All sizes of the Big Green Egg are set up the same. The bottom has the lower vent. The top of the Egg is called “the dome” and has an upper vent. The upper vent opening has a ceramic rain cap which should be placed on the Egg when not in use. Add the rain cap and close the lower vent to snuff out the fire.
Between the dome and the bottom is a gasket which helps keep a seal and helps prevent chipping if the Egg is dropped while shut. A hinge assembly attached to the bottom of the dome helps it stay open when raised and keeps the bottom and the dome aligned properly. The seal is important for long cooks. When the fire is fed by fresh air being drafted from the bottom vent up through the charcoal, and then the heat and smoke are drafted up and out the top vent, heat will be drafted through the gasket openings and the dome temperature will not be as high as it should be. A bad gasket can wreak havoc on your lump charcoal, too. During a long cook, a bad seal can make the lump burn out at a much higher temperature than desired, or can make it run out before the meat is cooked. In essence, when the seal is bad, heat bypasses the meat and goes out the gasket gaps.
There are a few common reasons that the gasket might fail. First, when the Egg is new, the cement holding the gasket may not have set well enough. You can re-cement it yourself. You should not do a high-temperature cook the first few times you use your new Egg because flashback can start to burn the gasket. In fact, I don’t use my plate setter with the legs down because the heat and possible flashback are directed right at the level of the gasket. Second, air might be escaping because the top and bottom hinges need to be adjusted. I own half a dozen Eggs, and since 2000 I have never replaced a gasket, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been burned or haven’t worn out. When it is important to have the gasket sealed for a long cook, I will fold a piece of aluminum foil three or four times to a width of about 1 inch (2.5 cm), and use it to cover the curvature of the gasket, which will create a seal when the Egg is closed.
Inside the bottom of the Egg, on top of the firebox, is the fire ring, which holds the burning charcoal and creates a void area for it to burn. The fire box has a hole in the bottom which needs to line up with the bottom vent for the Egg to draft properly. Usually the charcoal is put into the firebox up to the bottom of the fire ring. Too much higher and the combustion chamber area for the charcoal is too limited for even burning, which causes the fire to die out or not get as hot. Together, the firebox and the fire ring create an interior lining where the Egg gets the hottest. Do not use the Egg without the fire ring and firebox in place.
A cast iron fire grate sits in the fire ring near the bottom. Air drafts up through its holes into the charcoal. The side of the firebox also has nickel-sized holes that allow air to draft into the charcoal from the sides. Make sure they are not plugged with ash. (See Chapter 1 on cleaning.)
On top of the fire ring you’ll put either a grid for direct cooking or a plate setter for indirect cooking. For direct cooking, I prefer to use a well-seasoned cast iron grate. It retains heat when cold meat is placed on it, and the bars retain the heat that sears the grill marks that tell me that the meat was seared. I always use the plate setter with the legs up and a grid underneath. The extra grid helps catch anything that rolls off the upper grid and gives me the peace of mind in case the plate setter fails. However you set up the plate setter, always put on a leg in the rear of the Egg because that is where the draft is hottest.
Once you have set up on the top of the fire ring, your choices for setups increase. In this book, I explain my setup for each recipe. I always use a foil-lined drip pan on the plate setter when cooking indirectly because I hate getting the plate setter cruddy and because that fat and liquid can burn, creating an acidy smoke. Unless I am doing a multilevel cook, I prefer to cook “up in the dome” on a raised rack on top of the bottom grid, which allows for more even cooking. My preferred pizza or baking setup is a plate setter, legs up, grid on top of the legs, a raised grid on top of the bottom grid, and a pizza stone on the raised grid.
Big Green Egg (www.biggreenegg.com) sells numerous accessories such as griddles and tools for multilevel cooking. Some are half-moon shaped, allowing you to cook at different levels using different techniques.
The Ceramic Grill Store (www.ceramicgrillstore.com) has many accessories for the Egg, including multilevel grid systems for cooking higher in the dome and down below the bottom of the fire ring for indirect cooking. They also carry woks and other accessories that I find very useful in addition to Big Green Egg accessories.
Once you understand the basics for on using your Egg, you will enjoy creating techniques that suit you best.
Dry rubs are essential to great-tasting smoked, roasted and grilled meats and vegetables. You can make your own or select from many in-store and online sources. The best selection of multi-flavored rubs and seasonings comes from Dizzy Pig (www.dizzypigbbq.com). They are a long-time Championship barbecue team using Big Green Eggs. Besides creating excellent rubs, they are a Big Green Egg dealer. You can get their products online or in store.
You can also make your own rubs. There are many recipes available online, and once you get started, you may enjoy creating your own. A few tips are to use turbinado sugar because of its high burning point, and to be careful of the amount of salt you use. Whether you make your own rubs or get them commercially, remember that they have a shelf life. After a period of months, and certainly after a year, most herbs and spices lose their flavor, so all you are left with is salt. I used to make my own rubs, but now I find it easier to buy them commercially and blend them together if necessary.
4 tablespoons (28g) paprika
1½ tablespoons (22g) kosher salt
1½ tablespoons (5g) fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (9g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (9g) onion powder
1 teaspoon (2g) cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to three months.
2 tablespoons (14g) sweet paprika
4 tablespoons (76g) turbinado sugar (we like Sugar in the Raw™)
1½ tablespoons (22g) kosher salt
1 tablespoon (3g) fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (8g) chili powder
1 tablespoon (9g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (9g) onion powder
1 tablespoon (9g) ground mustard
½ teaspoon (1g) cayenne
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to three months.
2 tablespoons (14g) sweet paprika
4 tablespoons (76g) turbinado sugar (we like Sugar in the Raw™)
1½ tablespoons (22g) kosher salt
1 tablespoon (3g) fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (8g) chili powder
1 tablespoon (9g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (9g) onion powder
1 tablespoon (9g) ground mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon (3g) dried oregano
1 teaspoon (3g) dried rosemary
1 teaspoon (3g) dried thyme
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to three months.
Sauces can be vinegar-, mustard-, tomato- or even mayonnaise-based. People’s preferences vary regionally. I think Sweet Baby Ray’s® sauce is good on pork and chicken and Catdeman’s® is good on beef. For competition, I often use sauce from Slabs (www.theslabs.com). Personally, I prefer my barbecue dry, with sauce on the side.
Try substituting different ingredients in my sauce recipes to get that taste you crave. For example, I often sweeten with maple syrup, but you can substitute molasses or honey if you desire. If you like more heat than I do, you can add more cayenne pepper. Let your personal preference guide you.
Additional kitchen accessories I find useful are a vacuum tumbler for marinating and a vacuum sealer for marinating and for freezing fresh and leftover meats. You can chop cooked pork or brisket, add a little sauce, then vacuum seal it and freeze it. To serve, just reheat the bag in boiling water or the microwave. Barbecue often tastes better the next day; and if frozen, it can be eaten whenever you get the urge!
