What makes the Big Green Egg different from a standard charcoal BBQ?
The Big Green Egg is modelled after a traditional Japanese clay oven called the mushikamado, or kamado grill. Kamado grills are covered and made with ceramic, which excels at maintaining heat once the charcoal reaches optimal cooking temperature. The benefit of ceramic over other materials, such as metal or enamel, is that it provides significantly better insulation, which conserves fuel. Big Green Eggs are made with a special NASA-grade ceramic that reflects heat back onto your food, locking in moisture and smoky flavour, while using air vents at the top and bottom to give you more control over the temperature. This multiplies its functionality, allowing the Big Green Egg not just to grill, but also bake, smoke, slow-cook, and with attachments, make pizza or rotisserie chicken.
Where are Big Green Eggs manufactured?
For more than 25 years, Big Green Eggs have been manufactured in a high-tech facility in Mexico, where they have an exclusive contract. This allows them to keep their ceramic recipe top secret.
How do you start a Big Green Egg?
Getting your EGG fired up is simple, taking just about 15 minutes to get ready for cooking. Follow these three steps:
- Fill the Charcoal: Pour your 100% natural lump charcoal into the firebox, filling it up to two inches below your chosen cooking method (i.e. direct grilling using a cast iron or stainless steel grid, or indirect heat using a plate setter).
- Light the Fire Starters: Place two natural fire starters on top of the charcoal and light them. Ensure the bottom vent, the top rEGGulator cap, and the Egg lid are all completely open. Leave everything wide open for 10–15 minutes.
- Close and Monitor: When the embers are visibly glowing, close the Egg lid. Keep both the bottom vent and the top rEGGulator cap open until you approach your desired cooking temperature, which you can track on the dome's temperature gauge.
How do you use a Big Green Egg?
To get the absolute best performance out of your Big Green, here is what our team recommends:
- Cook with the Egg closed as much as possible: The Egg is engineered to function as an insulated convection oven. Keeping the lid down locks in moisture, prevents flare-ups, and gives you total control over the environment.
- 'Burp' the Egg Every Time You Open the Lid: Every single time you open the lid during a cook, you must ‘burp’ it to keep the flames under control and ensure your safety. Lift the cover slowly, a couple of inches at a time, while gently moving the lid up and down. This lets air exchange safely and prevents a sudden rush of oxygen from causing a dangerous flashback fire. (Make sure you're wearing BBQ gloves!)
- Control the Rise of Heat: The Egg is designed to heat up fast but lose heat slowly. Because it holds onto energy so efficiently, it is crucial to know the ideal temperature for what you want to cook and bring the Egg to that temperature carefully. Keep a close eye on the gauge, and as you reach your desired temperature, close the vents to make sure you do not overshoot your mark. (Remember, you should keep the vents open when you light the fire starters.)
How do you clean a Big Green Egg?
The inside of an Egg actually functions much like a self-cleaning household oven.
To clean it, fill the firebox with fresh charcoal. Heat the Egg up to around 315°C after cooking and let it sit for a short while to burn off any leftover grease, food residue, or mold. Once it cools down, you just use an ash tool to rake out the charcoal ash from the bottom vent. Never use water or chemical cleaners inside the ceramic dome. This is called a ‘carbon clean’.
To clean the outside, use a soft cloth with warm water and washing up liquid, or a mild degreaser. Never use harsh bleaches, abrasive sponges, or sandpaper, as these could scratch the glaze.
How often should you clean a Big Green Egg?
Every 10 Uses, you should clean out your Egg entirely. Remove the residual charcoal from the firebox and replace it with a completely fresh batch of natural lumpwood and do the carbon clean above.
Before and after using the Egg, check the ash accumulation below the fire grate. Make sure it is not full. A clogged grate severely restricts airflow, which starves the fire of oxygen and makes the EGG much more difficult to light. Use the Ash Tool to rake the debris out of the bottom draft door.
How long does charcoal last in a Big Green Egg?
The Big Green Egg takes less time to go through charcoal than standard barbecues, thanks to its thick ceramic insulation. Exact burn times depend heavily on your cooking style and temperature. If you are grilling at high heat (300°C or above), you will burn through fuel faster than if you are smoking low-and-slow (110°C).
- MiniMax: Up to 10 hours when cooking low-and-slow (110°C–135°C), or 2-3 hours for high-heat grilling (300°C+).
