How to Light a Big Green Egg
The Big Green Egg is the Ultimate Cooking experience. It’s a grill, a smoker and an oven. Check out this video to see how easy it is to light a Big Green Egg.
Now let’s get into some details about how to light a Big Green Egg. If you have any questions, please contact us at any one of our three locations!
Filling Your Egg
To fill your Big Green Egg, use high quality charcoal like Big Green Egg Lump Charcoal. It’s made from a selection of 100% hardwoods, making your food taste better. What’s more, it heats quickly and burns cleanly. Make sure you never use lighter fluid or quick light charcoal products – you don’t want it to taint the flavor of your food.
Lighting Your Egg
Lighting the charcoal is always quick and easy. Why? The design of the Big Green Egg allows heated air to circulate efficiently.
Use a natural charcoal starter or an electric or butane starter, and never buy lighter fluid again! The EGG reaches its optimal temperature within minutes when using Big Green Egg lump charcoal, made from all-natural select cuts of hardwood for superb performance and results.
Never Use Lighter Fluid
Lighter fluids permanently contaminate your EGG with petrochemicals that taint the flavor of your food. Instead, use Big Green Egg All Natural SpeediLight™ Charcoal Starters or an Electric Charcoal Starter. They are both odor-free and the fastest method of reaching a cooking temperature without any exposure to chemical fumes. Do not use charcoal briquettes, self-starting charcoal, or other similar products in an EGG.
Re-Lighting Your Egg
Previous Big Green Egg cookouts leave behind a lot of leftover charcoal in the grill. Don’t let it go to waste!
If you closed both the top and bottom openings after you finished cooking, the remaining charcoal can be reused. Before firing up your EGG, use an ash tool to rake the coals across the cast iron fire grate. The ash will fall through the holes of the grate and into the bottom of the EGG. Add more charcoal if necessary to bring the level back to the top of the fire box.
Burping
Never quickly open a hot EGG all the way. “Burping” your EGG allows air to slowly and safely enter the dome. This prevents any flare-ups that could escape from the front towards you. You should get in the habit of burping your EGG, especially if you have been cooking at temperatures above 300°F/150°C. Just raise the lid an inch or two and pause to burp it before raising the dome completely
Lighting DOs & DON’Ts
Don’t cook at a high temperature the first few times. This may damage the gasket before it can properly seat itself.
Your first few cooks should be under 350°F/177°C to allow the gasket adhesive to fully cure and adhere to the EGG. If you do damage the gasket, you can easily replace it with a self-adhesive high temperature replacement gasket available from us.
Do not leave the dome lid open when cooking for more than 10 minutes. This can make your temperature rise too quickly, damaging your Big Green Egg.
