Finally getting my BGE.. Advice/Tips??

Thermopen. Then figure out what else you need. 

Preface:  I am NOT an experienced Egger by any stretch.  
I am, however, a REALLY good student and find that this site has TONS of great info if you are willing to spend a rainy day digging around recipes and searching through threads about the "must have" tools and gear.  
YouTube also has some great tutorial videos too.  Worth looking around there too.  
I would also suggest keeping a journal.  I picked up that tip on here and go back to read and reread the cooks that worked and what didn't work so well.  

I think we can all agree that an instant-read thermometer would be a great investment before getting all crazy buying crap you don't really need.  
I would also suggest that a plate setter / cast iron setter would be great too.  That is a must-have in my arsenal of tools.  

Save your pennies and don't go crazy yet.  

Thermapen is awesome! I don't have any raised grid stuff, I just use a few firebricks. And I don't need to spend the money on the fancy raised grid stuff. I have no problem with the firebricks, they work great! The maverick is awesome and a must have for over nighters. The more experience I get, the less I use it for evening cooks. I do use it for steaks though. I have no stoker or guru setup, and don't see a need for it either. I can do pork butts and briskest all night no problem with a maverick. 

+1 on thermopen. I believe that, and something to cook indirect. ( platesetter or AR). AR is definitely more versatile and kills two birds with one stone. ( indirect and higher in the dome), but is pricier. Worth it in my opinion. 

EggSmokeVa said:

Do guys think the BBQGuru thermometer is worth the $250-$300?

I have a guru from one of my other pits, but have found no need for it thus far on my BGE (not much fluctuation in temp).  I am not experienced as I too am new to BGE but these are the things I've used the most thermopen (everyone needs this)  and indirect setup (few options so take your pick). If you want to get a pit prob the iGrill 2 is nice and reasonably priced.  

I would suggest learning how to control your temps manually before you consider and temp controller. 

Buy everything then try to find a place to store it like I did

EggSmokeVa said:

What's up guys, I'm new to the site and recently purchased a Large BGE. I was looking for a little advice for the more experienced BGE users as to what accessories are absolutely essential. I'm not very good with being frugal, so I've given so,e thought to buying pretty much everything, lol. Any advice would be awesome.. I've experienced with grilling and cooking in general, very excited to get my Egg.

Welcome to the madness.  

I have the cyberq and use it quite often.  Any of my longer cooks; short ribs, baby backs, spares, shoulder, brisket, etc.  I think it's worth the cost.  I'm able to cook l&s overnight and not worry one bit.  It'll hold temp to within a couple of degrees.  Far better than any oven can do.

Having the ability to monitor cooks while I am away was the kicker for me.  Shoulder not coming along quick enough?  Bump up the temp so it's ready to come off the grill when I get home.  At church and brisket still in the stall?  Bump it up.  At Home Depot and you see the short ribs coming along too fast?   Lower temp by 50.

It was fairly easy to set it up to do so but I have heard from others that weren't so technically adept and it was not as easy for them.

i I also have the adjustable rig from CGS.  All I can say is that you pay for quality and service.  It's a wonderful device that allows me to cook on multiple levels.  And it's adjustable.  Could I do it in a similar fashion with bricks?  Yep.  But the AR allows me to pull the whole unit, meat and all, off at once, which is especially helpful when rotating the protein.

I'm in Ashburn down the street from you.  There's lots of resources in our area.

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.
Below is a collection of information (some of which is mentioned above)  but in the spirit of being lazy I did not edit:  For What it's worth:
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.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.

Fireman_Joe said:

I agree with the Thermapen as a important tool but I would just learn how to use it and controlling the temps using the vents. Always and I can not stress this enough the best tool is teaching yourself to "Burp" the egg first before you open the lid all the way !

As much as we preach that, it's a lesson learned the hard way eventually.