I have an extra large egg and use it extensively. A benefit is how efficiently it uses charcoal since ceramic holds the heat better than metal. Basically to do a 12-hour whole brisket, I'll toss about 5 pounds of charcoal in and start it with a Weber fire starter. I let the egg heat up slowly to 225 (I open the bottom vent only about half an inch) for about 2 hours. Once I put the brisket on (and wood chips for smoking) I'll monitor it for an hour just to make sure the temperature is regulated. Then I go to bed. In the morning I'll check on it, take the internal temperature of the brisket so that I can better estimate remaining time. Once you gain confidence in the thermodynamics of it all, it's really easy.

After a lot of testing, I have figured out my routine for pizza. The key to maximizing heat is to fully open the bottom vent and to completely remove the top cap. The grill set-up that I use is a standard grate on the bottom, a 12-in ceramic plate next, 3 ceramic cubes as spacers, then an 18 inch ceramic plate on top (on which I directly bake the pizza). The multiple layers allow the ceramics to diffuse the direct heat, but maintain a consistent heat for hours. The key is to keep the crust thin and don't overload the toppings.