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Mini Egg? Yes or No? All commentary/opinions wanted

At home I have my LBGE and MBGE and will be camping a little bit this summer.  Should I slum it and just load up the lil smokey joe weber with lump or purchase the mini egg?  How could it be useful to my existing collection?  What do you use or like to grill on your mini egg?  
Large, Medium, Mini, and Mini Max, a few too many accessories, 2 kids, 1 dog, and original wife.  Lover of winter, powdery snow, and lots of golf.  
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Comments

  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Yes


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • BOWHUNR
    BOWHUNR Posts: 1,487
    edited May 2013
    I love my mini and use it all the time, but it's the small that comes along when we go camping or tailgating.  I find the extra space handy for the things we typically make.

    Mike

    I'm ashamed what I did for a Klondike Bar!!

    Omaha, NE
  • Go for the egg.  I don't own a mini yet, but someday soon a mini or small for portable egging.

    Damascus, VA.  Friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail.

    LBGE Aug 2012, SBGE Feb 2014

  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    You come to the right place. There are mini supporters and those who think its a rip off....

    What side will you chose?

    Mini is my only egg.
    Seattle, WA
  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    I have large and a small. Small vs mini I choose small. Mini vs weber I choose mini. No brainer.
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • SmokinTiger81
    SmokinTiger81 Posts: 746
    I have a large and a small, and use the small for tailgating or out of town cooking.  Not sure I could get enough on the mini to buy it over the small.
  • Scottborasjr
    Scottborasjr Posts: 3,494
    Basically I'd look at it like this, if you plan on cooking for 2-3 people that are going to sit down to eat together, the Mini is great.  If you have to serve more then that your going to at least need the small.  The Mini can crank out a lot of food if those that are with you don't mind staggering when they eat. So I guess it really depends on table manners.
    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. 
  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,168
    I have a small and a mini. Both are great, so if you are choosing between them, you can't lose. Small has more real estate and is heavier. Mini out performs the small (hotter, quicker) and is lighter. I wouldn't consider the Weber because I try to think long-term (What will I be happier with two years from now?).
    Flint, Michigan
  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
    I have a large and i can cook full meals on it for three adults, and have cooked pulled pork for big family reunions.  In over three years i have not needed, an additional egg of any size for my needs.  When i camp, i wouldn't want the problem of lugging the weight and possible damage of an egg, plus the problem of cooldown of an egg.  A weber like you suggested is where i would go!!  Hose the coals down and load it up, and be on the road.  And i don't like the idea of leaving hot coals at an unattended camp site! 
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Mini rocks we take it all over. We went camping last weekend with 15 people and used 2 minis and a small. We had 3 racks of ribs going at one point.
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053

    Here's a 6.5 pound shoulder on a mini.image

  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    edited May 2013
    My opinion will be unpopular.  I have a large and a mini.  I love the large and wouldn't trade it for any cooker, no matter what the price.

    The mini is also very good on grilling.  I have not used it much at all for indirect or low and slow.  So, for me, I think a much cheaper Weber would do just as good as a mini.

    I know Mickey will have me banned from the forum for my blasphemy, but I really don't see the "added advantage" of the mini.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167

    Love our mini, it is great for 2-people-sized cooks.

    Primarily, I bought it for portability.  We have a small condo on the Oregon Coast, about 3 hours away.  Teamed up with an Egg Carten from Scott Lewis, it is a traveling companion!  It goes to the coast many times a year. 

    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,168
    Very cool! How long, temp, any need to refuel? Always wanted to do that on the mini.
    Flint, Michigan
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    It went 7 hours at around 350 and had about an hours worth of lump left. It was wicked good lump though and filled to the max.
  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,168
    Thanks! Gonna turbo butt real soon!
    Flint, Michigan
  • bbqlearner
    bbqlearner Posts: 760

    Love our mini.

    Houston, TX - Buddy LBGE, Don SBGE, Tiny Mini & Shiny Momma Pitts n Spitts

  • AUWAG
    AUWAG Posts: 73
    Big fan of the mini. I used to think it was just a toy. Use it 4/5 cooks now. Coked a drunk chicken for Memorial Day, can fit 3-4 steaks or chicken breasts and is ready to go soon. Make sure you get the new MK-II fire ring to fit the plate setter and I recommend an egg carten over the recently separately priced $50 nest
  • Austin  Egghead
    Austin Egghead Posts: 3,966
    Yes one of the most versatile eggs we own.  
    Large, small and mini now Egging in Rowlett Tx
  • R2Egg2Q
    R2Egg2Q Posts: 2,136
    The Mini is really more versatile than what most folks think. As for what we like to cook on a Mini, pretty much anything that will fit. If you haven't seen Spring Chicken's Magic Mini Moments vids check them out to get a sense of how we use them:

