Should I buy an Egg at Eggfest?

Black_Badger · April 2012

Hello All,

New to the forums, but excited to learn more about the BGE. I'm considering buying an XL model at an Eggfest that's about 100 miles from my home. My concern is how I can transport it back home if I do so. Will I need a trailer? Can two guys hoist it into the back of a pickup? Will it be too hot to move, or will moving it while hot be an issue? Seems like a golden opportunity, but I want to know what I'm getting myself into before I commit to a high dollar, major purchase.

Cheers -

Chris

vidalia1 · April 2012

Buying an Egg at a fest is a great way to get a discount. There will be people there to help you load the BGE in your vehicle but once you get home you are on your own. If you have a pick up truck that will help. A trailer is not a bad idea but you will need to tie it down.

The Eggs get shut down between 2-3PM so they have time to cool off so heat should not be a problem. Buy a

SteveWPBFL · April 2012

Make sure the trailer is well suspended!

Nature Boy · April 2012

No problem if you have a pickup, Chris. When carrying the Eggs in my pickup bed, we load without the nest, and strap in well. Been traveling with them like that for many years with no issues.

Cheers. You'll love your Egg.

Chris

Black_Badger · April 2012

Okay, decided to pull the trigger and sent in my order. Still not sure I can get it home in the Commander, but the folks at Outdoor Kitchen Creations in Upland were really helpful. What are the accesories I will absolutely need right off the bat? Plate setter? Cover?

Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts.

Cheers -

B_B

pezking7p · April 2012

If you have an SUV or large hatchback, you'll be fine, though you may need to disassemble the lid to fit it if it's a small vehicle (bring a few crescent wrenches with you). If you just have a regular car....you may struggle to fit it in there.

I have a plate setter and a raised grid. So far I haven't found myself wanting anything.... other than wanting more time to cook :)

cortguitarman · April 2012

You should be fine fitting it in a commander

Cowdogs · April 2012

You can reduce the height of the XL by about 10 inches if you do the following...

Bring a quilt or a blanket. On the XL it is really easy to remove the dome, flip it upside down, and set it back into the base. To prevent damaging the green finsih on the dome, you will want to wrap the dome in the blanket before you set it into the base,

R2Egg2Q · April 2012

I'd think you'd be ok with clearance on a Commander. Mine came home with the dome ON in a Ford Explorer. If you're concerned about the height measure your clearance and compare to the height of an XL. I'm sure someone with a taller dome XL can provide a measurement (or I can later tonight).

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2012

Okay, decided to pull the trigger and sent in my order. Still not sure I can get it home in the Commander, but the folks at Outdoor Kitchen Creations in Upland were really helpful. What are the accesories I will absolutely need right off the bat? Plate setter? Cover?

Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts.

Cheers -
B_B

cover.....maybe it's me but I never used mine. It's always hot when you are done cooking so you have wait for hours to put it on (generally the next day if you do dinner). Then you have to go out and put the cover back on the next day for a few hours before taking it off to cook again. Mine has been totally exposed to 4 Wisconsin winters and now the 3 hottest TX summers on record with no cover and it's fine. The finish has "spider webbed" a little but it's 7 years old and cranking out the good stuff 3X a week. I dunno, I'm not that anal (there's that word again) about it looking pristine- it's a tool for me and gets treated as such. My 2 cents.............

rsmith193 · April 2012

We bought 3 of our 4 at eggfests, they are shut down at 3 and by 5 are cleaned out and cooled down. 2 people can easily pull it from it's nest and put it in the vehicle. You will love it. We now have 1 small, 2 large, and an xl. Planning on another xl in November.

R2Egg2Q · April 2012

I recommend that you check out the Ceramic Grill Store site and look at what accessories they have and how they match to how you think you will cook on your Egg. Thirdeye's Third Hand tool is my favorite choice for a grid lifting tool.

My XL measures 30" in height in case you want to check the clearance in your car.

Bumm39 · April 2012

check out your local Ace Hardware store I saved 2 hundred dollars

Black_Badger · April 2012

Thanks everyone, I'd heard taking the top on and off is difficult due to the spring mechanism, but I'll have some tools on hand in case that's the way to go. I did check the clearance and it looks like it'll be tight but doable. I'm certainly excited to get it up and running, and I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions in the future.

Cheers -

B_B

Boomer · January 7

Bumm39 said:

check out your local Ace Hardware store I saved 2 hundred dollars

Since when did ACE begin selling the Big Green Egg?

