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My dad got his awhile back and loves it. Says it is a whole new experience.
 
So awesome, they're so pretty when new, but not for long. The plate setter is going to be essential if you want to do low and slow BBQ and pizza!
 
Oh yeah, and Royal Oak is a great lump and easily found at Wal Mart for cheap. The large BGE lump is supposedly just re-branded Royal Oak.

I use these to get the Egg lit, works like a charm every single time. Don't worry about a chimney, those are for briquettes in a Weber. Starter cubes are the way to go.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00138MO16/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Or if you wanna go with a more badass lighting method you can invest in a MAPP torch kit (not propane) from Home Depot or Lowe's. Supposedly gets the coals lit in seconds and ready to cook in minutes.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...53&langId=-1&keyword=mapp torch&storeId=10051

Sorry if you know all this, just trying to pass on some info to a fellow Egghead! :)
 
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the ceramic grill store has all the accessories you will ever need. I can personally recommend the large adjustable rig and the spider as very useful. I keep the large adjustable rig in my egg all the time and the flexibility of the multi levels is great.
 
I can attest the to the MAPP torch method of lighting the coals. works like a charm.
 
Kyle said:
Oh yeah, and Royal Oak is a great lump and easily found at Wal Mart for cheap. The large BGE lump is supposedly just re-branded Royal Oak.

I use these to get the Egg lit, works like a charm every single time. Don't worry about a chimney, those are for briquettes in a Weber. Starter cubes are the way to go.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00138MO16/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Or if you wanna go with a more badass lighting method you can invest in a MAPP torch kit (not propane) from Home Depot or Lowe's. Supposedly gets the coals lit in seconds and ready to cook in minutes.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...53&langId=-1&keyword=mapp torch&storeId=10051

Sorry if you know all this, just trying to pass on some info to a fellow Egghead! :)
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I bought those starters at ACE!
 
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Kyle said:
So awesome, they're so pretty when new, but not for long. The plate setter is going to be essential if you want to do low and slow BBQ and pizza!
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They ran out of the plate setter for large, supposedly getting it in again in a couple of days. That, and a round pizza stone are my buys. A buddy of mine owes me a favor, I might ask him to make me a wooden table fitted for the BGE with casters.
 
Very nice indeed. How much did it set you back with the stand?
 
AFKitchenknivesguy said:
They ran out of the plate setter for large, supposedly getting it in again in a couple of days. That, and a round pizza stone are my buys. A buddy of mine owes me a favor, I might ask him to make me a wooden table fitted for the BGE with casters.
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Watch out for thin stones from big box stores, they're made for your oven and tend to crack at higher temperatures. The BGE stone is expensive but very thick. However, if you keep your plate setter clean you can just cook pizza on that instead of buying a separate pizza stone.
 
AFKitchenknivesguy said:
That was a ***** getting it out of my truck and into the nest. Nuckin futs I am.
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Wow you didn't move it put together did you? If so that must have been a beeech. They are not that bad to move at all when you take the top off. I'd hate to move one put together for fear of the lid bouncing and cracking. I also use the RO lump from Wally World.

Dave
 
Nice buy!

Although I haven't bought from them, ceramic grill store has accessories that seem to be better than the BGE accessories. One thing I have not liked about my platesetter is the fact that it seems to restrict smoke flow because the arms are so thick.

I probably would not have bought the BGE XL platesetter had I found that website first. It's worth a look.
 
Dave,

ACE hardware put it together for me, which they encourage to make sure all the pieces are there and to fix any problems on the spot. I strapped it in with tie downs in my pick-up bed, out of the next. I am a pretty strong guy, but the weight combined with the awkwardness of the egg was the hard part. It was fully put together when I moved it. Good times.
 
So, what will be maiden cook on the BGE?

Most owners and dealers recommend doing a low to medium cook to break in an egg.
 
My brother and I use our Egg all the time. He turned me onto Ono Hawaiian charcoal which I think burns cleaner, hotter and lasts longer. It's the best cooker/smoker that I've ever used - have fun!! P.S. - there are lots of recipes on line for whatever you want to cook.
 
Jason, If you ever need to move it again the lid is easy to remove and it makes life a lot easier. You should have received a plastic stop for the hinge should you ever need to remove that. I know there's no way I could have carried a large BGE up my deck. You will indeed want a plate setter for slow cooks like brisket or pulled pig. There is some bad news. Once you get used to high temp cooking, sear a few steaks and perfect your technique you won't ever be able to eat a steak at a restaurant ever again! :hungry:
What I do with my charcoal is dump a bag in a large plastic bin I bought at Wally World. I load the larger pieces on the bottom of the BGE and then progress to the smaller pieces on the top of the load. Using the tub to sort the lump makes that easy. When your starting cooking out remember to "burp" the unit by opening the daisy wheel and the bottom vent to let it breath before you open the lid. Do this any time you are cooking on fresh charcoal. If you get flashback even once you probably won't ever forget again. Be sure to check out the web site at the Mothership and look for The Naked Whiz site for recipes, charcoal reviews, instructions etc.