- Large: From 18-24 hours when cooking low-and-slow (110°C–135°C), or 2-4 hours for high-heat grilling (300°C+).
- Extra-Large: 24-30 hours when cooking low-and-slow (110°C–135°C), or 4-6 hours for high-heat grilling (300°C+).
How much charcoal do you use in the Big Green Egg?
The amount of charcoal your Egg needs depends on the size you have. A Big Green Egg MiniMax would require less than the XL. Here’s a useful visual: At the bottom of every EGG is a ceramic fire box containing the coal grid. On top of that sits a ceramic inner ring, also known as the fire ring. The charcoal should not rise above the rim of the ceramic fire box. The ceramic inner ring is also a useful indicator to ensure there’s enough space between the grid and the glowing charcoal.
What kind of charcoal can you use in the Big Green Egg?
You should only ever use 100% natural lump charcoal (lumpwood) made from pure hardwoods like oak, hickory, pecan, or maple, like the Big Green Egg charcoal available for purchase in stores or online. It burns cleanly, hits high temperatures, and acts as a natural flavor ingredient. You must strictly avoid commercial charcoal briquettes and chemical lighter fluids. Briquettes create excessive ash that smothers the grill’s vital airflow, while lighter fluids will permanently soak into the porous ceramic walls, tainting the flavor of all your future cooks. To light your fuel safely, always use chemical-free natural fire starters or an electric lighter to get your Egg up to temperature.
Can you use a Big Green Egg in the rain or winter?
The Big Green Egg will operate during rain or shine. The state-of-the-art ceramics are completely impervious to frost, snow, and torrential British rain, making it perform just as efficiently in December as it does in July. However, when not in use, we highly recommend using an official weather-proof cover to protect the metal bands, hinge mechanisms, and any wooden side tables from the elements.
What is a ConvEGGtor Plate?
The ConvEGGtor Big Green Egg Plate Setter is a heavy ceramic plate that sits between the fire and your food, acting as a heat shield. This transforms your EGG from a direct-heat grill (for searing steaks and burgers) into an indirect convection oven (for roasting whole chickens, baking wood-fired pizzas, or smoking brisket low-and-slow). It is included with every Big Green Egg purchase.
Does the Big Green Egg come with accessories?
Besides the ConvEGGtor Plate, the Big Green Egg does not come with additional accessories. Accessories are available for purchase in-store and online. Here are some of our favourites.
Essential:
- Premium 100% Natural Lump Charcoal: We stock top-tier hardwood charcoals (like Oak & Hickory or Maple) that burn cleanly and impart beautiful flavour. Shop here.
- Natural Instant Fire Starters: Avoid chemical lighter fluids at all costs, as they soak into the porous ceramic walls and ruin the taste of your food. Our natural starters keep your cook pure. Shop here.
- Big Green Egg Ash Tool: Because flawless temperature management relies entirely on clear airflow, you will use this custom-angled tool to clear away spent cold ash through the bottom draft door before starting a new cook. It also acts as a great poker for arranging your lump charcoal safely. Shop here.
Nice to Have:
- Big Green Egg EGGspander 5-Piece Kit: This multi-level cooking system is an absolute game-changer for backyard hosting. Complete with a ConvEGGtor Basket, a Two-Piece Multi-Level Rack, and two Stainless Steel Half Grids, it drastically increases your total cooking surface. It allows you to create separate heat zones simultaneously—meaning you can perfectly sear steaks over direct flames on the lower tier while slowly roasting vegetables or simmering a cast-iron sauce on the upper tier. Shop here.
- Big Green Egg Rotisserie 2.0 Attachment: Available for Large and XL EGGs, this spit-roasting kit has a quiet, high-torque motor, running effortlessly on either mains electricity or a portable USB-C battery pack. It delivers a smooth, continuous rotation, ensuring self-basted, succulent results for whole chickens, pork joints, large vegetables, or fish. Shop here.
Can a Big Green Egg really replace a dedicated wood-fired pizza oven?
This Big Green Egg mimics the function of a wood-fired pizza oven. To do so, you have to combine the ConvEGGtor plate (for indirect heat) with a pizza stone or baking stone placed on top. This will easily hit and hold the 350-400°C temp needed to bake an authentic Neapolitan pizza with a perfectly blistered crust and bubbly cheese in just under three minutes.