What are the most important "eggcessories" ?

AlwaysGolf

I think that I have decided to take the plunge, and get the BGE.

Based on all the reading/research, I have done on this forum. Getting the XL because all said get the one one size larger than you think you will need.

Then Egg will be built into our future outdoor kitchen, so no nest required. Will be done in 3-4 weeks but I may pick up the egg this weekend.

I plan on getting the ash scrapper, plate setter, pizza stone, and grid gripper. Are there any other must have items that I should get when I purchase the egg.

Thanks in advance

Future New Egger
Alvin

Rollocks

I would have to say a bottle opener for your beer is the most important. After that a meat thermometer that you can read outside the egg. It can be wired or wireless.

Buster Dog BBQ

All depends on what you plan to cook a lot. If you do a lot of low and slow a temp control device like a Guru or a Stoker might be the best. Ash scrapper? Not sure as you can use the ash tool for many of the same features. Thermapens are good. Maverick E-73 maybe.

Boxerpapa

What I like in addition to yours:

1. DigiQII
2. extended grill for more cooking space
3. Wireless probe thermometer
4. thermopen (I don't own one yet)
5. and a bottle opener

lowercasebill

thermopen first. no question in my mind it is what i was told and it was good advice

AlwaysGolf

Have been a charcoal man my whole life,experimented once with gas entire family hated it.

Now that we are settled into one spot,(recently retired from US Army, a year ago) ready to kick up by grilling/bbq'ing a notch.

Usually a rib and chicken man mostly grilling according to the definition of most of the sites I have been reading lately, but willing to experiment with slow and low.

Really intrigued by the BGE because I can put the food on go play a round of golf or go to the range and it is cooking while I am away. Like the thought of the pizza and just the different type of cooking options.

Big'un

WELCOME!!!!

I would say the first thing to get is a thermapen.

My second favorite purchase would be the Adjustable Rig from Eggcessaries.com .

I recently bought a Stoker and I really like what I can get out of it so far. But I would say that it is important to get to know and understand how to cook with your egg before "turning it over" to an atomatic temp control device.

A good drip pan will help keep the grease out of your lump and assist in long time care for your egg, as well keep your food from obtaining an acrid taste due to burn off.

You will have to light your egg everytime and there are so many choices. I personally like the electric starter. Many eggers seem to enjoy the mapp torch set-up. My outdoor kitchen is covered and I have young boys who may be tempted with a mapp torch.

You may want to look into some cast iron goodies such as pans and dutch ovens..

And don't forget to get a digital camera so you can share pics with your new found cookin buddies(That's us)!

Get the egg now so that you can incorporate whatever you learn into your new kitchen. I'm building mine and I have changed things since I started cooking with two eggs.
Welcome

Little Steven

alwaysgolf,

If you are planning to leave the egg alone for long periods of time, I would go for a stoker or digi. A platesetter is a requirement.

Steve

Avocados

An instant read thermometer, like the thermopen, is a very handy tool. Learn to cook to the correct done temperature instead of cooking by time.

Beyond the Plate Setter, grid lifter, and ash tool I would suggest getting a couple big bags of lump charcoal and a nice supply of good rub for starters.

Spend your money on some meat and then spend some quality time with your egg cooking and trying different techniques that you can learn by reading and looking at photos here on the forum.

After you master temperature control and learn how your egg works you will have a better idea of what other accessories you may or may not need.

Dizzy Pig is very popular for rubs of varying mixtures and even has a sampler pack. Thier original "Dizzy Dust" is an excellent all around rub.

http://www.dizzypigbbq.com/index.html

[Deleted User]

Based on all the reading/research, I have done on this forum. Getting the XL because all said get the one one size larger than you think you will need.

I don't know who told you that. Most folks start with the large. If you are going to be cooking for more than 4 at every meal then maybe the XL is the right size for you. If you like cooking multiple slabs of spareribs I think the XL would be more comfortable. I can cook 2 complete slabs (ribs and trimmings) on my large but don't think I could fit more. Otherwise you'll probably be using a little more lump than necessary and buying larger accessories. It's easier to accessorize on a large but if you have a big family you need the XL.

It sounds like you have the right idea re: accessories. The Egg can do so much, I was a little overwhelmed with choices when I first started. Keep it simple.

I highly recommend a thermapen. I am not a chef, I do not know what food looks like when it is done to perfection. I do know how to use a thermapen and it has enabled me to cook meat to perfection and introduced me to juicy pork!

Please note that pork is perfectly safe to eat when cooked to a temp of 140F. The trichinosis bugs are dead by 137F so 137 is actually safe to eat.

A raised grid is important for cooking chicken parts or spatchcocked (butterflied) chicken.

If you like doing ribs, a rib rack or inverted V-rack is good. Get one that is easy to clean. My first one worked great but was made of lots of metal pieces that created lots of places for BBQ shmutz to collect and was a pain to clean.

If you want to try high heat steak cooks, and I highly recommend it, I would get a pair of welders gloves and some fairly long tongs (I think that's what you call 'em).. The gloves are also good for removing a hot platesetter, amongst other things.

[Deleted User]

Down the road you may want to get some cooking planks (for fish and vegetables) and a Spider and a Wok.

It's fun to wok on the Egg and the Spider sits on the firering instead of the grid and provides a ring to set a wok in (or pizza stone, or another grid). In the summertime when it's good to cook outside, the more I can cook on the Egg the better! The thing I didn't learn quick enough was that when the food is done, take the wok off the fire before removing the food. In the short time between removing food from the wok and removing the wok from the fire, the liquid in the wok can burn away (have you ever boiled water away in a pan?)

Frank from Houma

I agree with the recommendations. One day you will be wanting to pull a platesetter or pizza stone or move a dutch oven - you will need a good pair of gloves that can take the heat. I picked some up at a welding supply shop. They said they sell them to bakeries as well.

Palmetto

I have a large on order and hope today may be the day!
Is there a raised grid option or do you use other eggcessories to lift the cooking surface?

Builder Chris

I got my xl a couple of months ago and have no regrets. I recommend a mapp torch for lighting the lump. I also got the DigiQ II for the long cooks and it is worth every penny.

Also, I built my outdoor kitchen prior to purchasing the xl egg because I was debating between the large and xl. I did not make enough room in the concrete counter top for the hinges on the xl and had to get out the grinder to allow me to open the lid. So, getting it before you finish is a good idea or just measure better than I did. I am still kicking myself in the ass.

Cpt'n Cook

A roll of heavy duty aluminum foil, can be used for drip pan, makind cooking pacs and after use can be used for cleaning your grill.

eatbbq

Most of the other posts on this topic have covered everything that you will need. As a XL owner I found the accessories from www.eggaccessories.com to be invaluable for the xl due to the low dome height. The torch for lighting the lump is another item that I wouldn't do without. I also have a XL pizza stone along with a pizza stone for the large, the 2 combined on top of the grill and using the plate setter put the pizza at the right height to properly bake the top and all the ceramic mass below keep the bottom from burning. The large pizza stone also works well with TJV's rack to suspend a drip pan for indirect. These aren't "must" items for sure, but I found for working with the low dome of the XL it sure made things easier. I also recently bought a small egg as I found the XL too big a lot of the time and my lump costs were sky rocketing.