Franck Dangereux

What is it like having a Big Green Egg in your kitchen?

It’s great, really easy to use and always ready to cook. It’s become part of the Food Barn set-up – we get the Big Green Egg lit and going before service and it’s ready for whenever we need it.  Charcoal and lighters are now part of our pantry staples.

You’re famous for cooking interesting and innovative vegetable dishes, have you cooked any on the Big Green Egg? 

We have a dish on the menu right now, it’s a line fish served with roasted aubergine pulp and onions.  The vegetables are roasted in the Egg and they have a lovely nutty, smoky depth which complements the fish.

What else are you cooking? 

For a recent Chef’s Table lunch, I served some hot smoked salmon that was prepared in the Big Green Egg.  I took some fresh salmon and smoked it at 70°C with oak chips for just 12 minutes.  It had an amazingly delicate flavour.  I also served a whole springbok rump, roasting it on high heat for about 25 minutes so that it was perfectly medium-rare inside but crisp outside.

What do your staff think of the Big Green Egg? 

They love it and will often choose the Egg to cook a meal for themselves after service.  The Egg is on wheels so that they can roll it outside and kick back and relax for a while.  It’s also very well insulated so it’s safe to move around, even when really hot.

What’s your favourite dish to cook on the Egg?

The first thing I cooked was five chickens which I treated with a selection of rubs, herbs and spices to see which worked best.  A couple had a Moroccan rub, another had barbeque spices and others lemon and thyme.  They were all amazing.  There’s simply no better way to roast a chicken; an oven doesn’t come close to the flavours you get with charcoal. And because the Egg heats consistently

and is very controllable, you get a chicken that’s properly cooked with lovely crisp skin and moist, tender meat inside.

What advice would you give a novice Big Green Egg owner?

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different foods.  The more you use the Egg, the more ideas you get for new dishes to try.  As I was eating the hot smoked salmon, I had the idea to do fresh smoked/steamed mussels and that worked really well too.  Just about anything can be cooked in a Big Green Egg and will benefit from the flavours that charcoal brings to food.  Sometimes, it’s simple foods, cooked well that are the most delicious.  I like to blacken some peppers and tomatoes on the Egg, peel them and mush them with some garlic and olive oil for a really simple dish that’s great for mopping up with some fresh, crusty bread, which reminds me, I’ve also made a ciabatta style bread on the Big Green Egg and that was delicious too!

And it’s not just chickens getting the Big Green Egg treatment at The Food Barn. Chef and owner, Franck Dangereux, has been experimenting.

What is it like having a Big Green Egg in your kitchen?

It’s great, really easy to use and always ready to cook. It’s become part of the Food Barn set-up – we get the Big Green Egg lit and going before service and it’s ready for whenever we need it.  Charcoal and lighters are now part of our pantry staples.

You’re famous for cooking interesting and innovative vegetable dishes, have you cooked any on the Big Green Egg? 

We have a dish on the menu right now, it’s a line fish served with roasted aubergine pulp and onions.  The vegetables are roasted in the Egg and they have a lovely nutty, smoky depth which complements the fish.

What else are you cooking?

 For a recent Chef’s Table lunch, I served some hot smoked salmon that was prepared in the Big Green Egg.  I took some fresh salmon and smoked it at 70°C with oak chips for just 12 minutes.  It had an amazingly delicate flavour.  I also served a whole springbok rump, roasting it on high heat for about 25 minutes so that it was perfectly medium-rare inside but crisp outside.

What do your staff think of the Big Green Egg? 

They love it and will often choose the Egg to cook a meal for themselves after service.  The Egg is on wheels so that they can roll it outside and kick back and relax for a while.  It’s also very well insulated so it’s safe to move around, even when really hot.

What’s your favourite dish to cook on the Egg?

The first thing I cooked was five chickens which I treated with a selection of rubs, herbs and spices to see which worked best.  A couple had a Moroccan rub, another had barbeque spices and others lemon and thyme.  They were all amazing.  There’s simply no better way to roast a chicken; an oven doesn’t come close to the flavours you get with charcoal. And because the Egg heats consistently and is very controllable, you get a chicken that’s properly cooked with lovely crisp skin and moist, tender meat inside.

What advice would you give a novice Big Green Egg owner?

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different foods.  The more you use the Egg, the more ideas you get for new dishes to try.  As I was eating the hot smoked salmon, I had the idea to do fresh smoked/steamed mussels and that worked really well too.  Just about anything can be cooked in a Big Green Egg and will benefit from the flavours that charcoal brings to food.  Sometimes, it’s simple foods, cooked well that are the most delicious.  I like to blacken some peppers and tomatoes on the Egg, peel them and mush them with some garlic and olive oil for a really simple dish that’s great for mopping up with some fresh, crusty bread, which reminds me, I’ve also made a ciabatta style bread on the Big Green Egg and that was delicious too!