I just got a BGE for my birthday. However the placesetter hasn't arrived (gift from different family member).

So what are the recommendations for the first cook or two? These will be direct cooking options only for the next two weeks.

Spatchcock Serious eats Peruvian chicken. Google it. It will blow your mind.

You may have already done this, but I think you are supposed to keep it under 300 degrees or so for the first few hours you cook on it to seal the gaskets. Or at least that's what I was told.

What is a place setter?

Plate setter is the old name for the conveggtor or whatever they call it now.

Not sure what that is either. What does it do?

The platesetter/convEGGtor is a piece of ceramic that goes in between your cooking grid and the fire, it allows the egg to bake, smoke, and roast using indirect heat from the platesetter, dome, and air rather than the direct infrared heat of the fire as if you were grilling.

Most of the start low advice is usually out of date. As long as your not going over 600+ degrees baking a pizza or something similar, you should be fine. They just don't want you to fry your gasket on the first go round. I think I did grilled chicken my first time. You could do burgers, spatchcock chicken, pork tenderloins and it should be fine.

So it's a ceramic heat diffuser?

schmendeler said:

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So it's a ceramic heat diffuser?

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Yes

I see. Seems like some weird names for a basic kamado tool. But it's definitely something you want to have.

Beer can chicken is an easy start. Main thing is learning how to play with the vent and air intake to control temperature.

AggieChemist said:

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Spatchcock Serious eats Peruvian chicken. Google it. It will blow your mind.

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Spatchcock chicken is what I recommend to everyone for their first cook. It's just long enough to get a good feel for how to control temp, its forgiving if you miss the temp by a few degrees, and it transforms chicken into something so good it's like eating chicken for the first time. I do think it's worth spending a couple extra bucks for a good free-range chicken

Not to hijack, but that spatchcock chicken recipe says to cook breasts to 150. Isn't that underdone and a health hazard?

I always cook to 160 and let them rest to bring them up to 165.

Maybe because it will continue to cook as you take it off.

aggie1906 said:

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Maybe because it will continue to cook as you take it off.

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It will, maybe 5 degrees max, at least that is my experience.

That's good, thanks.

First cook on direct heat should be something cheap that you'll be OK with screwing up. I'd suggest chicken thighs or something until you learn to regulate the temp. When you think you have it and want to try steaks, don't get prime at first. Try it with a lower quality until you get it the way you like it and then move to prime...unless you find a great deal on prime strips or something.

For first smoke...pork shoulder. Damn near impossible to screw up and you'll learn a lot about the pit through that cook...charcoal levels, wood chunks, temp fluctuations, how to have you airflow set, etc.

Thanks for the post & tips, getting my egg Friday whoop!

Wrap your diffuser in multiple layers of heavy foil. All the drippings, mess, and burnt carbon junk are easier to clean off by peeling back and replacing the foil.

is there a benefit to having it clean?

And get a decent digital thermometer - will give you a better grasp of your temp fluctuations. Every smoker has it's own personality. Thermometer will help you get dialed in with yours and help gauge how long it takes to get up to temp. How long it holds temp. How open your vents should be, etc.

schmendeler said:

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is there a benefit to having it clean?

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that was my first thought.

At some point all the black, carbonized mess needs to be cleaned off and scraped away. Peeling back and replacing foil is much easier than scraping and washing the diffuser. Not a huge deal. Just something I wish I'd done when I get mine.

The great thing about the KJ is you can just flip it over and it'll burn off on the next cook.

aTm2004 said:

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The great thing about the KJ is you can just flip it over and it'll burn off on the next cook.

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You can flip the egg version, too. I have a 16" pan that fits between the legs of mine to catch drippings.

schmendeler said:

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is there a benefit to having it clean?

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It depends on how you use your egg and how you store the plate. If all you ever do is bbq, then who cares. But if you are taking it in and out when using the egg as a grill, then it is much easier to peel foil off and throw that away than deal with bits of bark and grease all over your patio as you move it around.

I kind of wonder if covering it in foil affects the thermal absorption of the ceramic material making it a heat reflector rather than a heat diffuser. at least, to an extent.

Adding in a water pan should mitigate this - assuming it's a viable issue. And if it does increase the heat, having a digital thermometer should give you immediate feedback so you can take necessary steps to cool it back down. I've done it for dozens of long smokes (15+ HRS) and haven't had any issues. Merely a cosmetic step.

I just did a roasted chicken. Then I did pizza and have done 2 briskets. All pretty dang good.

Had mine delivered yesterday and smoked some buffalo wings @ 300 for 90 minutes, were awesome! Trying ribs today.