Why Is Everyone Obsessed With The Big Green Egg?
A lot of weird things came out of the '70s, but none of the questionable cultural phenomena still have as much traction as the Big Green Egg. No, it's not a fashion statement, nor is it something you and your partner can only do behind closed doors; it's a grill. And if you fancy yourself a barbecue connoisseur, you need to know more about it.
A post shared by Big Green Egg (@biggreenegg) on Oct 7, 2017 at 5:26am PDT
It's a ... Big Green Egg! Born in 1974.
Businessman Ed Fischer launched his company - with just one product - in Atlanta, GA, with the Big Green Egg store. All he sold was a clay cooker, modeled after a centuries-old Chinese design that was later used in 3rd-century Japan.
It's fueled by charcoal.
The Big Green Egg, like most traditional kamado-style grills, runs on charcoal. That means it can operate like a smoker, too. The base and lid are entirely covered with ceramic in the brand's signature green hue.
You can buy the grill in seven different sizes.
They range from the Mini, which has a 10-inch grill grid that can fit about two chicken breasts to the 2XL - a 29-inch behemoth that can cook 40 burgers at once. Most people spring for a Large (the standard price is $859). You can easily whip up enough food for a dinner party: eight steaks or seven racks of ribs.
A post shared by Big Green Egg (@biggreenegg) on Aug 14, 2017 at 5:28am PDT
Yes, they only come in one color: green.
It's in the company's name, c'mon.
Big Green Egg superfans exist - and they are all over the web.
They call themselves Eggheads, and members run a number of sites. There's GreenEggers.com, which calls itself "the original online community for Big Green Egg fans." You could also visit EggheadForum.com, which has - you guessed it - a never-ending list of forums dedicated to the popular grill. And if you prefer to show your love outwardly rather than from behind a computer screen, Big Green Egg manufactures an inflatable, 5-foot mascot for you to display.
There's an EGGfest nearly every weekend.
EGGfests are annual, regional festivals thrown all over the country - even Alaska's got one. Typically, you'll find cook-offs, tasting booths, and discounted merch. Big Green Egg keeps a running list on its official site. As of the time we published this article, there were events planned through November.
A post shared by Jeanie Nicole Smith (@jeanies_cakes) on May 1, 2015 at 2:20pm PDT
The grill inspired a baking trend.
The Big Green Egg Facebook page has an entire album devoted to cake photos - specifically, photos of cakes made to look like the iconic green grill. They're popular on birthdays and Father's Day, but one couple even commissioned a Big Green Egg cake for their wedding!
Big Green Egg runs a magazine.
If the online forums don't scratch your itch, there's an official publication that comes out seemingly sporadically. Big Green Egg Lifestyle originally launched in 2011, and, according to the grill's site, there have been eight tomes - one every year.
They even have a museum.
It's located at the Big Green Egg headquarters in Atlanta, GA. Some of the earliest models are on display there, as is Eggzilla, the 6-foot-tall Big Green Egg prototype. A gift shop with grilling accessories and swag and a test kitchen are in the building, too. If you're lucky, you'll see some chefs at work!
A post shared by BigGreenEggUkraine (@biggreenegg.ua) on Apr 19, 2017 at 11:26am PDT
You can't purchase one on Amazon.
Big Green Egg only allows certain retailers to carry its products - and Amazon isn't one of them. In fact, you can't buy one online anywhere. The Big Green Egg site has a feature called Find A Dealer that'll direct you to the shiny, green grills in person.
There are so many knock-offs.
Other brands have tried to capitalize on Fischer's success; he's often credited with making the kamado grill popular in America. You can find less expensive "fakes" nearly everywhere grills are sold: Yes, even on Amazon - and yes, in colors other than green.
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