- The Big Green Egg
The Big Green Egg is the brand name of a
kamado -style ceramic charcoal cooker which is manufactured in a variety of sizes.History
The Big Green Egg is commonly referred to as a
kamado barbecue because of the origins of the basic design that lie in southernJapan .The word "mushikamado" means "steam cooker" (from "mushi" meaning "to steam", and "kamado" meaning "cooker, oven, or kiln") The mushikamado was a device designed to steam
rice and used by Japanese families for ceremonial occasions and took the shape of a roundclay pot with a removabledomed clay lid. It was also distinctive in that it featured a topdamper and bottom draft door for superior temperature control.Fact|date=November 2007. The mushikamado first came to the attention of the Americans after World War II when US Air Force servicemen would bring them back from Japan in empty transport planesFact|date=November 2007. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that manufacturing started in the Americas. The Big Green Egg Company was founded in 1974 and is based inTucker, Georgia in the USA. Production of the Big Green Egg takes place inMexico .Fact|date=November 2007Technology
The shape of the Egg reflects ancient technology in that it is designed to contain the heat with only a small
vent at the top to create adraft to keep the fire going. Today’s Egg is manufactured from high fiberceramic s developed for thespace shuttle program specifically designed to reflect heat and this allows temperatures of up to 1200 degreesFahrenheit to be reached. The external surface has a high gloss ceramic glaze applied to provide crack and weather resistance.Fuel
The Big Green Egg is a
charcoal barbecue - the manufacturers recommend lump wood charcoal because alternatives such as charcoal briquettes contain many additives that can contaminate the flavour of the food. The sealed design of the grill results in a slow burn that uses small amounts of charcoal compared to a regular grill and lump wood charcoal also creates little ash.Uses
Big Green Eggs can be used for smoking or
grilling and with the addition of accessories one can also bakebread or cook apizza .cite web
last = Levitt
first = Jonathan
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Put all your grilling in one Big Green Egg
work =
publisher =The Boston Globe
date = 2007-05-23
url = http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2007/05/23/put_all_your_grilling_in_one_big_green_egg/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-11-09 ]Grill parts
In addition to the outer
ceramic shell there is draft opening to provide air to theceramic firebox in the base of the unit. There’s a separate daisy wheel damper unit on the top to give air flow control and therefore temperature regulation. An accessory called a plate setter can be placed above the firebox - this will prevent direct cooking of the food when using the unit as a smoker. Between the base and the lid is afelt gasket designed to maximise moisture retention during long cookouts.Eggheads
Big Green Egg barbecues have quite an enthusiastic following of amateur chefs and the collective name given these enthusiasts is “Eggheads”. Every year there is a global gathering of Eggheads called “Eggtoberfest” where recipes are swapped and experiences passed along.
See also
*
Kamado
*Charcoal
*Hibachi
*Shichirin
*Barbecue
*Brustolina References
External links
* [http://www.biggreenegg.com/ The Big Green Egg manufacturer's website]
* [http://www.biggreenegghead.com/ biggreenegghead.com: a site for eggheads]
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