For those with a Small and a Mini...

Chappy

I'm debating what to get to go along with my large. I cook mainly for me and my wife. My son is only 10 months old, so he doesn't realy count.

You guys and gals that have a mini and a small, which do you cook on more? It would be mainly for grilling... whenever I smoke, I usually do a lot of it so it would be on the large.

Little Steven

Chappy,

The mini is a ton of fun to cook with. The small is a great machine also. If your son is a few years from being a major carnivore, I would go with the mini. My sons are all in their twenties and the XL gets a lot of use.

Steve

Chappy

Little Steven wrote:

Chappy,

The mini is a ton of fun to cook with. The small is a great machine also. If your son is a few years from being a major carnivore, I would go with the mini. My sons are all in their twenties and the XL gets a lot of use.

Steve

That's funny. I read him a book at night with a cow on one of the pages, and I point to it and try to get him to say "steak".

TXTriker

Chappy,

I use my small mostly for sides. When I have some thing on the large and I want to do sides at a differnt temp, I will use the small. If I can do the main course on the small, then I will use just it. It kind of depends on the mood.

lowercasebill

Chappy,

The mini is a ton of fun to cook with. The small is a great machine also. If your son is a few years from being a major carnivore, I would go with the mini. My sons are all in their twenties and the XL large gets a lot of use.

Steve

bill

Little Steven

bill,

Now that was original :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Steve

Morro Bay Rich

I have both. I consider the Mini only a grill. The small is both a grill and a smoker.

lowercasebill

i spent a lot of time thinking about that one :laugh:

Little Steven

bill,

You always crack me up.

Steve

Chappy

So if you guys are going to do pork chops, steaks, or burgers, would you do it on the small or mini?

Crimsongator

Get the small.

Chappy

Crimsongator wrote:

Get the small.

Is that the crimson in you talking or the orange and blue?

Jersey Doug

We have a Large, a Small and a Mini. If you search the forum you'll find lots and lots of amazing things people cook on their Minis. That said, for the kind of cooking you're talking about I think you'd be happier with a Small. Besides which, you can always buy a Mini to keep it company later.

lowercasebill

i do not have a small click the pic for slide show of mini cooks ,,, un labeled all clad souffle pot is escalloped taters

Little Steven

Chappy,

I cook for four every day minimum. I can fit four chops on the mini and that would be my choice. You can get four smallish burgers on as well. Two pork tenderloins or a three to four pound roast. If I need more, I would usually go to the medium or large cause I can do sides as well.

Steve

RRP

not bragging - just trying to be helpful - we have 4 eggs and there's just 2 of us. Our small is the workhorse in the family and gets 60 to 65% of all our cooks! The mini is nice for travel considerations but the small egg is a GIANT performer and such a wonderful combo to our large. Get the small!

Hoss

Size matters.It is better to have xtra space and not need it than to need xtra space and not have it.Go with the small and buy a mini later as a novelty.JMHO.

Crimsongator

our mini belongs to the wife (crimson). The small is more versatible and accessories are readily available. It can smoke and grill with no problems. Much more room. Now, the mini is a steak searing machine, but harder to smoke anything of size on it.

Crimsongator

If I had to choose one of the two, I go with the small. I like the mini, but I prefer the small.

Frank from Houma

Gottem both. I agree with all of the above. What?

It really comes down to how you plan to use the second egg. If you are interested in just grillin the main course or eggin veggies at a different temp than what is eggin on the large, the mini works. If you want to add smokin and bakin to the mix, go with the small.

Dang! I wish I had discovered BGE when my guys were little crumb snatchers.

Ripnem

I have the Lg and Sm, so that's what you should do. :laugh: Well I can tell ya that the darn small can hold it's own and you have a large, so your set. Then...when you have a couple hundred you don't mind parting with grab the mini like I will. :woohoo:

Grandpas Grub

Two of us here and some grand kids.

I have a L, M, S, Mini

Doing it all over again. I would get the large, then a mini then another large or maybe and XL.

For my cooking if it is for the wife and I or mabye a couple of young grand kids we can cook most anything on the mini. The mini is extremely fast to light and gets up to temp. quick.

If I need to do something large or a special setup then the small is not very useful, medium is OK, but the large has all the accessories and I can do anything I want.

Don't use 'it uses less lump' to be a reason to get any specific size.

Not considering mobility, I would suggest a mini or a medium (but then if getting a medium, why not get another large).

For hauling around the mini is going to be the easiest, however, the small has more grid space.

GG

AzScott

I have a large, small, and mini. I do not like the small since I find it seems to have airflow issues and takes a long time to come up to temp. I absolutely love the mini. It comes up to temp quickly, uses very little charcoal, and is great for two people, camping, tailgating etc. I thought of the mini as something I'd never really want but now I use it two to three times as much as the large. My only complaint is I would love a cast iron grate for it.

Grandpas Grub

The more I think about things, I am probably going to sell my small.

However, on your slow start up. When you load make sure the air holes in the fire grate are clear and clear the holes in the fire box.

When lighting use oil/paper towel and put two strips just below the lump surface left and right of center.

Bottom vent open, DFMT off. Light the paper towels both ends and center. Close the dome and watch for the initial heat spike to drip back down then the gradual climb. If the egg is still struggling open the dome and with a personal fan (2 AA battery, hand held type) blow into the fire. You want a soft slow breeze not a rush of air. Don't blow the air in the lower vent just across the top of the lump.

The soft breeze will really give the lump a kick start. Works great for any of the eggs when the lump is slow starting or just not coming up to temperature.

If the temperature is still slow or low, then you need to use a wiggle rod from the lower vent.

Using the ash tool from the top of the lump usually lodges small pieces of lump into the fire grate air holes.

Just learn the technique your small (or any size egg) needs to get it going quickly.

GG

DryFly

Small. A Lodge Hibachi does what a mini can do with more capacity at 1/3 the price. I have no problem reaching and maintaining temp with my Small. I use tightly balled up newsprint on the lump grate, lump on top and lit with one of those cheesy little gas lighters with the long nose and trigger mechanism, through the lower vent. You get a carpet of coals under the lump that spreads quickly and evenly. Will get as hot as you want, and quickly. You'll use it more than your Large.

[Deleted User]

I wrestled with the question for a good year or so before choosing the Mini. I love the mini for what I use it for, but that's what fit my needs, not yours. You decide.

I got the Mini because I loved the portability of it, felt that the grid was big enough to cook entrees for the (4) of us (My girls don't eat as much as boys do and my wife doesn't eat a lot and I've noticed I don't eat as much as I used to either)and when not in use it takes up no space. I don't typically cook more than just the meat on the grill. If I do, I use the Large.

I can bring it with us on vacation, to a relative's house for the day, to work for Lunch or to my daughter's softball game.

I'm 50 and my back will go out if I'm not careful with what and how I lift stuff. I can handle a 35 lb Mini but a 65 lb Small would be asking for trouble.

Sounds like your back and family are younger than mine, so you would probably be better off with a Small. You will not be disapointed with a Small, in fact you will love it! A Large/small combination gives you lots of flexibility.

FWIW, there may still be a small in my future...

Chappy

Okay, I'm leaning toward the small, but I'll probably end up getting both.

Thanks for all the replies.

Actually, I think I will buy the mini and keep it at the office. Then its a business expense and my patients will smell something grilling and they won't be thinking about me drilling on their teeth! Gotta love the business expense!