The History of Big Green Egg
Excerpt From the Big Green Egg:  Today’s Big Green Egg is a modern-day evolution of these ancient cookers. Its design is modeled on the clay cooking vessels first seen during the Chinese Qin Dynasty and then used by the Japanese beginning in the 3rd century. Ironically, from the origins of the domed cooker back in the Qin Dynasty, today there are many fake “EGGs” and inferior copy-cat kamado style cookers coming from China! Caveat emptor.

Centuries ago, these knee-high cookers were fueled by wood or natural charcoal (just like the Big Green Egg is today), and pots were hung inside them for cooking rice. Eventually a slatted cooking grid was fitted inside for grilling and roasting meats, and by the 1600s they were raised off the floor and placed on a platform – a position which undoubtedly was much easier on the cook’s back! Popularity spread as U.S. servicemen discovered this type of cooker during World War II and shipped them home after the war. The domed cookers were an exciting alternative to the metal charcoal or gas grills of the day, and people became enamored with the added flavor and juiciness this “newly discovered” style of cooking gave to foods.

American serviceman and entrepreneur Ed Fisher was one of those guys who discovered the domed clay cooker while overseas. He was amazed at how much better the food tasted, and he began to import them sensing that there might be an interest back home. When Ed opened the first Big Green Egg store in Atlanta in 1974, he sold a simple clay cooker based on the same design and materials that had been used thousands of years ago. Despite the great results they produced, these original cookers were fragile and not durable after exposure to the elements.

Ed Fisher was fully committed to developing a company to produce and market these amazing cookers, and set out to make the best one that had ever been created.  As the EGG gained popularity, the company aligned with a state-of-the-art factory to manufacture its products in the hands of skilled ceramic artisans. Company engineers incorporated new types of ceramics, based on materials initially developed by NASA for the space program, and worked tirelessly to find ways to improve the design. The result was a far superior cooker that is stronger, more durable and provides better heat insulation than anything else on the market, a distinction the Big Green Egg is known for today.

As the Big Green Egg has evolved over recent years, significant changes have been made to keep it miles ahead of other “kamado” cookers. State-of-the-Art ceramics and a patented draft door and vent cap deliver a wide range of easily adjusted cooking temperatures from high-heat searing to low-and-slow smoking. A hard-coat porcelain glaze ensures the signature green color will not fade or discolor under harsh outdoor conditions. Other improvements which have enhanced the traditional design include an easy opening hinge assembly and a durable stainless steel cooking grid. Never content, a team of R&D specialists keeps looking for ways to make the Big Green Egg even better!

Big Green Egg is now the world’s largest producer and international distributor of the highest-quality ceramic cooking system. When you purchase an EGG, you know your investment is protected by a successful, experienced company with a worldwide reputation for best-in-class products and unmatched customer service – providing you with the confidence that comes from knowing that this company has been standing behind their amazing products for over three decades!

From the original Big Green Egg, the company has grown to include seven sizes of the EGG available throughout the world in over fifty countries, with hundreds of accessories designed to make cooking anything on a Big Green Egg fun, entertaining and delicious!

Often copied, but never equaled – the Big Green Egg is the Ultimate Cooking Experience! If it doesn’t say BIG GREEN EGG right in front, it isn’t one … or, as Ed Fisher likes to say, “A Big Green Egg may be a kamado style cooker, but every kamado cooker is certainly nothing close to a Big Green Egg!”