Looky what the delivery truck dropped off today!

Downr@nge

I can't  wait to use this thing!  I originally  was looking into a Lang or Gator offset but opted for a Kamado instead.  Any tips for a first time user?  Any suggestions on must have accessories?  I plan on building  a table for it in a week or two.

Ozzie_Isaac

Go chicken 1st time then pork shoulder.

johnkitchens

Welcome. You are going to have a lot of fun. I would get a Thermapen right away. 

Don't rush the table build. Use it for a while and then build the table. If you build one right away as soon as you finish it you will think of 20 things you wished you had incorporated into the design. 

You know we like pics and since you posted one on your first post I would say that you are going to fit right in! 

Hunter1881

Welcome. Can't say for sure what accessories bc I m not sure what's available for an xl. A good set of welding gloves and a good instant read thermometer are definite needs 

Hunter1881

And may I suggest waiting on the table. Look at designs. Use you grill. I made a table out of the gate with never having a nest. I would have done a couple things differently.

Downr@nge

Thank  you for  all the replies!  Ok, wait on table build; check.  I have welding  gloves; check.  Will be ordering a british racing green thermapen in a few days; check.  Chicken on first run, hmmm.  I was  looking at BGE's site and they say go L&S for first few runs to "break in" the ceramics.  I usually do chicken @ 350 degrees for 2 hours.  Do you think 350 degrees is low enough to break her in?

jabam

Downr@nge said:

Thank  you for  all the replies!  Ok, wait on table build; check.  I have welding  gloves; check.  Will be ordering a british racing green thermapen in a few days; check.  Chicken on first run, hmmm.  I was  looking at BGE's site and they say go L&S for first few runs to "break in" the ceramics.  I usually do chicken @ 350 degrees for 2 hours.  Do you think 350 degrees is low enough to break her in?

Yes my first couple cooks were
beer can chickens at 350

clifkincaid

Burp...you'll find out sooner than later

blasting

Downr@nge said:

Thank  you for  all the replies!  Ok, wait on table build; check.  I have welding  gloves; check.  Will be ordering a british racing green thermapen in a few days; check.  Chicken on first run, hmmm.  I was  looking at BGE's site and they say go L&S for first few runs to "break in" the ceramics.  I usually do chicken @ 350 degrees for 2 hours.  Do you think 350 degrees is low enough to break her in?

Welcome, and congrats on your new egg.

You'll have to pick a different color t-pen.  British racing green was disco a couple weeks back.  fyi - i highly recommend the glow in the dark magnetic cover.

Hunter1881

clifkincaid said:

Burp...you'll find out sooner than later

Good advice. I rarely see this mentioned to the new guys.  I never think to tell them. And I occasionally get a reminder myself.

NPHuskerFL

Hold off on purchasing absurdities

NPHuskerFL

Was supposed to read.... Hold off on purchasing accessories. But, the above statement works too.  

MelSharples

Don't ask about what kind of lump to use...

And for the love of god, please don't tell us if your dog happens to get it's leash wrapped around the egg and pull it off the porch.

Have fun!

fence0407

Congrats - I'd do a spatchcock chicken (or two on the XL) at 350 with the platesetter in. No harm in the first cooks being around 350-400. Just don't go nuclear and you'll be good. Keep sharing those pics!

Aussie

If you dont mind saying , what is the going rate for a XL in the usa?
I know of a brand new in box Xl that was imported into Aus, but they want three thousand bucks for it, although it does comes with one bag of Big Green egg Lump!
Not sure that that seals the deal , but it would be nice to try it.

GuitarEC

Pork Spare Ribs will also be a good "Break in" cook.  (It was for me)  Give you a bit of practice on regulating the temperature (Unless you're planning to get something like a Cyber-Q, or something like that).

jtcBoynton

@Downr@nge  Welcome to the world of egging. Take it slow with the accessories. You can easily spend as much customizing your egg as you did to purchase it.  There are several aftermarket manufacturers, so you will have alternatives for any function you are considering an accessory for. 

You need a good instant read thermometer - I prefer Thermapen.

You will probably want to be able to do indirect cooks (for pork butts, ribs, briskets). There are lots of ways to accomplish this. A BGE plate setter and an adjustable rig from CGS are two of the more popular ways.  There are others, so check the forum for discussions on this topic.

A lot of accessories make things more convenient but are not necessary. Learn to cook your favorite things first and then decide if it is worth it to you to buy something that will make it better or easier.

