Big Green Egg: A Backyard Icon Turns 50

by Lynn & Cele Seldon

When it comes to backyard cooking, it’s hard to beat the iconic Big Green Egg, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. The Atlanta-based company brought kamado-style cooking to the United States—especially to the South—where they’re more popular than ever with backyard and professional chefs alike.

A Little Big Green Egg History

Today’s Big Green Egg is a modern-day evolution of ancient Japanese cookers. Centuries ago these knee-high cookers, known as kamados, were fueled by wood or natural charcoal (just as the Big Green Egg is today.)

The popularity of kamados spread when U.S. service members discovered kamado cookers during World War II, shipping them home soon after. American serviceman and entrepreneur Ed Fisher was one of those who discovered the domed clay cooker; he was amazed at how much better the food tasted, and began to import them, sensing that there might be an interest back home.

When Ed opened the first store selling kamado cookers in Atlanta in 1974, he sold a simple clay kamado based on the same design and materials that had been used thousands of years ago. As the concept gained popularity, the company evolved away from clay and into ceramics utilizing state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. The result was a far superior outdoor cooker that is more durable, better insulating, and offers unmatched flavor and heat retention, a distinction that the Big Green Egg is known for and that we all love.

The Big Green Egg product line has grown to include seven convenient sizes, available in more than 50 countries, with hundreds of accessories designed to make cooking anything on a Big Green Egg fun, entertaining, and delicious.

Over the years, we’ve enjoyed many meals cooked on the iconic EGG in backyards across the South, as well as with chefs in their restaurants or at their homes. After Lynn attended the 26th annual EGGtoberfest at Coolray Field—the ultimate food festival for EGGheads—just outside Atlanta this past fall, we finally have one of our very own. Which seemed to be a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this heritage brand.

“The last grill you will ever buy,”—thanks to their lifetime warranty— is so much more than a grill. You can also roast, smoke, bake, and go low and slow, all with easy and precise temperature control.

We’ve loved cooking on the EGG with their all-natural lump charcoal and wood chips, and several accessories since the day Lynn corralled it into our backyard. From breakfast to appetizers, cocktails, and lots of varied entrées, plus breads and delectable desserts, we’ve already become diehard EGGheads. From our first meal of grilled chicken thighs, we’ve found that lighting our EGG, controlling the temperature, and preparing a wide variety of EGGcellent dishes is much easier than many may think.

We’ve tried many recipes featured on the Big Green Egg website, which includes hundreds of tasty possibilities, lots of videos, instruction for all levels of experience, insider tips, information about their Culinary Center cooking classes in Atlanta—we went to one last month and loved it—and this year’s EGGtoberfest details.

EGGhead Chefs in Charleston Weigh In We’d always heard that chefs loved cooking on Big Green Eggs, so we decided to find a few of them in Charleston, through social media to see for ourselves. We immediately heard from Bob Cook, Anthony DiBernardo, Greg Garrison, and Fred Neuville—all of whom are quite enthusiastic about cooking on their Big Green Eggs.

Our friend Bob Cook of Edmund’s Oast fame is a serious EGGhead. While we’ve enjoyed Bob’s cooking at Edmund’s Oast for years, we’ve also been fortunate to savor his tasty fare right off a Big Green Egg, including lots of tasty grilled chicken, which is one of his favorite EGG cooks.

When asked about his love affair with cooking on the EGG, he said, “I cook on them for the restaurants and at home, where I use my 15-year-old Large Big Green Egg a lot. The engineering of the EGG is great, providing a lot of versatility.”

Another long-time chef, Anthony DiBernardo, the larger-than-life owner of sizzling hot all five Swig & Swine locations, said, “I have three Big Green Eggs and I cook on my XL at least four nights a week when I’m home.”

He told us he loves cooking on a Big Green Egg because it’s extremely versatile. “I can smoke with indirect heat by using the deflector [Big Green Egg’s ConvEGGtor], I can open up my vents and get it raging hot to sear a steak, or even make pizza.”

Greg Garrison, partner-executive chef at Charleston’s uber-popular Prohibition, Savannah’s Repeal 33, and another great Prohibition in Columbia, said, “I love making dinners at home where I can make every component on the Big Green

Egg. The Big Green Egg can be used as a slow cooker, a wood-fired oven, a smoker, or a grill, depending on how much air you allow in and how much you allow to escape.”

Garrison said a personal favorite for his EGG is homemade naan, with lamb skewers. He also enjoys roasting a pork butt all day and then cooking fresh tortillas on his EGG.

Last, but not least, Fred Neuville, well-known for his 14-year run at Fat Hen on Johns Island, and now CEO of Strategic Restaurant Advisors, told us, “I have had my Big Green Egg for 22 years and it’s all I use when I cook outside. I love cooking on it because it delivers the best natural flavor.”

Neuville raved about cooking whole ribeyes on his EGG and how the meat soaks up the smoke. The chef said, for professional results, the Big Green Egg is the only cooker you’ll ever need.”

Buying a Big Green Egg

One of the unique things about purchasing a Big Green Egg is that they’re not found in “big box” stores and are only sold through authorized dealers. This means Big Green Egg buyers and owners are working with knowledgeable salespeople, many of whom are professed EGGheads.

The Charleston area and beyond features many authorized dealers, making it easy to learn more about Big Green Egg ownership and, more than likely, buy one. For instance, through its network of independent retailers, Ace Hardware has the largest count of stores nationwide carrying Big Green Eggs.

There are several Ace Hardware locations in the area, including Charleston’s Lowcountry Ace Hardware, a Big Green Egg Platinum Dealer, which is a big deal. Scott Willis, owner of Lowcountry Ace Hardware, said, “We sell a heck of a lot of Big Green Eggs and we keep a lot of them in stock, so we will have what the customer wants.” Willis also mentioned that he’s found that varied seasonings and sauces are very important to EGG success and that Ace Hardware recently launched Loud Mouth™ Barbeque, a lineup of BBQ sauces and seasonings—which we have personally tried and can attest to.

The Coastal Cupboard in Mt. Pleasant is another Big Green Egg Platinum Dealer, and owner Brad Pitner told us they’re the #1 Big Green Egg dealer in South Carolina. Pitner said, “We all own Big Green Eggs and love to cook on them.”

Pitner also told us that South Carolina’s climate can be very harsh on the average grill, while the ceramics of the Big Green Egg are built to last a lifetime, including that aforementioned warranty. As we’ve found at our local Ace Hardware as well, The Coastal Cupboard focuses on education, walking every customer through the best Big Green Egg practices and techniques. They also stock everything Big Green Egg, which means we’ll most definitely be heading to The Coastal Cupboard next time we’re in town.

We learned a lot chatting with the local dealers and chefs who utilize the Big Green Egg, and thanks to them, we’re enjoying Big Green Egg ownership more than ever. Cheers to 50 years! For more information about Big Green Egg and where to find an authorized dealer, visit biggreenegg.com.