    1. http://youtu.be/dYGge_k7FUI
    2. http://youtu.be/ha4L_WocnJQ
    3. http://youtu.be/YXW2tk49VE0
    4. http://youtu.be/lGTQtVWlhus
    5. http://youtu.be/ZIgTkeR184A
    XL, Large, Small, Mini Eggs, Shirley Fabrication 24x36 Patio, Humphrey's Weekender, Karubecue C-60, MAK 1-Star General, Hasty Bake Gourmet, Santa Maria Grill, Webers: 14" WSM, 22.5" OTG, 22.5" Kettle Premium, WGA Charcoal, Summit S-620 NG

    Bay Area, CA
  • Elmer Fudd
    Elmer Fudd Posts: 65
    Go for the mini. Added the mini over Christmas - never looked back!
    Minneapolis / St. Paul. Large & Mini
  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    Pound for pound I cannot think of a bigger waste of money than a mini BGE
    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • Springram
    Springram Posts: 430
    Zippylip said:
    Pound for pound I cannot think of a bigger waste of money than a mini BGE
    For two people, the Mini is worth it weight in gold. I use it 75% of the time vs the LBGE. 

    For 3 or more, the Egg would be a waste.

    Springram
    Spring, Texas
    LBGE and Mini
  • Springram
    Springram Posts: 430
    I meant to say the Mini would be a waste if there are more than 2 people. Have not had coffee yet.


    Springram
    Spring, Texas
    LBGE and Mini
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    edited June 2013
    We sent a Mini to Afghanistan and it cooked for 21 troops. Not a waste of money. Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    Springram said:
    Zippylip said:
    Pound for pound I cannot think of a bigger waste of money than a mini BGE
    For two people, the Mini is worth it weight in gold. I use it 75% of the time vs the LBGE. 

    For 3 or more, the Egg would be a waste.

    Springram
    Spring, Texas
    What you've stated makes sense within the vacuum that is the BGE family of cookers; if BGE was the only manufacturer of charcoal cookers I'd be more inclined to agree with you as the mini is an efficient choice compared to the larger eggs.  But alas there is no shortage of non-BGE cookers that outperform the mini at a tiny fraction of the cost.  So the analysis as I see it is simple, is the poster willing to pay a very significant premium for a cooker that is very limited size-wise for the sake of saying "but it's a BGE" like my other cookers...
    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    Mickey said:
    We sent a Mini to Afghanistan and it cooked for 21 troops. Not a waste of money. Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

    Mickey, with all due respect you and I both know how long it would take to rotate enough food on & off a cooker the size of a mini to feed 21 hungry people.  Can it be done?  Of course, but that's not the question.  Can it be done in 1/2 the time at 1/10th the cost?  Yes. 

    If your goal is to spend 10 times the money & a great deal more time cooking, then the mini is certainly the best choice.

     

    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Zippy what other cooker that's portable can you cook a 6.5 pound shoulder at 350 for 7 hours and not have to mess around with removing the shoulder and adding more charcoal and letting the lump burn off then add the food back and go another couple hours and do it again? I have cooked burgers and dogs for a crowd of 15 or so many times either at the lake or the pool or tailgating and its really not that hard. I had the little Weber and after the first couple cooks on the mini I put it out by the curb.
  • Springram
    Springram Posts: 430
    Zippylip said:
    Springram said:
    Zippylip said:
    Pound for pound I cannot think of a bigger waste of money than a mini BGE
    For two people, the Mini is worth it weight in gold. I use it 75% of the time vs the LBGE. 

    For 3 or more, the Egg would be a waste.

    Springram
    Spring, Texas
    What you've stated makes sense within the vacuum that is the BGE family of cookers; if BGE was the only manufacturer of charcoal cookers I'd be more inclined to agree with you as the mini is an efficient choice compared to the larger eggs.  But alas there is no shortage of non-BGE cookers that outperform the mini at a tiny fraction of the cost.  So the analysis as I see it is simple, is the poster willing to pay a very significant premium for a cooker that is very limited size-wise for the sake of saying "but it's a BGE" like my other cookers...
    Sounds good to me. Have fun with your Weber Smokey Joe or whatever. You used the word "outperform". You lost a little credibility on that one, however.

    Going cheap is the least of my goals in life.


    Springram
    Spring, Texas
    LBGE and Mini
  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    edited June 2013
    SkinnyV said:

    There are mini supporters and those who think its a rip off....


    Mini is my only egg.

    There's 1, I know there's a few more, this thread can get interesting. I think some only consider it a grill, not the low and slow possibilities. No doubt the thing is pricey, but I use it 3-4 times a week. 1 bag of lump per month if that as fuel.

    I've done brisket, butt, pastrami, turkey breast.
    Feeds my family of 4, and even 5 with pops in town last few months.
    Seattle, WA