Since you were looking at a Lang or Gator offset, you may have experience from the land of the metal cookers. Keep in mind that some of the standard ways of doing things from that world aren't necessary in the land of ceramic cookers. As you start cooking on the egg, examine any habits you may bring from cooking on other devices to see if they are useful when using the egg. 

abpgwolf

Congratulations on the new egg! Since the green Thermapen has been discontinued, I'd recommend a backlit one. Have fun and enjoy the new egg.

lousubcap

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  What follows is a collection of info that you may find useful (or not:)) (I did not edit so there is some duplication of comments above):
Here’s a link to all things ceramic-chances are if you have a question the answer is within this site somewhere.  Check out the recipe section for some great ideas. (Spatchcock chix...) http://www.nakedwhiz.com/nwindex.htm  

For additional links to cooking/recipe sites; here are two very good ones, depending what you are cooking:  This site contains a wealth of the science behind Q cooking along with info on about every type of meat cook you would attempt: http://amazingribs.com/ Here’s the second one:  http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/  

After-market toys- With the BGE there are three basic styles of cooking;  “direct”-where the cooking grid is on top of the fire ring; “raised direct”-where the grid is elevated at least to the gasket-line (this setup requires after-market stuff-easiest is to get another grid and then use three fire bricks (or three empty aluminum beer cans) and place them on the grid at the fire ring and then put the second grid on top. The third is “indirect” where there is a heat deflector (platesetter or some other type stone) between the burning lump and the cooking grid.  This is the setup for low&slow long duration cooks.  I would get comfortable playing around with the BGE before any major after-market investments.  Will save you $$ in the long run.

Some observations-make sure you calibrate your dome thermo-boil some water, then insert the thermo and check the temp.  If not around 210*F, then note the off-set and use the nut on the back to correct.  Then recheck.

Temperature is a controlled by the volume of lump burning.  The volume is controlled by the air-flow thru the BGE.  In thru the bottom vent and out the top.  Make sure when you set it up that the fire box opening is aligned with the lower vent. 

When adjusting the vent(s) to change temperature, the feedback loop can take some time.  Changes in air-flow are reflected in the dome thermo temp.  Don’t chase temperature; +/- 10-15*F is close enough.

“Stable temperature” is a relative term.  Means you haven’t moved the vents and the temperature is steady for anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

That's more than enough.

 

pescadorzih

Aussie said:

If you dont mind saying , what is the going rate for a XL in the usa?
I know of a brand new in box Xl that was imported into Aus, but they want three thousand bucks for it, although it does comes with one bag of Big Green egg Lump!
Not sure that that seals the deal , but it would be nice to try it.

Aussie, I paid $999 for mine 2 yrs ago. No nest. As you can see in my avatar I built a counter for it.

pescadorzih

@downr@nge, congrats on the egg. I love my XL.

Ladeback69

Welcome to the family and to the XL Club it appears.  You are in for a fun ride.

SmokingPiney

New Egghead, myself. Welcome, Downr@nge!

My first two cooks were ABT's at 250 degrees and a spatchcock chicken at 375 degrees. I'm absolutely loving my BGE and I hope you enjoy yours!!

RRP

Aussie said:

If you dont mind saying , what is the going rate for a XL in the usa?
I know of a brand new in box Xl that was imported into Aus, but they want three thousand bucks for it, although it does comes with one bag of Big Green egg Lump!
Not sure that that seals the deal , but it would be nice to try it.

here in IL even with a 10% eggfest discount the XL is $1,079 plus tax.

Welcome aboard @Downr@nge

ar15203

I have a spider and adjustable rig set up from the ceramic grill store. This allows for more cooking space and also gets the grid to the felt line. Very versatile set up. 

DCahill

Also new here, and I did beer can chicken 2x to great success.  Then just practiced a bit prior to a low & slow next weekend.   Take a bit of trial and error to get the temperature right.   What you don't want to do is get it blazing hot and then try to get it down to a   temp.   Start low and build.  That's my limited experience anyway

MrCookingNurse

Awesome man. Which Lang were you looking at?

THEBuckeye

Ready

Set

COOK! 

Spydermunky

johnkitchens said:

Welcome. You are going to have a lot of fun. I would get a Thermapen right away. 

Don't rush the table build. Use it for a while and then build the table. If you build one right away as soon as you finish it you will think of 20 things you wished you had incorporated into the design. 

You know we like pics and since you posted one on your first post I would say that you are going to fit right in! 

+1000 on that second point.  I built my table before even getting my egg, and there are countless things I wish I'd incorporated into it.  I'm actually building a new one in a few weeks just to add them all....

Smokehouse33

Congrats!!! 

SmokyBear

Downr@nge said:

I can't  wait to use this thing!  I originally  was looking into a Lang or Gator offset but opted for a Kamado instead.  Any tips for a first time user?  Any suggestions on must have accessories?  I plan on building  a table for it in a week or two.

I know you just spent a ton of $$ on an Egg, but if I were you, I'd hold off on building a table and invest in a SS one (vs wood).

I bought mine from TSpud1@ http://outdoorkitchenequip.com - pricey, but well worth the peace of mind.  (Way too many threads with burnt wood tables on the forum).

Enjoy the journey!!