How to set up for smoking

When to smoke

The subtle smoke of pure lumpwood charcoal is an important part of every dish cooked on the Big Green Egg. But there are certain recipes that benefit from having the smoke levels ramped up even further.

Hot or cold?

You can hot smoke or cold smoke in your EGG. Hot smoking gently cooks your food while infusing it with smoky flavours. Cold smoking adds flavour but without cooking your ingredients, perfect for cheese or cured fish.

Set up for hot smoking

To guarantee a longer, steadier burn, soak your wood chips or chunks beforehand. Load and light your EGG and bring it up to your target temperature. When you’re ready to cook, scatter a handful of chips or chunks onto the charcoals. Add your food to the EGG and close the Dome.

Set up for cold smoking

Fill a pan with wood chips and a splash of water, then place it in your Fire Bowl. Use an EGGniter or firestarter to light the wood chips. Create a little teepee of wood chips around the lit area. Add your Stainless Steel Grid and your chosen ingredients (ideally placed away from the heat source). Close the Dome and shut both vents almost entirely. Smoke for as long as your recipe requires.

Chips or chunks?

You’ll achieve different results depending on whether you use chips or chunks, which variety of these you go for, how many you put in and when you add them.

Chips release a quick, sharp burst of wood smoke — ideal for shorter cooks or more subtle smoking. For longer cooks or a more intense, smoky flavour (for the chuck in our Smoked Beef Naan recipe, for example), opt for chunks.

We have a range of flavours to choose from too. Mesquite and Hickory pair well with bold ingredients such as red meats; Apple and Cherry go perfectly with pork; and Pecan is a real all-rounder but especially good for adding a nutty aroma to desserts.

Exercise restraint

Sometimes less is more. Rather than filling your EGG with wood smoke from the start, consider adding chips or chunks at the end of a cook as a final seasoning (or ignore both and opt for an Alder Plank instead, which will give you subtler results). It’s also worth thinking about whether the entire dish benefits from smoke or whether it would be better to only smoke an element of it. Take our Moussaka recipe: we prefer to only smoke the aubergines, onions and garlic to allow the lamb and cheeses to shine.