Slow cooking is hot! And rightly so, because large pieces of meat that are cooked slowly in the Big Green Egg are super tasty and juicy. It may sound complicated, but nothing could be further from the truth. Slow-cooking is, in fact, a super simple cooking process, and using a core thermometer will ensure the meat is cooked to perfection every time.
You can use the Big Green Egg for slow cooking in various ways. How about a tasty cassoulet, for example? You can confit the chicken slowly in the Dutch Oven in the Big Green Egg and simultaneously cook a lovely piece of pork belly, or a fish cooked at a low temperature, whole poultry, or a gorgeous piece of meat. Fish tends to need cooking for less time than poultry and meat, but the result is the same: because the proteins solidify more slowly, you end up with juicy fish/meat. In this blog, the focus lies on slow-cooking meat.
Easy to achieve with a core thermometer
For large pieces of meat, use a core thermometer to make things easier. Insert the pin into the core of the meat, and set the desired core temperature. As soon as it is reached, the thermometer will give a signal. This means you can always be sure your meat is cooked, regardless of its size. And because the Big Green Egg uses very little charcoal, you won’t need to top it up halfway through cooking. When you’re slow-cooking in the EGG, you barely need to do a thing; just leave the product to cook beautifully.
General guidelines
There are a few general guidelines for slow-cooking: the dome temperature is between 70 and 120 °C, and a convEGGtor or two Half convEGGtor Stones in the 1-Piece convEGGtor Basket is always used, so that the heat from the glowing charcoal is indirect. With large cuts of meat, make sure that the dimensions of the meat are smaller than the surface of the convEGGtor. There is air flow around the convEGGtor which makes it slightly hotter; this means that during long periods of cooking, the ends my dry out a little.
Slow cooking without a recipe
If you want to experiment without a recipe, always find out the ideal core temperature of the ingredients in advance, and remember that the more fat there is in the meat, the more forgiving it will be. In this case, a slightly higher core temperature makes no difference, but make sure you maintain the suitable core temperature for the specific ingredient, to ensure food safety. Keep the dome temperature at least 10-15 °C hotter than the desired core temperature. Also, place a drip pan (which may be filled with a layer of water) on the convEGGtor before placing the grid in the EGG, so that the convEGGtor stays clean, and any juices or fat that are released do not cause unpleasant smoke.
Combining preparation techniques
It may be that you wish to give the meat a little more flavour. You can do this using a rub, coating or marinade, or you could add a delicious smoky flavour combining the slow-cooking and smoking methods. If you prefer the outer surface to be deliciously crispy, you can create this using the reverse or end sear method, by grilling the meat after cooking using a dome temperature of between 180 and 230 °C. Without the convEGGtor, and preferably on the Cast Iron Grid, whole or cut into slices. Be aware that the core temperature of the meat will rise slightly as a result. Large pieces can also be grilled first using the initial sear method, but be aware that the dome temperature will take some time to drop to the ideal slow-cooking temperature. If you apply these guidelines to your low and slow-cooking efforts, you are sure to succeed!
Interested in slow cooking on the Big Green Egg? Give these three recipes a try!
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