Advantages of a Mini ?

Troglodyte

Hello,

I have a large BGE and love it. I grill, bake, smoke, wok, and use all of the accessories. Often, though, I just want to grill a steak or chicken breasts for me and my wife. So, a grill the size of a mini would be very useful.

My question is: why wouldn't a small Weber do just as well as a Mini? Do people do anything other than a straight grill on them? If not, how is a Mini superior to a basic grill?

TIA.

Lawn Ranger

I use mine for most all of my solo cooks when the family is away. Quick, fast, efficient. Great for camping trips, too! Don't leave home without it!

Mike

Lawn Ranger

I also have a Mini Weber, and there is certainly nothing wrong with them. The Mini is just so cool! The ease of use, the quickness in attaining the desired temp., and the ability to shut down and conserve charcoal all are plusses in my book. Besides, it's just more fun, and a great conversation piece. I've been told women think they're cute. :silly:

Mike

Griffin

How much does a mini run?

Lawn Ranger

I'll have to defer to someone who has made a recent purchase. Mine is a hand-me-down from MollyShark. Wouldn't trade it.

thirdeye

There is nothing wrong with the Smokey Joe kettles, I use mine a lot, but looking at LR's pictures and also photos from ClayQ are all of the convinging you need to make you want to buy a mini. Yes, they are cute... but mini owners really love them.

FYI, the Smokey Joe will not get at searing hot as the mini can, and of course the insulation properties of any ceramic cooker are better than a steel pit. This is a big factor if you are cooking in the wind or cold. One upside is that the Smokey Joe does have a larger grate than the mini.

Carolina Q

I like mine especially on a cold and snowy night!

PhilsGrill

The mini egg is superior to a basic grill as a large egg is superior to any grill. Pretty simple huh?

Shwiezzee

Michael,

I love it! :P that is awesome!

My wife would shoot me! :laugh:

EggSimon

cooked a pulled pork in the mini lately:

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=984763

not sure, if it´s the same fun - fun means here, nothing to do, the egg runs and runs and runs... - with the Weber.

Hungry Celeste

I have a mini for all the reasons enumerated in the OP. Most of my quick-grilling on weeknights fits just fine atop the 9" grid, but I do go indirect w/my Mini all the time. Get the mini Woo and two 8" pizza stones; you'll be all set. I bake apple crisps, simple fruit galettes, 8" pans of cornbread, etc.

The not-so-secret specialty of the mini is pizza. It gets screaming hot, the pie is close to the heat, and top browning is superior to the large thanks to diminutive size of the dome (I think, but perhaps some thermodynamics expert out there has a better explanation). Yes, the pizzas are small, but you can let everyone customize their own pie, or make a couple of pizzas then cook dessert (or bake potatoes or sweet potatoes for the next day).

Fuel efficiency is improved if you use the rain cap to snuff out the fire, and also if you do a little precision tuning on the lower draft door. My Mini's draft door, as new, was a bit wiggly and didn't fit as tightly as my Large's sliding metal vent. So I tapped and tamped the edges and voila, it seals quite a bit better now.

Mickey

I could never cook chicken on a weber.
Can not tell you on price as I won mine last year at the Plano Fest - show up Saturday as they are giving 2 more away free.....

Carolina Q

Hey, a fireplace is for fire, isn't it? It works very well on days when the atmospheric pressure is low. On a bright, sunny day, I get a little bit of smoke in the house. Not much though. I keep the glass doors closed and that helps some. Besides, who doesn't like the smell of food cookin' on the grill?!

I definitely don't use the MAPP torch to light it in the house! Starter cubes only. My carpet would not appreciate the sparks!! :laugh: Also, a sheet pan on the hearth keeps the grease drips at bay.

Fireplace cooking in the winter is actually the reason I bought a mini instead of a small. Would have preferred a small, but while it would fit in the fireplace, I wouldn't be able to OPEN it! I use the mini as much as the large in the summer, maybe more. Both are on the patio. In winter though, the mini in the fireplace wins, hands down. Haven't tried a butt on it yet - but it's on my list.

EDIT: By the way, I long ago cracked the CI DO in the pic so I can't use it for cooking. Couldn't bring myself to toss it so it was decorative only. Until I bought the mini. Now, it's my indoor LUMP container!

Troglodyte

Great post, Celeste. Thanks! You might have tipped the scales over to the Mini for me.

cookn biker

It's hot n kwick!!





It's portable



It'll cook a small pork butt

Desert Oasis Woman

Mickey STOLE mine last year

Gonna get even this year :evil:

Mickey

Stay sober this year and don't drop your ticket on the ground like last year :woohoo:

Desert Oasis Woman

my ticket was in it's holster like Bonnie planned for all tickets to be!
I'll stay sober IF YOU WILL

asianflava

Heh heh, I was just at my dealer buying starters. We were talking about this exact topic. With the exception of portability, I can't figure out why anybody would buy one.

cookn biker

Which dealer were you at?

RedBag

I have a large, small, and mini. I started with the large and had it for years before I got the small. I got the small to take camping and I use it at home when the large is occupied with another cook. The small is a great unit. It will do everything the large will do it’s just, well you know, smaller. While the small is portable and does work great for camping it’s not easy for one person to move around. It’s still fairly heavy and awkward to carry, thus I got the mini. The mini won’t do for camping because I cook for the whole family and usually a few others as well. While the mini can be used for indirect it’s really not very good at it in my opinion. You are just too close to the fire, and the dome. I know the mini owners here love them and post all kinds of great cooks which shows you that it obviously can be done and done well. I’m not knocking the mini. I love mine and won’t give it up, but if the only reason you are looking at the mini is because it’s a waste to fire up the large for just you and your wife then get the small. If you are planning on traveling with it, depending on your physical abilities the mini may be a better option. The difference in the amount of lump you will use between the two is pretty much insignificant in my opinion.

[Deleted User]

If you want a comparison between the Mini and the Smokey Joe, I can't help you.

When I was a kid, my parents used to love grilling on a hibachi. to me the mini is a hibachi on steroids.

When my dealer found out I wanted a Mini, he squinted-up his face and said "Can you cook anything but a steak for one person on it?"- lesson here is don't look to the dealer for encouragement or advice.

Above is stuffed boneless leg of lamb (3 or 4 lb)

as far as capacity, I have two daughters and I have no problem cooking entrees for the 4 of us on the mini.

When you're done cooking on it and need to put it in the car, but it's still hot, I wear gloves when I carry it and wrap it in a towel or two in the car. It's compact and everything fits inside it, don't need to empty ash before packing up, though that would probably help it cool down quicker.

I like to stick with one system and that's a big reason why I opted for the Mini over the smokey Joe. Also, it's fun to get creative and see all the stuff you can cook on it. (I've got to try pulled pork on it!) typically the lump I use in the mini is leftover from cooks on the Large. I have a tin with a lid that I put the smaller leftover lump in and keep that with the mini.

Hungry Celeste

You make a good point that I neglected to put in my first post...the mini is a great way to use up all those bitty pieces of lump at the bottom of the bag, or from a previous cook in your large. Small pieces do just fine in it.

Griffin

Mickey wrote:

Can not tell you on price as I won mine last year at the Plano Fest - show up Saturday as they are giving 2 more away free.....

We are planning on it. Already got all the details and stuff. What would be a good time to show up? I'd really like to meet people and learn how to cook on a BGE. Really looking for tips and advice.