(Part 2) Best products from r/biggreenegg

Lazzari was my go to for years. It's so cheap here. (if I go to the restaurant supply store, it's ~$14 for a 40lb bag!) But it's too strong for use with fish & poultry for my taste, and the quality has gone downhill the last few bags I went through - way too much chips and dust. I still got a good number of huge pieces, but the normal (1-3x briquette size) was lacking.

I've been trying out bunches of different types, there really isn't much else that I've been able to find locally available that I like. It's tough because I got spoiled on cheap Lazzari and everything seems so expensive now. For a while a local hardware store was carrying Weekend Warrior and that was good stuff, but they hardly ever seem to have it anymore. I've taken to buying online. I'm on my third bag of Fogo now and I'm liking the quality, but not the price.

They look great.

This is personal preference, but I do mine a little different.

1. Cut off the top, Core and de-seed the peppers. There is a tool you can buy to help.
   
2. Cook Chorizo, bacon or other sausage in frying pan.
   
3. Mix #2 with cream cheese
   
4. Stuff peppers with #3 mix
   
5. Wrap bacon around pepper and over the top. Secure with toothpick
   
6. Dust with your favorite BBQ rub
   
7. Egg it.
   
   Your method yields twice and many items, But I like having the whole pepper for flavor. My way can be flipped over to crisp up the bacon.

Fill with lump charcoal and light. I use the Publix Greenwise lump charcoal. Then put in the place setter (legs down) and put in my pizza stone at the same time. Here is the one that I use. I feel that it is important to let your pizza stone warm up at the same rate as the BGE; as an engineer, I feel as though this helps reduce the possibility of the pizza stone cracking. I leave the bottom vent wide open and leave the top vent off and let it heat up for about 30-40 minutes sometimes a bit longer, until the thermometer is almost pegged out…and in fact later on during this cook, the thermometer was pegged out. From what I have found for pizza, the hotter the better. My best results have been when the temp was +700 degrees. I sprinkle a little cornmeal on the stone to keep the pizza from sticking and then put the pizza on for about 6-7 minutes sometimes a little bit longer, sometimes a little less. I never peek, I try to look down at the pizza through the top vent to see how it is coming along. I take the pizza off the stone but leave the stone on and close the top and bottom vent and then clean the pizza stone up the next day after it is cool.

Some pointers from a pizza man.

• Heat BGE for 1 hour, with stone in place, plate setter legs up, grate on platesetter, stone on top of grate.
  
• 600 degrees is the ideal temperature
  
• Allow dough to sit at room temperature for 2 hours prior to cooking.
  
• 8 to 10 oz of dough should be good for a 12-14 inch pizza
  
• Invest in a pizza screen and a pizza peel
  
• The screen allows you to eliminate burnt bottom crusts while you let the top continue to cook. Start the pizza on the stone, and place screen under pizza once bottom crust is cooked to your liking.
  
• Your sauce should be simple, tomatoes and a little salt. I use this sauce

Sure! Those were the only two pictures I took, unfortunately, but...

I used about a 60/40 mix of lean ground beef/pork. To the mix I added a bit of cayenne, one large clove of garlic (pressed) and two beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper and mix that shit up. With your hands.

Cover the meat and put it in the fridge for the moment while you chop up 1 green bell pepper (or any color, really) and one sweet onion. You can chop them however you like. Fry them up in a cast iron pan if you have one (if you don't, do yourself a favor). Season with salt and pepper then lay them out to cool on a sheet of parchment paper.

While the veggies are cooling, make your bacon lattice (it's easy, don't worry), one pack of bacon did it for me.

Take the meat out of the fridge and put it into a gallon sized ziploc bag, get as much air out as you can, then flatten it down so it fills up the whole bag in a sheet. Cut one side off of the bag so the meat is exposed, lay down your cheese and veggies, then roll that bitch up.

Being careful not to rip it or tear it apart anywhere, lay it onto one side of the bacon lattice and roll it so the bacon wraps just all the way around.

I put mine in the fridge for a few hours at this point and got the BGE set up for indirect cooking at about 275. Lay on some smoking chips of your choice (I used apple) then cook until it reaches at least 165 internally. Mine took about 1.5 hours, maybe a bit less.

