The History of Big Green Egg
Throughout Civilization
In the beginning, there was wood, dry leaves, lightning and eventually, fire. Early man soon learned the flavor benefits of cooking meat over this exciting discovery, which quickly gained acclaim as far superior to gnawing on raw Tyrannosaurus ribs!
Later cultures discovered that the results were even better when the fire and food were contained inside a dome-shaped, earthen vessel. Evidence of these early prototypes of the Big Green Egg have been found by archeologists in the ruins of nearly every civilization around the world…except for the Propanians, who preferred to scorch their meals using volcanic gasses, the Pelletonians, who starved to death while trying to un-jam their augers, and the DriveThruians, who ate all their meals from take-out and quickly vanished from planet Earth.
Today’s Big Green Egg is a modern-day evolution of these ancient 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), and pots were hung inside them for cooking rice. Eventually a slatted cooking grid was added inside for grilling and roasting meats. Popularity spread as U.S. service members discovered kamado cookers 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 who discovered the domed clay cooker. 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 he opened the first Big Green Egg store 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. 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 ever created.
As the EGG gained popularity, the company aligned with a state-of-the-art factory to incorporate improved 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.
From the original Big Green Egg, the product line 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! When you purchase an EGG, your investment is protected by free lifetime warranty from 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 almost fifty years! Often copied, but never equaled – the Big Green Egg is the Ultimate Cooking Experience! If it doesn’t say Big Green Egg, it isn’t.
Big Green Egg is now the world’s leading manufacturer of the premier outdoor cooking system, unmatched for its versatility and culinary results – and is a purpose-driven company, using its profits to improve the lives of at-need children around the world.