Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Do I want a Small or a Medium for No. 2???

LFGEnergy
LFGEnergy Posts: 618
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
With the below thread about the $200 small eggs on ebay, I am really getting anxious about adding a second egg to the Man Cave, maybe for Christmas :lol::whistle::whistle: (and no, not biting on the ebay thing...at least not yet). My target cooking for the second egg would be a few steaks, a single chicken, or a single slab of ribs when cooking for myself, or maybe sides during a bigger cook.

I think the 13 inch small would be perfect, but the urge is the bigger the better.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, especially those that have a small and strong opinions one way or the other.

Thanks!!!
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    I have 2 large, 1 medium and 1 small. The large and/or small get used all the time. The medium and other large (a rehab Imperial Kamado) are loney most of the time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Funny you should ask. I was just in the kitchen with a tape measure asking my wife "could we cook on something this big"?

    My interest was also sparked by the ebay thing. I don't think I'm biting just yet either- but lead me to ask "would I even want a small??".

    Based on what you mentioned- it sounds like the small would suffice. Plenty of room for what you described. For me- the appeal of the small is it is somewhat portable. I could take it camping, tailgating, a friend's lake house, etc. I'm not sure I would actually ever do those things...but nice to know the option is there.

    If I was pretty sure I would not ever want to go portable, I think I would wait to find a deal on a 2nd large.

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    The small is sweet! I use mine a lot. As a matter of fact, I egged these prime New York strips last night. :P

    100_0429.jpg
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Egghead Willie
    Egghead Willie Posts: 185
    I just orderd a small this week. (not ebay) I have the Large that I keep at the Lake and use it every weekend when there. The small will be perfect for the two of us and I can bring it to the Lake in the spring when we move back there. I think it will be a great combination.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    I have a large, medium, small, and mini currently. I just got the medium and have only cooked on it several times but at this point the small probably gets used more than any of my eggs. My main issue with the medium is how much space there is around the outside of the grate and the wall of the egg. It seems like the grate could have been an inch bigger and still fit fine. I have done (2) 7 pound shoulders in my small before so it can cook some food.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    Why crank up the large just for a steak or two or some chicken? The small does a great job in this environment and when doing large meals for family/guests and you want some veggies the small is eggtastic.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    I don't have a small but I definitely would like one to go with my large. (Actually have two large.) Our kids are recently grown and out of the house (mostly) so a small would be great for the average night when we're just cooking for two.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • The Ohio State Buckeye BBQ Guy
    The Ohio State Buckeye BBQ Guy Posts: 57
    I've got a large, small and a mini. For a family of four the small does an excellent job and gets used the most. A nice feature about the small is that it is light enough to go camping with us.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • highpress
    highpress Posts: 694
    Dave,
    I'm assuming you have a large now. I've got a large and small. I use the small 90% of the cooks i do. It's normally just me and the wifey. (kid is only 9mos so he doesn't count). I LOVE my small. And for those that say there's not much lump difference between a large and small, BS. Just fill up the firebox. The first time i filled the small, i was like Holly ****. compared to a large it takes like no charcoal. It heats up fast but can still cook a lot of food. You can fit a full size (not sure how many quart) DO on the small. Get it, no regrets. I still love my large, don't get me wrong. glad i get it, i usually only fire her up for large crowd or pizza. Only because i don't have platesetter/pizza stone for small. good luck!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Preflopit
    Preflopit Posts: 15
    i love my medium
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • highpress
    highpress Posts: 694
    Gwen,
    A small would be fit the bill perfectly. My wife and i started with a large, and about 6 months to a year later we added the small. I'd say i cook on the small 95% of the time now. Even if it's alot of food, i try to think of "how can i make this work on the small". Guess i'm stingy. But you do save a ton of charcoal.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LFGEnergy
    LFGEnergy Posts: 618
    Thanks to all providing input! The two things that I heard about the small that convinced me are (1) big enough to cook for 2, and (2) small enough that we could put it in the back of the SUV for a picnic or camping.

    Great input, and again, thanks to all that took the time to chime in!

    Happy Holidays to all!!!

    Dave
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    That's a great point Richard. Other than portability- the small also has an advantage that it uses less lump and gets up to temp faster. So, for smaller cooks it would make more sense to use the small if you had one. I suppose I was thinking if you had no desire for portability you might as well have the extra capacity just in case you needed it. Realistically, most people don't need to the capacity of 2 large. At least half the time (maybe more) when I cook for my family of 5 the small would suffice.

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,188
    Dave, I hate to admit it, but the small would be my pick. The reason I say I hate to admit it is that out of the four that I own (L,M,S,Mi), the small is the slowest to temp. I want to recommend medium because my medium is a beast, it goes from 0 to 1000 in no time at all. I have to watch how I build the fire in my small, and I made some mods to get it hotter faster. Having said all of this, I use the small more than any cooker, hands down. It uses very little lump, cooks big enough for my family (me, wife, and 3 kids), and holds steady temps. I probably use it three times a week. I have had it since March, and I have used it more than any of my other eggs. I used my large to cook a 17 lb turkey vertically yesterday, but it will go back under the cover for a few more weeks while the small gets a work out.

    So my hesitation on recommending the small is just not having the same expectations of the large in the way that it heats up. Many do not have issues with their small, in fact some say its the fastest and hottest cooker they have (each egg has its own attitude). Mine has a gap around the fire box and fire ring, and thats a challenge at the high altitude that I live at. I gave up on pizza in the small, but I love it for the other 90% of the things I use it for. It does great at low and slow too. I have done pork butts overnight, plenty of lump left when done too. Go for it, get the small, then you can have fun figuring out what the next egg is.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    Charcoal saving would be nice. We live in a place where it's hard to get charcoal. It involves a lot of time, driving, and ferry costs. So when I buy it, I buy quite a few bags and we really don't have the room for storing them. But it's that or run out of charcoal all the time. So charcoal savings would be a good thing for me.

    You should get a platesetter for the small! How fast does the small get up to high temps for pizza, steaks, etc.?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    About half the time of a large, in my experience. A small egg is a great thing to have!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Florida Grillin Girl
    Florida Grillin Girl Posts: 4,972
    I have had a large forever (14 years) and recently acquired a small. Let's just say I wish I had gotten it sooner. I have used it almost exclusively since I got it and now my mini hardly ever gets used too.
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LFGEnergy
    LFGEnergy Posts: 618
    Steve,

    In answering question above, from Dimples Mom, does the small have a platesetter? My dealer said no, but was kind of unsure.....
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    Oh, I thought it did. I definitely could be wrong. I just assumed. If they don't make one for the small, they need to! Perhaps I'll give them a call..... :silly:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,188
    They make a platesetter for all but the mini.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LFGEnergy
    LFGEnergy Posts: 618
    There you go!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    Phew!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    It's a very small platesetter. :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • QBH
    QBH Posts: 49
    We have had them all.

    While the small is slightly more portable, I would still chose the medium. The small really is kind of limited sometimes, and when we go camping, I like the extra size of the meduim.

    We had two smalls at once, one that we bought, and one that we won at an eggfest. The second one would never get hotter than about 500 degrees, not that it needed to, it was just kind of strange.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Dave,

    Think about a large/large combination. Nothing against any of the others (I have them all) but I cook on the two larges on a daily basis.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Angela
    Angela Posts: 543
    Had the same conundrum about a year ago and went with a second large. Main benefit is that all the eggsessories I have can be shared by both.
    Egging on two larges + 36" Blackstone griddle
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories