Char-Broil The Big Eas, The Big Easy Cooking Manual

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08.09

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

Congratulations and welcome to ownership of The Big Easy®

from Char-Broil®. It is our sincere hope that by reading this
guide, and with a little practice, you will come to fully enjoy the
tender juiciness and delicious flavor of food you prepare with
your new infrared Smoker, Roaster & Grill.

We suggest you take a few moments to read the assembly
manual and ensure your cooker is assembled correctly and
completely and that you are familiar with both its construction
and operation before using your cooker.

There are no hard and fast rules for cooking - just some basic
facts about how The Big Easy® works. The exclusive and
patented infrared cooking system will help you prepare
wonderful meals. Use this cooking guide as an introduction to
cooking with The Big Easy®. It’s filled with great tips, tricks and
recipes.

The most important thing you can do first is register your cooker
so that we can be more helpful when you need us. Please
complete the warranty registration card found on the last page
of your Product Guide or save a stamp and visit us at
www.charbroil.com.

When you register, be sure to sign up for our free weekly email
newsletter called Sizzle on the Grill™. Each issue is packed with
new tips, tricks, recipes, party ideas and exclusive subscriber
offers. We never sell or distribute your contact
information. We want your Char-Broil® experience
to be a great one and this is one way we can stay
in touch.

Happy Cooking!

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

08.09

FIRST THINGS FIRST

1) You will find that most of the product assembly has been

completed for you at the factory. Follow the Assembly
Guide closely to complete any remaining steps and
reference all safety and usage information found in the
Product Guide.

2) Hand-tightening the quick-connector from The Big Easy®

to a full 20lb. propane tank sounds easy enough, but

thanks to some built-in safety features

inside your regulator and propane tank, it

MUST be done absolutely correctly, step-

by-step, for your cooker to function

properly. Refer to the Product

Guide for detailed instructions.

All new propane cylinders are
equipped with an Overfill
Protection Device (OPD) that
can trip when engaging the
quick-connector from any
propane powered appliance.

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

3) Just like grandma’s cast iron skillet, the stainless steel

Cooking Chamber, Grilling Grate, chrome Cooking
Basket, and Cooking Racks need to be seasoned prior to
use. This is most important as it will allow the cooking
chamber to work properly. In addition, it will make
cleaning easier and inhibit rusting.

Coat all surfaces of the cooking chamber with vegetable
oil. If you use a cooking oil spray, which is much easier
to use especially on the cooking basket and racks, wipe
down the cooking chamber after spraying to ensure an
even coat. Start The Big Easy® and let it burn for 15
minutes – or until the vegetable oil burns off and stops
smoking. The shiny finish on the basket and cooking
chamber should now have a very dark brown or bronze
color.

You are now ready to cook. The more you use your Big

Easy®, the better it will cook. The darker - more

seasoned - the cooking chamber becomes the

hotter and the more evenly it will cook.

A light coat of vegetable oil after each

use will keep the surfaces seasoned and

help prevent any rusting – again, just

like grandma’s cast iron skillet.

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

SMOKING

Smoking food has never been… well… easier. Instead of
charcoal or wood, The Big Easy® uses the convenience of its
propane-powered infrared cooking system. Smoke flavor is
added using about a ½ lb. of wood chips or pellets inside the
stainless steel smoker sox. When choosing chips or pellets,
you should keep in mind that the smoke flavor will not be as

intense as when using a wood-fired smoker.

Mesquite or hickory wood chips or pellets

are recommended for their stronger aroma

and flavor.

To begin, fill the smoker box and close the

top. Remove the cooking basket from the

cooking chamber and position the smoker

box in any of the 4 locations inside the

cooking chamber. Ignite The Big Easy®, ensure
that the temperature control is set to HIGH and close the
hood. The wood chips will heat up and begin to smoke after
approximately 15 minutes - depending on outside weather
conditions. In cold or windy conditions, it
will take longer for the wood chips to start
to smoke.

Use this time to prepare the cooking basket
with the food you plan to smoke. Food can
be placed in the bottom of the cooking
basket and/or closer to the top using the
cooking racks. Once the chips start to
smoke, turn the temperature control to LOW, open The Big
Easy® lid and align the legs of the cooking basket so that they

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

are positioned on either side of the Smoker Box as you begin
to lower the cooking basket into the chamber using the
lifting hook. Close the lid and double check to make sure
that the temperature control is set to LOW. Cooking on
HIGH with the lid closed will likely burn your food.

