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Woo/spider/rig oh my!

canadianeh
canadianeh Posts: 32
edited May 2013 in EggHead Forum
Yesterday I used some firebricks to raise my grill to the felt line. I think I want to invest in either the woo, or AR but I'm confused. I've read dozens of posts and the site's FAQ but am still confused. I already own a plate setter, pizza stone, new wood table etc. Someone please show me the light.
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Comments

  • ddegger
    ddegger Posts: 244
    Great question, looking forward to the responses. I was going for the woo, but the woo extender is no longer available. So, I'm thinking the AR is for me. But....I've also read good things about the swing rack. Would be nice to hear comparison of all.
  • canadianeh
    canadianeh Posts: 32
    Cost isn't necessarily an issue, and the wok looks like a great addition. Just want to make sure I get something I'm going to use and not overlapping with gear I've already bought.
  • Spaightlabs
    Spaightlabs Posts: 2,349
    Good article on the ceramic grill store site.
  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,168
    Both products are great quality.  Tom from CGS is a really good guy and so is Franco from CGW.  You can't go wrong with whatever you pick.  I have the AR  from CGS because it seemed more versitile.  When I get into wokking, the Spider will accomodate that.  I have a small and mini as well and CGW is working on a Swing Rack system for those.  I'll be calling Franco when that's released.  Enjoy yourself with whatever you choose! 
    Flint, Michigan
  • Scottborasjr
    Scottborasjr Posts: 3,494
    I second what @travisstrick said, call tom at ceramicgrillstore and talk to him. Depending on what kind of cooks you plan on doing he will tell you what to get and not oversell you.  Knowing what I know about Tom if he thinks a product from Ceramic Grill Works will better serve you he will honestly tell you.
    I raise my kids, cook and golf.  When work gets in the way I'm pissed, I'm pissed off 48 weeks a year.
    Inbetween Iowa and Colorado, not close to anything remotely entertaining outside of football season. 
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    edited May 2013

    Call Tom at ceramicgrillstore.com He will walk you through what you need. You wont meet a nicer guy. 

    100% agree.

    Prior to my first purchase, I think I had a million things in my cart and I called Tom with some questions. 30 minutes later, he talked me out of ordering half the things I was going to and tailored my order to what I cook.

    What makes Tom better than his competition is he's one of us. He's on this board and cooks at egg fests so he's not blindly making stuff for us, he's testing his product on a regular basis.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • EggHeadinFlorida
    EggHeadinFlorida Posts: 892
    edited May 2013

    heres some  reading for ya.. i started the topic and still cant decide. someone said buy both the AR and Swing Grate, uhh yea, I was LOL'ing! 

    I wish the swing rack from CGW had some sort of hinge mechanism to where you can add lump, wood chips or chunks without removing the entire rack. Im sure that can be a PITA and heavy if its loaded up with food! With that said, those of you with the Swing Rack from CGW, how do you do the above and is it a PITA?

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1322994/#Comment_1322994

    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    I have the CGW Swing Rack for my large. I haven't found the need to add any wood after I have started cooking. I also am in the leave hot things in the egg camp and don't switch setups mid cook. I am sure it can be done but I have plenty of success without messing with hot things and testing out how well my welding gloves work. 

    If your not looking for a 2nd tier I would look at the woo that holds the platesetter inside of it. 

    I have the Woo for my small and a spider for my large from CGS and a Swing Rack as my multi-tier option. I believe I have the best of both worlds but you can't go wrong with either one. I would be happy to answer any questions about the swing rack or woo and spider if you have any. 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • Ive been watching the videos on the swing rack (http://ceramicgrillworks.com/videos/)  I guess the the swing rack is a cast iron type of metal and will rust per Franco. Do you keep the swing rack housed in the grill when at all times? If so, does it develope rust at all? Franco said in the video if you do get rust, then heat up the grill to 500-600 degrees, and use a brush to get the rust off. Im sure that works, but then your wating at least an hour or more to get that temp back down to 250 range for a slow cook.
    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @EggHeadinFlorida I like in oklahoma and don't know if the Florida climate would be much different, the Swing Rack is made of Carbon Steel which is very similar to cast iron. I leave my swing rack in the egg for storage and have only had one tiny incidence of rust after a 8 pizza cook at 600-750° for a long time. All I did was sprayed some oil on it when I noticed it a couple days later, brushed it off, and then did some chicken wings for the Super Bowl and it was as good as ever. if you have food on it I haven't had one issue since. I got the swing rack last september and love it. 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • yea, the humidity here is HIGH lol.. When you say you "sprayed oil" on it, you talking about Pam spray oil for cooking?
    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    edited May 2013
    Yes, I have canola oil in a spray can and that's what I used. @EggHeadinFlorida
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • gotcha.. HMMMMMMMMM, decisions decisions!!!!!!!!!