Genius SMFH

Fred19Flintstone · January 7

@Boomer - Before sarcastically calling someone a genius, you might want to check how old the thread is. Makes you look silly.

td66snrf · January 7

At last years SoCal Eggfest I actually saw an XL put in the back of a Prius hatchback. It would have been even more fun to see them take it out! For all I know it may still be in there! If you have a p/u truck, no sweat. Bring blankets and/or towels. Taking out the firebox, fire ring, and grate will help shed quite a few pounds. Removing the dome is no big deal either, just remember to torque it back specs when you put it back together. In fact when you get it home I would recheck everything to make sure everthings tight. Remember there were a bunch of them assembled when your was and something may have been missed.

Congrats on your decision,

Tim

Boomer · January 7

Point made WAS, ACE never sold the product. Try and comprehend that...

SMITTYtheSMOKER · January 7

I know a few Ace Hardware stores that have sold Big Green Eggs. All individual owned stores can become dealers if they decide to do so. Just sayin'.

Village Idiot · January 7

I haven't read all of the posts, but I do have an observation. I stir fried on a wok at Salado last year and did some damage to the gasket. I have read that it is not uncommon. I'm not certain, but I believe the normal discount is about 20% at Eggfests. My local dealer gives a 20% discount during the winter months for NEW Eggs. Also, a friend of mine was going to buy a demo Egg at Salado, but he went to the dealer in Austin and told him that. The dealer said he'd give him the same discount as a demo Egg.

Browninggold · January 7

Thanks for the info VI...when I'm ready to pull the trigger on a XL I will see if my local BGE dealer will match Eggfest prices. @Boomer a few Ace Hardware stores in my area sell BGE

SteveWPBFL · January 7

The key maybe to buying an Egg is getting the warranty, which only seems to come from purchasing from a dealer or an event like an Eggfest. So if the dealer won't deal down then hopefully the Eggfest is an option. Otherwise, to buy an Egg second hand you would want to negotiate down a little further due to the lack of warranty. We now return you to your regularly scheduled forum.

Mickey · January 7

This shot is inside Keith's Ace Hardware in Salado, TX just before last years Salado EggFest. This Ace has sold over 65 Egg's in the past 2 Salado Fest's'.

mimauler · January 7

You'll need the plate setter for sure or you won't be able to do the lo and slo.Therma pen is a must for cooking. If you can the three tier adj rig is fantastic huge amount of meat can be cooked on the XL with that set-up. A good set of leather gloves for moving hot grids and plate setter is needed. That's a good start.

Mickey · January 7

Might want to think the "You'll need the plate setter for sure or you won't be able to do the lo and slo" thing. You do not need a plate setter for a low and slow. The plate setter would be the very last item from BGE I would buy. I only have it because I did not know any better a long time ago.

travisstrick · January 7

Mickey said:

Might want to think the "You'll need the plate setter for sure or you won't be able to do the lo and slo" thing. You do not need a plate setter for a low and slow. The plate setter would be the very last item from BGE I would buy. I only have it because I did not know any better a long time ago.

yep

Mickey · January 7

@travisstrick Are you going to pick up this Weekend Warrior before it rots in my office? I think it is starting to smell.

td66snrf · January 9

Mickey said:

Might want to think the "You'll need the plate setter for sure or you won't be able to do the lo and slo" thing. You do not need a plate setter for a low and slow. The plate setter would be the very last item from BGE I would buy. I only have it because I did not know any better a long time ago.

I cooked on Imperial Kamados for a couple of decades before I knew what a platesetter was. You definetly can do low and slow wiyhout one.

Ragtop99 · January 10

R2Egg2Q said:

I recommend that you check out the Ceramic Grill Store site and look at what accessories they have and how they match to how you think you will cook on your Egg. Thirdeye's Third Hand tool is my favorite choice for a grid lifting tool.

Agree whole-heartedly. I skipped the platesetter and got a Woo2 and stone from CGS. More versatile than a PS. They have several good ways to go.

The third hand is great too. He had been back-logged, order now if you can.

Cover is of great value if you never use your egg. ;)

Lit · January 10

I agree you don't have to have the plate setter but I use mine all the time. I have the woo for my small and mini and the adjustable rig for my large and XL but I don't like to get my pizza stones dirty so I use a plate setter in my small, large and XL. To do pizzas you need 2 levels of indirect so I needed plate settee anyways it 2 pizza stones.

Mickey · January 10

Nature Boy said:

No problem if you have a pickup, Chris. When carrying the Eggs in my pickup bed, we load without the nest, and strap in well. Been traveling with them like that for many years with no issues.
Cheers. You'll love your Egg.
Chris

I have a "handler" on mine. I pulled the top off and left the bottom in the nest to travel Tx/Fl and back ( worked fine). Thinking next year leaving top on it. Your thoughts.

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