At many of our demos, someone asks how to clean the Egg. The answer is simple: the Egg is a self-cleaning oven. Get it up to 800°F (427°C) for 30 minutes, and the accumulated crud on the inside of the dome will turn to dust. After 30 minutes or so, close the bottom vent and put the rain cap on the top vent. Do NOT open the Egg. Let it cool for at least one hour. When the dome is cool enough for you to touch, carefully burp the Egg and wipe the inside with a soap-free plastic dish scrubber or sponge. You can use a little spray water to help remove the dust, but it might be a little messier than doing it dry. Do not use a lot of water because it can get into the pores of the ceramic. You can clean the grates in the Egg, too, but the temperature need not be as hot. 400°F (204°C) to 500°F (260°C) will turn any baked-on food to petrified crust, which can be brushed off. I often switch my racks when doing indirect cooking, putting the dirtier one under the plate setter to clean while I do my cook.
If it has been very humid and you haven’t used your Egg in a while, mold may form on the grid or in the dome. Check to see if the charcoal is moldy, and if it is, discard it. To clean the mold, follow the same procedure as above.
Because the ceramic of the Egg is porous, grease and moisture will make its way through to the outside, especially after you’ve used a hot fire to clean the inside. Clean the outside with a non-abrasive scrubbing sponge and water.
When you buy an Egg from a dealer, you are given the option to buy an accessory for setting the Egg into or onto. The most common is the Egg “Nest.” I recommend the Nest if you are not sure you will have a table nearby and you are going to keep your Egg mostly in one spot. The Nest has casters to allow for careful maneuvering on hard surfaces. Big Green Egg also makes a handle system (Handler) you can attach to the bottom of the Nest and the Egg’s hinge assembly. I recommend the Handler if you don’t think you will have a table and you plan to move the Egg say, from the garage to the back yard. While the Handler creates an easy way to roll the Egg around, the Egg cannot come out of the nest if you don’t unbolt it.
When moving the Egg in the Nest, with or without the handler, always drag the Egg towards you, never push it. The Egg is top-heavy, so it doesn’t take much to tip it off balance. If you pull it towards you and it tips and falls, at least you’re providing a soft landing spot. I can’t say much for your backside or ribs, but you know your priorities!
You can purchase tables to set your Egg into which will provide counter and storage space. Big Green Egg also makes collapsible shelves to attach to the side of the bottom hinge band of the Egg. Some Eggheads prefer to build their Egg into their outdoor patio or make their own table. The Naked Whiz has a picture gallery of over two hundred homemade tables (www.nakedwhiz.com).
Transporting the Egg is not hard, but it requires a bit of planning. The Egg needs to be strapped down so it won’t move when you go over a bump. If it is in a table or a Nest in the back of a truck or trailer, tie down both the Egg and the table (or Nest). If you remove the Egg from the table or Nest for transport, make sure it is wrapped with padding under and around it to keep the porcelain from chipping or getting scratched. Big Green Egg makes a carrier which attaches to a Class IV trailer hitch. If you need to, strap the Egg in the front seat with the air bag and ask your spouse to sit in the back. Remember: priorities!
Lifting the Egg can be difficult. It’s best to have two or more people. You can put two hands in the bottom vent, balancing the Egg and holding onto the hinge. Don’t pull on the hinge when lifting the Egg because the band can slip off and send the dome flying. You can take off the dome and remove the firebox and fire ring to make the Egg lighter. I transport my Eggs all over with the firebox, fire ring, plate setter and grids inside, and I have never had a problem as long as they were strapped down.
I cover my Egg outdoors. The rain and snow don’t harm the ceramic, but some of the exposed metal parts might corrode. Also, a cover keeps pollen and bird dropping off of my beautiful Egg. I prefer the black fabric premium cover from Big Green Egg. It is heavy, and it won’t crack over time like plastic-coated covers will.
Cast iron can last for hundreds of years if taken care of properly. The Dutch oven and daisy wheel are both made of cast iron. Many new Dutch ovens are seasoned at purchase, but they may need to be re-seasoned. To protect the seasoning, wash cast iron only in hot water, never with soap. Use a plastic scraper or scrubber to remove burnt-on food, then dry thoroughly and wipe with a little vegetable oil. If the seasoning is worn, or there is any rust, scrub with steel wool and wipe the whole oven inside and out with vegetable oil. Place upside down in a 350°F (177°C) oven or your Egg for one hour, with foil beneath to catch any oil drips. Let cool completely in the oven and repeat 2 more times. Your daisy wheel can be seasoned the same way, by removing any rust and re-seasoning in your oven.
A carbon steel wok needs to be seasoned as well. When new, it may have some oils on it to keep it from corroding. These need to be removed. Use hot, soapy water and a steel wool scouring pad to clean the inside and the outside. This will be the last time you use soap and steel wool in the wok. Dry completely and rub with vegetable oil inside and out. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 475°F (246°C). Let it completely cool in the oven and repeat twice more. If your wok has handles that could burn or melt in the oven, you will need to season it on the cook top, coating the inside with oil, heating for 5 minute. Cool and repeat twice.
Do not use steel utensils on cast iron and steel woks because they could scratch and damage the seasoning. Never scrub them with steel wool unless you are re-seasoning them. The more you use a cast iron or a carbon steel wok correctly, the more seasoned and non-stick they will become.