A full box of wood chips will smoke for approximately 45
minutes while pellets will smoke for about an hour. Once
they have stopped smoking, the box will be approximately
two-thirds full of the charcoal remains. If desired, use the
lifting hook to open the smoker box lid
to drop in additional chips or pellets.
Use extreme caution as the smoker box
will be HOT. Keep the temperature
control on LOW. The additional chips
will start to smoke after a few minutes.

ROASTING

Cooking on HIGH with the The Big Easy® lid in its OPEN
position will allow you to prepare Rotisserie Chicken and
other recipes without the hassles of traditional rotisserie
cooking. When roasting with The Big Easy®, there are no
forks and spit rod to balance or troublesome flare-ups to
control. The grilling grate and smoker box are not used
when roasting and can be stored using the hooks on the
hinges of The Big Easy® lid.

This is also how you can make a delicious, safe and healthy
Southern Fried Turkey – without gallons of oil to purchase or
recycle.

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

GRILLING

When grilling, the smoker box must be removed from its
position inside the cooking chamber for the grilling grate to
be used. The smoker box can be stored using the hooks on
the hinges of The Big Easy® lid. The cooking basket can be
removed or left inside the cooking chamber while grilling.

The stainless steel grilling grate should be seasoned like the
cooking chamber and basket before first use. Food can be
grilled with the lid open or closed and the temperature
setting on high or low – but always preheat on high for 10-15
minutes with the lid closed before placing your food on the
grate. Wood chips or pellets can also be used while grilling.
Simply drop them on the grilling grate next to you food to
add a wood-smoked flavor to grilled foods. You will find
that The Big Easy® is perfect for grilling smaller foods that
can fall through the grates on other grills.

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) How does this thing work?

You’ll think it’s magic, but it’s really
simply using two methods of heat
transfer. First, the propane burner
heats the air between the cooking
chamber and the outside of The
Big Easy®. This hot air, also
known as convective heat, warms
the cooking chamber before it
escapes out the top. The cooking
chamber absorbs the heat and
radiates it to the inside as 100%
infrared heat. By converting the
hot air, or convective heat, into
infrared, radiant heat, food
cooked in The Big Easy® is moist
and juicy.

2) Do I need to soak the wood chips in water?

No. Soaking the wood chips in water before use will not
extend the smoking time, only lengthen the time before
they start to smoke.

3) Can I cook a frozen turkey?

No. Turkey must be completely thawed and you should
always remove the giblets, neck and anything from inside
the cavity before cooking.

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

4) Can I cook a turkey with stuffing inside?

The USDA recommends cooking stuffing separately for
optimal safety and uniform doneness. Visit
www.isitdoneyet.gov for more information on cooking
turkey safely.

5) Can I use injectable marinades?

Absolutely. But if you are really into making it easy, use
a dry rub on the outside. One of our favorites to use is a
Creole seasoning with salt, red pepper, garlic and other
spices found readily at any grocery store. Try to avoid
rubs with high sugar content if you are roasting with the
temperature setting on HIGH. When preparing fried
turkey or rotisserie chicken, you can rub the skin with
peanut or canola oil before using a dry
rub. The infrared heat will keep your
food moist and juicy on the inside.

6) How long will it take to cook?

With The Big Easy®, food is done
when it reaches proper
temperature. Use the food
thermometer included or upgrade
to a digital one like the Char-Broil®
Smart Temp pictured below and
insert the probe into the thickest part of the food, not
touching bone, before lowering into the cook chamber.
A general guideline for cook time is 10 minutes per
pound – which will vary depending on the food being
cooked and the outdoor weather conditions. See the
USDA guidelines printed on the back over of this
cooking guide or visit www.isitdoneyet.gov for more
information on food safety.

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OUTDOOR COOKING GUIDE

7) How is The Big Easy® faster than an oil fryer?

An oil fryer requires up to 3 gallons of peanut oil that can
take up to 45 minutes to preheat to the proper
temperature. Cook time is about 3 minutes per pound,
but it can take several hours for the oil to cool down so
that you can clean up and recycle the oil. When roasting
with The Big Easy®, no preheat time is required and it
will cool down after cooking in about 15 minutes. The
oil-frying process, from start to finish, will take twice as
long as frying without oil in The Big Easy®.

8) Can I use drippings for gravy?

Yes - if they are properly prepared.
Before cooking, you must insert a
food-safe aluminum liner into the
removable grease tray to catch the
drippings. After cooking, the
drippings must be heated on a stovetop to the proper
temperature for doneness (180˚F or 82˚C). Never serve
the drippings directly from the removable grease tray.
Additional food-safe aluminum liners are available for
purchase at www.charbroil.com.

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