Dave
 
You guys are really killing me here. I sense I will be spending some good artisan knife money soon on one of these. I'm all for something that will allow quick (and very hot) sear as well as a nice long sloooooooow cooking w/ little fussing.
 
AFKitchenknivesguy said:
I am thinking about some dry rubbed chicken thighs and legs, and a pork tenderloin. I really need that plate setter, it's limiting my options :curse:
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Actually, I think for those dishes you don't need a platesetter. Just work up the temp slow (always harder to bring it down to temp than raise it because you're trying to cool down all that mass vs. simply giving more air to the fuel), and once you get it to a good temp, just leave the bottom door just slightly cracked (about 1/2 cm) and leave the top completely open. Monitor it for a few minutes to see if the temp changes. If not, start cooking!
 
I use Lazzari mesquite charcoal in my Egg, it is very inexpensive at the local resto supply in 40# bags, around 13 bucks.
If you don't have a plate setter, an 18 inch round grill and 4 firebricks will do the same job.
 
I apologize up front, I forgot to take pics. Did my first batch on the BGE, boneless chicken thighs with Sate seasoning, chicken breast on bone with herbs de provence, and pork tenderloin with a home made spicy seasoning on ceder plank. Everything turned out wonderful and cooked perfectly. I cannot believe how well this retains consistant heat. Small increments in the top kept my BGE at 350F for 1hr+. If I weren't doing relatively quick cooking meats, I wonder how long it would last. Next week is pulled pork, pics promised.

BTW, the cast iron removeable vent broke when I opened the top and forgot I had it up there. Don't like the fact you have to remove it everytime you open the lid, if you multitask like me it's easy to forget. It still works, but the piece that broke off held the handle. Beginners mistake?
 
AFKitchenknivesguy said:
I apologize up front, I forgot to take pics. Did my first batch on the BGE, boneless chicken thighs with Sate seasoning, chicken breast on bone with herbs de provence, and pork tenderloin with a home made spicy seasoning on ceder plank. Everything turned out wonderful and cooked perfectly. I cannot believe how well this retains consistant heat. Small increments in the top kept my BGE at 350F for 1hr+. If I weren't doing relatively quick cooking meats, I wonder how long it would last. Next week is pulled pork, pics promised.

BTW, the cast iron removeable vent broke when I opened the top and forgot I had it up there. Don't like the fact you have to remove it everytime you open the lid, if you multitask like me it's easy to forget. It still works, but the piece that broke off held the handle. Beginners mistake?
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You do not have to remove the Daisy wheel when you open the lid. If it came off then there is a problem. Make sure your lid is installed properly. Put a dollar bill or thick piece of paper between the lid and base then close it. Try sliding to bill. Do this all the way around. If the bill slides side ways then you need to adjust the lid. The Daisy wheel is a little loose until you run a few bags of charcoal through the unit but unless you really pop the lid open hard or fast the top should never come off. It's made of cast iron so the weight alone should hold it there under normal use. If you pop the lid hard or fast enough for the Daisy Wheel to come off you are abusing the hinge. Chalk it up to the learning curve but once the BGE is run in the top won't come off nearly as easy.
Your lump burn time is going to vary a lot from brand to brand but I can do a 20 hour slow cook (wally world RO) and still have enough charcoal left for another burn.
Before you do pulled pig do yourself a favor and pick up a Polder thermometer. You don't want to have to keep opening the lid and this will also allow you to see when you started the conversion process and how long you have been in that stage by looking at previous high temp and seeing when the temp started to drop vs the current time/temp.

Dave

BTW Try contacting the Mothership directly through the BGE web site. Unless you dropped the Daisy wheel on concrete from a high place it shouldn't have broke. It doesn't hurt to ask if they will warrant that on a new purchase and if they cover it they will ship it to you direct free of charge.
 
Pork shoulder.....12 hours at 200....it will be awesome.
BTW, be sure and check your thermometer.....mine was off by 50 degrees. Stick the end in boiling water.....turn bezel until your about 210......its easy.
 
There's going to be a LOT of variables but with a large BGE and 2- 8# bone in shoulders I'm running a solid 18 hours on a slow cook (230 dome temp) to get through the conversion process. That process for me is just starting at 12 hours and takes a solid 6 hours to complete. This is where a Polder thermometer ($30 ish) is worth its weight in Gold. Many folks just cook to internal temperature with a traditional thermometer and while I'm sure the Pork is great they often miss the real beauty of the slow cooking process. After the internal temp hits 180 or so the conversion process begins and then the temp will drop back down to roughly 165. If you pull at 185 on the first temp spike you miss the conversion process. This is good for slicing or chopped pork or just can't wait any longer! :hungry: The flip side of that is letting the internal temp go all the way back up to 195+ after the conversion process is complete. That takes 20+ hours for me and Pork, at least to my taste gets overly soft.
The whole process of converting collagen to gelatin is the same principal behind slow cooking prime rib in an Alto Sham. Those who want to read more on that process may want to grab a copy of "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee.
 
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