it is. This shut down period is
an ideal time to season cast iron parts, grills or pots you may have.
Three Step Cook Seasoning
This process continues the seasoning of the Big Green Egg with three initial cooking sessions. It builds
on the initial seasoning and is a great time to learn the versatility of your Big Green Egg and how to
control temperature in it.
First Cook:
A low temperature 107°C (225°F) cook, suitable for Slow cooking or Low temperature smoking, warming
and drying of foods.
Second Cook:
A medium temperature 180°C (355°F) cook, a slower roasting temperature for larger (or tougher) roasts,
Turkey and Ham.
Third Cook:
A high temperature 225°C (440°F) cook, “Oven” Hot for BBQ burgers, chicken pieces etc
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Lighting the Fire
You control the heat in a Big Green Egg by how much air you give the fuel.
Fill the firebox with good quality charcoal to just over the level of the upper air holes in the fire box and
mound it up towards the centre. Always have a good fuel load of charcoal, in a standard Big Green Egg,
this is roughly a 9 litre (2 Gallon) household plastic bucket full. It will seem like too much charcoal, but that
is what you want, only part of the charcoal is lit during most cooking; it is only on the most extreme high
temperature cook that the whole charcoal load will be lit.
You will be surprised by how little charcoal a Big Green Egg actually uses when cooking. If you use a full
sized pile of charcoal, and close the vents after the cook, the fire will go out, leaving a considerable
percentage of the charcoal for next time.
For a hot fire, use a FLAT pile of charcoal and light four or five small sections spread through the charcoal,
the more lit sections, the hotter and quicker the start up temperature will be.
For lower temperature slow cooking, use a CONICAL pile of charcoal and light only one or two spots at
the very top of the charcoal pile. Use this also for "Oven" roasting, just give it more air to increase the
temperature.
I prefer to not use firelighters as I do not like the smell they produce. I use a gas “Weed Burner” to light my
charcoal, but there are plenty of other options on the market including electric blowers. The gas torch lights
the charcoal within two minutes and I can light as much charcoal (or as little) as I need to give the kind of
fire I want. You can use firelighters if you like.
It is surprising how little lit charcoal it takes to successfully establish a fire. The charcoal will quickly show
evidence of the fire taking hold, the charcoal will glow red and show a little white ash on the outside within
a minute or two, at this point you can close the lid and open the top and bottom vents to allow the Big
Green Egg to pre heat.
As the temperature inside the Big Green Egg approaches 25°C (50°F) before your target temperature,
start to close the top and bottom vents to roughly where they should be for your chosen target temperature,
this will allow the Big Green Egg to slowly acquire the target temperature. Watch the thermometer and
determine if you need to make minor adjustments to the vents while the temperature settles, if you do not
pay attention at this point, your Big Green Egg will quickly overshoot the target temperature; the stored
heat makes it difficult to bring the temperature back down to where you want.

CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE IN A BIG GREEN EGG
Controlling the temperature of your Big Green Egg is a skill, an art form if you like, I know this sounds like
mumbo jumbo but you will start to understand the subtleties of controlling your Big Green Egg, you will
come to be “at one with it”, it’s a Zen kind of thing!
There are a number of ways to control your Big Green Egg and each produces a slightly different result.
Accurate temperature control in a Big Green Egg cooker is not difficult, but it is a skill that requires a little
practice. You will quickly learn to maintain stable temperatures for even the longest cooking times and this
is one of the real joys of Big Green Egg cooking. A good digital temperature gauge with an external display
will help you develop an understanding (a sixth sense, if you like) for how your charcoal is behaving inside
the Big Green Egg.
Charcoal is “Alive” and responds quite rapidly to an increase in air, the less often you have to open the lid
and the quicker you can be the better and more stable your fire will be.
With practice you will develop methods that suit you and your various styles of cooking, this is part of the
art and skill of cooking on a Big Green Egg. You will find your Big Green Egg cooker is capable of
maintaining stable temperatures over a long period of time with a little practice.
A Big Green Egg store massive amounts of heat (energy) and will respond slowly to vent adjustments, be
patient when making adjustments, allow time for the Big Green Egg to show a result. Wait 15 minutes
after making an adjustment before readjusting.
Adjustments to increase temperature will show faster than adjustments to lower temperature.

VENT POSITIONS CONTROL TEMPERATURES
The more the vents are open top and bottom the hotter the temperature. You will be surprised how little
air your Big Green Egg cooker needs to maintain temperature. Spend a little time getting to know how
your Big Green Egg responds to vent changes, become comfortable with how it behaves and the look
and feel of how it is behaving.
Temperature control is the secret, once you master temperature control, your cooking will improve
dramatically and you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself.
Remember also that different charcoals behave differently, if you change charcoal brands and/or size,
you may need to use different vent settings to achieve the same temperature or smokiness.
The top and bottom vents control the level of heat and smoke in the Big Green Egg. The vents work
together to regulate airflow into and out of the Big Green Egg and this determines the temperature and the
smoke level.
Imagine that the Big Green Egg breaths “normally” if the Top Vent is open the same amount as the Bottom
Vent. The amount the vents are open dictates the amount of air that the charcoal feeds off, and this
determines if you have a small low temperature fire or a raging pit of red hot coals. The more air, the more
charcoal will light and of course this determines the temperature inside the Big Green Egg cooker. If you
restrict the input air you very effectively control the amount of the charcoal fuel load that can light and you
will have a low temperature fire capable of working for many hours.
If the Bottom Vent is open more than the Top Vent, the fire is able to breathe but the exhaust through the
“chimney” at the top of the cooker is limited so the heat and smoke generated are trapped and the amount
of smoke inside the cooker increases.
If theTop Vent is openmore thanthe Bottom Vent, the heat leaving the Big GreenEgg throughthechimney
will force an increase in the velocity of the air entering under the firebox through the Bottom Vent and the
fire burns cleanly, subtle temperature increases can be achieved by adjusting the Top Vent.
The temperature can be easily controlled by setting the Bottom Vent roughly where it needs to be for your
target temperature and adjusting the Top Vent to achieve temperature control. This method is not the only
way, but it is preferred by most Big Green Egg users, primarily as it eliminates the need to bend over and
fiddle with the Bottom Vent.
Bottom Vent
The Bottom Vent controls the air intake that feeds the charcoal and keeps the charcoal lit, the more the
charcoal can breathe the more charcoal will be lit and the more aggressive and hotter the fire will burn.
Roughly speaking, a 5mm (1/4 inch) opening or closing of the Bottom Vent will increase or lower the Big
Green Egg temperature by 25°C (50°F).
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