big_green_egg_recipes

Bet You Didn’t Know You Can Cook This in Your Big Green Egg!

You may think the Japanese kamado-style Big Green Egg is just for grilling up the regular cookout foods enjoyed at most backyard barbecues – hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, steaks, etc. – but there’s a lot more you can do with it. Whether you’re looking for a grill, an outdoor oven, or a smoker, you’ll likely find the best results possible with the handy and wildly popular Big Green Egg.

Available in seven sizes (the most popular being the 18-inch diameter Large Egg, which can hold up to a 20-pound turkey), the Big Green Egg is made of ceramic and seals in both heat and moisture. The Egg’s dome-shaped lid fits securely enough to allow for outdoor cooking any time of year, even in rain or snow.

As mentioned, the Egg is known for its use as a grill, outdoor oven, or smoker – and we’ll cover recipes for each type of use. For certain recipes, you’ll need accessories recommended for use with the Big Green Egg, such as the convEGGtor, pizza and baking stones, Dutch ovens, racks, and drip pans, etc., so give that some thought ahead of time.

Get Ready to Cook with Your Big Green Egg!

Use only 100% natural lump coal, lit with an easy and eco-friendly electric EGGniter charcoal starter (requires no lighter fluid, and gets your coals glowing in about a minute).

You could also light your coals using the Big Green Egg Electric Starter, although it takes a few minutes longer.

Odorless and tasteless Speedilight All Natural Charcoal Starters are easily lit and may be placed in and around your coals to help start them up as well.

If smoking, try layering wood chips with your charcoal for better smoking.

To build on the basics, try some tips from the Barbecue Bible, like adding a Big Green Egg Barbecue Guru to precisely control your heat temperature, or adding 3 chunks of hickory hardwood to the top of your coals prior to lighting for a fuller smoke flavor. You could even try your hand at cold smoking by placing your foods in a 200-degree Green Egg set for slow-smoking with a pan of ice over a convEGGtor.

Stay Safe!

Make sure to ‘burp’ (lift lid very slightly several times) your Egg when it’s hot before opening it all the way. This gradually and slowly adds fresh air to the heated dome without allowing flare-ups which can cause severe burns. See here for further information and a video demonstration.

Let’s take a peek at a few things typically made in the Egg in these ways.

Check Out These Awesome Recipes for Grilling with Your Egg

According to this explanation, cuts of meat which are

  • tender
  • less than two inches thick
  • boneless

are ideal for direct grilling, which sears the outside of the meat and locks the juices inside.

You could also try grilling up a couple of whole chickens in the Big Green Egg with the Ginger Beer Can Chicken recipe. And if you have the proper Rib & Roast Rack and Roasting & Drip Pan, you could make a tasty Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb. With the right marinade or spice rub and equipment, you can make just about anything meaty in your Green Egg, including:

Got a Big Green Egg Stir Fry and Paella Pan, a Perforated Cooking Grid, and a splash of Pinot Grigio? Saute up a batch of Grilled Rockefeller Oysters for dinner, or even hors-d’oeuvres.

In addition to basics and meat grilling recipes you could try in the Egg, also consider making side dishes like Vegetable Kabobs. With the grilling required for each veggie being between 1 and 10 minutes on each side, this dish is best prepped ahead of time.

Want a fancier version for the holidays? Try these Festive Kabobs, complete with sea scallops, yellow squash, mushrooms, red onions, and colorful peppers. Need something a little heartier? Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms or Grilled Onion and Peach Salad should make a nice, full-flavored side dish for any main.

If you prefer soup, try the Butternut Squash Soup using a Big Green Egg Dutch Oven and your convEGGtor. For Tomato Soup, you’ll need a plate setter and grid, as well as white wine, whipping cream, and fresh basil.

You Might Not Have Thought About It, But You Can Bake in Your Big Green Egg!

Since the Egg can work as an oven, some prefer to use it to bake their pies. Valerie Gordon of L.A.’s Echo Park Bakery slides in a ConvEGGtor to “ovenize” her Green Egg, then goes on to make assorted pies. Since varieties with lattice tops or a single crust work best in the Egg, Valerie focuses primarily on those. For a full Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Pie recipe, check the Holiday Entertaining recipe book here.

While you’ve got the ConvEGGtor in, you can bake up some Roast Beets with Truffle Oil and Goat Cheese, Candied Sweet Potatoes, or throw in your Baking Stone and a Pizza Peel to make an Apple-Walnut Crostata with Caramel Sauce.

Once you’ve got the recommended baking stone and other accouterments, you can delve into Grilled Pizza and Calzone-making in your Green Egg, eventually getting into such mouth-watering creations as:

Got a ConvEGGtor, baking stone, and a dough rolling mat? Make an elegant Crab Quiche, perfect for a light luncheon with a favorite guest.

With a cast iron skillet added, the Big Green Egg can whip up tangy Bruschetta Caprese.

Smoking in Your Egg

For a slow smoking barbecue dish in the Egg, try:

For smoked seafood, try some Honey-Glazed Smoked Halibut or Smoked Planked Trout.

If you’ve got a Big Green Cast Iron Dutch oven and some hickory chunks, use them to prepare a batch of Smoked Chili Con Carne in your Egg, recommended as a topping over baked potatoes. If you’ve got a ConvEGGtor and deep roasting pan, you can try your hand at Smoked Oxtail Stew, best made with mesquite and cherry wood, pre-soaked in water.

Once Valerie Gordon is done baking pies in her Green Egg, she moves on to smoking fruits. Smoked figs and persimmons are some of Gordon’s favorites, delicious when placed atop sweet yogurts, cereal, granolas, and ice cream. She even makes caramel with smoking chips in her Egg for a more interesting flavor.

Use your Big Green Egg Grilling Rings (or DIY with crumpled aluminum foil) with unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and nutmeg to make Smoked Apples.

Fancy a cocktail? Make some Smoked Pepper Infused Vodka for use in your Bloody Mary drinks with guests. You’ll need a ConvEGGtor, airtight storage container (like a large Mason jar), your peppers, and your favorite vodka.

Dessert anyone? You’ll need a Stir Fry and Paella Pan, airtight containers (preferably Mason jars), and your favorite bourbon for these Smoked Bourbon-Soaked Cherries. Eat them alone, over ice cream, or alongside an array of fine cheeses.

Need More Cooking Ideas for Your Big Green Egg?

Here are a few more mouth-watering recipes, including:

These can be made in the Egg as well, and are found on the Big Green Egg recipe page here.

Not sure which kind of Big Green Egg suits your family, or which accessories you’ll really need? Ask Sneade’s Ace Home Center staff – they can show you the way around their Big Green Eggs and all recommended extras!

On December 28, 2018   /   Fall, Featured Products, Grilling, Sneade’s Helpful Hints