    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
  • YouEnjoyMyEgg
    YouEnjoyMyEgg Posts: 168
    You guys are thinking about this too hard.  Buy one and try it.  You'll probably be happy.  If not then buy the other one.  But buy the AR first.  That's all you'll need.   :D
  • I dont think we are thinking to hard on this.. with the AR setup its $95 just for the AR rig + $45 for a grate (you really need 2 to make good use of the AR, so thats another $45.), $20 for the slide guide and your up to $205+ s/h.. The Swing Grate for the XL is $185.
    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Nothing wrong with doing research before buying, they both are great products made by great guys who are on the forum and use their products.

    I wanted a simple two-tier system with full access to the bottom rack, so I went with the Swing Rack. It also works with the platesetter I had years before discovering this forum and the aftermarket eggcessories.

    Each system has its own benefits, you just need to figure out which one works for what you cook more often. I like the Swing Rack but if the AR works better for your method of cooking, I will be one of the first to congratulate you on a awesome cook :D

    @canadianeh just reread your original post, sorry if the swing rack wasn't something you were looking at. I highly recommend getting the spider and a wok as it is a great way to cook on the egg. The other options get a little complicated but are all great eggcessories.
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • chrisnjenn
    chrisnjenn Posts: 534
    edited May 2013
    You guys are thinking about this too hard.  Buy one and try it.  You'll probably be happy.  If not then buy the other one.  But buy the AR first.  That's all you'll need.   :D

    I agree. Plus these type of questions have been asked thousands of times. This question and similar ones are asked daily (question was asked yesterday as well) and answered by the same people. Guess it gets that post count up. Search is a very useful tool, easy to use, and only takes seconds. A search would of given hundreds of threads on it. They need a forum on redundancy and a how to on using the simple feature of search/Google.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @candianeh & @EggHeadinFlorida feel free to ask all the questions you want it is much easier to get questions answered by starting a post than searching and bringing one back from the dead that was created by someone who is not active on the forum anymore. It is just as easy to skip over posts like these if people don't like them. 

    Myself and other helpful eggheads will be happy to try and answer your questions. 

    If you get bothered by this, just skip over the post. I'm pretty sure you can gather what it about because of the title. If you think I'm trying to get my post count up by answering a new guy's questions you couldn't be farther from the truth. I could care less and don't even look at that number, if I like something I comment on it even if I just say great cook I probably have bookmarked it and will make it at a later date. If I can help answer a question I will, pictures and helpful answers helped me out when I first got started so I would like to share some of my tips with others. 

    I joined this forum because I like cooking on my big green egg, finding new recipes, learning new techniques and sharing my cooks with others. I don't have time or care to deal with negativity towards anyone or any post. 

    Happy egging and if you have any other questions just ask! 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • chrisnjenn
    chrisnjenn Posts: 534
    I wish (not really) I had time in my life to write a novel for a post. Search is a good feature and needs to be used more often. Some don't use it out of laziness.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @chrisnjenn I understand your frustration and I use the search function myself, but I have also seen what happens when people resurface old posts with questions. Since everyone uses the egghead forum the search function pulls up random things, now a easy way around that which I'm sure you know but i'll post it for anyone else looking. Google site:egghead forum Swing Rack but some people like asking their own questions and are learning how to post at the same time. Not everyone is from other forums (this is the first one I ever joined) so there is a learning curve. I am not disagreeing with you I just know in a couple weeks there will probably be another post like this and will continue as long as there are new members and competing eggcessories and I don't have a problem talking about my Woo, Swing Rack, & Spider. 
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • chrisnjenn
    chrisnjenn Posts: 534
    edited May 2013
    @Solson005 I agree. It isn't so much the new people (I agree about the learning curve and I try to help new posters on questions like this), but those with over a hundred posts and been here for months. I think they do it out of laziness and/or attention.
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    @chrisnjenn gotcha, I thought you were talking about my post count. It all makes sense now. 

    Have a good one!
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    Guys, chrisnjenn is a troll. Just ignore anything he says.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • chrisnjenn
    chrisnjenn Posts: 534
    Ah travisdick, be nice and stop being a hypocrite. Wayne at the other site could expose you and your numerous ip's/usernames showing who the troll is.
  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    I have the Woo for my large and small egg and really like them. Tom told me the Woo extenders would be making a comeback in the near future. 
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    edited May 2013
    Ah travisdick, be nice and stop being a hypocrite. Wayne at the other site could expose you and your numerous ip's/usernames showing who the troll is.
    Travis is Tweev? Who would have thought :(

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    Steven, I'm hacking you first.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • GQuiz
    GQuiz Posts: 701
    Being a noob and wanting the raised grid for direct cooking, I got the extended grid for my XL on the BGE site. I've been able to cook two tiered, though probably not as easy as that swing rack. Either way, it was a cheaper alternative until I become a more accomplished Egghead. Plus, the sticker shock from the first four months made the extended rig more reasonable. Maverick, placesetter, Thermapen, trolley, cover, all sorts of DizzyPig, the BGE cookbook... adds up quick. I still have to get the Woo, the wok, the lump reducer and the books @VI has recommended. I'll watch posts like these and take the plunge for an AR or swing rack this fall.

    XL BGE; Schertz TX by way of Stow OH. #egghead4life
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    It's odd you don't sound Canadian. Gotta be hard to get a job in the us military with a Canuck birth certificate isn't it?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON