Charcoal, Chips and Chunks Flavor Profile Guide
The Secret Ingredient for Unmatched Flavor Live Fire Cooking with Big Green Egg Charcoal
All 3 varieties of Big Green Egg lump charcoal are 100% natural and contain no additives, chemicals, or petroleum of any kind. BGE charcoal is easy to light and allows for precise temperature control. It’s natural composition means it burns hotter and cleaner, and creates little ash production. For added convenience and complete outdoor protection, we recommend storing your charcoal in our all-weather Charcoal Storage Bag for an indefinite shelf life.
Big Green Egg Charcoal Lineup
Let’s start with the Big Green Egg 100% Natural Oak and Hickory Charcoal that’s made in the USA from 100% natural hardwood. The workhorse of our charcoal line, BGE Oak & Hickory provides that distinctive live fire taste that pit masters love. It provides a moderate flavor profile that still allows the natural flavors of your food to come through. Oak and hickory are two of the most popular smoking woods and are a great choice for beef, pork, and chicken.
Next up is our 100% Natural Hardwood Charcoal. Whether you are searing a steakhouse-style cut of beef or cooking a more delicate cut of fish or pork, you will enjoy the mild flavor of our restaurant-quality hardwood lump charcoal. The neutral profile of eucalyptus charcoal lets the flavors of your ingredients shine, and it works well when adding smoking chips and chunks to add a variety of flavor profiles. Big Green Egg Eucalyptus Wood Charcoal is produced using only sustainably grown wood, and the process includes soil and water preservation efforts with no deforestation.
Then there’s Big Green Egg Canadian Maple Charcoal (not available in all markets) that is a premium, all-natural charcoal made only from select maple hardwoods. Maple is the mildest of all BGE charcoal flavors and imparts a subtle, sweet flavor to seafood, pork, or poultry. You will definitely taste the difference!
Play Video about Oak and Hickory wood before going into the kiln to becoming Big Green Egg charcoal
Big Green Egg has long been committed to eco-friendly, organic and natural products made from premium hardwood that has been burned slowly in an airless environment until the moisture is gone. The end product is pure carbonized wood, with no fillers, chemicals or petroleum by-products of any kind. Our lump charcoal is easy to light, and is ready to cook in minutes. It burns hotter, cleaner, and more efficiently than charcoal briquettes and produces less ash, so there is minimal waste and clean up.
Most importantly, your food will simply taste better when you cook with our charcoal. Many chefs and pitmasters consider this to be one of the “secret ingredients” to achieving that signature Big Green Egg flavor.
Season Food as it Cooks!
Providing unique flavors to your favorite recipes, aromatic smoke from our chips and chunks delicately seasons food as it cooks. Because each kind of wood imparts a different flavor profile, you will have fun trying them all and discovering which combinations work well together.
Chips are ideal for quick bursts of smoke, while our chunks are better suited for creating more smoke over a longer period of time. We offer apple, pecan, oak, cherry, hickory, and mesquite smoking woods. Our wood chips and chunks are also sourced from only 100% natural wood, with no additives, fillers or chemicals of any kind.
How to Use Big Green Egg's 100% Premium Lump Charcoal and Wood Chips and Chunks
To get the most out of your live fire cooking experience, here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Start with a clean grill. Make sure to remove any leftover ash or debris from your previous cookout to ensure a clean burn.
2. Fill your grill with favorite Big Green Egg Charcoal. It’s important to use enough charcoal to maintain a consistent temperature throughout your cook. At least to the bottom of the Fire Ring.
3. Add wood chips or chunks to the fire. Soak the wood in water for at least 30 minutes before adding it to the fire. This will help prevent the wood from burning too quickly and producing bitter smoke. Use chunks for your longer cooks.
4. Control the temperature. The Big Green Egg is designed to maintain a consistent temperature for long periods of time. Use the vents to control the airflow and adjust the temperature as needed.
5. Monitor your cook. Use a meat thermometer, EGG Genius or 4-Probe Thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food and make sure it’s cooked to perfection.
FLAVOR CHART
A Guide for Using Smoking Chunks and Chips
Wood
Flavor
BEEF
PORK
POULTRY
LAMB
SEAFOOD
BAKING
VEGGIES
APPLE
Mild, fruity and sweet
CHERRY
Mild, sweet, tangy and fruity
HICKORY
Strong, bacon-like and burns hot
MESQUITE
Very strong and earthy; use sparingly
OAK
Medium, very popular
PECAN
Stronger, classic barbeque flavor
WHISKEY BARREL
Medium, sweet and smoky
APPLE
Mild, fruity and sweet
CHERRY
Strong, bacon-like and burns hot
MESQUITE
Mild, sweet, tangy and fruity
HICKORY
Very strong and earthy; use sparingly
OAK
Medium, very popular
PECAN
Stronger, classic barbeque flavor
WHISKEY BARREL
Medium, sweet and smoky