This is just what I used in mine, but you can really fill it with anything you want; it's quite a versatile dish. Happy smoking and share your results!

A dual probe wireless thermometer. Maverick is a trusted brand that a lot of pros swear by: e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Range-Wireless-Smoker-Thermometer/dp/B00FOCR4UI . Works in the house better than the Bluetooth ones.

.

Electric charcoal starter or MAPP torch. Combined with the replacement grate below to get charcoal started quicker.... if your inpatient like me.

.

Bear paws for pulled pork. These work awesomely.

.

Rib rack

.

beer can chicken

.

Welding gloves for picking up hot grate, plate setter, charcoal, etc.

.

However my favorite BGE accessories are:

Replacement charcoal grate, which doesn't clog and allows egg to get up to temp quicker by allowing improved airflow- can get up to 500 degrees in 10 mins with the aid of a hairdryer. Temp control is much more consistent during longer cooks.
.
And
.

Auber temp controller. It is basically set and forget solution for smoking. Even has AI that learns the characteristics of your grill in order to keep temps stable. Keeps my temp within 1 degree for over 24 hours on my large BGE. There are other temp controllers out there, but I found this one to be most affordable. You don't need wifi to monitor the temp with this because it's that consistent and reliable. I only use my maverick to monitor meat temp now.

pizza stone

I'd also suggest:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXHQL3Q/ref=twister_B00GGMFK9M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
save your thermapen money and buy this. It works great for a LOT less money.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-7203-iGrill-2-Thermometer/dp/B01MG2CNDL/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498510072&sr=8-3&keywords=igrill+2

http://www.kickashbasket.com/store/product-detail.php?product_id=1

https://smokeware.com/products/stainless-steel-vented-chimney-cap

my last spatchcock turned into enchiladas verde!!!

http://i.imgur.com/7fOhSdt.jpg

shred chicken. pour 1/4 cup or so salsa verde on a plate. coat flour tortillas on both sides with the salsa on the plate. fill with the chicken, shredded monterey jack, and whatever else you would like: onions, jalapenos, serranos, etc. roll them up and place them in a disposable aluminum pan. pour remaining salsa over them and sprinkle enough monterey jack on top to cover. then egg at 350ish til the cheese is browned or gooey enough to your liking. serve with sour cream. you can also sub queso fresco for monterrey jack if you prefer. you can also make homemade salsa if you prefer but i aint got time for that lol

sorry i forgot the after pic. they didnt last long

Keep thinking about getting a pull out spice rack but my jars aren't consistently sized. Basil, garlic & onion powder are bigger, and celery seed & thyme are smaller. I love the idea. I don't know if it'd work.

No issues with probe wires. You need about 9 feet for and xl, but the 7 foot kit will work for a large. I recommend the permatex ultra copper rtv to install.

Rutland Inc Gasket Kit Tape 7'x5/8" 95-6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MIPB6S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yyvTAbN709VEY

If you have a good hardware store, they sometimes sell it by the foot from a big roll.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/rutlandgasket/gasket.htm

I second the torch.

However, if trying to save a bit after the purchase this works very efficiently too. Just hold over one spot at max temp for about 2 minutes.

Just got these ones nothing fancy: Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Insulated Food Gloves (Pair) - SR8037 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007ZGURK/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_7bxuub09HS0X5

I wanted something with fingers. I melted a pair though by starting to pick up the place setter... So don't do that. But they're fine handling BBQ temp meat and probes.

I've never had any trouble with my electric lighter like this.

Was worried about uneven heat, but a quick stir of the coals before I put the grid on seems to take care of that.

I've been happy with this one.

It is shockingly easy to do. I just used this on my large Gold Standard High Heat Gasket... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MNW1TE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Maverick ET-733 Long Range Wireless Dual Probe BBQ Smoker Meat Thermometer Set
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FOCR4UI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_TnApDbVPXPN7P

Put a Rutland gasket on with permatex ultra copper rtv. You’ll never have to put another gasket on

Rutland Inc Gasket Kit Tape 7'x5/8" 95-6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MIPB6S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_H-DxDbD9RZRZZ

Permatex 81878 Ultra Copper Maximum Temperature RTV Silicone Gasket Maker, 3 oz. Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002UEOPA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l.DxDbSSQRWPR